SX Strat with Fender CS '54 pickups

[dania7x555]

Do you have any problem with the strings not perfectly aligning with the pickup poles? If yes does it affect the tone at all?

[25JustinTime25]

i love listening to you play

[MrGuitarman187]

wow very country sounding from the 54's

[iptfbos]

This is a good example of what a person can do with good pickups and good playing technique. You don't need an over priced custom shop guitar. An affordable copy like yours certainly does the job. People get sucked into the hype of whether a guitar is MIA, MIJ, MIM or some other type. The quality of the pickups, hardware and player ability is what is important.

[blackmorejimi]

Do you think is it fair to compare it with the Mexican made Fender? What are the down side of the tone (not the physical aspect) when compared with the American Fender? Thank you for the willing of sharing your impressions with us

[ElTone43]

How noisy are these 54s and is the middle position rwrp? These sound amamzing, alot better than paying $300 for lollars too I imagine.

[babangboy80]

nice mang ! :)

btw i really-really want to learn that lick or whatever it called, in 00:05-00:11 sound cool...can you give me some tutorial, hehehe

[BordiniBlues85]

YOU ROCK!!!!!!

[dronespace]

very nice

[Nidaime299]

i love this, so awesome

[jpjdo1212]

how many coats of tru-oil did you put.?

[rotren]

@jpjdo1212 Two, I think. Or maybe three.

[TheZimmy84]

u know 99 bucks and this guitar sounds as great as most of the american strats. its all in the player trust me.

[WoWintosh]

@TheZimmy84

It helps that the pickups cost more than the guitar, plus a lot of the sound comes from the amp.

[MrKrownRoyale]

great vid

[avispasentuass]

awesome tone and playing amigo i buy the same cs 54 pups,did you install those pickups,because i want to change mine's but i don know if i have to change some other components of my strat like capacitors or the 5 position switch and upgrade with a oak one.im gettin confuse about installing this babys.i apretiade your anwer.saludos desde mexico.

[JustGuitarJustMusic]

where do you get these notes from internet???

[psychkoala]

This is actually a very good demo for Custom Shop '54's.

You play music I can actually relate to... wow, you're getting some great sounds out of that little guitar.

What do you think of C '69's ?

[rotren]

@psychkoala '69s are great too, for sure.

[wisesatyr72]

would you considered using EMG single coils..Ive heard a demo of it and its very clean sounding digitalized

[OneLoveJK]

How does this compare to Squiers (not including the special deluxe models and such, of course)?

[fernandonunesg]

I would by a sx sst 57 and change pickups. Im from brazil and i don't know what are the name of original pickups of fender stratocaster on ebay. Can you tell me? I`m thinking if a seymour duncan is a better choice and if is which model i choose?

[55muku]

you're fucked

[hafstrat]

Brilliant. I am considering a set for my mim 70s classic series strat which is very nice but could use some better pups. :-) Love your posts!!

[issambhabib]

man i just love your soul, the music your playing is just beautifull

[mariofreak91]

i'm throwing a set of these in my mahogany sx strat. i'm just wondering if I should use 250, or 500k pots. the mahogany body doesn't get enough high end do much tapping :(

[CMAN732]

Stratocasters use the 250k pots. I've never heard of a strat with 500k pots probably because 500k pots on single coils is very bright, while 500k pots on humbuckers is warm. So i'd stick with the 250k pots for a strat. If you don't have enough high end for your liking, just turn up the treble on your amp.

[jaiknkayla]

are these 250 or 500k pots ?

[hetfield2x4]

Hi Rotren, awesome playing. Had a question for you...you have any idea how this neck pickup might sound in a telecaster? I love the tone of your neck pickup and wish to achieve a similar sound. Thanks

[rotren]

Good question, I don't really know. It's an amazing sounding pickup though, that's for sure.

[timj41]

@rotren hey there,

love your videos, my son has an SX Strat and is thinking of modding it starting with pickups, would you suggest new bridge hardware and possibly locking tuners? Appreciate it is a cheap guitar and capital investment return of course would be pretty thin, good base to work with would you agree?

[rotren]

It's good for modding, but hardware and pickups will need to be changed. A Squier Classic Vibe would be another good option.

[jackkemel]

@rotren or a lc spitfire, lc is the brand that made classic vibes for squier, exactly the same guitars but cheaper...

[japooda56]

P/U's sound good - nice stuff

[zuider77]

Great playing and great sound from a $99 guitar no less. I guess it proves the old saying "it's all in the hands".

[snowbrdr88]

He is also using an awesome amp and awesome pickups.... Its all in the pickups, amp, and hands...

[mpeter8]

and woods ;)... and pots and wires... and tuners. and strings :P

but yeah hands and brain in the first place :)

[metalhead326]

yeah man, for me the neck is really important also, different woods feel different and different neck and string combinations make a HUGE difference...right now its all ebony with d'addarios

[skitheport]

@zuider77

partly, but they also just have really good prices

[psychkoala]

@zuider77

He is an excellent player, but the $99 guitar has $149 worth of pickups.

That's the point of the video.

[chermany4ever]

You're a great guitar player. And you're guitar sounds great in every way. I think im gonna buy myself a SX. Really cool guitars for a really cool price. Thanks for sharing your experience..! ;)

[OldTimeRockRoll1969]

Happiness is a warm Strat ;-)

[truetone77]

beautiful sounds..really !! amazing tone as well. Are you playing stright into the amp?...

what type of amp?

very nice...thank you!

[PinkFloyde101]

I love it but the isn't the bridge the 1st position?

[AJHcorolla]

the sx are graet guitars but the pickups are no good im installing tonerider vintage pickups on mine as soon as they arrive

[AJHcorolla]

i installed them and they are completely amazing but the sx arent as cheap over here they are about 300 to 400 au dollars

[Jst0911]

:05 - :08

[sudeman48]

what do you think of the hellhound amp?

[wisesatyr72]

too bad you cant installed pickups for me

[psuedoSwag]

I goddamn pray that that tone is what I get out of my Squier if I get to buying those fuckers. The video of the pickups in the Squier was sweet too, but this one...well yeah.

[sandervandijck]

I love 6:27

[electroncleanwipe]

I had been thinkin' bout for a little while now but after hearing this I'm gonna swap out the pick ups on my mexican tele for sure.

[rockerdude29]

so how did it play before the swaps?were the frets actually jumbo and were there and dead notes or anything like that,Im real interested in buying a 62 SX strat,sorry for the 20 questions bro.

[tyberh]

SRV!

[29396]

Man- you can make ANYTHING sound good!

[bungmasterteddybear]

great sound man. you've got great playing skills :) especially like the sound of the neck pickup alone. keep on rockin'

~Bungee

[pgrules]

Great,,,,i love your playing and also seeing how you get this great tone out of ordinary setup made me save a lot of money...I must thank you for this

[SouthOkhotsk]

I saw this video and bought this pickups.

I'm very satisfied.

Thanks.

[B1FFmeister]

Bridge pickup sounds great. Not as "icepicky" as people who have them describe it. Did you use a bottom plate to achieve that?

[SurendraSkye69]

that first solo was rad dude u gotta send me a message for me to do that

[crowdermusic]

Sounds fantastic Robert, as usual! Are the pickups the only upgrades you've made on this guitar?

[rotren]

Well, I upgraded the bridge too, but honestly it didn't do anything because I didn't get a very good bridge... Also, I now have a maple SX neck on it instead.

[crowdermusic]

awesome, thanks

[10m19l92o]

who nows what pickups i can use to get a good frusciante tone????

[BHStar]

I'd reckon something vintage.. He has a '60ish strat.. I'd check the vintage noiseless or just stnd american noiseless.

[moffatsa11]

hes got custom shop fat '50s in there now, i think

[gchicoper]

i have an SX SST 62 too, its a very nice guitar for the price, but, with this pickups, sounds like an original fender strat! nice playing too!

[chakolo]

hey ive got a SX strat too. my complain is that very huge uncrowned frets.

and my volume pot has some crackle sound after prolonged usage :(

but the sound is good for a cheap guitar

[quik70silver]

Sounds really good man. I'm really liking the clean tones way better than stock pickups on an american deluxe. Aslo, what overdrive pedal are you using?

[ilikeymuzic]

hows the pickup cavity routed?

like universal or like standard 3 single coil routing?

[Minekom2007]

lol i just loved your improvisation on testify

[johndoe3243]

These pickups sounds very good! Great clip rotren.

[ROCKGOD612]

your a good guitar player

[gypsysunerainbow]

I´ve got a crappy strat (squier california series) on which I put fender noiseless vintage pickups. The guitar sounds good to me, like a Stratocaster, but I have to say that yours sounds much better, much more strat-like. The fender noiseless pickups don´t have this crunchy sound, which I think is something related to more vintage strat sounds (but I may be wrong).

Very good playing, and sorry for my bad english.

[rotren]

It probably has more to do with the amps and the pedals.

[gypsysunerainbow]

yes man, maybe it can be the amps, but I have a feeling that tells me that even the original sound from the pickups/guitar, before pedals or amplification, seems to be a little different. The crunchy thing I said is not related to overdrive, but to the effect of the pick attacks on the strings, the way the pickups react. I really wish I could be clearer, but my english is still too poor, and I just can´t express complex concepts heheheh

Thanks for answering.

[whi0019]

what amp u got

[gypsysunerainbow]

It´s a cheap national brand called "Meteoro" (I´m from brazil, I don´t believe those amps exist at another countries). In a simple way, it is a speaker with three controls for bass, middle and high, one control for a reverb, and two channels, clean and crunch. The crunch chanell, basically, can´t be used, because it makes too much noise; so, I use just the clean chanell, to which I add pedals.

[whi0019]

thx

[brandavies]

Killer tone, man!  :D You can do some amazing things with a budget guitar. I just recently bought the stuff to refinish the neck on my kit-assembled strat in Tru Oil. :P

[rotren]

Thanks! I use the Tru Oil stuff for most of my necks.

[juanmaelmejor]

Rotren wath is a pickup im startin in electric guitar? and whats a pedal??

thanks

[rotren]

Type in google:

wikipedia effects pedal

wikipedia guitar pickups

[rgjmce]

That sounds fantastic, I want to put pickups like that on my sx now. what strings do you use?

[rotren]

Thanks! I use 09 - 42 strings, usually Ernie Ball.

[rgjmce]

Thanks. I was thinking of changing the pickups on my sx (it's the same as yours). Are ernie ball the best strings to use for this guitar?

[RafinaR1]

i love your sound and feel.

greetings from Poland

[rotren]

Thank you!

[orbitration]

I have a feeling that you, those CS 54's, and a log would sound good.

[ZackPomerleau]

Any chance you could record yourself playing Lenny?

[rotren]

Well, I guess I could try... :)

[ZackPomerleau]

Yeah man you totally should, the guitar sounds great. I got some Lindy Fralin Real '54's for my new Warmoth Stratocaster, haven't tried them yet, hope they sound like this!

[povethestud]

what about me using some Texas specials in that body or even a set of those new Kinman pups everyone is ravin about that drop straight into a strat body? oh i dunno, im sill unsure on this project- Bluesy Rock pups, so which are the best on the market nowadays? Pove! (UK)

[rotren]

I am not a fan of Texas Specials. Kinmans are good too. The Custom Shop pickups are nice. Suhr and Fralins are also great.

[povethestud]

Im building a custom strat? and wanted to hear these 54 pups /its to go into a 'single piece' slab Brazil Mahogany custom strat body-I want the best so what pups do you players out there suggest i put to it- I want both rock/bluesy sounds from it. Let me know and i will check em out.. cheers Pove (Eng UK)

[andy474x]

the fender vintage noiseless have a nice blend, nice full classic strat sound good for a lot of things, the hot noiseless are good too if you want something a little more modern

[yaron1234]

All your vids sound the same, and Thats for the good! All great sound

I suspect most of the sound is coming from the way you record, what are u using.

I had 3 Sx strats and they dont sound like that, there is a distinct tone on all your vids that has nothing to do with the guitar you use

[dolphinstreetguitar]

I use a Sony DCT-TRC 33, a simple camcorder that uses Mini-DV tapes.

[xuworldent]

Awesome tone, awesome playing. The best part is at 6:25...checking the time...priceless!

[rotren]

haha, well I usually record these little clips on my lunch break, so I need to check the time so I'm not late for work!

[scpa105]

What was the process you used for sanding your guitar's neck. I'm thinking about thinning my Strat's neck and want to make sure I do it right. Thanks!

[0nyok]

ive got some advice bro use the thinnest paper sander u can get. ask your local hardware shop then once polished to your desired taste buff it with bees wax.just apply the wax very very sparingly,ive done that with my tokai ls75.

[thelovesickboy]

i used 800 grit wet/dry automotive sandpaper that i found in the walmart car detailing section for sanding the neck and had great results

[HumanGuitar]

Amazing tone but it also has to do alot with your superb skills as a player. I'm waiting for my MIM 70's Strat Reissue...i installed some Fender Hot Noiseless pups, can't wait to hear it sing :)

[fleaargento]

your guitar sounds mighty fine, and great playing of course

[comradeyars]

I've had the SX Strat for about a year and a half now... absolutely love it, considering the unbeatable price. Get rid of the plastic nut, invest in some pickups and you've got yourself a Strat that easily competes with Fender's guitars. Provided you don't mind the thicker neck ;)

[kujofox]

it sounds heavier than when they were on your squire strat

[cooter123]

** Great!! Just wanted to you I love your tone and playing style(s!!). Thanks for sharing these videos! Really good stuff

[swoddem]

I could almost say that is the sweetest tone I´ve heard on youtube! especially the neck pup! Hats off to You my good man! :)

[juggalo36forlife]

i have that same guitar

[shredder27]

do you like the feel of that guitar? i tried one out today, it was great up to the 13th fret, then bends felt really uncomfortable.

[rotren]

It's not bad for the money.

[revriley]

pickups sound like my squier standard strat

[lucasmateucci]

Can you tell me more about this kind of tratment (sanding, oiling) you gave to the neck? Thanks for helping... Nice job, superb tone!

[andreaprodan]

Thsanx!

You look like Elvis Costello did back in the late 70ies, and play with real feeling!

[TheNextLevelGuiitar]

Hey, nice. :D

Cheap guitar sounds quite good too. :D

Where did you buy it from?

[rotren]

Hey, I got it from Rondo Music.

[ThankGodForCountry]

hey its david taub :D ROCK ON

[darkster21]

ok thanks. :D

[darkster21]

what's that?

[rotren]

The string gauge is 09 - 42. The brand was Xaviere at that time.

[darkster21]

what string are you using?

[rotren]

09-42

[BATCH420]

you should listen to wayne krantz

[rhum66]

As your exemple my stratocaster are mexican (classic serie) but upgrade with very good fender PU and i am very satisfact of it. whatever

You sound so good than even a crappy strat would sound good under your fingers.

[EagleEyes09]

this guys amazing

[EnTallrikPropaganda]

Does not sound to good.

[WONtothaG]

CS Fat 50s or 54s?

[rotren]

54s

[tHereALKaiN]

You feel the blues man! Great!

[OneLoveJK]

you, my friend, can make any guitar sound good

[SBPStudio]

Not as nice as the Squier '51 but damn...not bad!

[cvanson444]

cool sounds from a cheap guitar! and some great playing! a friend of mind just bought an SX tele but the action is too low, causing fret buzzes no matter where you fret. the saddles are the vintage type (i think), where 2 adjacent strings share a saddle. how do i increase the action?

[FirstProject]

a couplw ways. in the bridge saddles there are 2 Allen keys per saddle, turn them to the right to raise the action.

[wokeupthismorning]

the old sx 62's with fender head lookalike and well it's as good as the fender classico 60's mexiko just add a couple of micks, polish the fret ends, adjust it well and you have a really bangproof strat, that will do the trick!

[whitehendrix24]

idk about the guitar but nice playing anyways.

[Marcin1988]

i bought one of those SX strats, i honestly think the pickups are just really bad, these guitars, you can get really lucky and get a nice one, or get a bad one like me, fret ends were sharp, doesnt stay in tune at all. anyways, nice playing

[Kev3542]

Great sound----and you are a great player.

[katarzis27]

that is a great example of a great sound you can get from a cheap guitar, good amp, good pickups and a great player :).

Rock On!

[spameister]

Great sound from the CS 54's. I'm considering these or the CS 69's cos they're such grreat value. Oh, and cool playing, as ever.

[robibm2003]

I really liked the blues licks (a little SRV in there is always good) in the clean channel, but when you hit the distortion it sounded muddy to me. It could be a little more penetrating. I like it, though, when guys can demonstrate that they aren't a prisoner of the pick and can do a little fingerpickin'. Nice work!

[nevinyoung]

Note to people who think you need an expensive guitar to play well: I bought an SX Tele that was $125 delivered to my door, and sounds, looks, and plays on a par with any MIM Fender you can find. Same deal with this strat. These have a great neck, decent body, and the electronics that come stock aren't that bad either.

[Edward681]

Did you change out the pots and switch as well? I bought one of those sx strats for my daughter to learn on and cant believe how nice the neck is.

[reandor]

That one sounds great! How much did it cost total?

[DangerousBastard]

Nice! Lovely sounds. Its hard to beat a Strat for clean tone.

[shakey64]

Couple months ago I bought the 57 vintage SX strat from Rondo. Looked and played great..great vintage laquered maple neck...I hate those pale white unfinished fender necks nowdays

[rotren]

sirnoobs, the strat sounded pretty good with stock pickups too. The body is made out of good wood.

I actually ordered it with maple neck but got the wrong one. I kept it anyway.

[JeffKnight]

The sound was great but I think those pickups can sound much better on a strat with maple fingerboard.

[SirNoobs]

Hey, how did the SX strat sound when it had it's stock pickups?

[jregier]

"I Have a Squier 51 (like you)"

That's an SX, not a Squier. You can buy them at rondomusic.net, but that's the only place I've ever seen them.

[avibg]

really sweet tone... I Have a Squier 51 (like you) but in 2T Sunburst and I have puted a GFS tele neck pickup but those CS'54 sounds really sweet... I love the sound!

[rn777]

nice but what the hell is that colour banana yellow?

[rotren]

Thanks giorgio, the Traynor is a great amp, you'll like it I am sure! Nice deal on that Strat, I should get one too!

[giorgio345]

the traynor is in great condition and sounds awesome and its at $499 CAD compared to like over $700 for a new one. yep, it took like a month of playing that crate for me to realize how bad it sounds, I cant wait to get the traynor, and after I get the traynor im getting a used american strat at another local store for $799 CAD compared to approx $1300 for a new one in sunburst w/maple fretboard. anyways, the guitar sounds great and so does your playing!

[giorgio345]

im tone expert but lately I have been noticing stuff like that and it sounds great to me, nice and bright and clear. I've been having to play my bassists bros amp(some 65watt crate) and im so sick of it, I got a job though and im saving up for this used traynor YCV40 at a local store around my house.

[T2TB]

Good job buddy. Sounds good!