Choosing pickups for first electric guitar

[Bob J]

I go with flat even with a 7 1/4” radius. My ears don’t know enough to differentiate between flat and staggered.

 

[gb Custom Shop]

Bootstrap has an option of staggered pole pieces. With a 12” radius fretboard, I presume I want the non staggered (flat) pole pieces?

Not necessarily. Either staggered or flat pole will work just fine. There are slight differences between the two, but what you chose is merely personal preference. Nonetheless, the radius of the fretboard does not dictate whether you require flat or staggered pole pickups

Here's an article from Lollar's website describing some of the differences between the two. Hopefully it will help guide you in your decision making

Flat-pole vs. Staggered-pole Pickups

Learn about the differences between flat-pole and staggered-pole guitar pickups.

www.lollarguitars.com

 

[alex1fly]

Get cheap ones. You don't know what the guitar will sound like. Put the cheap ones in, see what you like and don't like, and that gives you a starting point to change them out.

 

[northernguitar]

Craig Vineham winds a great pickup, at a price that’s hard to beat. His Strat sets are CDN$170 or about $57 each. Shipping from Newfoundland to Baltimore should go pretty quick. Good guy to deal with, will consult over the phone.

Strat_Pickups

 

[Blackmore Fan]

I'd go with the Fender Tex Mex set for around $100. They do "cleans" quite well, but can handle gain too. They're a great combination of performance and price.

 

[Sax-son]

Dimarzio Twang Kings. Not that expensive and gives many a boutique pickup a run for the money.

 

[Festofish]

Bootstrap pickups are faves around here. You can get a set under $100

 

[mjr428]

I got a set of these and really liked them. Can't really go wrong for the price. They also have Alnico 5's as well. I think these would be good place to start, in my opinion.

G.M. Smooth Velvet Alnico II Single Coil Set (White) for Fender Stratocaster 803173490261 | eBay

Many have asked for these. -- 1 set:Neck, Middle, Bridge--Cable:2 Conductor. --Neck:50mm, Middle:52mm, Bridge:52mm--. -Neck:5.7k, Middle:6.0k, Bridge 6.4k. get is a softer smoother sounding pickup. Less punch and more silky smooth sound.

www.ebay.com