|  |     The industry standard "superstrat" configuration is single coils in
    the neck and middle positions and a humbucker in the bridge.  If the
    humbucker has a coil cut, you can get all five standard Strat sounds
    in addition to the beefier bridge sound.  This seems to be the most
    generally useful setup.
    
    Some people like Lace Sensors, I don't.  Among Lace Sensors, I prefer
    the golds over the other colors; again, personal taste.  If you buy
    a Beck Strat, you get the sing-sing-hum configuration with all gold
    Lace Sensors; if I wanted Lace Sensors, this is the guitar I would buy.
    
    I've yet to hear a set of stacked-coil Strat-style pickups that I liked.
    I would go for regular single coils.
    
    I have heard some active systems I liked, most notably EMGs, but not
    enough that I would pick them over a good set of passives.
    
    I have never heard anyone say an unkind word about the Seymour Duncan
    Jeff Beck model humbucker (notice a trend here :-).  This is what I
    would pick if I were looking to upgrade a bridge hummer.
    
    One of the best deals going right now I think are the Yamaha Pacificas.
    These are modern/traditional hybrid Strats with the sing-sing-hum
    setup; well built and cheap (especially on the used market).  Buy one
    of the cheaper models, upgrade the pickups and maybe tuners/bridge with
    your choice and get a great Strat-style for still low bucks.
    
    Just my opinions of course
    
    /rick
    
 | 
|  | I was thinking about the pickup upgrade thing
on my strat, but who knows...
anyway, I'd probably be inclined to go with a
Seymore Duncan upgrade....  usually a winner...
(Got a Jap-USA Prototype... Jap next, US
body and guts...)
I was also looking to do a whammy, beyond the 
stock hit-it-once-tune-it whammy that they come
with..
I dunno, it plays great, sounds o.k.,, but I was
looking for something with a little more bite,
but ya hate to make changes to a stock
MINT condition peice, albeit, I'm only into it
for about 4 bills...
And I'm really not into going for a new usa strat
right now.. 
Got a nice USA tele though,,,
/r
 |