Question: What are your favorite strat pickups?

I put a set of Lace Sensor Hot Golds in my MIM Strat this morning. I like them but I'm not really much of a Strat expert. I had a Strat with Lace Golds years ago. I liked them but I can say I like these Hots much better.
 
I have a mutt set in my strat. Stock in the neck, duncan performer in the mid, and carvin x-11 in the bridge.
 
Hard question! I don't know that I have a favorite, but definitely have some that I really like in all price ranges:

Not in any order:

Carvin AP-11's
Fender CS Fat '50's
Fender CS Texas Specials
Fralin Vintage Hots
Rose Mariposas
Rose Robustas
Rose Buff Beauties
TTS '65 Haze
Kent Armstrong Tweedtone
Kent Armstrong Vintage Strat

There are so many great pickups out there that I haven't even tried yet. The choices have grown exponentially from what they were when I first started playing in the '70's.
 
I have a set of Fender Fat 50s and my only complaint is they are low output so I need a boost when I play it so I'm not messing with my amp volume.
 
Modern Saint said:
I love the old Lawrence L-250's and I like the Fender '62 Noiseless.
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I Love me those L-250's. When I was about 15 I bought four of them on the cheap. That was 1978 and I am still using them in my main axes. They really are outstanding. The newer L-250 model sound damn fine too!

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Denverdave said:
Best set of pickups I have heard on a Strat was one that had a Rio Grande Big Bottom set installed.
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I like these. I also have a set of Muy Grande in a Tele. Rio Grande puts out some good stuff.
I have a Mojotone Knockout in the Neck position. I'ts got a great growl, more P90-ish tho.
I also have a set of Lace Holy Grail but they are definitely vintage voiced.
But I think my favorite is still the 54 Fender Custom Shop. There's just something about them.

That doesn't help with your search for 60's voicing tho.
 
I put the Lace Sensor Gold pickups in one of my Strats, and I think they sound great. I like the little added sustain and I like the chime. I also will have a used Deluxe Players Strat on the way in a few weeks that has Fender Vintage Noiseless pups. I played that Strat through a reissue '65 Deluxe Reverb, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. When it gets here, I'll have to see if it plays well with my amps, or whether there will have to be a Deluxe Reverb amp in my future.

As you said, Mark, it's hard to know what the sound of specific pickups will be until they're in your guitar. Then, there is the issue of the amp that you pair them with.
 
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