@@mrinalkundu1521 So true!! I believe it brings a marriage of melodic ability over just fast reduntant phrasing. Hahaha. Not that I'm claiming I'm any good. Hehehe
Thanks for watching guys - this is great because I don’t get to hear them all side by side until the video is done and I can watch it back to back! At this point, I think I still prefer the Josefinas - although they lack what I love about the bare knuckles, which is that spank, attitude and dynamics, to my ear the BKP’s are maybe a little too sharp at the top, but also lack a little low end compared to the josefinas. Although I still need to give it a little more time before moving onto episode 3. Thanks for following the journey guys! One thing to add: In the A/B/C comparison at the end, I made a mistake on the Radioshop pickups section, as it was from before I lowered them. If you skip back to the start before I begin swapping them out, you can hear them sound as they should!
This is just as much fun for us as it is for you rabea! It's really interesting to see your opinions! It also shows its mostly preference and gives us the chance to make a better pickup selection for our own styles! Absolutely in love with that pickguard BTW 😍
So far, I'm liking the original Fender pups too - I know it was through a different rig - but the sound didn't "collapse" when you dug in... Looking forward to the next ones :-)
While I agree that the gold pickguard looks absolutely sick, I would suggest you try swapping pickguards while keeping the same pickups. I have one and fought a partscaster for months until I swapped pickguards. It's actually been on three of my strats and it will be going up for sale soon. It absolutely sucks out some of the highs and it drove me nuts. I mean, you may prefer the sound with the gold anodized pickguard, but for sure know that it does have an effect. I do love the way it looks and am sad it didn't work out for me.
Rabea Massaad In my humble experience, I’ve observed that unpleasant top end sharpness with every brand new pickup I’ve tried. But also every time I’ve noticed that the top end sharpness disappears over time, regardless of new/old strings. It is a scientific fact that a magnet’s magnetism diminishes over time. I think all it really takes is for the magnets to lose that 0.1% magnetism over the next 6 months or so with regular playing to have a noticeable difference. You could also argue that it’s just your ear getting used to the sound, and while that is a valid argument, you can’t dismiss the possibility of the former being the cause as well. Long story short, give them a few months and the harsh high end will smooth itself out.
For all the beginner guitar enthusiasts like myself strolling around the youtube world. Your guitar will not magically sound like this if you put in these pickups. It is our friend blocking the assembly camera angle with his huge hair that makes the playing sound good. The pick up configuration changes the "flavor" a bit, but it is still always the player that makes it tasty.
As much as that is the truth a set of good pickups will sound better than squire pickups and feel better to play through but it is not near as important as the player but no need to go more expensive as a £150 set of Seymour Duncans if you feel you can benefit from an upgrade
These are bright pickups, nothing like the pickups in a Squier because these have alnico magnets for a start. True strat players will love them. Average players will say they sound weak and unacceptably thin.
The originals sound the best to me. It just has some sweetness to it and not as much fizz in them. I bet the Ellis are going to be amazing. Super excited to hear that vs the Josephina pickups.
Love Bare Knuckle pickups. Best thing I did was to put a set of Bare Knuckle Sultans in my Strat. I found a huge difference in not have wax potting in the pickups, more dynamic range and bite and got all 3 pickups with zinc base plates which add in an increased bottom end. Great videos mate. Hope you find the right set soon.
The smile on your face when you hit that first chord after the pickup change was priceless! You're going from one awesome sound to the next Bea! Fun seeing you on this journey.
Not to be preachy, but I saw something that might be edifying for you to know about solder joints. I worked as a Electronics Technician for 15 years while going to university to complete undergraduate and graduate studies in English. What I learned while being re-certified every year to solder US Navy circuit boards is that, with "best practices," it is better to never blow on a solder joint as it is drying: That can sometimes create a "cold solder joint,' which will turn to either a dead connection or an intermittent connection, both of which are a pain in the arse to troubleshoot. Also, if that is "rosin-core solder," it is recommended to use an "acid brush" dipped in isopropyl alcohol to clean the rosin from the solder joint, well after it dries naturally. The rosin left on a solder joint can sometimes degrade a solder connection over time. BTW, I love the sound of the Mother's Milk pickups---a really rich, diverse collection of tones. :)
Messing about and modding Strats, and Fenders in general, are the best part about them. It's also a lifesaver when it comes to repairs and upgrades. Cheers!
It doesn't sound like a tele, it sounds like it has more mids, teles have more mids so there's the correlation . That said he wanted more mids or omph as he put it so there's that. So though the radioshop may be more appropriate for the guitar, the Bareknuckle seem to match Rabeas personality more
I like Tele pups, but I didn't really like the BKPs.. 57's still for me so far, despite I'm not a fan of the strat sound, might just be a particular strat sound.
My life changed when I put lollar specials into my Strat! I’ve never looked back and everything fell into place for me! Certain things just click when they are right. Best of luck on your journey! 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Rabea, thank you so much for doing these. I have recently gutted my American Strat Plus in search of new pups. so what you're doing has helped me out and I'm sure many other people as well. Thank you for being you!
Hi Rabea Great playing! As always... Two things I'd like to mention: 1) Stick to the same amp! Last time you used the VC35 Copperhead, now it's a different amp, which makes the comparison a little hard. I wish you had stayed on the copperhead. It sounds beautiful with that strat! 2) I definitely prefer the roundness and the warmth from the Radioshop RSV57s. That's just a matter of taste though.
Thank you, Rabea, for such a great video material! That's priceless for us guitar tone geeks! Your playing and tone is amazing and very representative for these tests! For my current taste I am amazed with RSV57! But I understand why you prefer Mother's Milk. Recently I realized that I am a maple neck Stratocaster fan, because of it's smooth attack, liquid feeling, and a lot of individual character in tone. Happily own exactly it on my beloved guitar, which I've chosen in 2005, knowing nothing about Stratocaster specific, just by intuition. Currently I am going to upgrade pickups and obsessed with videos like yours. Keep on rocking! \m/
Great video! I love the Josefina’s first, then the bare knuckle. Thank you for sharing. I also can’t wait for you and Matt to get back to sounds like videos!
Love my Bareknuckle pickups have/had several sets. Tim is always great to talk to, tell him the sound in your head and he will come up with a set. Got a new strat build with a set of Irish tours on the way.
Really like the Mother's Milk pickups!! They have quite a bit more grunt than the Josefina or the 57's to me, and they seem more articulate as well, sounds like they are more responsive to your dynamics too! Cheers, mate
I have a Bare Knuckle 59 Slab board in the neck position of my main strat and it is absolutely killer! It produces all the right noises! The middle pickup is I believe out of a 90s American Standard strat and the bridge pickup is an SSL5 from Seymour Duncan. I always suggest to people to try different pickups in different positions of Strats, it makes your strat really personal! My number 2 strat has a set of Irish tour Bare Knuckles in it, they’re the first pickups I’ve ever put in a strat as a set that I’ve ever liked each position of pickup.
Brilliant video Rabea... Again! got to say, I really prefer the radioshops... they sounded warmer and 'fuller'. I think sometimes it's about having the right tone for the style you're playing in and the radioshops had a deep, golden warmth for blues and jazz-inspired R&B/funk... That's my view for what it's worth. Anyway, really love what you are sharing here. Thanks
Thanks for doing this Bea .This is great for us Strat players . I will be watchn for the episode with the 63's . That is the set I "think" I will like best,but I have been proven wrong before, when actually hearing the difference side by side . I have a MIM "60's " RW Strat that I will eventually be upgrading the pick ups .
Mother's Milk set has that kind of vibe that the black strat of yours has but with just like way more attitude and also, in the middle position, first chord you hit, when you played softer on them, it had that mid tone, kinda darker feel, almost like a Gibson on the neck, but when you digged in it went totally ham. No surprise, can't wait for my set from BK and have a go at something new. Ufff!! Cheers!!
Hi Rabea. As tinker/player myself, i find that i need to “wash up my ears” with a certain set of picks during some time, and listen to relatable music. To be clearer, I cannot ear Black Metal and feel ok setting up a 60s Hendrix tone on a strat. And this to say i rather Josefina’s being smoother, as i find Mother’s Milk being spankier. Given enough time and “ear orientation “, and I might just find otherwise. Cheers
Rabea man you have melted my face off with your playing on all sets!! My personal favourite was actually the original pickups but that's just me! Having said this, they all sounded amazing! Hope you are keeping well man!
radioshops are beautifully clear and a glassier alternative to the stock custom shop pickups, but I definitely love the response of the mother's milk and generally prioritize that sound and feel for a strat tone. I might get the ones you just took out or some alternative that's as clear&glassy, along with the mother's milk set. Good stuff Rabea.
This guy is really good - been watching him for some years now - enjoy all of it - now it's coincidence that I'm building a very similar guitar a few different things but I'm glad he finalized my decision thanks dude !
For what it’s worth, after trying a lot of Strat pickups, I’ve found that narrowing down the options into 2 categories, the 50s style and 60s style pickups, is the best way to stay sane through this process. I’ve been watching you play in all of the Andertons videos for years, and now your own videos. My guess is you will prefer the 60s style Strat pickups, because of the more assertive sound they provide. The trick is to find the right spank, without harshness, so you can feel the sweetness in the tone. I have a Fender 57 reissue Strat which I love, but eventually I found that the 50s sound was not right for me. After looking into it, I realized that my favorite Strat players were all using mid 60s Strat pickups, including Hendrix, which I know you love too. I actually ended up with, and recommend the Fender 65 vintage pickups which I found to have the right balance between being more assertive, and still allowing the important dynamic range needed to let the subtlety of your playing to come through. Congrats on your success and best of luck with your journey!
It's definitely all preference! To me, the radioshop set sounded best, I think I can hear a bit of extra thickness which I prefer. I don't like them to be too "glassy"
The 57's just sound so refined and polished. Those would be perfect for one of my strats. The bare knuckles are a bit more 3 beers, let's break things. Great tones from both sets.
I have a Strat copy which I’m currently upgrading the wiring, pots etc and fitting a set of Iron Gear Texas Loco pickups , keep the videos coming dude.
Try the Duncan Five-Two set man. They do amazing things for Strat tone. The magnets on the three higher strings are different from the magnets on the lower three strings, smoothing out the treble response and evening out the output between frequencies.
The original p/ups are such a pure clean sound, and the other two are definitely a modded sound. I think the more agressive two more naturally associate with you (from my outside opinion), but maybe that's why the Josefinas should be the set for this guitar. They are so different from a les paul, or a prs, or your chapman signatures, and the difference is important. At the end of the day, even from an unexperienced player like myself, what's important is the question, does it inspire. (Also, the obvious answer to this question is that you need another strat just for either the Josefinas or Bare Knuckles, so you can have both haha) On a related topic, to anyone experienced with strats, how important to the tone/feel of a stratocaster is the three pot control system. It's a layout that screams stratocaster to me, but does it add much compared to a simple two pot system like a telecaster (or a lot of other guitars).
Just my opinion: I find strats to be delicate princesses. Basically any decent usa jaguar/jazzmaster will sound great, same for p bass, tele... But with strats.. they need every little thing perfect to get that juicy sound strat guys want. You pretty much have to spend 3gs on a strat to get tone to rival a legit 50s originals. Again, just my opinion.
The nice thing about the 3 pot system, is that the volume knob is very close to the strings. That can be an annoying thing if you like picking directly above the birdge pickup, but its really nice for doing swells and the like. Tonewise, it gives some option of modding, as 2 different capacitors can be placed in the 2 different tone knobs, giving each their own vibe. its mostly just more options.
These videos are fun to watch because I'm doing a bit of strat tinkering myself at the moment. You're a great player and putting out some cool content. Also, don't mean to come off as a creep, but I've been on a youtube tear since being stuck at home during this pandemic. You look great man! Watching some of the older Andertons vids and you look like a completely different person. Don't know if it's intentional or circumstantial but its definitely noticable.
Thank you so much for this. I've been thinking about getting the mothers milk for a while now and you helped me make a confident and educated decision to get them. Cheers!
I have noticed since first seeing you in older videos that your taste in guitars has gotten better.It seems as a musician matures he seems to have a better appreciation for more classic guitars with our own personality mixed into the instrument.
I've a decent quality sound system to hear you, it's remarkable the difference to be heard between the sets. The first is fairly sweet and mellow, the second much more output and thicker mids. The last very clear character and pushes the upper mids, lots of attitude shines thru. Enjoy your comparative show thx
Three variations on a great theme so far. What you want from a Strat will determine which you prefer. IMO the Mother’s Milk set suits Rabea’s playing style(s) really well.
I like them all. But the Bare Knuckles Mother's Milk pups sound the best. They've very complex sounding, very clear, articulate. Great playing too btw!
Hi rabea, I have bare knuckle Apache in my American strat, that guitar has had many different pickups over the years but the apaches are the best for me, the mother’s milk sound amazing, that guitar looks amazing too 👍🎸
Bought my USA 97 strat back in that year and I always couldn't connect with the sound those pickups had especially the bridge. After trying a Seymour little 59 mini humbucker in the bridge I was quite frustrated and thought I would sell the instrument. Back in 2012 I thought I would give it a last chance and put the mothers milk on. Overnight my strat came back as one of my favourites. I love it ever since.
I like the customer shop Josefinas the most still. Interesting how different people like the different sounds! Excited to hear what the next set sounds like.
You are correct. The Josefina's win by a longshot. The other sets are super muddy. You probably won't believe me but, the following sets are cheapies, but amazing: 1) Mexican Player Series (131/132/133) 2) G&L CLF100 For best results, introduce a Bass contour circuit into your wiring. 👍
The Josefinas win by a longshot seems a little much. This is all subjective. But one thing I will agree with you on is the players series single coils…they are great pickups.
Oh great one, we are, as every spellbound. As a novice I am quite fascinated but, whilst your ear is inevitably far better attuned I really don’t like the tones of option 3 my self. I am clearly learning. Well done and good luck.
The Fender Pups would be my first choose and the Bare knuckles the Second and Radioshow the third one ☝️ Thx for sharing the knowledge and Modes with us☺️🤍
I preferred the Radioshop 57s. I lean toward warmer strat pickups, the BKs are too bright for my taste. But of course it’s your guitar & if you prefer them, then that’s great. I’m on this journey myself, but haven’t got the budget for your choices. I’ve found I prefer the Fender 59s (found in 50s originals) in my American special. Strat. I have House of Tone 60 strat set, in a 50s classic vibe which I like. Probably too low output for you though. Enjoy you tone journey!
Bea I had a set of those Mother’s Milk in my old strat. I regret getting rid of it, never had a tone as good since! If you know anyone that can mod a pull switch so you can have all 3 pick ups in on sync do it - it sounds soooo good!
Just to be helpful, because I couldn't see one way or the other in the video, but "best practices" include wearing safety glasses while soldering. Rosin core solder can sometimes contain air-pockets which can cause a small ball of solder to explode outwards as the solder is heated. This small ball of solder can easily put out an eye. (I once had a small solder ball explode outward and burn a hole in a sixty-dollar shirt, which really pissed me off.) :) These stray balls of solder are why professional settings require safety glasses for those who make solder connections with a soldering iron. I'm just saying this to be safe, so let's presume that you were wearing safety glasses, since we don't know one way or the other from the video. :)
All three sound amazing. I still think I like the Josefina´s a bit more and the Mother´s Milk second. It would be amazing to hear the last set through the Copper for comparison. Cheers and thanks for amazing videos.
I like the Josefinas and the BKPs equally. I felt the Josefinas were a little dark and compressed at first. I loved the extra bite of the BKP, but I think you're right about what you lose compared to the Josefinas. I warmed to the tone of the Radio Shops, but didn't love them straight up. Each set has a distinct application I feel.
Very interesting videos! I was thinking that it might be interesting for other video to change a bit faster from a set of pickups to the other, so that we can hear instantly the difference. I think that I prefer the Custom Shop at this point; but keep on with the journey!! It's being a good series!
All sounds great to me. Jimi & Stevie Ray are smiling down at your guitar from above and Ritchie Blackmore might just crack half a smile (that's saying something!) from some pub in the states. 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🤘👍
Looks amazing ! Always thought gold was gordy and a bit tacky but looks brilliant on the burst. Not really sacrilege when it’s your guitar to do what you want with. I have some Irish ☘️ tours in my 60s classic player and it’s transformed the guitar . Great video
I really liked the RS bridge. The mother's milk neck pickup definitely has the most character in that position, but I think the bridge was a little too scooped sounding. I want tons of mids in my bridge pickups. I spend most of my time on the neck so I'd probably go with the bare knuckles as a set. I'd prefer something closer to like a 7k wind in the bridge, but that 5.7k mother's milk in the neck is just about right.
Cheers mate. I thank you for this video series. This mod series certainly shows how subjective the whole mod rabbit hole is. You sound great with the bare knuckles. I prefer the darker sound of the Radioshops. And to me, that pickguard is hideous. To each his own!
Personally i love the sound you got from the Radioshop ones, they sound warmer and balanced ♥️, i could swear that the custom shop ones sound exactly like Eric Johnsons set, with that pronounced mid range, and the bare knuckles sound piercy and toppy like good ceramic pickups or like Dimarzio single coils.
To my ears, Josefina: nasal sound, spongy Radioshop 57s: sharp, bites, piercing BK Milk: bark? crunchy? Here's an idea, Bea, should you approve or think the same, use 1 pickup from each set. I reckon, Josefina best for neck position, that spongy nasal sound. RadioShop for bridge, biting but not too hot. Last one, BK for middle, to up those quack in 2nd and 4th position. But that's me, others and you might think differently.
Great comparison, but you know what? My favorite are the original fender ones. They're so mellow and well balanced and sound really sweet. But it's like you said, it's a matter of personal preference. Cheers!
besides the beautiful clean tones, due to the low output you can bash the hell out of your strings and they don't cave in from too much signal. rock on.
So Josefinas, RSVs, 2 lots of Bare Knuckles and the Ron Eliss's - we're gonna need you to go back through the clean and dirty sounds on each back to back. And then you're going to have ignore us all and make a choice for yourself. So not too much to deal with there mate. Best of luck !
So far the Josefinas have my vote. They have a smoother sound. Maybe it's not a case of replacing the set, but just one or two pickups. Choose the best from each set andcombine them into a super set.
It is only important, what you feel the best with and what gives your music the best expression. Only for the pick up´s though, the originals sound most authentic and Stratocaster like for me, I also felt, that you had a very deep and true expression playing with them. But on the video also it is not so easy to compare, as you don´t play the same pieces. Anyway you sound amazing with all of them!
Oh I get it now, your playing is what makes them all sound so good!
Great rhythm guitar makes for a great lead guitarist.
@@mrinalkundu1521 So true!! I believe it brings a marriage of melodic ability over just fast reduntant phrasing. Hahaha. Not that I'm claiming I'm any good. Hehehe
The recent TPS episode with Rebea really solidified what people mean when they say tone is in the fingers for me.
Well, I prefer the Josephinas... But if course they all sound great
Your smile after the first strumm says it all...
That pickguard is AMAZING
Thanks for watching guys - this is great because I don’t get to hear them all side by side until the video is done and I can watch it back to back!
At this point, I think I still prefer the Josefinas - although they lack what I love about the bare knuckles, which is that spank, attitude and dynamics, to my ear the BKP’s are maybe a little too sharp at the top, but also lack a little low end compared to the josefinas.
Although I still need to give it a little more time before moving onto episode 3.
Thanks for following the journey guys!
One thing to add:
In the A/B/C comparison at the end, I made a mistake on the Radioshop pickups section, as it was from before I lowered them. If you skip back to the start before I begin swapping them out, you can hear them sound as they should!
This is just as much fun for us as it is for you rabea! It's really interesting to see your opinions! It also shows its mostly preference and gives us the chance to make a better pickup selection for our own styles! Absolutely in love with that pickguard BTW 😍
So far, I'm liking the original Fender pups too - I know it was through a different rig - but the sound didn't "collapse" when you dug in... Looking forward to the next ones :-)
While I agree that the gold pickguard looks absolutely sick, I would suggest you try swapping pickguards while keeping the same pickups. I have one and fought a partscaster for months until I swapped pickguards. It's actually been on three of my strats and it will be going up for sale soon. It absolutely sucks out some of the highs and it drove me nuts. I mean, you may prefer the sound with the gold anodized pickguard, but for sure know that it does have an effect. I do love the way it looks and am sad it didn't work out for me.
JWhitneyInc
Agreed, anodized guards do have a pretty significant impact on the sound.
Rabea Massaad In my humble experience, I’ve observed that unpleasant top end sharpness with every brand new pickup I’ve tried. But also every time I’ve noticed that the top end sharpness disappears over time, regardless of new/old strings. It is a scientific fact that a magnet’s magnetism diminishes over time. I think all it really takes is for the magnets to lose that 0.1% magnetism over the next 6 months or so with regular playing to have a noticeable difference. You could also argue that it’s just your ear getting used to the sound, and while that is a valid argument, you can’t dismiss the possibility of the former being the cause as well. Long story short, give them a few months and the harsh high end will smooth itself out.
For all the beginner guitar enthusiasts like myself strolling around the youtube world.
Your guitar will not magically sound like this if you put in these pickups.
It is our friend blocking the assembly camera angle with his huge hair that makes the playing sound good.
The pick up configuration changes the "flavor" a bit, but it is still always the player that makes it tasty.
I loved how the fro just encompassed the whole camera shot during the soldering. just too good lolol
As much as that is the truth a set of good pickups will sound better than squire pickups and feel better to play through but it is not near as important as the player but no need to go more expensive as a £150 set of Seymour Duncans if you feel you can benefit from an upgrade
These are bright pickups, nothing like the pickups in a Squier because these have alnico magnets for a start. True strat players will love them. Average players will say they sound weak and unacceptably thin.
Sure. But the pickups will still make a similar difference if your starting point was Josefinas.
It's boom mic hidden in plain sight 😊
The Josefina set is my favorite so far (the most strat sounding). These Bare Knuckles come second, for me they got a hint of tele-vibe going on.
well that copper amp does quite a magic too
I think i like Josefina > RSV > BareKnuckle. I have a Bare Knuckle True Grit in my bridge too
arch stanton - Actually I agree. I would use those as well. No need to upgrade. Much fuller sounding than the others.
Lee Thomas are you alright?
There my fav too just a nice strat tone
The originals sound the best to me. It just has some sweetness to it and not as much fizz in them. I bet the Ellis are going to be amazing. Super excited to hear that vs the Josephina pickups.
Love Bare Knuckle pickups. Best thing I did was to put a set of Bare Knuckle Sultans in my Strat. I found a huge difference in not have wax potting in the pickups, more dynamic range and bite and got all 3 pickups with zinc base plates which add in an increased bottom end. Great videos mate. Hope you find the right set soon.
The smile on your face when you hit that first chord after the pickup change was priceless! You're going from one awesome sound to the next Bea! Fun seeing you on this journey.
Not to be preachy, but I saw something that might be edifying for you to know about solder joints. I worked as a Electronics Technician for 15 years while going to university to complete undergraduate and graduate studies in English. What I learned while being re-certified every year to solder US Navy circuit boards is that, with "best practices," it is better to never blow on a solder joint as it is drying: That can sometimes create a "cold solder joint,' which will turn to either a dead connection or an intermittent connection, both of which are a pain in the arse to troubleshoot. Also, if that is "rosin-core solder," it is recommended to use an "acid brush" dipped in isopropyl alcohol to clean the rosin from the solder joint, well after it dries naturally. The rosin left on a solder joint can sometimes degrade a solder connection over time. BTW, I love the sound of the Mother's Milk pickups---a really rich, diverse collection of tones. :)
The Bare Knuckles Mother's Milk sound AMAZING! Can't wait to hear the other set.
Messing about and modding Strats, and Fenders in general, are the best part about them. It's also a lifesaver when it comes to repairs and upgrades. Cheers!
I think I like the radioshop pups better, a bit lower output and more clarity. The bare knuckles sound like a telecaster.
I agree. The sound isn't what I expect to come out of a fender custom shop strat...
Really? I've got a '51 Tele sitting right next to me and it sounds nothing like Mother's Milk.............................. Best, Pete.
It doesn't sound like a tele, it sounds like it has more mids, teles have more mids so there's the correlation . That said he wanted more mids or omph as he put it so there's that. So though the radioshop may be more appropriate for the guitar, the Bareknuckle seem to match Rabeas personality more
@@justinguitarcia very good points.
I like Tele pups, but I didn't really like the BKPs.. 57's still for me so far, despite I'm not a fan of the strat sound, might just be a particular strat sound.
My life changed when I put lollar specials into my Strat! I’ve never looked back and everything fell into place for me! Certain things just click when they are right. Best of luck on your journey! 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Rabea, thank you so much for doing these. I have recently gutted my American Strat Plus in search of new pups. so what you're doing has helped me out and I'm sure many other people as well. Thank you for being you!
The Mother’s Milk set is so much fatter and warmer but still retains the quack in positions 2 & 4. I always enjoy your demos!
Hi Rabea
Great playing! As always...
Two things I'd like to mention:
1) Stick to the same amp! Last time you used the VC35 Copperhead, now it's a different amp, which makes the comparison a little hard. I wish you had stayed on the copperhead. It sounds beautiful with that strat!
2) I definitely prefer the roundness and the warmth from the Radioshop RSV57s. That's just a matter of taste though.
Thank you, Rabea, for such a great video material! That's priceless for us guitar tone geeks! Your playing and tone is amazing and very representative for these tests!
For my current taste I am amazed with RSV57!
But I understand why you prefer Mother's Milk.
Recently I realized that I am a maple neck Stratocaster fan, because of it's smooth attack, liquid feeling, and a lot of individual character in tone. Happily own exactly it on my beloved guitar, which I've chosen in 2005, knowing nothing about Stratocaster specific, just by intuition. Currently I am going to upgrade pickups and obsessed with videos like yours.
Keep on rocking! \m/
Great video! I love the Josefina’s first, then the bare knuckle. Thank you for sharing. I also can’t wait for you and Matt to get back to sounds like videos!
Love my Bareknuckle pickups have/had several sets. Tim is always great to talk to, tell him the sound in your head and he will come up with a set. Got a new strat build with a set of Irish tours on the way.
Really like the Mother's Milk pickups!! They have quite a bit more grunt than the Josefina or the 57's to me, and they seem more articulate as well, sounds like they are more responsive to your dynamics too! Cheers, mate
I have a Bare Knuckle 59 Slab board in the neck position of my main strat and it is absolutely killer! It produces all the right noises! The middle pickup is I believe out of a 90s American Standard strat and the bridge pickup is an SSL5 from Seymour Duncan. I always suggest to people to try different pickups in different positions of Strats, it makes your strat really personal! My number 2 strat has a set of Irish tour Bare Knuckles in it, they’re the first pickups I’ve ever put in a strat as a set that I’ve ever liked each position of pickup.
Brilliant video Rabea... Again! got to say, I really prefer the radioshops... they sounded warmer and 'fuller'. I think sometimes it's about having the right tone for the style you're playing in and the radioshops had a deep, golden warmth for blues and jazz-inspired R&B/funk... That's my view for what it's worth. Anyway, really love what you are sharing here. Thanks
The fist time you played the G chord with the bare knuckles your face just lite up , priceless .
The bare knuckles are my favorites to .
Thanks for doing this Bea .This is great for us Strat players . I will be watchn for the episode with the 63's . That is the set I "think" I will like best,but I have been proven wrong before, when actually hearing the difference side by side . I have a MIM "60's " RW Strat that I will eventually be upgrading the pick ups .
I liked the Radioshop ‘57s the best. There was something about the mids on them, that spoke to me. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
Mother's Milk set has that kind of vibe that the black strat of yours has but with just like way more attitude and also, in the middle position, first chord you hit, when you played softer on them, it had that mid tone, kinda darker feel, almost like a Gibson on the neck, but when you digged in it went totally ham. No surprise, can't wait for my set from BK and have a go at something new. Ufff!! Cheers!!
Honestly, I liked the Josefina. I thought they sounded very good. Really however, neither are a bad set of pickups. The Bareknuckle sounded good also.
Got a set of Bareknuckle Mother’s Milk pickups in my strat, they’re amazing pickups and I’d definitely recommend them :)
Hi Rabea. As tinker/player myself, i find that i need to “wash up my ears” with a certain set of picks during some time, and listen to relatable music. To be clearer, I cannot ear Black Metal and feel ok setting up a 60s Hendrix tone on a strat. And this to say i rather Josefina’s being smoother, as i find Mother’s Milk being spankier. Given enough time and “ear orientation “, and I might just find otherwise. Cheers
Nah, you are correct. No ear washing needed. Mothers milk MUCH spankier. Joesfinas smooth classic tone.
Rabea man you have melted my face off with your playing on all sets!! My personal favourite was actually the original pickups but that's just me! Having said this, they all sounded amazing! Hope you are keeping well man!
radioshops are beautifully clear and a glassier alternative to the stock custom shop pickups, but I definitely love the response of the mother's milk and generally prioritize that sound and feel for a strat tone. I might get the ones you just took out or some alternative that's as clear&glassy, along with the mother's milk set. Good stuff Rabea.
So glad you did the A/B/C comparison back to back this time
This guy is really good - been watching him for some years now - enjoy all of it - now it's coincidence that I'm building a very similar guitar a few different things but I'm glad he finalized my decision thanks dude !
For what it’s worth, after trying a lot of Strat pickups, I’ve found that narrowing down the options into 2 categories, the 50s style and 60s style pickups, is the best way to stay sane through this process. I’ve been watching you play in all of the Andertons videos for years, and now your own videos. My guess is you will prefer the 60s style Strat pickups, because of the more assertive sound they provide. The trick is to find the right spank, without harshness, so you can feel the sweetness in the tone. I have a Fender 57 reissue Strat which I love, but eventually I found that the 50s sound was not right for me. After looking into it, I realized that my favorite Strat players were all using mid 60s Strat pickups, including Hendrix, which I know you love too. I actually ended up with, and recommend the Fender 65 vintage pickups which I found to have the right balance between being more assertive, and still allowing the important dynamic range needed to let the subtlety of your playing to come through. Congrats on your success and best of luck with your journey!
It's definitely all preference! To me, the radioshop set sounded best, I think I can hear a bit of extra thickness which I prefer. I don't like them to be too "glassy"
Same to me
I've got the BK Cool Hand set in one of my Strats. I love them.
The Mother's Milk pickups definitely suit your style more.
Synic42 Agreed. What’s the general consensus on the Trilogy set? Don’t hear much about them.
For me it´s Josefinas > Radioshop > BK MM, the Fender´s clean and tonal quality is amazing :)
The 57's just sound so refined and polished. Those would be perfect for one of my strats. The bare knuckles are a bit more 3 beers, let's break things. Great tones from both sets.
Love this hahaha
I guess I'm a 3 beers, let's break things kinda guy! 😝
Each pickup set sounds great but so far I enjoyed you with the original set. Can't wait to hear the rest! Great job!
I have a Strat copy which I’m currently upgrading the wiring, pots etc and fitting a set of Iron Gear Texas Loco pickups , keep the videos coming dude.
Try the Duncan Five-Two set man. They do amazing things for Strat tone. The magnets on the three higher strings are different from the magnets on the lower three strings, smoothing out the treble response and evening out the output between frequencies.
The original p/ups are such a pure clean sound, and the other two are definitely a modded sound. I think the more agressive two more naturally associate with you (from my outside opinion), but maybe that's why the Josefinas should be the set for this guitar. They are so different from a les paul, or a prs, or your chapman signatures, and the difference is important. At the end of the day, even from an unexperienced player like myself, what's important is the question, does it inspire. (Also, the obvious answer to this question is that you need another strat just for either the Josefinas or Bare Knuckles, so you can have both haha)
On a related topic, to anyone experienced with strats, how important to the tone/feel of a stratocaster is the three pot control system. It's a layout that screams stratocaster to me, but does it add much compared to a simple two pot system like a telecaster (or a lot of other guitars).
Just my opinion: I find strats to be delicate princesses. Basically any decent usa jaguar/jazzmaster will sound great, same for p bass, tele... But with strats.. they need every little thing perfect to get that juicy sound strat guys want. You pretty much have to spend 3gs on a strat to get tone to rival a legit 50s originals. Again, just my opinion.
The nice thing about the 3 pot system, is that the volume knob is very close to the strings.
That can be an annoying thing if you like picking directly above the birdge pickup, but its really nice for doing swells and the like.
Tonewise, it gives some option of modding, as 2 different capacitors can be placed in the 2 different tone knobs, giving each their own vibe. its mostly just more options.
These videos are fun to watch because I'm doing a bit of strat tinkering myself at the moment. You're a great player and putting out some cool content.
Also, don't mean to come off as a creep, but I've been on a youtube tear since being stuck at home during this pandemic. You look great man! Watching some of the older Andertons vids and you look like a completely different person. Don't know if it's intentional or circumstantial but its definitely noticable.
Now, that set of Mother's Milk pups sound awesome!
It's been said before but Rabea on a strat is the best Rabea for me. The strat just responds so well to your playing style and the result is wonderful
Thank you so much for this. I've been thinking about getting the mothers milk for a while now and you helped me make a confident and educated decision to get them. Cheers!
I have noticed since first seeing you in older videos that your taste in guitars has gotten better.It seems as a musician matures he seems to have a better appreciation for more classic guitars with our own personality mixed into the instrument.
I've a decent quality sound system to hear you, it's remarkable the difference to be heard between the sets. The first is fairly sweet and mellow, the second much more output and thicker mids. The last very clear character and pushes the upper mids, lots of attitude shines thru. Enjoy your comparative show thx
Good choice of background music during the "operation".
Bare > Josefina > Radio so far.
Great playing as always, Bea!
I can tell you the SD Antiquity II sets are very good - lots of quack! Plus one on the "Mother's Milk" set! Best, Pete.
Your vids are among the best! Thanks Brotha!!
Three variations on a great theme so far. What you want from a Strat will determine which you prefer. IMO the Mother’s Milk set suits Rabea’s playing style(s) really well.
I like them all. But the Bare Knuckles Mother's Milk pups sound the best. They've very complex sounding, very clear, articulate. Great playing too btw!
The radioshops are by far my favourite. They don't have that scratchy midrange of the BKPs and they just sparkle so beautifully.
Hi rabea, I have bare knuckle Apache in my American strat, that guitar has had many different pickups over the years but the apaches are the best for me, the mother’s milk sound amazing, that guitar looks amazing too 👍🎸
Bought my USA 97 strat back in that year and I always couldn't connect with the sound those pickups had especially the bridge. After trying a Seymour little 59 mini humbucker in the bridge I was quite frustrated and thought I would sell the instrument. Back in 2012 I thought I would give it a last chance and put the mothers milk on. Overnight my strat came back as one of my favourites. I love it ever since.
Love the sound of this pick ups if I just was half as good of a player I'd be in heaven! as always inspiring playing!
I like the customer shop Josefinas the most still. Interesting how different people like the different sounds! Excited to hear what the next set sounds like.
I think I’ll buy the radio shop pick ups. Great classic Strat tone
You are correct. The Josefina's win by a longshot. The other sets are super muddy.
You probably won't believe me but, the following sets are cheapies, but amazing:
1) Mexican Player Series (131/132/133)
2) G&L CLF100
For best results, introduce a Bass contour circuit into your wiring. 👍
The Josefinas win by a longshot seems a little much. This is all subjective. But one thing I will agree with you on is the players series single coils…they are great pickups.
Oh great one, we are, as every spellbound. As a novice I am quite fascinated but, whilst your ear is inevitably far better attuned I really don’t like the tones of option 3 my self. I am clearly learning. Well done and good luck.
The Fender Pups would be my first choose and the Bare knuckles the Second and Radioshow the third one ☝️
Thx for sharing the knowledge and Modes with us☺️🤍
Those Radioshop 57's have the best Strat neck pickup I've ever heard.
that pickguard with black pickup covers and hardware would be gorgeous
I preferred the Radioshop 57s. I lean toward warmer strat pickups, the BKs are too bright for my taste.
But of course it’s your guitar & if you prefer them, then that’s great.
I’m on this journey myself, but haven’t got the budget for your choices.
I’ve found I prefer the Fender 59s (found in 50s originals) in my American special. Strat. I have House of Tone 60 strat set, in a 50s classic vibe which I like. Probably too low output for you though.
Enjoy you tone journey!
Great comparison videos. So far I agree about the Bare Knuckle Mothers Milk
The BK's were really glassy and beautiful sounding.
I love the 63 Veneer board set, I have a neck and middle paired up with a Silo humbucker in the bridge and it's amazing.
Bea I had a set of those Mother’s Milk in my old strat. I regret getting rid of it, never had a tone as good since! If you know anyone that can mod a pull switch so you can have all 3 pick ups in on sync do it - it sounds soooo good!
Just to be helpful, because I couldn't see one way or the other in the video, but "best practices" include wearing safety glasses while soldering. Rosin core solder can sometimes contain air-pockets which can cause a small ball of solder to explode outwards as the solder is heated. This small ball of solder can easily put out an eye. (I once had a small solder ball explode outward and burn a hole in a sixty-dollar shirt, which really pissed me off.) :) These stray balls of solder are why professional settings require safety glasses for those who make solder connections with a soldering iron. I'm just saying this to be safe, so let's presume that you were wearing safety glasses, since we don't know one way or the other from the video. :)
This time, it's not just a bias. Great stuff.
Down the rabbit hole! I preferred the Fenders but the Bare Knuckles were nice too.
All three sound amazing. I still think I like the Josefina´s a bit more and the Mother´s Milk second. It would be amazing to hear the last set through the Copper for comparison. Cheers and thanks for amazing videos.
I like the Josefinas and the BKPs equally. I felt the Josefinas were a little dark and compressed at first. I loved the extra bite of the BKP, but I think you're right about what you lose compared to the Josefinas. I warmed to the tone of the Radio Shops, but didn't love them straight up. Each set has a distinct application I feel.
Radio shop for me on the back of this video. Do also preference the original pups over the bare knuckles.
Thanks for sharing. 👍🎯🇦🇺
Man bare knuckles ftw! So sick, my pick so far for sure
Are you super cereal about that? 😂
Very interesting videos! I was thinking that it might be interesting for other video to change a bit faster from a set of pickups to the other, so that we can hear instantly the difference. I think that I prefer the Custom Shop at this point; but keep on with the journey!! It's being a good series!
The Mother's Milk sounds ace...I hate use the generic parlance, but they just sound like they have more dimension or depth, exceptionally articulate.
In your hands Bea they all sound really good MM is more rounded and fuller but with that clarity and spank (very nice)
All sounds great to me. Jimi & Stevie Ray are smiling down at your guitar from above and Ritchie Blackmore might just crack half a smile (that's saying something!) from some pub in the states. 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🤘👍
Looks amazing ! Always thought gold was gordy and a bit tacky but looks brilliant on the burst. Not really sacrilege when it’s your guitar to do what you want with. I have some Irish ☘️ tours in my 60s classic player and it’s transformed the guitar . Great video
I really liked the RS bridge. The mother's milk neck pickup definitely has the most character in that position, but I think the bridge was a little too scooped sounding. I want tons of mids in my bridge pickups. I spend most of my time on the neck so I'd probably go with the bare knuckles as a set. I'd prefer something closer to like a 7k wind in the bridge, but that 5.7k mother's milk in the neck is just about right.
Cheers mate. I thank you for this video series. This mod series certainly shows how subjective the whole mod rabbit hole is. You sound great with the bare knuckles. I prefer the darker sound of the Radioshops. And to me, that pickguard is hideous. To each his own!
Personally i love the sound you got from the Radioshop ones, they sound warmer and balanced ♥️, i could swear that the custom shop ones sound exactly like Eric Johnsons set, with that pronounced mid range, and the bare knuckles sound piercy and toppy like good ceramic pickups or like Dimarzio single coils.
To my ears,
Josefina: nasal sound, spongy
Radioshop 57s: sharp, bites, piercing
BK Milk: bark? crunchy?
Here's an idea, Bea, should you approve or think the same, use 1 pickup from each set. I reckon, Josefina best for neck position, that spongy nasal sound. RadioShop for bridge, biting but not too hot. Last one, BK for middle, to up those quack in 2nd and 4th position. But that's me, others and you might think differently.
Love this journey....keep travelling dude
The gold scratch plate really looks the goods !
Great comparison, but you know what? My favorite are the original fender ones. They're so mellow and well balanced and sound really sweet. But it's like you said, it's a matter of personal preference. Cheers!
i've been using mother's milk for about 10 years. i love them. sweet tone.
besides the beautiful clean tones, due to the low output you can bash the hell out of your strings and they don't cave in from too much signal. rock on.
So Josefinas, RSVs, 2 lots of Bare Knuckles and the Ron Eliss's - we're gonna need you to go back through the clean and dirty sounds on each back to back. And then you're going to have ignore us all and make a choice for yourself. So not too much to deal with there mate. Best of luck !
Beautiful tone with all of them!
So far the Josefinas have my vote. They have a smoother sound. Maybe it's not a case of replacing the set, but just one or two pickups. Choose the best from each set andcombine them into a super set.
It is only important, what you feel the best with and what gives your music the best expression. Only for the pick up´s though, the originals sound most authentic and Stratocaster like for me, I also felt, that you had a very deep and true expression playing with them. But on the video also it is not so easy to compare, as you don´t play the same pieces. Anyway you sound amazing with all of them!
Ya, the bare knuckles sound amazing... Your a great guitar player as well B...
so after all this was another bareknuckle ad. joke the last pups sound incredible. love from Chile Rabea.
Just 100% sold me on those Mother's Milk pickups. That's EXACTLY what I'm looking for..
Mother's Milk pickups clip at the end sounds very reminiscent of Nick Johnston's tone on Remarkably Human. I like it.
Game over! They sound magnificent!!