Vintage Fender Stratocaster Pickups

by Dan Yablonka

The large and growing interest in vintage Fender Stratocasters may be due to a variety of reasons, but chief among them is the sought after tone quality many of these early Strats produce. This article discusses the pickups found in vintage Stratocasters.

The original Stratocaster pickup configuration that dates back to the spring of 1954, while a configuration valued by players and collectors, offers the least amount of identifiable features. These early pickups are known as the "black back" or "black bottom" version - identified by the fact that, as their nickname indicates, they have a black bobbin or frame. They also have the infamous white and black linen wires that are actually more like an off-white and black and usually have a soiled or dirty look to them, partly due both to their off colored nature and the fact that they are coated in a wax that retains hand grime introduced in the wiring process, later handling (e.g., repairmen) and simply the dust that accumulates over the years.

This pickup incarnation lasted almost all the way through the pre-CBS era, 1954-1965. Another noteworthy feature of early Strat pickups, and a feature that would remain until 1974, is what's referred to as "staggered poles", meaning that the actual magnetic pole pieces were different heights, being higher in the middle, normally under the D and G strings.

Most likely, the idea behind staggering the pickup poles was the attempt to create an equivalent relationship to the strings by compensating for the curved radius of the fingerboard and string height. However, it is my personal belief that the tonal difference between staggered and flat pole pickups is not attributable to this factor. That is not to say that there isn't a difference in sound between staggered and non-staggered poles. It's simply that the difference is more likely due differences between other features, such as wire type, wire gauge, and magnet composition.

While the original black bottom pickups were not dated at the factory, in early 1964 a date was placed on the bottom with a yellow-ink stamp. Then, later in 1964, the next incarnation of Strat pickups begins to surface, now nicknamed "grey backs" or "grey bottoms", meaning the bobbin is now a grey color instead of black. The black and white linen wiring remains the same. The recently introduced practice of date stamping the pickup with yellow-ink is changed to the use of a simple lead pencil.

Toward the end of the 60s the wiring from the grey backs changes to green and yellow.

Then, a short time later, between late 1968 and early 1969, the grey backs changed again and the bobbin became a darker grey with a 3-to-6 digit code stamped in black on the bottom and the green and yellow linen wrapped wire is replaced by black and white plastic covered wires. From the introduction of these changes, Strat pickups will essentially stay the same through the end of the staggered pole era, usually considered late 1974 or early 1975.

By 1975, the staggered poles are replaced by flat pole pickups, easily identified by the pole pieces being the same height. Some collectors believe that this is the real "line drawn in the sand" between any leftover pre-CBS style features that make a Strat collectible and later, less collectible Strats.

However, it's most likely a combination of what are normally considered negative design changes that probably affect the value of Strats manufactured after 1974. Add to the changes in the pickups, the three bolt neck and the use of heavier body wood (the onset of Fender's "boat anchor period") and you have a combination of negative changes to the instrument's sound and feel that separate the post 1975 Strats from earlier models.

Nevertheless, despite these factors many are now collecting late 70s Strats. They have become the "one that got away" to those players who grew up in that era - the one they sold to pay tuition. Nostalgia continues to work it's magic on the vintage guitar market.

A tonal difference between the 50s and the 60s...

Of course, the interest in pickups is the tone they produce and the clues they provide regarding era-correct originality. Generally speaking, the original black back (bottom) pickups made in the 50s are quite noticeably different in output or impedance (ohms) from those made in the 60s. The 50s black backs are usually in the 5600-5900 ohm range while those made in the early 60s tend to be around 62-6400 ohms. Although there are many reasons for a 50s Strat to sound different from one manufactured in the 60s, many consider the 50s pickups "glassier" and bold, while the pickups from the 60s tend to sound more full-bodied and hotter.

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