Fender Noiseless vs Texas Specials - which are better? You decide. 

I like both. This means I need another guitar...

For everyone who was asking himself the same question like i did: These noiseless pickups are from a Jeff Beck Strat, so these are definetly the FENDER HOT NOISELESS pickups, so definetly not the three other types Fender N3, N4 or Vintage Noiseless. The awesome guy who made this video completely forgot to mention the details about which fender noiseless pickup model he was using, there are more than one.

This is by far and away the best comparison of the two pickup sets. They both have their advantages. Being an engineer, I'm a big fan of the absence of noise. But those Texas customs give you such a wide full sound. Especially on the high end. As an engineer, I'm inclined to lean towards the Custom Shop Texas pickups. Its always better to have everything in the way of range and harmonics. You can always reduce noise in post. There's no way I'd let go of those upper harmonics. Great Video

I came on here to check out the pickups, but ended up really enjoying your playing style. You've got a really nice touch ✌️🤘🏼

you can always filter noise from the track when you mix but it'll degrade the sound so I'd say for me, noiseless is better. What tiny bit of brilliant high I'm losing is made up for in not hearing that annoying 60 cycle hum (or 50 if you live in Europe). Then you can always run some aural exciter to bring out more highs or multiband compress it and bring out more highs. I like that clear background sound where the reverb isn't obscured by nasty hum. thx for the comparison. they both sound nice.

Vintage aggressive SRV tone with plenty of raw character - Texas Specials Modern well-rounded David Gilmour tone with a more polished output - Fender Noiseless

I've tried all sorts of strat pickups over the years and the hot noiseless have been my favorite. They don't sound exactly like vintage single coils but I love pickups that are a bit fatter sounding with a little more mids, a little less brightness and no noise! Out of all the noiseless I think they have the best top end and closest sound to the real thing but without the shrillness. Plus they sound great with fuzz

The TS sound a little better to me with a little more quack, brightness, range, and a little hotter... noiseless getting a little muddy toward the neck positions with overdrive. Both sound great, I'd be hard pressed to want the other if I had one. That noise on the TSs, wow!!! Reeeeeeally well done pickup comparison video! Clip lengths were just perfect for comparison, 15-20 sec ish, and sounds like you recorded every nuance. You are extraordinarily forward thinking to list suggestions what to listen for too. Well done, really. I hope the pickup mfrs send you everything they've got to test! I'd love to see the new vintage noiseless pickups compared to Texas Specials. I've heard they're lacking.

The Noiseless Sing. The Texas Specials Scream. Different tools for different jobs. Awesome demonstration man! 👍🤘

Very helpful video! Thanks. To my ears the TS pickups had a better dynamic response and indeed more bite and more high, best heard in pos 1 and 2.. The noise of the TS is annoying but you can lose

I bought the noiseless but when I play its still sounds like a noise...

The noiseless is really an advantage especially when you're recording. The traditional has nice natural feedbacks when gigging live, you'll like it or not its still sound good, SRV embraced that 60 cycle hum too. Liked them both though. Nice comparison!

The purpose of noiseless Strat pickups is to have one guitar that can do everything, from clean and jangly stuff, to blues, to heavily distorted rock and metal. Note: You won't have PERFECT accuracy on any of them, compared to the archetypal "correct" sounds. But you can do them, and most people listening to you wouldn't even know there's any difference. I say this as someone who has a Strat with the Fender Vintage Noiseless set on them. I'm happy with them. Now that the noise is gone, quit chasing tone, and start chasing NOTES.

This is probably the best A/B guitar testing video I've seen yet. Excellent job! And I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the Noiseless pickups. The Texas Specials seem to have only the slightest edge when in those clean settings. But once things get dirty, you have to appreciate how quiet the Noiseless pickups are while still sounding pretty damn good to my ears. Not much of a tonal comprise with the Noiseless pickups. They'd be my pick.

By far, the absolute best comparison video I've ever seen on RU-vid. Great job.

Great job. Congratulations ... Fender looks like a magic tool with its interpretation ... As a humbuquer lover, I am very impressed with the quality and possibilities with the single coils ... the TS seems to me more alive, crystalline, true, deep .. comes from the depths of the soul and overflows without limits, allows expression almost exaggerated, more loose and spontaneous ... I will certainly study more possibilities. Thank you

Really nicely done! I rode my volume knob to keep the loudness levels the same b/t pickups, which I think made the comparison a bit more fair (the recorded level for the Texas pups is a bit hotter). Very helpful; thanks for taking the time to do this.

Both are great. Noiseless wins for higher gain application and TS for clean and crunch. Choice depends on your music style and preferences ..

great and useful video, thanks for this!! Very impressed by the noiseless.TS are a bit more "living", more top end and a bit more delicate. After 10mn of distortion or crunch, ears are tired and won't make any difference in the end, apart from the noise on classic pups.

The noiseless sound a lot better than I was expecting

Pickup comparison videos might be the most time consuming and articulate thing to create in this field. It looks like the videos are filmed consecutively but these guys have to film and record one set then go away and change the pickups (which is a great skill in itself), then come back and film exactly what they did before with the exact same settings, cam angles and playing as they did sometimes hours later. It's pretty much a science experiment. So much respect man. Liked and subbed. You convinced me to plump for a set of the Noiseless pickups. Plus, awesome playing! Heard some SRV and KennyWS influence in there 🤘

Texas sounds has more punch but the silent of Vintage is a paradise...

I got so wrapped up in your playing I forgot I was watching a comparison video. Great vid!

It should be said, that the Jeff Beck Strat has hot noiseless and not vintage noiseless pu's.

I love the format of this comparison. I would like to hear the differences without any reverb or delay, though. I understand how it makes the video more interesting and the tracks sound better but, a dryer sound would be a little more transparent.

I will take the noiseless. I even think they sound somewhat beefier.

That noiseless neck pickup at 6:47 is just so sweet! Put some in my Strat this week with some of the locking tuners. Love me some Stratocaster!

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the high quality audio, it really helped me decide!

Very thorough and well thought out comparison!! Absolutely loved the Noiseless set - for the most obvious reason. Great tone does start in the fingers, and you certainly have that in spades 😀🤘

A DiMarzio set with an Area 67 at the neck, an Area 58 in the middle, and an Area 61 at the bridge is the best sounding and performing Strat set that I have found so far. As can be surmised by the year numbers in their names, the 67 is modeled on early CBS era ultra clean and clear Hendrix era pickups, the 58 is modeled on a late fifties Buddy Holly era pickup, just as Leo originally intended, and the 61 is modeled after an early sixties randomly overwound model, as used by the likes of SRV, and are going for that special "Texas Tone". I know that DiMarzio is mainly known for their hot rod ceramic magnet humbuckers, but I'd put these Alnico II loaded Area models, specifically the 67, 58, & 61, against Fender Customs, Lollers, Bardens, or any maker, boutique or otherwise. They are literally that good. Try them out for yourself, and see if you don't agree...

The noiseless sound more processed I guess if that makes any sense. They sound really good. I don’t know the Texas specials had a little special something though. Like if you held a note for any period of time the noiseless would just hold it perfectly like a keyboard and there was a little more natural breakup in the Texas specials. Hope somebody understands this because I’m pretty sure I just confused myself lol! Great video🙂👍🏻

I preferred the Texas Specials on the clean sounds, without a doubt, but as the gain increased the difference between them and the Noiseless was less noticeable.

WOW that's some mean guitar playing for the clean part of the demo. Really feeling it!

Wow, great comparo vid & really great chops. Thanks for making it. They both sound great imo, and if cycle-hum is a problem for you, this vid shows you can go with noiseless pickups without losing that Strat sound.

Best comparison video I've seen! This helped me make up my mind. The Noiseless are better than I thought but the character of the Texas Specials is what I've been chasing. Noise on a gig is controllable. That's why there is a volume knob :) You can't hear the noise in context to any degree that matters. Love this. Thanks!

Thank you very much for showing and presenting without telling...❤️🔥🎸

Noiseless sounded sweeter and less harsh.

I'd take the hum as a trade for the string dynamics of the Texas specials. Great playing and great video.

I watched at least 7 RU-vid Video Comparisons so far (including yours) and I feel you can definitely hear the difference. The noiseless seem to cancel out that very unique bell chime and sharpness that comes from the original Strat style pickups. It's just my own opinion (doesn't make it right) that why would you even own a Strat if you wanted a different sound. First off, Strat is probably the bucking bronco of all guitars style. It surely not the easiest to play or tame, so you either love it for what it is or you don't. It seems that lower output pickup in the 4-5 range tend to sound far better than the noiseless ones. Besides gating and shielding tend to alleviate any buzz . Lastly if you're looking for more output and noiseless, then there are many quality guitars in the market that will kill a strat under those desired tone conditions and output ranges.

Wow! Incredible articulation, Brother! Thank you!

Thanks for this review. Last year i got a cheap, used Green Squier Stratocaster Affinity. After the replacement of tuner, pick guard, 5 way switch and Fender N3Noiseless Pickup Set it's a New Guitar. A Blues Guitar Player grabbed it and was impressed about the Sound. :)

Thanks for that well presented video. I thought the sounds were very close, maybe the SRV sounds had a tad more aggressive bite to them. But really the noise becomes an issue as the gain increases and helpfully (to my ears) the heavier the gain the less noticeable difference in the tone between them.

Wow! big difference. I'm not usually a fan of Texas Specials but they certainly have much more sparkle than the Noiseless.

Thanks for doing this comparison. It's a tough call for me, both sound great!

Great demo of the two pickups, well made :) both sound great.

The Texas Specials seem slightly hotter and have a little more presence in the upper mids. But both pickups sound really good to my ears. I suppose it really comes down to what the player's needs are: A more aggressive tone, or better resistance to hum and buzz? Your playing is killer BTW, great demo.

One of the best comparison videos that I have ever seen. I believe that both the Noiseless and the TX Specs have their place. I don't think any Strat player likes 60 cycle hum, but it did not slow down Hendrix, Gilmour, or Clapton from recording masterpieces. To my ear the noiseless have no real control as to what gets silenced. I'm not saying you are not hearing the notes you are playing, rather some nuances of the Strat are tempered back on more aggressive playing styles. In this comparison the TX Specs displayed both wanted and unwanted "string slide screech" (for lack of a better description). Many players use that sound as you slide your fretting finger along the wound top three strings, as part of the song itself. Myself, for the most part, have found that when unintended to be shrill, and annoying. On the other hand the Noiseless not only quiet the hum, but they also mellow the sound a tad (maybe the fairly hot TX Specials were not really the best comparison). It is a really nice mellowing, and would serve well for the Eric Johnson style of smooth precision. I believe that an accomplished player can make the Noiseless work for nearly all styles of music. But the average hobbyist trying to play the songs of our idols... The TX Spec will give us the horsepower to make up for our lack of skill.

Beautiful demo - tasteful, disciplined and you obviously care to show off the tone.

great comparison dude, I wish more were done this way 👍

Very good comparison. The Texas Specials retained the warbley jangle around the edges in all pickups and styles. The Noiseless sounded great, a bit compressed or restrained. I though the Noiseless were particularly good in the clean stuff, but preferred the unpredictability that the TS brought to the party. However I have other guitars that do jangle pretty well, might have to install some noiseless in my strat, think I'll try a new ground rod first.

Myself I prefer the specials. I very much dig noiseless, and dont want any more "noise" in my rig whatsoever, but tonewise i prefer the round, full, almost chewable and yet thin and pokey kindof tone you get out of the texas specials. Also, are you playing any song in particular, or are you just noodling with a riff you made up? Sounds bloody great either way! Some epic lydian tomfoolery here, and love your subtle whammy lick at 4:09 :) Cheers, man.

Excellent demo!! But, you had me at the intro music... Have you released that music? Is it up on Soundcloud or iTunes? .... I'm looking at getting one of 2 Strats right now; one with noiseless pups, and the other has Texas specials, so this helps. Thanks!

I actually liked one set better in one position and my ear would perk up to the other set in another position. The TS obviously had more grit and overtones that added to the character. But the sweet clear sound of the noiseless pickups made my ears happier in some of the positions too. Tough choice. Probably liked the TS more overall. But i'm not real happy with my guitar humming along with me either.

Many people withdraw their Texas Special to put the Noiseless . I own myself the noiseless and they are great! I think peoples should keep their Texas Special if they like them. If they don't, they should buy the Noiseless . And if they have another stratocaster as the American one , they must put the noiseless , they sound too good! Your video is very well done and very informative. Thank you!

Perfect A>B Comparison. In my lifelong pursuit of sound, I put Texas Specials in my old Strat expecting something, well... special. I was not really impressed and the noise after playing noiseless pickups was an old bad memory coming back. I haven't played that guitar in a while and don't have access to it at the present time. But I recently bought the Jeff Beck Signature Strat. I like Jeff Beck but moreso than that, the JB Signature had EVERYTHING I wanted in a Strat. The only thing that I lacked was a good comparison with my old Strat with the TS's. Now I see. I am SOOO glad I got the JB Signature Strat. Hands down the better sounding guitar, not to mention just plain quieter which just can't be overemphasized. I know now I am taking out my Texas Specials and replacing that whole pickguard with an HSS loaded pickguard with one Twin Head Vintage Humbucker (with the volume pot button switch for split coil) and two noiseless vintage pickups. I think it is going to be bad ass. Now I will have the best Strat out there (the JB Signature) and the best Fat Strat out there, '92 Strat Plus modded to HSS. Oh yea, I have the PRS Silver Sky Strat (White). It is in perfect condition, sounds great, just not the neck for me, It was only made in August2018 if somebody wants it for $2,000.00. Still has the plastic on the pickguard.

Both sound great, although there is definitely a difference there. I'm not sure there is a better or worse, just different. I expect the slightly rounder/smoother noiseless pups could be easily made to sound more like the originals by a slight tweak of the presence/treble on the amp though! ps. are these the vintage or vintage hot noiseless?

TS...are most warrior's for clean... w/more attitude!!

Great comparison, the best one I've seen. The Texas Specials sounded slightly more aggressive to my ears, not that the Noiseless pickups were lacking in any way. Some say they have no tone, after this I don't agree with that statement. Thanks!

I HOPE MY TEXAS PICKUPS DON'T SOUND MICHIGAN WHEN THEY GET HERE , THE COLD COULD AFFECT THEM.

Great video. If someone can afford it...seems simple. Use the Texas specials in the studio and take the noiseless on the road. The difference is there but so slight that with the band and ambient noise the difference is almost nothing. To have the confidence that whatever venue you end up in you won't have a buzz coming from your rig. If you have ever had a venue where it was really bad you would certainly appreciate what those things can do. The Texas Specials do have that certain magic though.

I actually love this video for comparison. What you're playing is exactly what I aim for, and it's a great comparison for the two pickup sets. Out of curiosity, what effects did you stack in GR5 for the first few minutes of the video (clean)? Thanks!

I was in a recording studio yesterday with my new/used Roadworn Strat with Tex-Mex Pickups. The 60-cycle buzz was so bad, had to use position 2. NOT the sounded I wanted on the recording. Now I remember why I always wind up switching to noiseless pickups. Yeah, you sacrifice a smidge of true Strat Tone, but do you really want to stand sideways to your audience all night?

Thanks VERY much foir making this video! I got a couple of Strats in the last two months, both came stock with vintage noiseless. To my ears, the bridge pickup was lacking. I just bought a Texas Special for the bridge in one of them. Seems like I made the right decision. From your video, it seems the Specials have just the perfect amount ofe extra "Oomph" that I'm looking for, without totally overpowering the Vintage Noiseless. Thanks, man!

I changed my pickups some time ago... now I listen to this comparison only because of playing :)

Came for the comparison (Noiseless won for my tastes), stayed for the sweet licks! Nice playing and comparison!

Very very tastefully done the more I hear people who can really play the more faith I have in my Texas specials hum and all. Hope to get to your level some day. PS I have a Dimarzio vintage blues (dp409) in another guitar that is dead quiet that I also love

Beautiful sound and I love the first one, but the noiseless are great too. And I need another guitar too!!!!

Great video, excellent playing!

Great video demonstration! Thank you. I had the stock pickups in my 1978 Strat switched out for a set of Van Zandt pickups in Dallas or Houston back in the early 80's. These were hot and sounded very good. But again there was the noise. I really hate that freaking noise! I now have had the Vintage Fender Noiseless for several years and am completely satisfied with their performance. That being said, I think your demonstration clearly shows that true single coils have the upper hand in quality of tone. Still, the noiseless sound excellent and they don't turn into buzz monsters when you find yourself in one the many clubs with horrible wiring. And that is the real life game changer for me.

Fantastic comparison video, that's how you do it properly! I like both, but the noiseless won for me, especially on the bridge pickup!

Im sure this is every guitarists nightmare. I JUST bought a roadhouse deluxe with Gen 4 noiseless and must I say it is SO FREAKING CLEAN. So clean that I kinda miss a little buzz. only sometimes. When I record boy that buzz really stands out especially with a final limiter on a song its just no fun. You listen to records from other bands and black keys where all you hear is electric guitar in the intro and boy is that hum LOUD. I could never get around it its always so distracting. Im caught in this perdiciment where I want tone but i have so much RFI noise here in the city that its practically impossible for me to even angle myself in a position where I can record an Amp. Louder you turn it up the more noise you get... so what do you do??? Seems to be an issue going on for years and years and much respect to all the recording artists before humbuckers and noiseless because you guys figured out how to fight the noise and make it a character. How? Only years of practice we will know. I guarantee you 10 years from now ill laugh i bought noiseless as im sitting with a shielded guitar in the middle of nowhere with less RFI and better tone for my recordings. those overtone harmonics are just really inspiring and I do miss them a lot.

The Texas Specials have more midrange and might be a little brighter too. The riff starting at 5 minutes and going through the positions, I preferred the noiseless pickups, but for the rest of them I couldn't decide, they sound a bit different, but both still sound quite good!

Love the Custom Shops, but both sound great. Texas Specials are built extremely well. Noiseless would be a great addition and I would love to compare them with the new forth generation technology. Thank you for taking the time to video the comparison. Ultimately my vote goes to the CSTS, but both are a great investment that will last you a lifetime. You also did a professional job of installing.

This is the only side by side comparison I've seen where I prefer the noiseless.

Wow what a Good test...good playing both sets sound great.

I’ve been using an old set of lace chrome domes in my strat for years. Not technically a “noiseless” pickup by modern definition but lace pickups were the low noise option of the 80s. Although they’re not quite as “chimey” as standard strat pickups, that’s always been what I liked about them. Still maintaining that strat tone but filtering out some of the harmonics that can sound messy at times. I know that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I certainly enjoy the benefits of them. Based on this comparison, noiseless takes the cake. The noiseless benefit to me outweighs losing a bit of that loose chime.

great demo! this shows that i did not make a mistake going with the Jeff Beck Noiseless! the weird part is that they accually sound closer to that Stevie Ray or Kenny Wayne sound then the Texas Specials. they're just that little bit fatter and less prone to feedback....and everybody can live without that hum!! and I got lucky that they work great on my upsidedown strat(i'm a Lefty) and you dó need luck when you do that you never know what the outcome is till you put them on .

Good Comparison and awesome Background Track!

My opinion is that a pickup shouldn't have very much "personality" of it's own...( I LOVE this Noiseless design!)...Just give me a clean,clear and noise free signal coming out of my guitar and I'll "paint" my tone with my pedal board and amp...(and my fingers LOL!)

Great work! Thanks for such a good clear comparison.

i could listen to the cleans all day ...

Nice Demo. A sound analyzer app probably would have shown the Noiseless rolled off the top and middle. Noiseless had a 'dreamy' sound. The TS more 'strat-like.' I got TS in my MIM Deluxe, but it has a preamp that fattens and boosts the tone when you open the S-1 switch.

I have the T Specials and really couldn't get the sound I desired for a long time and a lot of $$$$ being fairly new at electrics amps etc. but I think I'm almost there however in my search for the solutions I found another pickup for half the price that I love just as much. If a veteran like Jimmy Vaughn uses them exclusively what does that tell you and that is the lowly Tex Mex (another win for the Lonestar state). I mean cmon whats a little hummmmm. If your playing live just consider it charactor and the price you pay for great tone. if your recording you'll find a solution. Did either of the Vaughn brothers let a little hum stop them........ Just an old fart who decided to play some blues before he went home.

Texas Specials definitely have a bit more high and low end. Texas Specials are already higher in mid range than traditional, so this is a good comparison to make. To me, I think the Texas Specials are just a little clearer, sweeter, but the Noiseless have a softer tone, a touch warmer. Neither is better per se. I have a Strat with Texas Specials, looking at one with Noiseless to add to the stable, which is how I found the vid, btw. Good job, and thanks.

Man, I have a hard time just finding motivation to get off the couch to do the dishes... thank you for putting in the effort to make a video comparing these. I have zero idea why 87 people downvoted this, what a bunch of chumps.

I've used Texas Specials for years now. Yes, I adore the sound, but sometimes I have trouble taming their power. I got another Strat recently that comes with mellower, sweeter pickups. I think I kinda like them better, if just a little.

I was surprised not only by the difference in hum but also the difference in the roughness of distortion audible with the TS driven. Noiseless for me

That's a deal then - the vintage noiseless are the clear winners for me and will be installed on my Strat. And I was wondering how he got the glorious tones - then I read that Guitar Rig is the source, which is tremendous news as I use that in Logic! Lovely.

Great video. Well done. New TS owner here and this gives me more confidence as to how ill use my guitar. Thanks

Great demo. Thanx. The custom shop Texas specials sound brighter and clearer but they do buzz with distortion which is my major complaint. For me the noiseless pickups don't sound quite as good but they are noiseless. For clean tones I'd go with the custom shop PU's but since I like to play with lots of gain I'd go with the noiseless.

@G.A.S Great job man! Thanks for this. By the way, i have a question. Which sound card did you use?

Interesting....are these the stock HOT Noiseless from the Jeff Beck Sig Strat? Maybe the bite would be closer if using VINTAGE Noiseless ? But regardless I liked them!!! Cool vid.

You could replace your speakers with something with smaller magnets and that will tone down the harshness on the CS pups. I did I that in my Bogner Ecstasy. Swapped four V30s for two G75 and two J75 Scumbacks. The amp is now much better for Strats.

Very helpful. Thanks

Mission accomplished--excellent presentation! For my taste and style, the noiseless are far superior in sonic purity and in producing a pleasing tone,

You forgot to twist the wires when you installed the pickups, it cuts most of the noise. Those noiseless do sound very good👍 and the texas specials too😀

I bought a Telecaster Deluxe Nashville with 3 Noiseless pickups. It sounds, and plays, SO good.

im so glad i got the noiseless ones man i cannot stand buzz

Fender makes several different Noiseless pickups. Which ones were used in this comparison? Well done video!

I had a Fender CS Strat with a Texas Special in bridge position. It sounded ice picky thin. As a coincidence I now have a CS Strat with noiseless pickups in them. I am liking it more.