What do 78 grey bottom strat pickups sound like?

[townesVanDoogle]

Hi y’all. I’ve been sitting on these 78 gray bottom stat pickups intending to sell them but.... now I’ve been moding a bullet mustang that has old squier strat single coil in the neck. It reads about 3.75k and is a good deal quieter than the stock humbucker in the bridge. It got me wondering about those grey bottoms!

The thing is they are all nicely soldered into a loaded pick guard. Can anyone tell me a bit about what late 70s grey bottoms sound like?

I’m trying to resist destroying this loaded strat guard but have a feeling I might have to. They read about 5.75k in the neck and mid, about 5.9 in the bridge

I play surfy post punk so I’m not exactly after that holy gray of tone but I am wondering how they might compare

 

[uriah1]

I had some non staggered ones years ago. Wish I would have kept them.
Pretty decent.

 

[Esquire Jones]

They sound great!

Not wax potted and can be microphonic when really pushed.

They scream.

Hendrix.

 

[archetype]

My '76 gray bottoms were thin and wimpy sounding. A super clean, defined low end, lots of very high end, and a big hole where one would expect a Stratty midrange to be.

IIRC I've got a '78 in a parts box, somewhere.

 

[townesVanDoogle]

My '76 gray bottoms were thin and wimpy sounding. A super clean, defined low end, lots of very high end, and a big hole where one would expect a Stratty midrange to be.

IIRC I've got a '78 in a parts box, somewhere.

I ended up installing one in the neck and it is definitely an improvement to the cheapo squire pickup with those chuncky magnets on the back! I figured I could make a couple hundred selling the loaded pickguard but I'm probably never gonna get my hands on some og fender pickups again so why not play it instead.

I'd say the grey bottom has higher output and is a lil more crisp if that makes sense. Definitely not muddy in the neck of a mustang. It pairs surprisingly well with the stock bridge humbucker when the selector switch is in the middle position. The guitar is getting set up but I am excited to bring it to practice next week.

 

[Esquire Jones]

From the google:

From 1964 to the end of the 1970s, so-called grey bottom pickups were used. Always one of the pickups was dated, at first by hand, and in the late 60s, the date was printed in ink. The pickups were no longer waxed; they had a thin layer of lacquer, which is harder to see than wax. The windings are burgundy in color. Cone-shaped springs are used to adjust the height of the pickups.

 

[beep.click]

I remember late 70s Strats being quite bright and also authoritative. You heard them in rock clubs incessantly, and they sounded amazing. No one in that era was trying to imitate Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the pickups don't sound anything like what you’re gonna find in a store today.