Fender Deluxe Lone Star Strat: Pick Up Upgrades Come Stock

It has been some time since I posted on my blues blog, and today I want to change the subject a bit to talk about the "pick up" composition of my Fender Stratocaster.  Specifically, the guitar you see in the My Blue Strat header on the top of this blog, is a Fender Deluxe Lone Star Stratocaster.  It has some upgrades over a Standard Strat, namely the finish on the neck and headstock, the tortoiseshell pickguard and the pickups.  The neck and mid PU's are Texas Specials and the Bridge PU is a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucker.  A 1990's Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster reportedly has the same Texas Special single coil pickups that my blues machine comes with installed.  The Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates are used by ZZ Top lead guitarist Billy Gibbons.  He has a "Pearly Gates" Gibson Les Paul, but he only likes to use it in the studio.  In concert, he relies on Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbuckers, that which is found on my Strat, to replicate his guitar's legendary tone. Seymour Duncan's website describes this bridge humbucker as “sweet, but slightly rude, with great sustain and a bright top end that make harmonics jump out of the guitar.”

On various messageboards and chat groups for Fender Strats and Telecasters,  some refer to the Texas Specials as boxy or lacking tonal clarity.  Others say that the TS PU's will reproduce the good tone of the guitar unplugged.  I love the tone of my Strat when I am jamming on it unplugged, so that would explain why it sounds really natural and clear when I am playing it plugged in and turned on through my Peavey Classic 30 or my Crate Vintage Club 20 tube amps.

A guitar buddy with a lot of knowledge, reflecting on my style and use of my guitar recommended that I replace my round wound 10's with some flat wound 11's.  I did so and this really brought out the sustain and clarity of my ax.  I was so pleased as I played it in my weekly gig Sunday!  It had a bigger, bolder sound with the flat wound 11's, and for now, I will never go back to the lighter gauge, round wound strings.   It gives my Strat a versatility that I need when I want to strum it like an acoustic, or if I want it to stand up to the bends and blues runs I do when I am playing my traditional blues guitar riffs.  It holds the tune very well and has a much fuller low end, as well, than previously with a more typical electric guitar string.

I am enjoying this Fender guitar and it is currently in the number one position in my rotation, just ahead of my Epiphone Riviera Custom P93, which I love as well, for playing my blues. -- Guitar Man