If you have played the electric guitar for any significant amount of time, you must have come across a Stratocaster and I am going to assume you loved every second of playing it. The best noiseless strat pickups with iconic single-coil produces a sound that is bright, clear and has a certain flair to it. Early blues and rock made the tone that this single-coil produces to legendary status.
With that said though, things are seldom ever perfect. Look past that awesome tone and you realize just how noise the strat pickups make… and it's the annoying kind of noise, not a cool distortion one either. So, for all of you out there that have had their share of annoying hums and now want a noiseless experience, here are the best noiseless strat pickups:
10 BEST NOISELESS STRAT PICKUPS REVIEW
1. FENDER HOTNOISELESS - BEST NOISELESS STRAT GUITAR PICKUPS
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My list about strat pickups is not worth reading if they do not include one by Fender. Strat pickups are yet another must have guitar accessory for every respectable guitar player. So if you are looking for a best noiseless strat pickups that offer versatility across genres and have that classic retro look (the aged white color) at a price that won’t break your bank, the Fender Strat Hot Noiseless pickups are worth considering.
Considering how they offer that classic sound and are by Fender, I was surprised by the cost of these. You get a set of three pickups and all three are equally good at the “noiseless” element, no compromises here.
Install these onto your guitar and if you upgrading from the factory pickups, you will be instantly blown away by how punchy they are. They are quite well-balanced and you will find their performance quite satisfactory. With the right amount of gain, you can easily shred or play heavy riffs while also being able to play blues or play some calm fingerstyle on clean.
The installation process is also quite easy. There is no need for any soldering as these are soldering-free pickups. Overall, if you are in the market for new noiseless pickups, you certainly should consider these made in USA Fender Hot Noiseless pickups.
This list was in no particular order but I would certainly award them one of, as it is one of the best noiseless strat pickup out there, Also, if you needed more assurance, the Jeff Beck signature series uses these. Just putting it out there.
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2. FENDER VINTAGE - BEST NOISELESS STRAT PREWIRED PICKGUARD
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If you want an easy way of upgrading the sound of your stock strat, the Fender Vintage Noiseless Prewired Stratocaster Pickguard is probably the way to go. Inside the pickguard, which comes in 3 colors, you will find a set of 3 top-notch single-coil pickups.
These best noiseless strat pickups are the same ones as those that you will find on Eric Clapton’s Fender Signature series guitars, so you know these are an absolute banger!
The specialty of these pickups is the fact that they provide you with that classic, vintage tone that strats are famous for without the annoying hum that they are infamous for.
Inside the pickguard, these vintage noiseless pickups are staggered hand-beveled pole pieces with Alnico 2 magnets the combination of which provides a warm, balanced tone with the ability to create complex harmonics and have a warmer attack.
The installation process is also fairly easy. You need to do some soldering, so you might want to get some help unless you know how to. Simply remove the old pickguard, solder the output jack and ground wires and then screw in the new pickguard and you are set to rock and roll!
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3. MUSICLILY PRO 11 - BEST BUDGET NOISELESS STRAT PREWIRED PICKGUARD
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It is not always possible for everyone to get their hands on a strat or a set of really expensive pickups to get that tone. Well, there are a ton of budget options out there for those people and this is one of those.
The MusicLiliy Pro is a loaded guitar pickguard with a set of 3 pickups, 50mm/50mm/52mm (N/M/B). Everything you require for installing this, like the screws, are included. You are going to need to use a soldering machine though.
I was fairly impressed by the build quality of these for the price. Install this preloaded pickguard on the guitar and you will instantly feel the difference. The alnico pickups are quite sensitive but have copper tape shielding so they have a much higher output than factory pickups without not creating any noise.
There is a bit of hum when you set the gain too high but that is true for almost every pickup out there. You will find a protective film on both the pickups and the pickguard, extra protection is always appreciated. The sound they provide is what you would expect a strat to sound like.
The attack is punchy with a solid amount of depth. Overall, I would highly recommend this best noiseless strat pickups to anyone that wants the classic sound but are on a bit of a budget.
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4. FENDER VINTAGE '65 - BEST SINGLE-COIL NOISELESS STRAT PICKUPS
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The 60s was a fascinating time and the guitar tone of the mid-60s was even better. For those that agree with that mentality, consider the Fender Pure Vintage ‘65 Strat pickups. These vintage pickups are created with the sole purpose of recreating the feel and the sound of mid 60s Stratocaster.
With their vintage fiber bobbin construction to genuine, true-to-time cloth wiring, it doesn’t get more old-school in 2021. If you want to nail that Woodstock Hendrix tone, this is it for you.
The Fender Pure Vintage ‘65 Strat pickups feature Alnico 5 magnets that add more focus and enhanced dynamics which, when combined with the enamel-coated magnet wire, provides for a warm, rich yet meaty tone that is going to make you pay twice as often as you already do.
The installation process of this best noiseless strat pickups is a tad bit complicated as there are no instructions so you might want to get some help but other than that, no other pickup provides you with a more authentic mid 60’s tone than these.
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5. WILKINSON ST STRAT SINGLE COIL PICKUPS
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The Wilkinson Vintage Tone Alnico 5 is yet another noiseless strat pickup for recreating that vintage style as the name might have suggested. Considering the price at which these pickups are being quoted, they feature several surprising components.
These vintage pickups with, woven hookup leads, fiberboard bobbins, and Alnico pole pieces. This information certainly came to me as a shock as at this price point, you got steel pole pickups with a ceramic magnet underneath.
The only thing that I stopping this pickup from being in direct comparison with the expensive ones is the fact that the hookup wire is polyester over plastic.
With that said, in terms of pure sound, these are no slouch. It has a balanced tone, not too bright, not too warm. There is a certain bit of depth to it so it ends up sounding way more expensive than it should.
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6. SEYMOUR DUNCAN CALIFORNIA STRATOCASTER PICKUP
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If you want that vintage tone and want to play rock, blues, pop or simply up the versatility of your guitar, you might want to get yourself the Seymour Duncan California '50s Strat Pickup Set. A significant upgrade over the factory pickups, these are the picks up to go with, just ask Shania Twain's guitarist, David Levitt and Reba McEntire's guitarist,
Dan Schafer. Seymour Duncan set out to make a pair of vintage pickups and they did it the right way by employing the traditional methods; from grounding the sand-cast Alnico V magnets and wounding the lacquered forborne bobbins with heavy Formvar magnet wire all by the old school way, aka, with your hands.
These have a reverse-wound, reverse-polarity middle pickup which means they provide hum-cancellation at positions 2 and 4. You won’t go wrong with these.
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7. FENDER '59 - BEST NOISELESS STRATOCASTER PICKUP SET
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A lot like the Fender Pure Vintage ‘65, the Vintage ‘59 is for those wanting that 50s strat tone. Fender went all out while making this, they went the traditional route to make it correct-to-era by using a vintage fiber bobbin construction and period-correct. genuine cloth wiring.
Formvar-coated magnet wire is there to increase the brightness in the tone these pickups produce along with being wax potted, the benefit of which is that microphonic issues are greatly reduced.
The Alnico 5 magnets provide a focused and dynamic sound which is further enhanced by the fact that these are staggered pole pieces that provide for a more balanced volume output across strings. If you want that 50’s sound, this best noiseless strat pickups is it, folks!
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8. METALLOR SINGLE COIL SCATTER WOUND PICKUPS
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I had no idea going into this review I would be this impressed by a fairly unknown company’s strat pickups, which may I add are priced in the budget category by Metallor. Metallor pickups use ceramic magnets that are brighter than Alnico V or III. In a higher output pick, it counterbalances the treble lost by the higher resistance offering a more balanced tone.
These pickups have a much higher output and boast a special wiring system which is almost the same as a vintage single wound coil. The middle pickup has a reverse wound and opposed magnetic polarity for hum-canceling properties in switch positions 2 and 4 and all pickups are wax-potted for further noise reduction. They are a true bargain!
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9. TONERIDER TRS5 SURFARI STRAT PICKUP SET
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ToneRider TRS5 is made just like the classic 1954 and 1955 pickups that were used in strats. They are made using the very special AlNiCo III pole pieces, which only a couple of other manufacturers ever use. The AINiCo IIIoffer you that early strat tone, with the warm, controlled attack with a bright tone and just enough sustain and depth.
Another very special addition is that Tonerider features cloth tape around the coil which prevents you from destroying the coil while installing by reducing the incidence of receiving DOA pickups. It also makes installation easier. All pickups are wax potted and RWRP to reduce feedback and hum.
If you want something special, a tone just like the strat but a bit more refined, the Tonrider TRS5 Surfari, a best noiseless strat pickups won’t disappoint you.
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10. FLEOR SINGLE COIL STRAT PICKUP
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Here is yet another budget option for those that wish to upgrade their stock pickups The Fleor single-coil pickups feature Alnico 5 magnets with staggered pole pieces. The sound that they provide is much better than the standard, factory pickups. Their output is much higher and their performance at a higher gain is also better.
There is a bit of hum when the gain is high, more than what is considered “standard” but these are a budget option so some corners are needed to be cut. You will find a Black Fiber Plate Bobbin construction on these and they feel to be much better for the clean, bluesy tone of playing.
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CONCLUSION
With that, this best noiseless strat pickups list has come to an end. There are a lot of pickups to choose from so naturally, it gets a bit intimidating when you are in the market for buying one.
For the most part, I would suggest just think about what kind of sound you are going for and what your budget is. I tried to mention some of the best noiseless strat pickups for everyone, for all budget ranges and most commonly asked for tones so I hope you too were able to find what you were looking for. Thank you for reading!
Hello readers, welcome to my blog! I’m Stefan. I’m in hard love with the music and used to collect all kinds of musical instruments at my garage. While looking for the best instruments, initially, I’ve struggled a lot. Like me, some of you might be struggling to choose the best musical equipment. So, keep reading my articles and get the best musical instrument that is worth your pay.