Best "hum-free" pick-up-set for Fender Custom Shop-strat?

    I still see no reason for noiseless pickups that are always going to leave you wishing for more when a pickguard with a noise canceling coil built in can take care of the problem and give you the option of any pickups you like... :whistling:


    There are a bunch of vids on Youtube from users (not sponsors) that show how it works if you doubt it's capabilities. I have nothing to gain, just another lover of Single coil tones. :)


    Here's one video I just came across.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgjzSM67AtE

    Quote from guenterhaas

    Thanks for the link, but I don't really trust all these "noise cancelling"-systems and I made very good experiences with Fender Noiseless Vintage pickups and Seymour Duncan hot stacks, they are really "noiseless". I need pickups who don't catch all the noise from lights, wireless systems ect., not just a standard noise cancelling.


    BTW, the Suhr Silent Single Coil System is more expensive than any pickup-setup here. ;)


    Yes, it's expensive - but it's the only system that works great.


    The PU's are a big part of the great sound of some vintage guitars - and I would not like to change it with ANY other PU's.

    (All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with soundside.de)


    Great Profiles --> soundside.de

    Hi Guenter I have the HOT fender noiseless and they are the real noiseless stuff, regarding the tone they are pretty amazing but not really vintage sounding. However, they have a very cool & sweet tone , they are also very warm. Much better than the stock PU I got on my ex 90 american standard strat.


    One option is to dial them down on 7 on vol and tone and you get a more vintage tone , while 10 is more punchy and modern tone. I love their versatility.


    I use my strat on 90% of my recording since they stack up really well and clearly on tracks. Wonderful with the KPA.


    here is a demo, you got the idea of the tone range : rock & floydish / beckish like


    https://soundcloud.com/waraba/menu-fretin-demo
    https://soundcloud.com/waraba/charibde-scylla

    Quote from Armin

    Yes, it's expensive - but it's the only system that works great.


    The PU's are a big part of the great sound of some vintage guitars - and I would not like to change it with ANY other PU's.


    Now you are talking... This is the Ilitch Pick Guard system. He teamed up with Suhr. I think this is by far the smartest way to go today as all pick ups can be used.


    WHOA!! I just saw what Suhr is selling it for. It is the same exact system at an over $100 higher price tag!


    Seriously go to:
    http://www.ilitchelectronics.com/strat-bpncs/


    or Lindy Fralin's site has them the cheapest at just $200!


    http://www.fralinpickups.com/bpncs.asp

    Edited once, last by Elcap420 ().


    Ilitch invented and patented the system, and licensed it to Suhr. Suhr has made it sound like "he" developed it....he did not. I agree, buy it from Lindy Fralin. I have one, and you won't look back! :thumbup:

    I was a bit confused, because there are several companies selling the stuff, but now it's clear.


    Did you play this system also on big stages? The main issue for me is to avoid all the mess, pickups will catch from the lights and all the stuff on stage. I don't have any noise-problems even when I'm playing my vintage strats with the KPA, but all these interspersals on big stages drive you crazy.


    Is the plate noise canceling system avoiding that? This would be most important issue for me, normally humbuckers and stacked single-coils are the best solution to avoid interspersals.


    Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it. :thumbup:

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    first name: Guenter / family name: Haas / www.guenterhaas.de


    Nothing is a 100% cure from noise entering the system but this will make your Single coils every bit as quiet as your humbuckers, even on the big stages.
    :) Good luck, and enjoy the lack of noise!

    Quote from Ingolf

    I agree about Bill Lawrence's pickups being great options.
    Sadly Bill died (last year I think).
    So I don't know if his business exists any longer.


    It does, Becky his wife is carrying on with the business.


    I like my DiMarzio Areas a lot better than the SCNs that came with my AmDlx, but you have to wire them right to have positions 2 and 4 sounding like true single coils - the secret is using a superswitch to tap the hum cancelling coil of each pickup when they're in parallel. Also if you want hum cancelling in those positions you need either a RWRP middle pickup or revert it yourself, electrically (invert the wires) and magnetically (use a strong neodymium magnet to reverse the polepieces polarity). DiMarzio has these schematics available as PDFs, not sure if at their website but they'll send you one if you email them and ask.

    No experience with silent single coil pickups but I installed the Suhr BPSSC (back plate silent single coil) plate on my lefty 57 RI Strat. Its awesome. Expensive yes, but awesome. One thing to note though is that with "external coil" silent systems like these you cannot have the middle pickup reverse wound/reverse polarity as factory strats style guitars typically are. I put a special ordered set of Lollar Dirty Blondes in it (middle pu not reverse wound) and its all great. No sound change and now as quiet as my humbucker guitars. Hope it helps.

    Quote from greenblob

    No experience with silent single coil pickups but I installed the Suhr BPSSC (back plate silent single coil) plate on my lefty 57 RI Strat. Its awesome. Expensive yes, but awesome. One thing to note though is that with "external coil" silent systems like these you cannot have the middle pickup reverse wound/reverse polarity as factory strats style guitars typically are. I put a special ordered set of Lollar Dirty Blondes in it (middle pu not reverse wound) and its all great. No sound change and now as quiet as my humbucker guitars. Hope it helps.



    It is a great system but you are better off buying it through another source as Suhr has marked up the price insanely to make the profit margin over the cost they pay to use the patent.
    As for the Reverse middle wound pick up...this is not exactly true. You can keep all the original stock pickups and wire it normally, you just do not benefit from the hum canceling in position 3. Even better with the simple modification of the toggle switch you can have it work with the reverse wound in all 5 positions...


    Taken of the Ilitch web sight


    "Please read the information bellow before you order:
    The PGNCS-S operation will not perform properly with any “in series” or “out of phase” pickup connections.
    There are several basic options depending on the pickup and switching configuration on your guitar:
    1.Three Single Coil pickups, same polarity, 5-way Standard pickup selector switch (No RWRP Middle pickup). Hum canceling on all 5 positions.
    2.Three Single Coil pickups, RWRP Middle, 5-way Standard pickup selector switch. Hum canceling on positions 1, 2, 4, 5. No hum canceling on position 3.
    3.Three Single Coil pickups, RWRP Middle, 5-way 4-pole Super switch. Hum canceling on all 5 positions.
    Note: For any other pickup and switching configuration you can contact us for a custom wiring"


    Again if you want the best info on this system do not go to Suhr go to the Ilitch website, he gives all the pdf's for wiring there. http://www.ilitchelectronics.com/strat-bpncs/ :thumbup:

    Very cool Elcap. I wasn't aware of the super switch workaround. Good info. :thumbup:


    I bought my Suhr plate at a huge discount. It had been sitting in the same local store for well over 2 years (I suspect as the full price was as you mentioned, insane!) so I made a lowball offer on it as a deal sweetener while buying an a amp there. Took it home for slightly under half price. Was so impressed with it I was looking at the Ilitch telecaster plates for a while, but never actually ordered one.


    Thanks for the info!

    Quote from greenblob

    Very cool Elcap. I wasn't aware of the super switch workaround. Good info. :thumbup:


    I bought my Suhr plate at a huge discount. It had been sitting in the same local store for well over 2 years (I suspect as the full price was as you mentioned, insane!) so I made a lowball offer on it as a deal sweetener while buying an a amp there. Took it home for slightly under half price. Was so impressed with it I was looking at the Ilitch telecaster plates for a while, but never actually ordered one.


    Thanks for the info!


    Glad to share the little I do know, on this site! I worked as a luthier for many years building instruments in California so although I am new the Kemper I am not a newb when it comes to guitars.


    Happy to hear that you got it for under the Suhr price, they have really gone over the top with their pricing.


    Cheers 8)

    I thought I’d provide my input, since I have experience with several options being discussed here. Specifically, I have used the following (all with the KPA, except the first set), and I'll provide some brief thoughts on each (in chronological order, not necessarily order of preference). I should note that I have no vested interest in any of these.


    - Fender SCN pickups
    - Kinman AVN Blues pickups
    - Ilitch backplate (with Van Zandt Blues and with Fralin Vintage Hot)
    - Fishman Fluence single width pickups


    === Fender SCN (Samarium Cobalt Noiseless) ===
    These came with the American Deluxe Strat I bought in '04. Sound OK, and are very quiet, but they never really did much for me. It's been so long that I don't remember exactly what I didn't like, but I think they just generally sounded a little dull and lifeless. I also seem to remember the 2 & 4 positions being particularly lackluster. I quickly replaced them with the Kinman AVN Blues.


    === Kinman AVN Blues ===
    These are really great sounding. First, they are indeed nearly noiseless. Much quieter than any standard humbucker I've ever used. They sound much better than the SCNs, particularly the dynamics. Positions 2 & 4 are pretty good too. Sound good clean and distorted. I liked these well enough that they stayed in my strat for nearly 10 years, until a few months ago (and are now two thirds of a HSS setup in another guitar). But, they still felt like a bit of a compromise, without quite as much chime and pick dynamics as true single coils, so I decided to see what new options were available.


    === Ilitch Backplate Noise Canceling System (BPNCS) ===
    I bought this a few months ago, along with a set of Van Zandt Blues and Fralin Vintage Hots (couldn't decide what I wanted, so I figured I'd get a couple of sets and try them both -- decided to keep them both). First, returning to true single coils for the first time since the pathetic single coils in my cheap Squire strat back around '90 was a bit of a revelation. I instantly realized what I'd been missing. I think it is the pick dynamics and responsiveness that most clearly sets them apart. It's been addicting. So, being able to keep that while losing the noise is massively appealing to me.


    In my experience, the BPNCS works as well as advertised. It isn't quite as noiseless as the noiseless single coils I've tried, but it is still a lot quieter than any of my guitars with traditional humbuckers. Tonally, I think it is nearly 100% transparent. Sometimes, I think I might hear a VERY slight loss of high end (I set it up temporarily so I could toggle it off and on), but it isn't enough for me to be sure that it's not just in my head, and certainly not enough to be a problem (and, not even subjectively better or worse).


    As Elcap420 noted, it can be wired to work with RWRP middle pickups. I was also able to come up with a wiring to work with both an RWRP middle AND the Fender S1 system, with all settings being noise canceling except 1 (S1 engaged w/ toggle in middle position). So, there aren't really any limitations there. Also, as Deny pointed out, you can easily change a RWRP back to standard with some neodymium magnets (which can be bought for less than $10) and inverting the wires (treat the black as white and white as black, or you could actually unsolder at the pickup and swap them).


    Cost is really the only downside (around $200). But, in my opinion, its worth it. In the last few days, I've decided to create a setup that will let me instantly swap it from one guitar to another (since I decided to keep both the Van Zandt's and the Fralins, in different guitars of course). That is still a work in progress, but so far so good. So, that will increase the value I'm getting for the expense.


    === Fishman Fluence Single Width ===
    I was already very happy with true single coils + the Ilitch BPNCS, but curiosity got the best of me with the Fluence. The promise of (1) noiseless single coils, AND (2) two high quality tones in a single set of pickups, coupled with the positive initial reviews I was reading ended up being too much to resist. So, I decided to give them a shot.


    I have to say I'm a little disappointed with them. Although I think the word "sterile" is an overstatement, I do think they trend in that direction. I think they have the basic tonality down pretty well, but they just don't have nearly the same responsiveness as true single coils. I think it is really in the attack that they come up short -- true single coils can give such a wide range of tones based on subtle changes in pick location or technique, and that tonality seems to evolve as from the initial attack portion of the note through the decay up until it reaches the more steady sustained portion of the ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release) curve. The Fluence seem somewhat constant throughout -- not completely, but more than true single coils.


    That isn't to say they sound bad -- I don't think they do (and that is completely subjective anyway). In a mix, they probably sound close enough that most people, guitarists and non-guitarists alike, would be hard pressed to tell the difference. But I find playing them to be uninspiring, and completely different than when I first put in the Van Zandt's and couldn't put the guitar down. I've toyed with the height quite a bit and found that I like them better further from the strings, but it's still not there for me. So, I'll be parting ways with them very soon.


    === Summary and My Bottom Line ===
    That ended up being much longer than I planned! In the end, here's how I would rank the quite single coil options I've tried:


    1. Ilitch/Suhr BPNC w/ authentic single coils: A little more noise than the others, but much less than traditional humbuckers. Most importantly, it has essentially no impact on the tone
    2. Kinman AVN Blues: Still have them and still use them. Very good pickups overall. Dead quiet. Good tonality, and decent dynamics/pick response
    3. Fishman Fluence: Not bad, the basic tonality is about right, but lacking single coil dynamics. Also dead quiet.
    4. Fender SCNs: I wouldn't say these are bad, but I find them somewhat lifeless and uninspiring. But they are indeed noiseless.


    For me, the Ilitch BPNC is the winner by a huge margin. And I am by no means a vintage purist, traditionalist, etc. Hopefully this is of some use to someone at some point!

    Good summary. I had an AVn Blues set in my old Melancon Pro Artist. They were great, very musical, but along the lines of what you said, they were subdued in the high end. I'd like to try Kinman's brighter sets someday, but for now the Areas have enough sparkle for my purposes (other than the Area 58, which was a tad too muffled to my ears).