I had the best situational moment with your video. I was watching this comparison video on the toilet like many others here do and when you got to the Zexcoil, I had some…business to take care of…and looked away, you said, ‘here’s the Zexcoil’ and then I heard this horrible hum while looking away and thought, wow, he must be deaf, this hum is TERRIBLE! I look back at the screen, it’s a commercial of Mac & Cheese being microwaved. The hum was the microwave. It was hilarious, peace!
The Fenders are fuller. The Zexcoils are thin compared. That's ok tho, just some amp and pedal nob turning should solve. I won't have noise. But in this a/b comparison, I like the Fenders.
Thanks for the A/B video. I LOVE Zexcoil pickups and have sets in both my Strat, and Jaguar. I used the Throaty humbuckers in both bridge positions with a push/push tone control. Fantastic tone. I love the "airiness" of the pickups, besides the quiet, even at high gain. After using many premium pickups, Zexcoils top my list. Well rounded, articulate, and quiet! The pinnacle of tone.
Just dropped in my son's 10-yr old Zexcoil into my '93 USA....HUGE difference! Made an unsuccessful offer on a new LSL Saticoy earlier in the day to get my first 'boutique' S style...but now my old Strat has a boutiquey tonality with the Zex....all 5 positions sound clear, articulate, airy....AND...it has these other tone shaping features that really make the guitar even more versatile.
Leo Fender himself designed a similar pickup but his are called z coils if you look at them they look like a coil in the shape of A Z he did 3 and 3 instead of each individual one like they're doing but it's the same general idea. Leo designed his I guess in the late sixties after he sold Fender
Sorry my friend, I hear a difference, I bit shuttle on some settings and not so shuttle on others..it’s kind of the same difference I hear between my lace pickups and stock fender…stock fender are a bit less harsh and a bit more round..but I’m glad you find them pleasant to your taste. I think I will just settle for moving my guitar axis to reduce some of the worst hum….!
Anthony, I personally feel you would be great at playing my guitar hero Robin Trower, the way you play with such passion and feeling just watch Robin play when he makes those Blues faces when he plays. I think you should give one of his old songs a try, like Bridge of Sighs or his For Earth Below albums.
Noise gates suck for anything other than high gain metal shit. The stuff he’s playing isn’t just balls out loud. There are quiet parts that the noise gate would kill.
Anyone with these pickups notice an odd microphonic sound when doing big bends on the G string when on the neck or middle pickup? My zcore5 underwounds make kind of a fuzzy microphonic sound on large bends on the g string when in neck and middle pickup position. Other than that these pickups are awesome.
The thing about those stock pickups from the MIJ is that they use ceramic bar magnets rather than the typical alnico pole pieces. These pickups are the cheapest of the cheap, and can pretty much only be found in Squier guitars below the Classic Vibe range in new guitars from Fender (so in the squier bullet and affinity ranges), and in every cheap strat copy on the market. They aren't your traditional strat pickup per se.
I like them, but they need to improve the mounting holes for the screws. The pc-board base wears out very fast and cannot be easily supported or strengthened/repaired... FWIW
Ok. Cool. But they do the same thing the EMG’s do. They squeeze the overall tone. Yes, the stock pickups are noisy, but that is why we use a noise gate. The stock noise is just something we have to deal with..
Calling the stock pickups fender is a little misleading. Fender Japan made great bodies and necks, but substandard electronics in the 80's and 90's. Ceramic bars instead of normal alnico slugs? Great guitars once you put proper pots and pickups in them and use cavity sheilding.
Not bad they sound almost as good as the fenders… love my noise gates, get the best of both, killer tone and ZERO noise, not even hiss… decent option if a gate can’t be used…
The zexcoils sound much clearer and balanced than the fender.Zexcoil seem to have more output though. The Fender sound more "vintagy". People often forget that Zexcoil also offers low output vintage voiced pickups.
I listened without looking and I was able to hear the difference and call out which is which. while they sound clean, they also sound very thin compared to a fuller pickup from fender. I still think there is better hum canceling options out there than this! Sorry.
The Zexcoils are supposed to sound more like traditional Fender single coils, which the MiJ pickups are not. In this case the thinner sound is a desirable quality, as it resembles the original vintage Fender pickups (which would most probably also sound 'very thin' compared to the 'fuller' stock pickups with steel poles and ceramic magnets).
Don't like either sound. Prefer SD Cool Rail or DM Cruiser sounds. But thank you for doing this and introducing these pickups. Had not known about them. Best Regards and Best Wishes!
The stock pots with the Fender pickups were 250k (I assume), When the Zexcoils first went in, they were pre-wired with 500k pots, which I eventually switched to 250k.
@@Texasbluesalley I did the same. I followed Dr Lawing's recommendation of 500k pots for my Zexcoils but sounds too damn bright... to the point I had to turn the treble of some amps all the way down and it was still too bright. So:250k pots sounds just about right for me. Great video by the way 😁👍
I preferred the regular pickups. They're a little throatier. Could probably just dial the tone knob to come close with the Zexcoil. I think it would have been easier and probably just as effective to make them like G&L Z coils. Essentially it's the equivalent of P bass pickups.
It's all subjective but for me, the stock Strat pickups have a darkness and grit that I really like, the Zexcoils are very bright and clear with a bit of twang, which I don't care for. The biggest thing to my ear, is the harmonics, which are muddled with the stock Strat pickup, but that gives a complexity and depth to their "color" and sound, the Z pickups, they sound like each note is totally disconnected from each other, which upon reflection, umm. . . yeah, they are, effectively on one level. Anywho, that's the beauty of music and art, the individuality.
I had the best situational moment with your video. I was watching this comparison video on the toilet like many others here do and when you got to the Zexcoil, I had some…business to take care of…and looked away, you said, ‘here’s the Zexcoil’ and then I heard this horrible hum while looking away and thought, wow, he must be deaf, this hum is TERRIBLE! I look back at the screen, it’s a commercial of Mac & Cheese being microwaved. The hum was the microwave. It was hilarious, peace!
The Fenders are fuller. The Zexcoils are thin compared. That's ok tho, just some amp and pedal nob turning should solve. I won't have noise. But in this a/b comparison, I like the Fenders.
Thanks for the A/B video. I LOVE Zexcoil pickups and have sets in both my Strat, and Jaguar. I used the Throaty humbuckers in both bridge positions with a push/push tone control. Fantastic tone. I love the "airiness" of the pickups, besides the quiet, even at high gain. After using many premium pickups, Zexcoils top my list. Well rounded, articulate, and quiet! The pinnacle of tone.
Great video, very pristine pickups, as always fantastic playing. Thanks for the video.
Thank you Anthony! You do have your own signature style I’m hearing!
SRV?
Just dropped in my son's 10-yr old Zexcoil into my '93 USA....HUGE difference! Made an unsuccessful offer on a new LSL Saticoy earlier in the day to get my first 'boutique' S style...but now my old Strat has a boutiquey tonality with the Zex....all 5 positions sound clear, articulate, airy....AND...it has these other tone shaping features that really make the guitar even more versatile.
So Glass Clear!😳 Great Playing' Great Video' Thank You'🎼🇺🇸
Leo Fender himself designed a similar pickup but his are called z coils if you look at them they look like a coil in the shape of A Z he did 3 and 3 instead of each individual one like they're doing but it's the same general idea. Leo designed his I guess in the late sixties after he sold Fender
*what amp and rig setup was it in this video? cause i think its really crucial for nailing the feel and tone with correct amp and guitar match* ....
This is literally the technology that would really compliment extended range guitars, I know that market is pretty niche, but still…
Not niche at all. The erg market is probably the biggest market in guitar right now.
@@preston2636 Djent nerds really do be everywhere right now, and despite all the extra strings and time signatures, they all sound the same.
Very cool, but how do they compare to Lace Sensors?
Ever try Kinman pickups?
Kinmans are out of this world!!! Expensive but worth it.... especially for Strats!
Sorry my friend, I hear a difference, I bit shuttle on some settings and not so shuttle on others..it’s kind of the same difference I hear between my lace pickups and stock fender…stock fender are a bit less harsh and a bit more round..but I’m glad you find them pleasant to your taste. I think I will just settle for moving my guitar axis to reduce some of the worst hum….!
Beautiful Strat!!
Does it have the hamburgler image on the neck in the photo flame?
Anthony, I personally feel you would be great at playing my guitar hero Robin Trower, the way you play with such passion and feeling just watch Robin play when he makes those Blues faces when he plays. I think you should give one of his old songs a try, like Bridge of Sighs or his For Earth Below albums.
I didn't like either set. Would like to hear them against some Lollars or something good.
lmao
are thay making 2 of them Tgeather should have eaven less noise
Si its hummbuking
Like the Fender pu s in this case more. Great play 👏🏻
same)
Have you tried GL Comanche Z coils?
One time many years ago.
Have you ever tested the p90 Zexcoil?
New to guitar, but wouldn't a noise gate fix that hum?
Noise gates suck for anything other than high gain metal shit. The stuff he’s playing isn’t just balls out loud. There are quiet parts that the noise gate would kill.
Anyone with these pickups notice an odd microphonic sound when doing big bends on the G string when on the neck or middle pickup? My zcore5 underwounds make kind of a fuzzy microphonic sound on large bends on the g string when in neck and middle pickup position. Other than that these pickups are awesome.
Thanks for video very informative. Do you run clarksdale into plexi drive or the other way around? Thanks
I would never run them at such high gain levels, but Clarksdale into Plexi is how I'd do it.
Seems like a no brainer for you to go with Zex. Is it me, do they seem to have a bit of compression to them as well
The thing about those stock pickups from the MIJ is that they use ceramic bar magnets rather than the typical alnico pole pieces. These pickups are the cheapest of the cheap, and can pretty much only be found in Squier guitars below the Classic Vibe range in new guitars from Fender (so in the squier bullet and affinity ranges), and in every cheap strat copy on the market. They aren't your traditional strat pickup per se.
I thought these cheaper ceramic ones sounded better. I guess I like cheap ceramic PUs
I like them, but they need to improve the mounting holes for the screws. The pc-board base wears out very fast and cannot be easily supported or strengthened/repaired... FWIW
They do sound good. But how much do they cost?
Just looked it up. Looks like $139.00 for a set.
When at home or at a gig, when not playing I put my left hand on my strings.
wow, fender pickup sounds so bland compared to zexcoil 😅
Ok. Cool. But they do the same thing the EMG’s do. They squeeze the overall tone.
Yes, the stock pickups are noisy, but that is why we use a noise gate.
The stock noise is just something we have to deal with..
seemed like as ad, have to have a real side by side, Clapton, Hendrix sound ok
Calling the stock pickups fender is a little misleading. Fender Japan made great bodies and necks, but substandard electronics in the 80's and 90's. Ceramic bars instead of normal alnico slugs? Great guitars once you put proper pots and pickups in them and use cavity sheilding.
Interesting detail, thanks for sharing!
They might cancel the hum but if it don’t SOUND like a humbucker I don’t wanna know about it
Sorry buddy, but the stock pickups so much better. I know they're harder to work with with men they just grab your heart. Best of luck to you.
The stock pickups sound way more "Tin Pan Alley" to me... but the Zexcoils seem better suited for high-gain stuff
Not bad they sound almost as good as the fenders… love my noise gates, get the best of both, killer tone and ZERO noise, not even hiss… decent option if a gate can’t be used…
The zexcoils sound much clearer and balanced than the fender.Zexcoil seem to have more output though. The Fender sound more "vintagy". People often forget that Zexcoil also offers low output vintage voiced pickups.
I listened without looking and I was able to hear the difference and call out which is which. while they sound clean, they also sound very thin compared to a fuller pickup from fender. I still think there is better hum canceling options out there than this! Sorry.
What are the better options?
The Zexcoils are supposed to sound more like traditional Fender single coils, which the MiJ pickups are not. In this case the thinner sound is a desirable quality, as it resembles the original vintage Fender pickups (which would most probably also sound 'very thin' compared to the 'fuller' stock pickups with steel poles and ceramic magnets).
Don't like either sound. Prefer SD Cool Rail or DM Cruiser sounds. But thank you for doing this and introducing these pickups. Had not known about them. Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Do you have 250k or 500k pots for the Zexcoils? I bet the Fender had 250k pots...yes, no?
The stock pots with the Fender pickups were 250k (I assume), When the Zexcoils first went in, they were pre-wired with 500k pots, which I eventually switched to 250k.
@@Texasbluesalley I did the same. I followed Dr Lawing's recommendation of 500k pots for my Zexcoils but sounds too damn bright... to the point I had to turn the treble of some amps all the way down and it was still too bright. So:250k pots sounds just about right for me. Great video by the way 😁👍
not a fender fan but the fenders sound a bit more interesting to me here
I preferred the regular pickups. They're a little throatier. Could probably just dial the tone knob to come close with the Zexcoil. I think it would have been easier and probably just as effective to make them like G&L Z coils. Essentially it's the equivalent of P bass pickups.
They cost more than my strat is worth.
It's all subjective but for me, the stock Strat pickups have a darkness and grit that I really like, the Zexcoils are very bright and clear with a bit of twang, which I don't care for. The biggest thing to my ear, is the harmonics, which are muddled with the stock Strat pickup, but that gives a complexity and depth to their "color" and sound, the Z pickups, they sound like each note is totally disconnected from each other, which upon reflection, umm. . . yeah, they are, effectively on one level. Anywho, that's the beauty of music and art, the individuality.
The fenders sound better to me
The Fenders sound way better
I play with my knobs
Not enough mojo in the Zexcoils !!!
Def. Not my taste espically for a srv sound
Fender- soul, body and hum, zex- clear crispy tasteless silence