Fender 57/62 Vs Tex Mex Pickups | Frusciante Tone-Off

Hi folks, little video looking at these Tex Mex pickups - often cited as being awesome Frusciante tone pickups. Taking a look at each clean first then some JF riffs! The amp was set EXACTLY the same through all John tone examples.
What i would stress here though - if you like ALOT of gain on your strat, thats when texmex pups come into their own. But for John tone or my taste, they are much darker then you expect and a little hotter then the real vintage pups that John would have in his strats. But what do you think?
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[@3i663]

I was undecided between the Tex Mex and the 57/62 pickups, but now I'm clear that the sound I'm looking for is the Tex Mex. Great comparison, thank you!

[@ramencurry6672]

Choose what sound speaks to you. Make good music, that’s the most important

[@m33st3rdanny]

I actually like the sound of the Tex Mex! I’m going to buy them and put them in my home made guitar! Great comparison video and nice played! 🔥🙏🏻

[@ChadwickRider]

Personally I like the twang in the 57/62 better... but for half the price the Tex-Mex get me close enough.

[@Paul-D]

yeh price is a huge consideration in this comp for sure!

[@sercastamere9853]

I wouldn't call it "twang", the '57/'62 has more midrange for sure which helps it shine thru

[@richiesguitarshanktuary6923]

I own tex mex pups. They're great for their cost. But even up against my Texas specials there's a notable difference largely in the high end, but in something else too. Through phone speakers they sound really close... they're not trust me. Again tex mex are great. I love mine. But they are different. They're like he said somewhat dark or muddy. Not in a cheap way or even negative way. They're just not very stratty sounding in person. If you like darker pups for your strat the tex mex might be the set for you.

[@CapstoneTider]

Try the Vintera 50's pickups. They sound like 57/62's at half the price.

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

57/62 are 199.00

[@thetanman2233]

Tex-Mex sets like to sit loooow in the pickguard. Takes a lot of the shrillness out. Tone control wired to the bridge helps even more! They really are a fantastic pickup for their price. Love how the 57/62 set sounds here. Been thinking about getting them. Cheers!

[@Paul-D]

I did since sink them even lower into the pick guard and it did improve your right. But the other day i finally gave in and took them out for something else haha Thanks for watching

[@BigBobbyBoLo]

So to follow up on my previous comment about these pups.... you are absolutely right about lower them to the body... it made a huge difference

[@cmmnsenserules4339]

Tone wired to bridge, you're damn right

[@Zeal808]

This is the way. I have this exact set up for years.

[@ramencurry6672]

When you’re dealing with tone controls, make sure you follow the right wiring diagram. Soldering is actually easy but if you’re following the wrong wiring diagram it can be crazy annoying

[@duck_5150]

The 57/62 are amazing pups...and reasonably priced

[@gavphil3383]

I just bought the Tex mex pickups and all I can say is it’s good for distortion. I was amazed how well the bridge pickup handles different genre for a single coil pickup, but I guess because it’s hotter

[@Paul-D]

Yeh it takes drive better then a more vintage style output single coil for sure

[@watto59]

i just put a set in and thats my thougts to ,distortion is where they shine

[@philz7227]

Great video. I can really hear the difference and agree that the 57/62's have more life to them. I'm going to upgrade my Carvin Strat bolt pickguard and this video helped me decide. Thanks.

[@Paul-D]

Cant go wrong with the 57 62 set 🤘🤘

[@jr0706]

When you were playing cleanly, I felt the low end on the Tex-Mex set was superior, but when the overdrive was added, the 57/62 set handled it better. In a mix, all of that low end is going to be dialed out, so it doesn’t really matter anyway.

[@bumblefritz]

I have Tex Mex pickups in my main Strat. The other guitar player in my band plays Les Pauls and our tones perfectly compliment each other without stepping on each other.

[@deerosario8662]

i liked the neck and middle sounds of the Tex Mex and the bridge sounds of the 57/62s. I like brightness in my tone and that pickup combination would sound great on one of my strats.

[@Paul-D]

See if i could be super duper picky id have the tex mex bridge just to handle the gain and 57/62 middle and neck haha

[@hisroyalsucculence]

Tex Mex had the edge for me. Thanks for the video!

[@markewing6780]

So glad I watched this. I have a really nice Fender Strat MIM that I just acquired, and the pickups in it are terrible. I also have a new set of Tex Mex pickups in a Squier Strat and was debating swapping them from the Squier to the new Fender Strat (new to me). But I was debating if I should use the Tex Mex pickups or just buy a set of 57/62’s. You helped me to decide. I’m going to buy a set of 57/62’s. Thank you for this video! Much appreciated!

[@Paul-D]

Ive tried so so many different strat pickups. And the 57/62 set just keep winning to me.

[@denniseh5305]

Great video! I’m stuck trying to pick between these 2 pickup sets for my new Strat build and your video came up first. Although I am a huge John Frusciante fan and agree the 57/62 sounds more like John, I prefer the Tex Mex for my needs.

[@Paul-D]

Glad you liked it :) I have recently done another shooting them out against the fat 50s. But here - a big factor I didnt really mention in the vid I dont think is the Texmex can be got a lot cheaper too so that always counts for something especially if they suit your needs

[@bluemooncollision]

Tex Mex pickups sound great, definitely going to get a pair to replace a strat with the SCN pickups.. 57/62 have a nice tone too. I have a 57 AVRI Mary Kaye model that sounds killer, bought another set of 57/62s for a parts caster and was really disappointed by the new set I got. Anyways, thank you for making this comparison very helpful.

[@Paul-D]

Thanks for watching and commenting 🤟

[@justtheguy27]

Superb comparison! And great playing, as well. I liked the 57/62 pickups more because they have that classic Strat sound that everyone knows and loves. I found the Tex Mex pickups to sound a little “fat”. Great one, mate. Keep the good content coming. (:

[@Paul-D]

Thanks man glad it came across 🤘

[@serdar.saglam]

I watched again this video. For First clean tones i like the 57/62... Because it is smoother and nicer. But Tex Mex highs are much clear on Frusicante tones. I don't know exactly how is Frusciante's tones but in the mix I prefer Tex Mex.

[@blixer911]

Here’s my like sir, specially for the “look on” part

[@Paul-D]

And heres mine for knowing about look on haha

[@federicoresendiz3617]

@@Paul-Dit’s interesting you picked these two sets. There’s a lot of debate about John’s actual pickups. He said in an interview once that when the original 62 pickups died, he had Seymour Duncan Vintage Strat pickups installed (as that’s what his other 54-57 Strat had). But years later his tech said the set he actually installed was a regular off-the-shelf American Series pickguard in 1998 or 1999, and that John must have misremembered due to them having tried different sets. Thus, the actual pickups would have had Tex-Mex specs! As that’s what they were using in the Standard American series in the late 90’s.

[@RocklandHomes]

I swaped out my Tex Mex for the 57/62's many years ago in my Jimmie Vaughan Strat. The guitar sounds and plays amazing.

[@Paul-D]

I still got the 57 62s. Texmex in the blue replaced with a used set of radioshop 63s i found

[@richardwhitehead4684]

Wow. Rare that a pup demo shows such a stark difference. Thank you for this. To my ears, the 57/62 had much greater depth, clarity, and that magic ‘airy’ quality I so love about strats. The Tex mex were clearly brighter, and that’s not a problem, but they also felt more one dimensional. They simply lacked the Strat magic. IMO. Why bother with a Strat if you can’t have the magic? If you want hotter, cutting treble tone that stands up to lots of gain, just get a Tele with hot pups. I need clarity/depth in a Strat. I have a Japan ‘E’ series Strat from the 80’s, and I’ve been debating changing out the original pups (very bright, but still ‘airy’). My issue with them is the RW middle pup. Not a fan. While it is noise canceling, it’s also tone neutering. Neither of these two sets sounded like they had a RW middle, is that right? Thanks again for the useful review.

[@Paul-D]

You clearly have an excellent ear by the way. You are completely right about the differences when you plug in and hear it in person. and yes correct on the RW middles.

[@bluwng]

You don’t understand electronics. All middle pickups are reverse wound, the pickup itself loses zero frequencies the fact that it magnetic field is 180 degrees counter to the pickups it is in parallel with will cancel certain frequencies, hence hum cancelling. The pickup alone has no change in frequency response.

[@undeadelvis]

Reverse wound pickups weren't common at all until the mid-80's when Fender started using them. To say "all middle pickups are rw" is wholly false.

[@bluwng]

@@undeadelvisall modern day or 99.9999999%. 1980 is long gone brother.

[@StaticInfinity-ts3jk]

@@bluwngthe hum canceling changes the phase of the pickups slightly and creates a comb filtering effect. That’s part of the “quack.” The middle position wasn’t actually hum canceling until the late 80s. There is a definite difference in tone.

[@PaulCooksStuff]

3-tone sunburst has two more tones than flat blue, obvs! 😜 Tonepaint aside, I preferred the sunburst. It seemed more rounded, and less shrill. But in isolation I'd probably play either and not notice. Lol. Interesting comparison though.

[@Paul-D]

Well i hadnt considered that hahaa thats why the sunburst sounds and feels so good hahaha. Ill leave the tex mex in for now and use it from time to time. But the 57/62 set remains king of all things strat to me atm haha

[@paulcarter5117]

57/62s sounds warm and well rounded. TM, to hot and to bright.

[@Paul-D]

Agreed 🤘🤘

[@pablomarrero6062]

thats what i just heard

[@wgboyd]

Same here, too - surprised he thought the Tex mex are “warmer”.

[@liedgitarrist]

I think both sound great

[@bluwng]

I agree but that’s what I want, if I wanted warm I would get fresh baked bread not pickups

[@joshfeatherstone8546]

I’m preferring the 57/62s. Kind of surprised because I wanted to like the Tex Mex. Thank you for the comparison. Side note: I have Fender 65 Pure Vintage in my Strat. I get on fine with those. Cheers

[@Paul-D]

I just got a Strat in with Pure 65s - agree they are great

[@JustIce-u9w]

57/62 has a nice warmer sound to it. I’d go for them.

[@StevieZero]

Have TexMex's in my Strat and my Tele I love them

[@rossettivictor]

Interesting comparison, the Tex-Mex feel a little bit hotter and have some more highs. The 57/62 sound with more clarity, but the response to overdrive lacks a little... thank you for your video

[@Paul-D]

Your totally correct. Its hard to get across things on video with all the variables but thats exactly what there like in person through your own amps etc.

[@yiannisfaitakis]

The Tex Mex for me. I tend to go for brighter,crisp, snappy pickups with a lot of attack and they were it. A little surprised to see the author say they are darker. They sounded much brighter than the 50s.😮

[@Paul-D]

I think because there abit hotter i just found them to have a little less brightness. Weird how different I found the texas specials to the tex mex. would think they were basically the same.

[@kennethm.380]

I totally agree. Strange comment. Darker? No way. Brighter for sure.

[@blop1738]

great video but what's about the harness - wires, caps, pots - of those axes? If there was different harness then the comparison wouldn't count for anything imho

[@blop1738]

time ago a shopkeeper changed just 1 little cap - tone guitar if I recall well - in my guitar and the sound has "completelly" changed

[@Paul-D]

Yeh thats a fair comment tbf. The wiring in my sunburst is far higher end. I basically got the absolute best and most period correct (apart from the grigsby 5 way) PIO caps, pot values, even as far as push back wiring on everything. That being said though thinking about it and all previous experience. The pickups themselves do account for the vast majority of the tone soup ingrediants. Everything else is 1% here 5% there.

[@blop1738]

@@Paul-D absolutely

[@GuitarsRgood7]

Those Tex Mex pickups sound awesome!

[@ar245b]

Through AirPods the tex mex actually sounds a lot richer here! Great comparison

[@joshuaharris6638]

i play contemporary worship music so i like the fatness of the tex mex pickups. helps me cut through a mix more. just ordered myself a set actually

[@Paul-D]

Funny today is finally the day where im getting rid of the tex mex out of Mr Blue strat haha

[@Fullbatteri]

I am DEFINITELY putting tex mex pickups on a Harley Benton, no questions about it

[@Paul-D]

Enjoy it 🤘

[@catmakesmusic182]

i have 57/62 on my 2016 classic 50's strat and love it. the neck pickup is so good.

[@Paul-D]

There still my favourite

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

I think the 2 stud trem bridge on the blue Guitar makes the sound warmer with all pickups, the only way to really compare is to record the sunburst Gtr swapping the loaded pickguards . The Tex mex sound nice !

[@jazzdrumguy5044]

I just picked up the 57/62 and put in a Classic Vibe 50's strat that I hot rodded to make as one of my main Strats - it's just amazing now. I have two SRV tribute MIM strats, both with Texas Specials and they nail SRV's tone. I probably won't pick up the Tex Mex's since I am guessing they are similar to the Texas specials, but without the thick neck tone that is all SRV........

[@Paul-D]

Sounds like a good selection 🤘

[@daviddegagatem]

For the funky RHCP tones I would go for the TexMex. For me and the more bluesy sound I prever the 57/62set

[@michaelholmes5150]

I find the Tex Mex are similar to the Texas Specials. More gain and treble. Depends on the guitar tho. An ash body tends to dull the treble side. Have the neck tone wired to the bridge helps too. An alder body brings out more treble so you have to lower the pickups more.

[@midlifemotox]

Would love to hear how much of the difference is in the guitar. Switch the pickups in each and do it again.

[@Paul-D]

Done it many times. Its 95% pickups.

[@Paul-D]

To be more accurate to what i mean, 95% pickups/electrics and set up. The wood makes abit of difference, and factor in personal preference on feel and looks and it will make a huge psychological difference.

[@midlifemotox]

@ Good to know. I have a Jeff Beck Strat and I hate the pickups. After watching your video, I'm going to put in the 57/62s in.. I also have a Custom Shop 62 reissue that acoustically sounds totally different.Thanks!

[@Paul-D]

The 57/62s are great. The only word of caution id say is if your used to slightly hotter pickups (which i now am) they can be a little weak but they are very vintage.

[@midlifemotox]

@ I like lower output pick ups in the right situation. I'm vintage... I've been doing this a very long time... 😁

[@aahmed8239]

I think the Tex Mex pickups sound more open, I prefer them.

[@Paul-D]

Fair play 🤘

[@noelzhu1986]

prefer the tex mex in this video. but both sounds amazing.

[@NeatFreq]

57/62 set hands down IMHO

[@Paul-D]

Yeh for me too 🤟

[@rmaxtpmx]

Both sound good. But 57/62 is more my taste. I'm curious now how they compare to my 65s.

[@rshock]

57/62 sound great, there is something about hotter pickups that is a bit like an ice pick. Idk Really is more about preference.

[@Paul-D]

I agree with you man, hot single coils just dont do it for me at all.

[@mikefromusa6902]

Thanks for this. I was asking myself this exact question

[@kennyleejohnson5253]

I prefer the Tex Mex. I like a fuller sound and the 56/62 set has too much highs for me. You can use the volume knob to tone down the Tex mex if they are too hot.

[@SergeiVlassov]

both sounded great! I preferred neck an bridge pickups on 57/62 set, but "in between" positions sounded better on Tex-Mex set to my ears.

[@SergeiVlassov]

interesting, at the end you told, that TEX-Mex are muddier, rounded - but I hear exactly opposite! I hear Tex-Mex being sharper and more open sounding, especially in between positions where 57/62 were a bit muddy to my ears.

[@Paul-D]

Judging by comments - everyone hears differently and picks up on different things. Its all down to the individual which is totally right.

[@SergeiVlassov]

@@Paul-D and listening on different equipment. I listened on studio monitors )

[@Paul-D]

Yes very true. Muddy wasnt the best choice of wording really - what i meant was more keen to break up and wool out then the 57/62

[@SergeiVlassov]

@@Paul-D it is ok - I am 20+ years in the world of electric guitars and we still cannot agree on those subjective terms like warmth, muddiness, sharpness, openness, dullness, roundness, richness, etc, etc, etc :) That is why I love A/B tests like yours, because if I know one of the components in the comparison, then I can judge the other one relative to the one I know. Btw, I have made A/B test for TEX-MEX vs Player stock pickups: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eX22p3p4oJyHiacsi=UDL9M3hgf3JCw10P

[@tjk3380]

I have the 57/62’s in my Classic Player. Ive been thinking about buying a Custom Shop Strat and I’ll probably put the 57/62’s in that too. Just can’t imagine anything more Stratty. To me they’re perfect. I also have some Fralin Vintage Hots in another guitar, but I prefer the 57/62’s.

[@Paul-D]

Yeh im still in the 57/62 camp. But… i have preferred humbuckers and p90s lately so might revisit some hotter strat pups

[@youmisterrob]

I think the blue one just sounded like it had fresher strings on it, I wonder if you wound the pups down a little it might mellow the sound bit less aggressive? I liked them both. Nice playing by the way.

[@Paul-D]

They are already set about 1mm above the pickgaurd - i shouldve shown that. The blue one does have fresher strings on by a week or so, so thats a good ear!

[@jasonmcmaster4968]

The TexMex isn't a bad sound but it doesn't have that classic Strat chug that I love. There's just something about that throaty midrange that just feeds my soul, especially with blues musicians. The 57/62 are definitely my pick between the two but neither are a bad pickup. Just depends on what you're playing.

[@Paul-D]

100% agree

[@derekjohnson5720]

57/62. They sound more tight and better balanced across all the strings. The tex mex sounded good but a bit spikey in certain frequencies.

[@johncrone928]

I built a Frankenstrat with Tex Mex in the bridge and middle position and a 57/62 in the neck position. The 57/62 sounds so perfect I wish I would of used them for the rest. It sounds like a vintage guitar with the 57/62

[@Paul-D]

I love them tbf. There not the only good pickups in the world like but ive tried sooooo many and they always come out on top for me

[@888jimm]

@@Paul-D - I found similar as you with mine and there is a mid range spikey thingy you caint e q out

[@sejuyz]

can you show how you got those tones they sound great

[@Paul-D]

Fairly certain this was just using the Katana. At the time until quite recent it was almost always the katana or Neural DSP plugins if recording late after work haha

[@hepgeoff]

I suppose this is subjective, but I prefer the 57/62s, and that's what I have in my Strat. Thanks for the comparison!

[@TommyGunzzz]

Considering I have an old $120 red Kramer sitting around unplayed for years, I think Tex-Mex and a new pickguard would be a cheap way to completely spice it up and make it exciting to play again.

[@Paul-D]

For sure or even some tonerider pickups or something

[@TommyGunzzz]

@@tm1180 I ended up putting Wilkinson pickups in it and it sounds great

[@Germinalx]

No apostrophe on tones. 😉😉 Great work!

[@Paul-D]

Haha spelling is really not my strong suit. And being a "country boy" neither is talking really 😅😅😅😅

[@Germinalx]

@@Paul-D All good buddy, I worry that some “modern men” don’t know that among men the goofing upon each other is the highest form of compliment.

[@abigailmcelroy5335]

Both sound great. But I prefer the 57/62 sound, it's warmer and has more depth to my ears. Thanks for the comparison, I've been wanting to gut my 1990's era Squier strat . Definitely, I'll order the fender pre-wired pickguard with 57/62's. Cheaper than buying a new guitar. Nothing wrong with my guitar except it sounds like a tin can. Thanks man, from Texas. Abi.

[@Paul-D]

thanks for checking it out. you wont be let down by the 57/62 set

[@ccjmusic]

I guess it is too early in the morning for me to judge things accurately because I kept switching between which I preferred. In some tests the Tex Mex sounded clearer to me with the 57/62 set sounding too loud in the bottom end. In other tests the 57/62 sounded clearer. But to be logical about it, it doesn't make any difference to the lay person listening to a recording as they don't do a direct comparison and they wouldn't care anyway as long as they were enjoying the overall recording. So, I would say, go with what you have access to, or what makes you, as a musician, happiest.

[@Paul-D]

For sure, its not like there bad. In fact these days its harder to find a properly bad pickup haha. But for someone out there hoping the tex mex might be a huge upgrade - i just wanted to make the point that they are pretty average. Thanks for watching.

[@ccjmusic]

@@Paul-D That is a good point. Helping people to not spend money in the wrong place is a good thing. Hope you and the family are all recovered now.

[@Paul-D]

@@ccjmusic thanks man. Still not 100% but definitely over worst of it 🤟🤟

[@ccjmusic]

@@Paul-D hopefully you'll be fully over it soon

[@strat_1880]

@@Paul-D Would ibe worth the price to pay to put either of those in a stock MIM strat would be enough sound difference either of them to be worth putting in a stock MIM strat? Or would find something more reasonably priced in a pre wired pickguard?

[@thedragonhawk2256]

Thought the neck pick ups sounded close to the same. The tex mex middle was slightly better and the bridge pick up on the 57 62 was way better than the tex

[@frankschapmire1471]

They both sound great. Seems like lows get lost once the rest of the band start, for all intent and purpose. I like those twangier tones anyhoos.

[@ChrisSkinner1]

It kind of depends on what you’re going for. Personally I like hotter strat pickups so I like the Tex Mex much more.

[@rfendlen]

Nice tone! Which amp? And any pedals?

[@Paul-D]

From memory i think i used the neural dsp Plini amp plugin on this one. Up until recently it was always either the boss katana head into a marshall 212 or that. Recently its mostly my jubilee 20w haha

[@nicoladolby2154]

The two pickup sets sound so different! I kept thinking, “Please clean the Tex Amex pickups up?” Muddy is the right word, but even if they were cleaned they’d sound so different from the 57/62 pickups. I like both, but would only use the Tex Mex if the muddiness was removed.

[@Paul-D]

I had the texmex set pretty low here too cant remember if i said. I have since set them basically level with the pick guard and it has improved them alot (in my opinion)

[@BigBobbyBoLo]

@@Paul-D I did the same with my tex mexs, and while it did improve it, I still dont love it... but It's unique enough to keep in my less used strat as a backup option

[@Aycejay]

It’s much easier to hear on the high end but for me personally I prefer the Tex mex

[@hawkgeoff]

Interesting video. I think folks should keep in mind that every single guitar, because their made of wood, will sound slightly different. Comparing them in different guitars is not going to be completely accurate, but I appreciate the time you put in to make this video. I have a set of both in two different strats as well. In my case, the texmex sound less muddy than the 57/62s... probably due more to the guitar than the pickups. I hesitate to use the word "muddy" as both of these pickups are great, but I suspect you could take the same pickups and put them in different guitars and you will hear a variation. I concur that with gain the texmex sound better than the 57/62s... at least to my ears.

[@Paul-D]

Absolutely, anyone who thinks guitars wont sound different even if they're identical models either hasn't played enough guitars or is simply just not that interested/sensitive enough to it to notice haha. Same goes for valve amps no 2 are the same, more frustratingly the same amp is often different day to day too lol. Thanks for watching anyways :)

[@ConditionZero76]

True when talking hollow body acoustic guitars. but when talking about different electonic magnetically wound pickups, you'd never know the difference. If I put a blindfold on you and played 5 different strats with the same 57/62 pickups you'd never not 1 time be able to tell me which one was maple cap which one was poplar etc the sound would be so miniscule its negligible. That argument is very strong in the world of acoustics but doesn't hold water in electric guitars 💯

[@hawkgeoff]

@@ConditionZero76 You could not be more wrong. While I would agree that a person couldn't pick out the difference in fretboard material of a sample size of two, you damn well will hear a difference between guitar components. I've had bodies that sounded dead and necks that sounded dead. To suggest that there's no difference would mean that materials don't matter. Maybe not to your ear, but rest assured, they do.

[@ConditionZero76]

@hawkgeoff Sorry, but this has been proven over and over at nauseum again and again!! Put the same pups "any" pups you prefer in 5 different solid body strats. Throw the blind fold on let someone play each strat, nor you or I can name what strats made of basswood or alter or maple etc etc its just reality we're humans not PC's. I'm not saying your an idiot or something its just like not even something to argue about. Understand Im not saying you couldn't tell the difference in texmex from 57/62 etc of course that's easy, but the best of best players on earth cant decipher the miniscule 1 to 2% of sound difference in material of the guitar blindfolded. Your eyes and mind will play tricks on you once the blindfold comes out everything changes. I've seen guys play multi thousand dollars strats up against $400 dollar CV's with the same pickups, and they had NO idea what was what, got everything wrong. The blindfold tells the story of woods when comparing the same pickups

[@hawkgeoff]

I would never suggest that someone could listen to all 5 guitars and say, that's alder, that's ash etc. What I'm saying is that you will hear differences. Hearing a more lively guitar doesn't mean it's made of a particular wood... I suspect we agree on that, but if you A,B two different guitars with identical woods, necks, bridges, etc. you can hear a difference. That said, I'm not sayin that there's a shitton of difference, but I guarantee you will hear a gem vs a dog. My fav strat is a partscaster that was assembled after numerous body and neck combo tests. One body was dead... no sustain, no life in it. Others had different qualities. Go tell Eric he's full of crap. certain bodies are going to sound and pair better with certain necks. Fact. I suspect we're not that far off because you keep seeming to say that you can't identify are particular wood type. No arguement there, but you have to be able to admit that certain guitars, built to the exact same spec as others just sound better. @@ConditionZero76

[@jimmy5634]

The Texas Specials are slightly more nasally and a bit harsh in the cleans to my ears. They’re definitely hotter. The 57/62’s are sweeter sounding and rounder.

[@daleduke1315]

57-62 for me. Just received them bu DHL.

[@Paul-D]

57 62 all day long 🤘

[@danielalejandro5720]

are the tex-mex pickups from the prewired pickguard??

[@Paul-D]

On this video, yes. I had the stock ones in the roadworn too and swore they were different lol

[@voltic7133]

Im split between the two. I love the sound of the 57/62's neck and neck/middle positions, but I do not like the sound of the bridge pickup in that set. The tex mex pickups seem like they could handle drive better.

[@Paul-D]

yeh they do handle gain better thats where they have an upper hand on the 57/62 for sure. But that neck pickup tone of the 57/62 set just has me won over haha

[@pattymac1986]

shit the tex mex sounds unreal

[@Paul-D]

Little thicker and hotter then a vintage set but still stratty

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

I was looking for 57/62 vs noiseless

[@Paul-D]

I havent tried any noiseless pickups i really loved yet - there just okay and get the job done. If noiseless is absolute priority i would probably go with the emgs or something

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

@ I have a noise gate

[@Paul-D]

That can be great, thing is its best at killing the noise in-between playing, if your having alot of noise over the top of playing the noise gate isn't so useful - something like a hum debugger is more useful then

[@cdane7]

So listening to this comparison through my Sony “Bose-killer” headphones, I heard the Exact Opposite. To my ears, the 57/62’s were clearly, obviously the “warmer/rounder” sounding pups. The TexMex’s were far more jangly. Not say that’s a good or a bad thing, depends on preference, just saying dude didn’t hear what I heard at all. Lol

[@curtrod]

oh man I gotta go with the tex mex

[@ginolamendola4084]

57/62 for me, but size capacitor did you use

[@Paul-D]

It was PIO 0.05uf caps in that. Relatively speaking i spent a small fortune on the wiring a pickups on that guitar 😅

[@ginolamendola4084]

Well if you saved all the old stuff, you can replace it back to original when you wanna sell it.

[@edkeighron4069]

I'm new to playing and I bought a Squire Can I put 57/62's on it? great way to upgrade huh?

[@Paul-D]

You could do for sure. Remember the pots and other electronics too. Pickups are most of it, but all the other electronics do make a difference too 😃

[@whatarefriends4]

Slightly disappointed you aren’t John Fruciante himself but carry on😂

[@Paul-D]

🤣🤣 me too

[@mattwhite8904]

Really lovely guitars, mate. A bit heavier or thicker than I'd go for, but shit they're warm. I recently moved up to 11s and though it's been harder full bending above the 12th, it's bloody worth it

[@Paul-D]

Do you find the extra tension of 11s to be a concern for the neck? I always find guitars with extra tension feel like they want to bend haha

[@mattwhite8904]

@@Paul-D um kinda. Sp your neck should have a curve in it anyway else you'll have some wicked fret buzz...and yeah look I wouldn't advise changing a gauge unless: a- you know how to adjust the neck and bridge to compensate Or b: pay a professional to set it up. The cool pay off from using larger gauges is also stronger fingers

[@viennamartin2114]

Tex Mex win on all exercises for me, more brilliant and non muddy. Good for all distortion types!!!

[@Paul-D]

Im loving how the comments are showing how different everyone hears things and its all to taste

[@MisterStabby]

I think I like the Tex mexs crunchiness a bit more and that bridge pickup could impale a whale man imma throw that in my squire

[@BRZguy]

Yeah 57/62 sounded quite a bit better. Tex Mex are hotter so I'd imagine that would be why.

[@Paul-D]

Yeh man, i had the tex mex wound right down to the pickguard too pretty much to try and tame them abit

[@joannehorrex7548]

57/62’s by miles..wondering what to put in my squire 60s cV 🤔

[@Paul-D]

The 57/62 always a great shout. For something more budget friendly ive enjoyed quite alot of the tonerider pickups.

[@joannehorrex7548]

@@Paul-D they sound nice and warm, I don’t want to spend £200-250 on something to put in a lower end guitar but defo going for this sound was also looking at the vintera 60s and hot 60s too but they seem extinct in the UK at tho moment

[@Paul-D]

If you like the 57/62 i would look for lower output the vintera 60s hot sound nothing like these ive had them and didnt last long haha

[@philcunningham67]

thanks for posting this video, good job. i recently put some tex mex in a strat, im using 10-38 strings as i like the feel of them. the magnets are real strong with the tex mex & do pull on the strings. i like the mid push in position 2 &4, cant cant rally decide on pickup height, lower they sound nice & clear but lose low end for me, close & lose clarity but get better lows... its all good fun experimenting though. keep up the good work

[@Paul-D]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@Magik1369]

The blue guitar sound brighter with almost scooped mids. The burst strat has a heavier mid range and tighter low end. I don't think one is better than the other. They both sound good...just a little different. We guitarists split hairs too much and sniff too many corks.

[@Piccyman1]

What's the mains hum like on the 57/62s ?

[@Paul-D]

Not inaudible thats for sure. You can get quieter pickups. But i dont mind it too much, plus i think the power is often pretty dirty round here anyways.

[@michaelnugent9758]

57/62k’s surprised the hell out of me!

[@sinistersaltz8204]

I just bought a prewired tex mex pick guard and I hope I can make them sound good :/

[@Paul-D]

You will 🤘 There not bad pups just the 57/62 ive found to be better in shootouts time and time again, but yesterday i got some fat 50s to put against them, vid coming soon lol

[@sinistersaltz8204]

@@Paul-D hell yeah thanks man, im putting in the pick guard tomorrow

[@davidburrows4801]

Brown stat sounds warmer.

[@ConditionZero76]

Tex-Mex sound a bit Tinny to me if that makes sense. More bright & brittle to my ears?

[@Paul-D]

Yeh in person they were just hotter and abit bitey but did handle higher gain well.

[@ConditionZero76]

@Paul-D ye they seem too bright for my ears and playing style . I appreciate you doing the comparison.....I'm gonna go with the 57/62s . Now Im trying to find out if theres a difference between original and pure vintage 57/62s, do you know ? Thanks Buddy

[@Paul-D]

I did look into it a while back but forgot off top of my head - is it something to do with one is reverse wound middle and the other isnt?

[@ConditionZero76]

@Paul-D oh ok, thanks. I'm coming up empty in my searches, but one way or another I'll hopefully figure it out. Thanks

[@Paul-D]

For what its worth, mine were originals

[@marrksr3971]

I have one of those really cheap knock off strat guitars, does it worth to a set of these picks?

[@Paul-D]

The pickups may end up worth more than the guitar so thats your judgement if its worth it to you. Remember youll need all the pots,caps, switch. Jack aswell as the pickups.

[@marrksr3971]

@@Paul-D thank you for the reply! it has more sentimental worth than monetary so there's no problem for me, do you recomend any electronics kit?

[@Paul-D]

Then its worth doing for sure, id look at some preloaded pickguards as a good solid choice. You can get them in all different specs. Pretty sure they even do a 57/62 loaded set.

[@marrksr3971]

@@Paul-D wow that’s so cool! I’ll look for one of those, thank you a lot! :}

[@davidsillars3181]

I don't think I'd go for the Tex Mex after that.

[@Paul-D]

and mics always brighten things up abit too, honestly in person they are quite a flubby pickup. I get its good for driven texas blues tones. but there are much nicer strat pups for sureeeee thanks for watching

[@MojoP]

For the licks played, the JohnTone belonged to the 57/62s hands down.

[@robertclarkguitar]

Awesome test here. Would you compare the player series to the Tex Mex? Are they "That" different!? I wonder. Sorry I'm onto something slightly Aside from the vid. I'm soon to pickup (pun intended) a set of pups for my black strat one day. It has ceramics and my cv 60s has player series I put in.

[@robertclarkguitar]

Spoke too soon!!!! You just answered!!!

[@Paul-D]

Haha yes i would prefer the player series to tex mex. They are slightly lower output and more chimey. The texmex are okay.... but thats about it. Nothing special like the 57/62 set - thanks for watching 😁

[@strat_1880]

@@Paul-D Which Player series Tex mex or the 57/62 to get Jhon Frusciantie tone in a Blacktop MIM strat for RHCP tones specifically?

[@Paul-D]

@@strat_1880 the new player series standard pickups will do it for sure. You just need a lower output Alnico V strat pickup so really anything that fits that

[@strat_1880]

@@Paul-D Do know of a real good one not real expensive but one sounds real good not going cheap I can afford example Tex Mex's but I don't know which pre wired pickguard that would drop into that model guitar you say the 2021 Player series? I don't want that tinny sound. My guitar has that "routed pool" but I still need something easy that that can drop in and hopefully I can solder in. I'd need a pre wired whichever loaded pickguard you recommend. Where can I find one of those at? Would a Tex mex loaded pickguard be an easy drop in for that model guitar? I need a pre wired loaded pickguard that sounds great that'll look great that has that RHCP tone and easy to drop in solder in easy to put in also.

[@TMCHL]

57/62 sounds like my 2017 mim nice and warm 🫠

[@michaellfbvr]

where can I get that shirt?

[@Paul-D]

I get most of mine from local supermarkets that for some reason sell fender tshirts haha

[@SOAMLE]

Anyone know if there's a difference between the American Vintage 57/62 and the fender original 57/62? Are the names interchangeable or are they truly different voicings?

[@Paul-D]

that's a good question. ill have to research

[@SOAMLE]

@@Paul-D Also, do you know if the set you're playing is the Original or Vintage? Thanks!

[@Paul-D]

@@SOAMLE my set is the pure vintage 57/62

[@Paul-D]

But im really not sure if theres any actual difference to the ones called original i think its just a name tbh

[@jenniferthompson9441]

Mate U just made the Mexican strat sound way better

[@Paul-D]

Which set did you prefer? I find the 57/62s hard to beat

[@strat_1880]

@@Paul-DWhich ones for a current HH MIM strat to get RHCP and Frusciantie tones? A mix? what do you recommend?

[@Paul-D]

@@strat_1880 i wouldnt be going HH at all for any frusciante or rhcp tones

[@cmmnsenserules4339]

Whoa the tex mex have alot of highs

[@demeanor3704]

What does 57/62 mean? A 1959 mounded different from a 56

[@Paul-D]

In guitar lore the 1957 and 1962 strats are basically considered the ultimate peak of strat i guess. So calling them that is perfect marketing. Either way.... they are still my favourite now and ive tried soooo many and spent far too much 😅

[@demeanor3704]

@@Paul-D thanks. Have you tried the pure vintage 59s. Swapped my Mark Foley pre cbs for them. Imo fender pure vintage 59 sound much better the for half the price

[@allan1548]

I agree about the 57 62

[@Paul-D]

Im still using them now. The tex mex are long gone haha.

[@allan1548]

@@Paul-D what about say the 64 thru 69s.. are they muddier or clearer what's the deal ...

[@Paul-D]

The other fender ones ive tried are the Pure 65s and the Classic 69s. I would say both were better than Texmex but the 57 / 62 keep coming on top for me time and time again. The only odd thing ive learnt since this video is guitars that came stock with Texmex (think old MIM roadworn Strats) sounded very different to the Texmex you buy off the shelf.

[@allan1548]

Thanks for getting back to me on this one, i was hoping so cause it will be much easier to get a set of them than hunt for those other ones it looked like.. but I looked at so many fender pups after your vid that I just can't remember if they being so hard to find on ebay if they were commanding huge prices.. you made it ez for me so thanks again.

[@buckchurch1551]

TexMex

[@kennethm.380]

The Tex Mex sound fantastic. The 57/62 has a bit more “sustainable chime” but it’s very close to Tex Mex. For the money, easy decision. Adios.

[@EdCoombesDogs]

Think I prefer the pick ups in your no 1 the 57/62 set

[@Paul-D]

i probably shouldve said in the video the amp was left EXACTLY the same in all examples - i suck at youtube hahaha

[@EdCoombesDogs]

@@Paul-D NAA man I just presumed the amp is the same settings 😁