Texas special pickups

Is there really a difference between the Texas Special pickups in the American Special Tele and the custom shop Texas Special pickups sold by Fender as replacements?

I have heard the American Special ones don't have have a steel base plate??? Is there any truth to this?

Also been reading that due to this the sound between the two is different. What do you think?

Any one have a set of each they could post pictures of? Sound samples maybe? I'm looking to replace a set of stock pickups in my MIJ Tele and wanna buy the right set! I want fuller sound like the American Special yet if the others are in fact different, and more Twangy,,,,,that maybe for me!

Custom Shop have a COPPER base plate.

The Am special aren't even close, why they named them that is a mystery.

Get the CUSTOM SHOP ones.

I just put Custom Shop Texas Specials in my American Standard. Very nice pickups. Love the sound. I don't know about the other Texas Specials by Fender, but I do know the AS had a bridge pickup without a baseplate. Not very good pickups. On the other hand, I bought a Squire CVC that had a bridge pickup with a copper baseplate. $1200 guitar with cheap pickups. $350 guitar with nice pickups. Go figure.

This topic was discussed in this thread, answer seems to be they are very different:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/332270-really-wanting-american-special-tele.html

Hi,
i just put a set of CS Texas Specials in an ash tele partscaster build.They are nasty and ballsy. I think because the body is ash,the mids and highs are accentuated.
Oldteleguy

Ok, I have a '05 American tele standard, alder body rosewood fretboard, babicz's full contact bridge. I pulled the original pickups out of it, l didn't like them at all, and have been searching for "my tone" since. Closest I've got is Seymour Duncan STK-3b bridge and a Sm-3n neck. Has anyone tried the CS Texas specials in a alder rosewood babicz's tele ?

The Am special aren't even close, why they named them that is a mystery.


+1.