I put a Dimarzio FS-1 in my old strat

[Blazer]

I had been looking at a bridge pickup replacement which would put some power in my old girl and yet be an invisible mod to the guitar. I read about the FS-1 being David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler's main squeeze pickup and if it's good enough for THOSE guys... So on a whim I ordered two FS-1's from my regular store as an experiment.

So does it live up to expectations?

Oh yeah, I love that fatter more muscular sound my strat got, I can't wait to take it to rehearsal and see how it fares there.

As for that second pickup, I'll probably use it in one of my builds.

 

[mkdaws32]

Wow - that's a 14K true single coil?! I thought my 10K custom Vineham T-Banger was hot! Is it not muddy at all? I'm very intrigued by this. When I first read the title, I thought it was about the Fast Track 1, which is a different beast altogether.

I am very intrigued by this FS-1 and may order one today...

 

[jlsantamaria]

Keep in mind that Knopfler used it on the neck position

 

[mkdaws32]

Keep in mind that Knopfler used it on the neck position

Seriously?! That’s a hot pickup for a neck position - and I don’t associate a hot tone with Knopfler.

 

[Blazer]

Seriously?! That’s a hot pickup for a neck position - and I don’t associate a hot tone with Knopfler.

Mark with one of his Schecter "dream machine" customs, those pickups have HUGE pole pieces, making them very similar to Seymour Duncan Quarter pound pickups. From what I understand he used that guitar and similar ones on the "making movies" and "Love over gold" albums

But that wasn't the only time he had some serious output in his guitars.

Mark's Pensa-Suhr guitars had EMG pickups, which also have a hot signal.

 

[Blazer]

Almost forgot. another famous user of the FS1 was Johnny Ramone.

 

[jlsantamaria]

Listen to Communique and the rockpalast concert from that era: Single handed sailor or the versions of Once Upon a time in the West before the Schecter are good examples.

 

[Blazer]

Listen to Communique and the rockpalast concert from that era: Single handed sailor or the versions of Once Upon a time in the West before the Schecter are good examples.

What I love about his tone from that era is how it never was brittle, it was clean but not icepick.

 

[jlsantamaria]

What I love about his tone from that era is how it never was brittle, it was clean but not icepick.

Yeah, full but clear.

 

[mkdaws32]

I love my Tex Mex pickups because of the hot, non-brittle bridge sound, but it could use a bit more. I was afraid to go hotter, but geez, for $62 Canadian, I’m going to try one of these. Not looking for Knopfler tones specifically, just a warmer, fuller bridge pickup that will push the pre-amp a bit harder.

 

[mkdaws32]

K - did a little research and found that it is not super high output, despite the high DC resistance - hot, yes, but not insanely so. The higher resistance is due to the use of a thinner gauge wire and not a huge amount of additional winds. Still intrigued and still going to try it

 

[Censport]

Mark with one of his Schecter "dream machine" customs, those pickups have HUGE pole pieces, making them very similar to Seymour Duncan Quarter pound pickups. From what I understand he used that guitar and similar ones on the "making movies" and "Love over gold" albums .

The original pickups in my Schecter Malmsteen (1987) looked just like those. I wonder if Schecter tossed the same p'ups in all their Strat models back then.

 

[Bruxist]

The original pickups in my Schecter Malmsteen (1987) looked just like those. I wonder if Schecter tossed the same p'ups in all their Strat models back then.

@Superrock would know!

 

[Blazer]

The original pickups in my Schecter Malmsteen (1987) looked just like those. I wonder if Schecter tossed the same p'ups in all their Strat models back then.

This is Steve Lukather's red Schecter and the Fernandes made copy which was his signature model. I guess the pickups in that Schecter say enough.

 

[jvin248]

...a 14K ... Is it not muddy at all? I'm very intrigued by this...

Release valve if it turns up being muddy is a series cap on the hot lead. Yesterday I finally got around to putting one in a muddy neck humbucker guitar I've had for a while. Fixed it right up. Use the same cap you have on the tone circuit but in series.

.

 

[mkdaws32]

@jvin248 - that’s a new one for me - I’ll have to experiment with that mod on a darker sounding Tele I have.

 

[jlsantamaria]

The original pickups in my Schecter Malmsteen (1987) looked just like those. I wonder if Schecter tossed the same p'ups in all their Strat models back then.

They were the Schecter F500T, Mark used in the sunburst schecter he used for Tunnel of Love (he actually used one for recording it that was stolen and then got a replacement one which is the one used live) and Telegraph Road. They were tapped pickups, with two output options. Q-pickups makes a replica of them:

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338148343&icep_item=112710240296

To get back on topic: I have a FS1 in the bridge position of my The Edge signature strat (it's the stock pickup in that model) and a Duncan SSL1C - DG on one another one. They're very similar but the Duncan sounds a bit better... They are hot but not that hot as they use AWG43 wire instead of AWG42. They sound better without tone control attached to them.

 

[Superrock]

@Superrock would know!

Likely if from ‘87 those were the later monstertones designed with a ceramic magnet on bottom to help eliminate string pull which was an issue with the f500t.
If the slugs look the same that’s the deal.

 

[Bob Mc]

I got tired of the mix and match thing, so my #1 PartsaStrat has a FS1 in all 3 positions; I even found a RWRP middle one!

 

[Speedfish]

Johnny Ramone used the FS-1 in his white Mosrite. Great choice!