Vintage Strat Pickups Silver Alnico V

(22 customer reviews)

£44.95

Strat Pickups: Silver

“The Silver Pickups have transformed my Highway One Stratocaster into the Strat I wanted! If you have a Highway One Stratocaster, the Silver pickups will be a revelation, excellent advice, service and product, a tick and a gold star for Ironstone”

This Alnico V configuration is particularly suited to playing that emphasizes warm, vintage Blues or ‘rock’ styles but with the added grunt of the higher Bridge output when you want it. A great entry level pickup in terms of both performance and price.

 

Stratocaster Wiring Colour Code:

Bridge = Blue     (magnets are ‘South Up’ i.e. attract a compass North)
Middle = Yellow  (magnets are ‘North Up’ i.e. attract a compass South)
Neck = Red        (magnets are ‘South Up’ i.e. attract a compass North)

 

Please note: The price above is the UK total price including standard Royal Mail postage. Non UK customers will be advised of an additional small postal charge during the checkout process (see Shop page for current charges).

EU customers; regretfully, following the EU import VAT regulation changes of July 2021, we are unable to support direct website sales to EU countries (EU countries will not be accepted at the checkout stage). 

 

Description

Vintage Strat Pickups Silver Alnico V

The Ironstone Strat pickups Silver style, features resistances of 7.7K Ohm ‘Hot’ Bridge and 6.6 KOhm Neck and Middle configuration, using thicker 42 AWG windings. Lightly chamfered pole pieces complete the vintage look.

Like all of the Ironstone Stratocaster pickup range, the Vintage Strat pickups Silver Alnico V style share the ‘family’ warm vintage tone set. The resistance configuration of Ironstone’s Strat pickups Silver set means makes them a great general purpose pickup. They have a great clean tone, but with a hotter bridge, so you can dig in with the pick and get a grittier output. Excellent for Classic Rock and cleaner Blues styles.
As all of the Ironstone Strat pickups, the Silvers come complete with all required mounting hardware, and colour code wiring identification.
They are available with either White, Cream (Aged White), or Black covers.
 
Replacement cover sets are also available in White, Cream (Aged White), or Black. These enable easy updating of guitar colour schemes or when moving pickups to another guitar body. See Stratocaster pickup covers

Strat pickups Silver: related links

See Wiring Diagram I See Guitar Pickup Adjustment I See Sound Clips
For all things Stratocaster check out Strat-Talk, the world’s No.1 Stratocaster authority!
For all things Squier check out SquierTalk, the world’s No.1 Squier information source
Finally, for all things Fender, check out The Fender Forum

22 reviews for Vintage Strat Pickups Silver Alnico V

  1. Simon Watkinson (verified owner)

    Hi Anthony

    I purchased a set of silver Strat pickups just after Xmas (2022). Many of the reviews I read talked about the amazing price, I was more concerned about the sound! They arrived shortly after I placed my order despite the postal disruptions and I had them fitted within half an hour. Very simple to fit and ample wire.

    The first thing to strike me was the lack of marketing material normally associated with other manufactures. There was no fancy plastic box with printed cardboard inserts. Everything was kept to a minimal. No marketing executive on £90,000 a year dreaming up fluff to try to impress. This is where most of your money is spent when buying anything from pickups to toilet roll.

    The important bit! How do they sound! Well in a word amazing. I brought these to revamp a Squire Strat that has had many pickups on in the past. I wanted a guitar that was cheap to take to pub gigs where it can get a bit lively. I own an American Strat worth £1,800 and these pickups are every bit as good if not better. The sound is crystal clear, never muddy and not at all harsh. It has perfect balance between bass and treble and plenty of the spank you come to expect from a Strat pickup. They sound more Strat than my American Strat! Since I’ve fitted these I’m finding it hard to put down the guitar the sound is addictive. This guitar has now become my go to guitar (that is until I fit a set of Platinum Ironstone’s to my American Strat).

    So thank you for the service it was second to none, plenty of useful information on your website and finally thanks for the amazing sounding pickups. These are incredible at any price!

    Simon Watkinson Jan 2023

    • Anthony Partridge

      Hi Simon, I has always been Ironstone’s ethos to put the value where its needed….not, as you say, into fancy packaging. So better value, and better for the environment too we feel.
      But at the end of it all, pickups live or die on their tone, which is where our effort goes. And I’m glad that shines through so convincingly for you. The ‘sounds more like a Strat than my Strat’ comment is a common one, and I guess shows how a truer warm vintage tone is what most folk actually associate with a Strat rather than the somewhat sharper modern tone pickups. All terribly subjective of course! Anyway, glad you are so pleased and look forward to the Platinum order (Silver on steroids!). Cheers, Tony

  2. Eoin c (verified owner)

    I’ve just installed these in a 98 squire and I’m well impressed. I thought the stock pickups were decent until I wired these up!
    Bright and lively with no harshness(even with 500k pots), sweet mids and bass, middle position have ‘that’ sound in spades. Plenty of output without any loss of clarity. Have them running with a series switch and they excel with this mod. All in a very happy customer!!

    • Anthony Partridge

      Thanks very much for the praise Eoin. I use the series mod as part of my Gilmour plates, and folk often comment what a great (yet quite rarely done) mod it is for a single coil guitar.

  3. Brian Denniston (verified owner)

    Fitted the Strat silvers yesterday and I’m astonished at how good they really are, I’ve used/tried many p/up’s over the last 30 years some £££ and some not and the Silvers are remarkable for clarity and overall tone. Not brittle or harsh in anyway, they just seem to ooze real tone with a very nice warmth that speaks. I wired them up using a push/pull on the neck to allow it to be brought into use along with the bridge for that tele middle sound or have all 3 at one time, with the push/pull in the down position it works as standard 5 way Strat. EXTREMELY pleased with the purchase and great value. EXCELLENT. Thanks

    • Anthony Partridge

      Thanks of course for your comments Brian. Always good to hear from customers with a lot of experience with different guitars and pickups, who appreciate the nature of the Ironstone range. For me the Silver has always been the ‘sleeper’ of the range. Its the least expensive, but delivers so much for the vintage warm ‘Classic Rock’ vibe.

  4. Andrew Heyes (verified owner)

    I finally found the time to install the new Silver pups I’d ordered and – wow! I’ve had three different sets of pups on this guitar – including some of Fender’s own custom ones – and none of them really got me the tone I wanted.

    When I’d completed the install (it was simple), and re-setup my guitar I plugged it into my small Laney Cub tube amp. Within seconds I had the chimey tone I’ve been looking for. I’ve not gone much further than that, really, as I’m enjoying practicing with this revelatory clean tone. I’ll eventually get to try more ‘Gilmourish’ tones, but I’m having too much fun at the moment to try.

    I don’t know what makes your pups actually sing but, to me, they are the real deal. And at the price, they are a steal.

    The company also offers exceptional service, and is a model on how to do it right. My guitar and my ears thank you!

    • Anthony Partridge

      I am really liking the fact you are taking the time to just appreciate the classic rock vibe of the Silvers before diving into more complex tones. Its a fact that the Gilmour tone is built on a very clean base. The layering of effects depends on that clean start point!

  5. James Gwillim (verified owner)

    Bought these as replacements for the Duncan Designed SC101’s that came stock in my Squier Vintage Modified 70’s Strat, and all I can say is WOW! It’s as if the guitar has been un-gagged! There is so much more clarity, warmth (without being dark), and space around every note! They have completely transformed an already good guitar into a GREAT one! Honestly, I’m amazed, and at this price, with the great service from Ironstone – unbelievable value! Buy them, don’t think about it, just buy them!

    • Anthony Partridge

      James, ‘un-gagged’, what a great descriptor for many of Ironstone’s customers reactions! There really is no need to pay mega-bucks for great tone, and glad to have another very satisfied customer. Cheers, Tony

  6. John Mercer (verified owner)

    Fitted these to a Squier I’d picked up cheap on gumtree, the difference is astounding. They sound fantastic. Really can’t fault them, particularly at that price.

    • Anthony Partridge

      A decent pickup upgrade is the quickest, and most cost effective guitar upgrade to give any stock guitar John. And as you have found out, the Ironstone’s tick the decent / outstanding box too! Cheers.

  7. Paul Richards (verified owner)

    Ordered a set of Vintage Silver Strat Pickups on a Sunday, they were despatched Monday and arrived Wednesday, with good communications from Tony meanwhile. Brilliant service! Took my time fitting them as I’m usually a bit impatient and also decided to change my pickguard and backplate on my cheap-and-cheerful Guild copy Strat and mod the wiring/switching while I was in there. The original pups were absolute rubbish ceramic things but the guitar itself was rather nice with a lovely neck and superb low action. The new pups, through a boss me-50, are fabulous! The guitar sounds like a really expensive model, with clear, precise notes coming through even the wildest effects. Before, it was just a mish-mash of noise. These pickups are better than those at three times the price, including those from the big F. Can’t recommend this product and company enough.

    • Anthony Partridge

      Many thanks for all of the positive vibes Paul. For me the Silvers are the ‘sleepers’ of the range, the least cost, yet great cleans and well able to hold their own against those ‘other’ more expensive brands. Cheers, Tony

  8. Peter elliott

    Brillint pick ups installed the vintage silver strat pick ups and i am blown away they sound so good .i will be coming here for more pick ups next time .

    • Anthony Partridge

      Thanks Peter. Blown away is exactly the response I design these for! I hope you will indeed join my repeat customer club. Cheers, Tony

  9. Dusko

    My oh my! I had a friend suggest Ironstone Silvers for my new Strat project! Was looking at many affordable pup makers but reviews of this particular pup set was very promising! Im located in Denmark and it took no more than 3 days for the package to safely arrive. Tony even helped me via email with some questions I had. The tone of these Silvers is very dyna,ic which is of utter importance to me as I play clean with just a bit of drive. The bass sounds huge but without being boomy and the treble is silky clear without ever being too harsh! Just fantastic! Thank you Tony and soon I’ll be back to get a pair of those Tele pickups you have (btw looking at the 5 way TE harness as well, wonder if the TE Pickups are included in that harness price? Its not stated clearly on your web page, or maybe I missed that info somehow 😀 )

    • Anthony Partridge

      Thanks for the praise of the Silvers Dusko, and yes, the Tele 5 way set is complete with a pair of matched pickups. Bargain!

  10. Jonny Marsh (verified owner)

    I have installed these fantastic pickups onto a cheap -previously rather dull sounding- 2017 squier bullet hardtail. It now sounds beautiful; these pickups have real depth of sound and astounding clarity. I accidentally wired the pickups to the selector in the wrong order, so the neck pickup has no tone control! Whilst I may reverse this at some point, it has revealed a tonal color in the neck pickup that manages to be at once all of bold, extravagant and yet incredibly refined. This suggests to me that these pickups would have even more to give with an upgraded wiring harness, which is simply astonishing considering how good they already sound. I am no connoisseur of expensive boutique pickups, so I can’t really make any comparisons of this sort. What I can say is that -with pickups of this quality being made at this price- I don’t feel any inclination towards being able to do so.

  11. John Higgon

    Your Silvers have transformed my Squier Affinity, which had slightly harsh ceramic pups as standard. It’s now sounding much rounder and fuller. Lovely clean vintage tones and at such a good price. Why pay for marketing hype?

    • Anthony Partridge

      You are my marketing John! Cheers, Tony

  12. Graham Horsham (verified owner)

    Just fitted the silver strat pickups to a fender mix and match ,well impressed by the tone of all three in various switch positions,,so much so I have just ordered a platinum set minutes ago for another project.So congratulations to the tech team for terrific pups at a very keen cost. Cheers.

  13. Michael (verified owner)

    Just bought the ironstone silver for strat. The guitar I have is a Fender Squire Standard strat. I was not happy with the pu having tried adjusting, adding an orange drop capacitor. So I decided to try the Ironstone Silver pu. I replaced the fenders today, and wow what a fantastic difference in sound and quality. I am as pleased as punch and I will definitely be buying some other produts from Ironstone in the near future. TRY them you will be amazed.M

    • Tony Partridge

      Thanks Michael! That’s answers a question I often get asked; ‘will your Ironstones really make a difference compared to the original manufacturers pickups?’.

  14. Dave Guild

    I’m usually a fan of Kent Armstrong pickups – as I was on a tight budget I decided to try the Ironstone Silver and I’m really impressed with them – I was looking for a warm tone and I’m totally happy (Comparing them to an American Standard strat I actually prefer the Ironstones!)
    Excellent product I would recommend them without hesitation.
    Cheers.

  15. Tony Partridge

    “Simply the best thing that happened to my strat in 20 years. Excellent.” (From German eBay customer cyycco)

  16. ChrisAdmin

    “Great pickups – best I’ve heard for pure vintage strat tones! A+++++”

  17. ChrisAdmin

    “Just installed these beauties into my main Strat. Absolutely superb!!!….. ;-)”

  18. ChrisAdmin

    “My pups arrived this morning, I fitted them this afternoon and all I can say is wow!
    I’m blown away by the warmth and clarity of these! Awesome product, excellent value, and great customer service. Thanks!”

  19. ChrisAdmin

    “The Silver Pickups have transformed my Highway One Stratocaster into the Strat I wanted! If you have a Highway One Stratocaster, the Silver pickups will be a revelation, excellent advice, service and product, a tick and a gold star for Ironstone'”

  20. ChrisAdmin

    “Last night I installed these pickups in a 1979 USA hardtail Strat. It’s one I’ve rebuilt out of all genuine parts(but no pick-ups up to this point .I thought I’d try a set of your pickups (a few mates have them and had been really impressed) before spending £200 on a set of 1979 Fenders. These are truly awesome! A little bit hotter than standard so I just wound the pickups down into the body a bit further than usual. I’ve just done side by side comparisons between this guitar and an all original 1978 hardtail. In a pure listening test I can’t tell the difference (and I’ve been doing this a LONG time)! I’m well impressed.”

  21. ChrisAdmin

    “Fitted the Silvers to No 2 this morning and the sound is absolutely exceptional. In 50 years of playing and listening I can honestly say I’ve never heard a better sounding Strat, and this is a home assembled partscaster that cost about £160 in total. That probably sounds like an exaggeration but I’m absolutely serious. These pickups nail the sound I was looking for perfectly. Great string definition, extraordinarily expressive, clear as crystal. Nicely responsive to height adjustment to dial in the tone to exactly what you need. I’m gobsmacked.”

  22. ChrisAdmin

    “After using the pickups I bought from you over six months ago I got to admit they are as good as any branded name ones.
    They are the best, bell like tones crystal clear but will drive when needs be…..I have used about half a dozen other sets
    inc fender,rio grande,texas spc, and at the moment on one strat i have yours and on the other suhr pickups,
    and yours are as good as if not got the edge on others”

Add a review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like…