yet another GFS thread (Puncher and Fatbody)...

I just got a Squier '51 in a fit of retail therapy (sunburst, my unopened box turned out to have a flawless neck with no fret sprout and great action!). I really like the guitar but the neck pickup ain't cutting it.

Two options I'm thinking of right now are the GFS Lil' Puncher and GFS Fatbody. Any strong comments one way other the other on these pickups, especially from those who've tried both? I'm looking for something of that glassy Strat neck tone, although I wouldn't mind a little more lower midrange girth than vintage Strats often have.

I like that the Lil' Puncher is humbucking so it'll stay somewhat quieter, but I'm worried about the rails lining up properly for even response. And my bias may be showing, but I usually expect true single coils like the Fatbody to sound better than any sort of Strat/Tele-sized humbucker.

In the short run, I'm probably going to toss a long-unused Duncan Quarter Pound with the coil tap in there, but I suspect it'll be too porky for the long run.

What kind of sound are you going for? Bands/genres/styles?

I think the Fatbody will do what you'd like in the neck spot.

As far as the bridge spot... I'd go with something a little more traditional (AlNiCo II or V, normal polepieces, etc)... but that's just my taste for the kind of music I play.

Either way, I'd like to know what pickups you end up with and how you liked em. I've got some guitars in mind and am always looking for different pickups :)

What kind of sound are you going for? Bands/genres/styles?

I think the Fatbody will do what you'd like in the neck spot.

As far as the bridge spot... I'd go with something a little more traditional (AlNiCo II or V, normal polepieces, etc)... but that's just my taste for the kind of music I play.

Either way, I'd like to know what pickups you end up with and how you liked em. I've got some guitars in mind and am always looking for different pickups :)

I'm looking for a rock and roll guitar. I like dirty and overdriven and midrangey, but with a lot of string tone. Consider that I think a tweed deluxe is a near ideal amp, and a ProCo Rat a perfect distortion pedal, and you get an idea of the sound I like. But I play acoustic guitar and drums more than electric guitar, and really want to hear that sensation of a string physically vibrating... not necessarily twang (although twang is an exaggerated variant), just more physical than electronic in the sound.

For the bridge, I'm thinking about a GFS Bigmouth, which from what I've read is close to what I want. I've been a longtime P90 player, but I want something a little heavier and more humbuckerish within the same basic vein. My Tele currently has a Vintage Vibe T90 bridge pickup, but I'd like to go back to the Keystone for a more traditional Tele sound. That means the '51 has to pick up the heavier bridge pickup slack.

I'm also inclined to the Fatbody just because a Bigmouth/Fatbody combo would LOOK so cool. Silly, I know.