Fender Noiseless vs Texas Specials - which are better? You decide.

[@mattgilbert7347]

I like both. This means I need another guitar...

[@jimallison6292]

That was just what I was thinking lol

[@mauriciotavera6957]

@Dumb Robot are never enough

[@mauriciotavera6957]

@Dumb Robot repeat the process each time you can

[@martgryfny]

this is completely perfect justfication

[@TempoDrift1480]

That's the fuckin spirit.

[@jamesdonlan]

I bought the noiseless but when I play its still sounds like a noise...

[@Daemoniacus100]

James Donlan is it electrical noise that goes away when you touch the strings, bridge or any metal part of the guitar?

[@jamesdonlan]

no its my playing

[@Daemoniacus100]

James Donlan haha it's the good kind of noise then :D

[@TabashiiSC2]

You could try an anti-static product (really a tiny bit) on a cloth and go over the body of the guitar and around the pickups. What can also help is getting a noise-gate.

[@loicchesne1705]

then it's good noise...let the years do their job

[@Phoenixleet]

For everyone who was asking himself the same question like i did: These noiseless pickups are from a Jeff Beck Strat, so these are definetly the FENDER HOT NOISELESS pickups, so definetly not the three other types Fender N3, N4 or Vintage Noiseless. The awesome guy who made this video completely forgot to mention the details about which fender noiseless pickup model he was using, there are more than one.

[@47ToddC]

I'm glad I listened....I'll take the Beck designed Noiseless All Day!!.....the TH Sound great....EXCEPT FOR THE NASTY HUM IN position 1, 3 and 5! Looks like my Squire Affinity Strat is going to get the Beck designed noiseless after watching this vid.

[@rodrodriguez3334]

Vintage aggressive SRV tone with plenty of raw character - Texas Specials Modern well-rounded David Gilmour tone with a more polished output - Fender Noiseless

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

But the thing is that Mark Knopfler also uses Texas Specials on his signature Strat and he gets a completely different tone from SRV.

[@TUAnGELITO0777]

ugh I agree. Like them both :( Cant decide lol

[@TruthSurge]

you can always filter noise from the track when you mix but it'll degrade the sound so I'd say for me, noiseless is better. What tiny bit of brilliant high I'm losing is made up for in not hearing that annoying 60 cycle hum (or 50 if you live in Europe). Then you can always run some aural exciter to bring out more highs or multiband compress it and bring out more highs. I like that clear background sound where the reverb isn't obscured by nasty hum. thx for the comparison. they both sound nice.

[@rickeymitchell8303]

Just use 500 pots to bring that high back in

[@johnsuggs6536]

This is by far and away the best comparison of the two pickup sets. They both have their advantages. Being an engineer, I'm a big fan of the absence of noise. But those Texas customs give you such a wide full sound. Especially on the high end. As an engineer, I'm inclined to lean towards the Custom Shop Texas pickups. Its always better to have everything in the way of range and harmonics. You can always reduce noise in post. There's no way I'd let go of those upper harmonics. Great Video

[@daveroth7010]

I've tried all sorts of strat pickups over the years and the hot noiseless have been my favorite. They don't sound exactly like vintage single coils but I love pickups that are a bit fatter sounding with a little more mids, a little less brightness and no noise! Out of all the noiseless I think they have the best top end and closest sound to the real thing but without the shrillness. Plus they sound great with fuzz

[@musicfanatici]

Very helpful video! Thanks. To my ears the TS pickups had a better dynamic response and indeed more bite and more high, best heard in pos 1 and 2.. The noise of the TS is annoying but you can lose

[@erickleefeld4883]

The purpose of noiseless Strat pickups is to have one guitar that can do everything, from clean and jangly stuff, to blues, to heavily distorted rock and metal. Note: You won't have PERFECT accuracy on any of them, compared to the archetypal "correct" sounds. But you can do them, and most people listening to you wouldn't even know there's any difference. I say this as someone who has a Strat with the Fender Vintage Noiseless set on them. I'm happy with them. Now that the noise is gone, quit chasing tone, and start chasing NOTES.

[@joahyoga1995]

I can see this-

[@justMe-rd4sw]

I came on here to check out the pickups, but ended up really enjoying your playing style. You've got a really nice touch ✌️🤘🏼

[@jonathananthony1901]

The Noiseless Sing. The Texas Specials Scream. Different tools for different jobs. Awesome demonstration man! 👍🤘

[@HELLnnan]

Best answer, dude. It depends on what people want to work on

[@TheMidnightModder]

But if you play right you can make the noiseless sing and scream. Fun fact, SRV did not play with super hot pickups, that was just his hands. So you can get a much more dynamic sound with lighter wound pickups.

[@RBdeBell]

Yep, just take the one you like - there is no right or wrong. Personally, i love the noiseless in my Fender Tele.

[@ArminSolo]

I will take the noiseless. I even think they sound somewhat beefier.

[@matouscervenka7248]

Both are great. Noiseless wins for higher gain application and TS for clean and crunch. Choice depends on your music style and preferences ..

[@fransvenrooy4760]

Yes this seems to be the best answer.

[@gregs3173]

agreed

[@toneseeker87]

The noiseless is really an advantage especially when you're recording. The traditional has nice natural feedbacks when gigging live, you'll like it or not its still sound good, SRV embraced that 60 cycle hum too. Liked them both though. Nice comparison!

[@derwood7305]

One thing to remember ~ SRV had no choice but to embrace the 60 cycle hum.

[@toneseeker87]

@@derwood7305 absolutely.

[@sparkyguitar0058]

Real tube amps always have that noise. I grew up with Fender, Ampeg, Marshall. Anything over 40 watts has noise. We just lived with it. Today's whining about noise just shows your age. Love my Boogie and Twin. My Strat has 3 color L Sensors. Very quiet. My board has as it's last pedal a silent modded 10 band EQ. Very quiet board. But I still get noise out of my amp like it's supposed to. 60/100 watt amps make noise. Something all those fancy digital things never get.

[@supergrizzidentity]

The noiseless sound a lot better than I was expecting

[@g.a.s.2279]

They are pretty nice pick ups. I have stuck with the Texas Specials for the mean time, but the hum can be annoying!

[@dextertheg]

+1

[@Blueslicks321]

Shield your guitar the right way... then the hum is so marginal that it doesn't equate. Use the expensive shielding paint with multiple thick coats, shield the pick guard with shielding tape and use the old school vintage shielded push back wire. I can stand under florescent lights and get little or no hum… Even through my crappy speaker I can tell how much more alive the CS Texas specials (true single coils) are to the humbucking noiseless… I played noiseless for years but after learning how to properly shield a guitar … real single coils (like CS Texas Specials etc ) blow away every noiseless I’ve played or heard.. After using noiseless for so many years It’s like someone pulled a blanket t off my amp when I moved to real single coils.

[@pcollenyt3683]

You can shield the guitar all you want, but you can"t shield the pickups themselves, nor the pole pieces.

[@rowlandstraylight]

Change the volume and tone pots to 500k or 1M if the guitar sounds a bit dark with noiseless pickups. The lower resistance of 250k pots takes the sharp edges off a single coil but the longer winds in noiseless pickups lose some highs unless you're really lucky.

[@sleepy4x]

It should be said, that the Jeff Beck Strat has hot noiseless and not vintage noiseless pu's.

[@kidlargo1]

Hot noiseless use 250k pots and .22uF cap in case anyone cares. The vintage noiseless sound best with 500k tones, 250k vol, and .22uF cap IMHO. You can try .47uF for an easy change in brightness in either setup. I have both sets setup just like I said. 1 meg and 500k pots was harsh as fuck!! But stay with the 250k for the Hot ones.

[@maximebrunet9899]

@@kidlargo1 Yes, I care. thanks !!!

[@jearly5859]

@joesl8 Listen to Jeff Beck on the 80sRod Stewart song''Infatuation''.Its not the space jazz/rock like his Jan Hammer collaborations.

[@garythomas4431]

Listen to Jeff beck's Emotion and commotion album. He makes lots of beautiful vocal tones and some wild harder rock tones across the album. Very talented tone master.

[@davidpinkowski7748]

By far, the absolute best comparison video I've ever seen on KZbin. Great job.

[@tccgrad1999]

That noiseless neck pickup at 6:47 is just so sweet! Put some in my Strat this week with some of the locking tuners. Love me some Stratocaster!

[@mauriciotav]

Texas sounds has more punch but the silent of Vintage is a paradise...

[@andreacaloiaro7420]

I got so wrapped up in your playing I forgot I was watching a comparison video. Great vid!

[@dextertheg]

The TS sound a little better to me with a little more quack, brightness, range, and a little hotter... noiseless getting a little muddy toward the neck positions with overdrive. Both sound great, I'd be hard pressed to want the other if I had one. That noise on the TSs, wow!!! Reeeeeeally well done pickup comparison video! Clip lengths were just perfect for comparison, 15-20 sec ish, and sounds like you recorded every nuance. You are extraordinarily forward thinking to list suggestions what to listen for too. Well done, really. I hope the pickup mfrs send you everything they've got to test! I'd love to see the new vintage noiseless pickups compared to Texas Specials. I've heard they're lacking.

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Noiseless sounded sweeter and less harsh.

[@TLMuse]

Really nicely done! I rode my volume knob to keep the loudness levels the same b/t pickups, which I think made the comparison a bit more fair (the recorded level for the Texas pups is a bit hotter). Very helpful; thanks for taking the time to do this.

[@EmptyMirrorMindful]

Or the Texas specials are just a hotter wound pickup too right? I'd be curious if standard singles vs noiseless at same output or volume compared closer? But either way, great vid! I have always wondered how much you might lose with noiseless. Nothing that bothered me personally. I liked them, I thought 'cleaner'. But didnt lose some of the traditional spanky tone like the G&L Z coils seem to do a bit to my ears.

[@munkduane]

Best comparison video I've seen! This helped me make up my mind. The Noiseless are better than I thought but the character of the Texas Specials is what I've been chasing. Noise on a gig is controllable. That's why there is a volume knob :) You can't hear the noise in context to any degree that matters. Love this. Thanks!

[@RLCANDRA]

Great job. Congratulations ... Fender looks like a magic tool with its interpretation ... As a humbuquer lover, I am very impressed with the quality and possibilities with the single coils ... the TS seems to me more alive, crystalline, true, deep .. comes from the depths of the soul and overflows without limits, allows expression almost exaggerated, more loose and spontaneous ... I will certainly study more possibilities. Thank you

[@christopherebeyrol4553]

great and useful video, thanks for this!! Very impressed by the noiseless.TS are a bit more "living", more top end and a bit more delicate. After 10mn of distortion or crunch, ears are tired and won't make any difference in the end, apart from the noise on classic pups.

[@ColinBrain]

7:10 makes a good case for the noiseless, doesn't it.

[@boseduard]

just the opposite I think! Noiseless does filter the noise(of sloppy playing) but it sucks tone bigetime with high gain from what I hear. Like there is noisegate.

[@davepilgrim5798]

Colin Brain At 7.10 i guess they are custom shop, not noiseless

[@elbugspinetta]

Those are custom shop, not noisless dude

[@resulcise5149]

Of course, these pickups

[@brockbarnes9795]

@@elbugspinetta - Exactly... and they are buzzing like crazy at the 7:10 mark... which is why I think Colin was saying that was a good case for the noiseless [instead]. Though he fades out at the end of the noiseless sample right before that... I wish he wouldn't have done that so it would have been a better comparison of buzzing levels.

[@ForViewingOnly]

I preferred the Texas Specials on the clean sounds, without a doubt, but as the gain increased the difference between them and the Noiseless was less noticeable.

[@goodboyringo9716]

I HOPE MY TEXAS PICKUPS DON'T SOUND MICHIGAN WHEN THEY GET HERE , THE COLD COULD AFFECT THEM.

[@marmaladebrah]

lmao

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Pickup comparison videos might be the most time consuming and articulate thing to create in this field. It looks like the videos are filmed consecutively but these guys have to film and record one set then go away and change the pickups (which is a great skill in itself), then come back and film exactly what they did before with the exact same settings, cam angles and playing as they did sometimes hours later. It's pretty much a science experiment. So much respect man. Liked and subbed. You convinced me to plump for a set of the Noiseless pickups. Plus, awesome playing! Heard some SRV and KennyWS influence in there 🤘

[@MrJabbawaky]

I love the format of this comparison. I would like to hear the differences without any reverb or delay, though. I understand how it makes the video more interesting and the tracks sound better but, a dryer sound would be a little more transparent.

[@nrmr6527]

TS...are most warrior's for clean... w/more attitude!!

[@MGMNTmjn]

Great video. If someone can afford it...seems simple. Use the Texas specials in the studio and take the noiseless on the road. The difference is there but so slight that with the band and ambient noise the difference is almost nothing. To have the confidence that whatever venue you end up in you won't have a buzz coming from your rig. If you have ever had a venue where it was really bad you would certainly appreciate what those things can do. The Texas Specials do have that certain magic though.

[@parabot2]

Fender Noiseless sound compressed less open , Texas Specials sound more bell like .

[@kurthammond6977]

I was in a recording studio yesterday with my new/used Roadworn Strat with Tex-Mex Pickups. The 60-cycle buzz was so bad, had to use position 2. NOT the sounded I wanted on the recording. Now I remember why I always wind up switching to noiseless pickups. Yeah, you sacrifice a smidge of true Strat Tone, but do you really want to stand sideways to your audience all night?

[@leonthompson8988]

Did you have a luthier ground the pups with copper tape,proper pickguard, star grounding etc ? You probably know all this but just in case you didn't

[@supersamschwartz]

Dude yes! Was totally doing some studio work yesterday and had to switch to fourth position because the buzz was so bad

[@ronbzoom8531]

This is probably the best A/B guitar testing video I've seen yet. Excellent job! And I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the Noiseless pickups. The Texas Specials seem to have only the slightest edge when in those clean settings. But once things get dirty, you have to appreciate how quiet the Noiseless pickups are while still sounding pretty damn good to my ears. Not much of a tonal comprise with the Noiseless pickups. They'd be my pick.

[@5000rgb]

I have Vintage Noiseless (I think these are Hot Noiseless) in a guitar and they are nice for playing with gain. I think clean they give up chime but that can turn to fizz with distortion.

[@fullmoonfool]

I have the T Specials and really couldn't get the sound I desired for a long time and a lot of $$$$ being fairly new at electrics amps etc. but I think I'm almost there however in my search for the solutions I found another pickup for half the price that I love just as much. If a veteran like Jimmy Vaughn uses them exclusively what does that tell you and that is the lowly Tex Mex (another win for the Lonestar state). I mean cmon whats a little hummmmm. If your playing live just consider it charactor and the price you pay for great tone. if your recording you'll find a solution. Did either of the Vaughn brothers let a little hum stop them........ Just an old fart who decided to play some blues before he went home.

[@BDanielsOfficial]

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the high quality audio, it really helped me decide!

[@mrmanch204]

Thanks for that well presented video. I thought the sounds were very close, maybe the SRV sounds had a tad more aggressive bite to them. But really the noise becomes an issue as the gain increases and helpfully (to my ears) the heavier the gain the less noticeable difference in the tone between them.

[@LesPaul2006]

I've used Texas Specials for years now. Yes, I adore the sound, but sometimes I have trouble taming their power. I got another Strat recently that comes with mellower, sweeter pickups. I think I kinda like them better, if just a little.

[@brianjenkins5973]

Great demo of the two pickups, well made :) both sound great.

[@andresmasteraybar]

The noiseless makes a little less bright and strong sound but in tone are alright and similar. However it is worthy as you get rid of the nasty hum. As a guitar player i care too much about this noise problem.

[@shred5]

The Texas Specials have more midrange and might be a little brighter too. The riff starting at 5 minutes and going through the positions, I preferred the noiseless pickups, but for the rest of them I couldn't decide, they sound a bit different, but both still sound quite good!

[@ALEXUNBEATEN999]

im so glad i got the noiseless ones man i cannot stand buzz

[@g.a.s.2279]

Each to their own bud, glad they work for you.

[@OHHnoYOUdidntMAN]

If you get a powered di box you can get any pickups in the world you like :)

[@ALEXUNBEATEN999]

nah pickups need to be high octane volume for clarity,i use regentones,a hidden set of gems i found on my travels

[@mcdee56]

Wow! Incredible articulation, Brother! Thank you!

[@Kreln1221]

A DiMarzio set with an Area 67 at the neck, an Area 58 in the middle, and an Area 61 at the bridge is the best sounding and performing Strat set that I have found so far. As can be surmised by the year numbers in their names, the 67 is modeled on early CBS era ultra clean and clear Hendrix era pickups, the 58 is modeled on a late fifties Buddy Holly era pickup, just as Leo originally intended, and the 61 is modeled after an early sixties randomly overwound model, as used by the likes of SRV, and are going for that special "Texas Tone". I know that DiMarzio is mainly known for their hot rod ceramic magnet humbuckers, but I'd put these Alnico II loaded Area models, specifically the 67, 58, & 61, against Fender Customs, Lollers, Bardens, or any maker, boutique or otherwise. They are literally that good. Try them out for yourself, and see if you don't agree...

[@dpatrick5164]

I actually liked one set better in one position and my ear would perk up to the other set in another position. The TS obviously had more grit and overtones that added to the character. But the sweet clear sound of the noiseless pickups made my ears happier in some of the positions too. Tough choice. Probably liked the TS more overall. But i'm not real happy with my guitar humming along with me either.

[@korayblues865]

Thank you very much for showing and presenting without telling...❤️🔥🎸

[@truthof7382]

That’s a hellova a lot of reverb for “no effects”. Would have been much better without it.

[@fenthedog]

I have N3`s in my delux, was kinda hoping the Tex specials would be a clear cut winner....think i`ll keep the N3`s now.

[@Tazdingooooo]

Beautiful demo - tasteful, disciplined and you obviously care to show off the tone.

[@CRGuitarist]

WOW that's some mean guitar playing for the clean part of the demo. Really feeling it!

[@martinmuck5213]

Thanks for this review. Last year i got a cheap, used Green Squier Stratocaster Affinity. After the replacement of tuner, pick guard, 5 way switch and Fender N3Noiseless Pickup Set it's a New Guitar. A Blues Guitar Player grabbed it and was impressed about the Sound. :)

[@SteveSteeleSoundSymphony]

You could replace your speakers with something with smaller magnets and that will tone down the harshness on the CS pups. I did I that in my Bogner Ecstasy. Swapped four V30s for two G75 and two J75 Scumbacks. The amp is now much better for Strats.

[@valdoltra]

I changed my pickups some time ago... now I listen to this comparison only because of playing :)

[@hepgeoff]

Thanks for doing this comparison. It's a tough call for me, both sound great!

[@MisterTee]

I found the noiseless set in my Beck strat were bright but didnt have a lot of harmonic content in that brightness..just brightness. I went with a set of Lollars that are equally bright but have more harmonic content. I have found this across the board with noiseless strat pickups

[@brianjordan4351]

Excellent demo!! But, you had me at the intro music... Have you released that music? Is it up on Soundcloud or iTunes? .... I'm looking at getting one of 2 Strats right now; one with noiseless pups, and the other has Texas specials, so this helps. Thanks!

[@Hoscitt]

great comparison dude, I wish more were done this way 👍

[@jakefava3791]

Seems like almost minimal difference in the neck and Neck+Middle positions, whilst all the other combinations see the Tex Specials bring out a little more clarity and brightness. It also seems like any overdrive or distortion masks some of the difference in brightness - the clean sound initially demo'd to my ears revealed the most difference. Is the hum in the Tex Specials much of an issue? Most people below seem to not think so, yet it seemed quite loud in the video.

[@josephbagwell]

They both sound nice but tbh, and certainly for the first comparison with the cleaner more ambient sound, the noise on the texas specials ruins the sound. The driven tones this is less of an issue though.

[@rdb9936]

Both sound great, although there is definitely a difference there. I'm not sure there is a better or worse, just different. I expect the slightly rounder/smoother noiseless pups could be easily made to sound more like the originals by a slight tweak of the presence/treble on the amp though! ps. are these the vintage or vintage hot noiseless?

[@dr150]

Exactly. You add your presence/treble, and you get the single coil. Not a big deal.

[@StallionStudios1234]

I find the stacked hums on the noisless work a hell of a lot better for high gain leads. I wish he played some power chords and so forth. If you roll off the tone slightly on them (8-8.5) you get can get a real nice EVH type tone which the Texas Specials can't even come close to doing.

[@catboyzee]

The Texas Specials seem slightly hotter and have a little more presence in the upper mids. But both pickups sound really good to my ears. I suppose it really comes down to what the player's needs are: A more aggressive tone, or better resistance to hum and buzz? Your playing is killer BTW, great demo.

[@claudevieaul1465]

Very thorough and well thought out comparison!! Absolutely loved the Noiseless set - for the most obvious reason. Great tone does start in the fingers, and you certainly have that in spades 😀🤘

[@nik62es]

..when I hear the Noiseless I want to reach for the tone control and make it go bright...

[@Kantonisland]

I like them both, but in a live situation that hum is not going to cut it. Also with the TS or others when running overdrive the 60 cycle hum takes over in between notes depending on how long those spaces are, and it is also annoying when you want to sustain a note or chord at the end of a song. You can always keep it in 2nd and 4th position though as I have done, but I put some first generation (white covers you can't get anymore unfotunately) Fender Noiseless in and solved the problem. I can compensate and eq with foot pedals. Thanks for the very well done comparison.

[@clelandstephen4181]

The TS's are definitely more dynamic in the top end, especially on the cleans but that noise...sounds like you could boost the Noiseless somehow to brighten them up tho.

[@spider5001]

The noiseless sound more processed I guess if that makes any sense. They sound really good. I don’t know the Texas specials had a little special something though. Like if you held a note for any period of time the noiseless would just hold it perfectly like a keyboard and there was a little more natural breakup in the Texas specials. Hope somebody understands this because I’m pretty sure I just confused myself lol! Great video🙂👍🏻

[@comment_below]

totes -its like artificial/kinda plastic sounding

[@leonarddaneman810]

Nice Demo. A sound analyzer app probably would have shown the Noiseless rolled off the top and middle. Noiseless had a 'dreamy' sound. The TS more 'strat-like.' I got TS in my MIM Deluxe, but it has a preamp that fattens and boosts the tone when you open the S-1 switch.

[@ShameinAnaheim]

Wow! big difference. I'm not usually a fan of Texas Specials but they certainly have much more sparkle than the Noiseless.

[@JRandallS]

Very good comparison. The Texas Specials retained the warbley jangle around the edges in all pickups and styles. The Noiseless sounded great, a bit compressed or restrained. I though the Noiseless were particularly good in the clean stuff, but preferred the unpredictability that the TS brought to the party. However I have other guitars that do jangle pretty well, might have to install some noiseless in my strat, think I'll try a new ground rod first.

[@damonmichaels6708]

Good video. The noiseless pickups are great, but they always seem to lack the warmth and life to the alnicos. Wouldn't it be nice to see if a proper shielding to the custom shop pickups would help with the hum. I've done it, and it does make a difference. Thanks.

[@MographVideo]

I’m in a battle with this right now. I have a home built Strat with the Texas Specials. Just got an Ultra Strat hoping to replace it. But 4x the cost and half the mojo to me, I just can’t get the Ultra to sound like the Texas. The bite and openness just a does happen with Vintage Noiseless to me 😢

[@Deebz270]

8:05 - Definitely some mains hum injected into that sound byte.... Tonally there's not a lot of difference. So I'll go with the N3's... Which is just as well, as I've just placed the order. . My EMG - DG20 set have gone tits-up on my Deluxe Strat, So I need a decent replacement set. I've already got SCN's (originally on the latter Beck signature Deluxe), which I fitted to my Standard 'VG' Strat when I fitted the EMG's to the Deluxe... These are paired with three, single coil blades/rails from a split - Fender 'Triplebucker'.

[@fitzophrenia]

These pickups usually come with a 500k vol pot and two 1meg tone pots , as well as making a cap and resistor change to the volume pot (treble bleed circuit ).

[@pauloamw]

The noiseless sound like the 56 pick ups (Eric Johnson comes to mind), nice and smooth but lacking some brightness and response dynamics compared to the other set.

[@douglasdobson8110]

I think the '56's use Alnico 2 magnets like the Vintage Noiseless do, so it's interesting you mention that similarity. . . .

[@GeroLubovnik]

The comparison is a little disconcerting because there is an attenuation factor involved. After listening to the first and second samples I thought the Texas Specials sounded louder. While not an official measurement, measured from the same spot on my desk from the monitors, the Texas Specials *peaked* at -10db louder than the Noiseless which could bias the comparison to some degree. But it should also be mentioned that the FHN's are not voiced to be a traditional Strat sound. Perhaps a better comparison would be the Texas Specials vs N4's or Dimarzio Areas?

[@g.a.s.2279]

I would say that the biggest attentuations in volume would come from variation in my pick attack, I was very careful to measure all other variables like pickup height, same patch used for each set, same volume set on DAW channels etc. I will look into N4's and some other brands for future demonstrations, good suggestion. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@andrewbryan359]

I agree with Ivan. I have Lace Sensors in my Strat Plus and they make no noise at all. Mind you, my Tele pick ups are silent too and I'm not sure what they are.

[@newtondelmar4416]

My opinion is that a pickup shouldn't have very much "personality" of it's own...( I LOVE this Noiseless design!)...Just give me a clean,clear and noise free signal coming out of my guitar and I'll "paint" my tone with my pedal board and amp...(and my fingers LOL!)

[@fransvenrooy4760]

Beautiful sound and I love the first one, but the noiseless are great too. And I need another guitar too!!!!

[@Stefan-Van-der-Pulst]

I had a Fender CS Strat with a Texas Special in bridge position. It sounded ice picky thin. As a coincidence I now have a CS Strat with noiseless pickups in them. I am liking it more.

[@woozyjoe4703]

I was surprised not only by the difference in hum but also the difference in the roughness of distortion audible with the TS driven. Noiseless for me

[@rich655]

I have 16 Strats.....all loaded with noiseless pickups. I've never looked back! When playing out live, I've gotten compliments on my tone from these. I simply cannot have the 60 cycle hum! The differences are so minute, only a guitarist could actually tell the difference!

[@codywolf3091]

rich655 give me like 4 of those lol

[@rymns]

16 guitars with the same pickups ... you must be the dumbest guitar player ever son.

[@clv603]

@@rymns my exact thoughts lol

[@icu469]

Great demo. Thanx. The custom shop Texas specials sound brighter and clearer but they do buzz with distortion which is my major complaint. For me the noiseless pickups don't sound quite as good but they are noiseless. For clean tones I'd go with the custom shop PU's but since I like to play with lots of gain I'd go with the noiseless.

[@mr.soundguy5621]

Im sure this is every guitarists nightmare. I JUST bought a roadhouse deluxe with Gen 4 noiseless and must I say it is SO FREAKING CLEAN. So clean that I kinda miss a little buzz. only sometimes. When I record boy that buzz really stands out especially with a final limiter on a song its just no fun. You listen to records from other bands and black keys where all you hear is electric guitar in the intro and boy is that hum LOUD. I could never get around it its always so distracting. Im caught in this perdiciment where I want tone but i have so much RFI noise here in the city that its practically impossible for me to even angle myself in a position where I can record an Amp. Louder you turn it up the more noise you get... so what do you do??? Seems to be an issue going on for years and years and much respect to all the recording artists before humbuckers and noiseless because you guys figured out how to fight the noise and make it a character. How? Only years of practice we will know. I guarantee you 10 years from now ill laugh i bought noiseless as im sitting with a shielded guitar in the middle of nowhere with less RFI and better tone for my recordings. those overtone harmonics are just really inspiring and I do miss them a lot.

[@Lacuerdaalaire]

Boths sounds great, but preferd noiseless because sounds less brights

[@dr150]

Ya, of course they sound less bright due to the humbuckered nature of their construction. Treble is easy to add in anyways on the preamp section of the amp.

[@foxxygearreviews7754]

I'd take the hum as a trade for the string dynamics of the Texas specials. Great playing and great video.

[@g.a.s.2279]

Thanks for your kind words

[@davidcunetta4081]

2:26 I am this far in, and TS wins on the neck. Position 4 will decide it for me. It seems to me that the noiseless remove the magic harmonics. Those “sounds” you don’t so much hear, but feel. Or sense. Or hear, but can’t tune to. I tailor my whole sound to them. My clean or cleanish tones have deep full lows and highs with a subtle midrange. Then push mids only when necessary. With my Klon or JHS Moonshine.

[@Bangkokguitar]

I watched at least 7 KZbin Video Comparisons so far (including yours) and I feel you can definitely hear the difference. The noiseless seem to cancel out that very unique bell chime and sharpness that comes from the original Strat style pickups. It's just my own opinion (doesn't make it right) that why would you even own a Strat if you wanted a different sound. First off, Strat is probably the bucking bronco of all guitars style. It surely not the easiest to play or tame, so you either love it for what it is or you don't. It seems that lower output pickup in the 4-5 range tend to sound far better than the noiseless ones. Besides gating and shielding tend to alleviate any buzz . Lastly if you're looking for more output and noiseless, then there are many quality guitars in the market that will kill a strat under those desired tone conditions and output ranges.

[@carsgunsandguitars]

Great video. I've got 2 strats with TX specials in them but I'm building a partscaster HSH configuration and I think the noiseless middle will work great in conjunction with a pair of Duncan 59s

[@a.antoniomendezcarvajal5234]

Well ,you are looking for a Humbucker kind of sound ,apart of the humming of a Single coil they have its own personal sound ,tone ,brilliant ,smoot,you can cut 60%hum of SC by shielding internal body PUs cabity, and twisting PUs cables

[@carsgunsandguitars]

@@a.antoniomendezcarvajal5234 that's not even remotely accurate

[@kdakan]

I would choose the noiseless pickups and add some more presence using an eq or tone section of the amp or dirt pedal.

[@Seazer009]

They both sound great to me, I would be happy with either set of those pickups.

[@dancartermusic12]

Great video, excellent playing!

[@fritzcapp2061]

i could listen to the cleans all day ...

[@metalhead_1996]

Very nice comparison! I was wondering why that tone is so similar! I’m using guitar rig 6 😅

[@herbmcgowan9267]

The noiseless pickups are very close basically indistinguishable. The true advantage that the noises pickups have is eliminating the 60 cycle home when you add overdrive or distortion it doesn't get magnified. In particular when you are in the studio recording tracks

[@phil36310]

noiseless are beautiful "creamy" - deeper and less harsh then the TXspecials to my ears. but very subjective no? Les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas...

[@thewomanwithnohead]

Mais oui c'est clair !

[@jcmusic]

Wow, great comparo vid & really great chops. Thanks for making it. They both sound great imo, and if cycle-hum is a problem for you, this vid shows you can go with noiseless pickups without losing that Strat sound.

[@michaeloneill5824]

What manufacturing difference makes them noiseless? The only difference I could hear was the hum on the Texas Specials.

[@superstationjrsiv7651]

I actually loved a set of ceramics from my '91 MIM Strat more than a CS'65 set I tried, but when I got the Vintage Noiseless pups, that was it. Tone is cross between ceramic & Alnico & the noiseless double stack puts some kind of sheen on certain positions. For me, especially recording wise, I love them and they're staying in my Strat for good.