Lollar announced about a year after this video was made that “Sixty-Four” Is the new name for the old “Blackface” set. At times in the video, that set is referred to as “BF”. I think this is a great move for Lollar, as the name is easily misunderstood, and the quality of the pickups transcends the unfortunate history of that term.
@user-vi7wi6de9rLollar is doing better than ever, years after this change. This video continues to get more views and support from their fans. Nobody’s going broke, and those pickups continue to slay with a more appropriate name.
@@Nitromessiah Agree , if someone think blackface is a uncomfortable name, well, let them feel and think that , it won't kill them or harm them emotionally Companies giving in to their woke bullshit are weak Never give in to idiot mobs of any kind 👍
That was THE best pickup comparison video I’ve ever seen. EVER. PERIOD. Great playing. I don’t know how long this took but we can sure tell it was a lot of work. Thank you sir.
Man, that’s the test I’ve been waiting for forever! Thanks for doing it! Heard the conclusion but the blondes just won me over, different strokes I guess! All great pickups imo! Thanks again!
Thanks Ricardo! Blondes are killer, as much as i love the tweeds I’d say blonds are more versatile. If I had 2 strats I’d be torn between blondes or blackface. I actually had blond neck, Blackface middle and bridge for a week and that was really cool. Cheers
Everybody's said it already, but this was a truly incredible video. Thanks so much. Just goes to show that Lollar really only winds gold. I have a set of Blackfaces sitting next to me as I type. The Tweeds really were something special - tonnes of character and charm - but I think the Blackface set is going to work perfectly for what I need. Just a hair more darkness and output, but keeping that quintessential Stratocaster voice. I'm psyched.
The best tone demo I've ever seen. I had been struggling to decide between the Tweed and the Blonde but your video really laid bare their strengths and weaknesses. It looks like two Tweeds and am now leaning toward a 64 bridge. Thanks!
@@haskitt It might be a while before I can report how they sound. At the last minute, someone offered me a great deal on a set of Fender Custom Shop '57 hand-wounds and just couldn't refuse. (FYI, I think they deliver great, warm 50's tone but if you're a position two player, you might want to look elsewhere as the bridge lacks real bite.)
Thank you so much for doing this... that's a lot of work... I have the Blackfaces in my 2000 strat and have yet to find a strat that sounds better.. cheers.
The Tweeds sounded great on the recording, but I felt the Blonde and Blackface sets would work the best for me. Thanks for such a detailed shootout, very helpful indeed.
Thank you for this. I have Blondes in my partscaster, and was trying to decide what to use in my next build. I was not even aware of the Tweeds, but preferred them at every step in this demo. Very gratified to see that you chose them, also, having been in the room with this tone and all the nuances. Tweed! Now I have to scrub your channel to see if you’re still hanging with this choice at the beginning of 2022…..
I still have and love the tweeds! When I plug in it’s such a super concentrated strat tone. Now and then I want a little thicker sound, but I just roll off the tone a bit and crank the tube Gain a little and it’s perfect.
Fantastic job! I've seen so many comparisons with different sets played through all positions before changing to the next set of pickups. By the time the new set is demoed, I've forgotten the tone of the prior set. In other words, playing each position with each set before changing pickup sets was tremendously helpful. I know this took a lot of editing work but it is appreciated.
Thanks, Biff! I had the same frustration with demos... I understand the need for people to hear the positions all right in a row to hear how they balance, but I think that's a different thing. Cheers!
Wow, what a helpful comparison. I honestly could not believe that we both heard the Blackface set as being a combination (of sorts) of the Blonde's body and Tweed's high end. Thanks, for taking the time to do this!
yeah, I actually second-guessed mentioning that (there were a million things I wanted to say!) so it's awesome hearing someone else agreed! Cheers man!
Thank you for this demo! This much more comprehensive and informative than any demo I’ve ever tried and it really helps. I was undecided until the “light overdrive” section and blackface it is!
I love the blonde on the neck and the tweed on the neck and middle. I never use the bridge pickup. This is a extremely informative video. Thanks so much!!
What a great demo brother, no processed sound,just a Strat and an amp, I will go for the Tweed, thank you for your time to make this great comparison ,cheers.
Great video mate! Best pick up comparison video I’ve ever seen! Jason should employ you to do all his videos. You gave me the confidence and closure I needed to also purchase a set of tweeds Thank you
Had my tweeds in for a few days now - they sound amazing super articulate but missed the mark of what I was looking for. They don’t have quite as much presence and output as the cs 54 sound I was after. Oddly enough moved the 64’s (bf) into another guitar and they sound better now. How much of a difference in output and that low end punch/spring do you get between the tweeds and blondes? It’s tough to tell on the video and tough to describe
Without even watching most of the vid yet I have to say that I like ur approach to comparison of the pickups. I hate when I watch other vids comparing and they change EVERYTHING in betwixt. Nothing is constant. How they hell does that help?! 😡 You, take a bow right now wherever u are, for u are a BOSS!!!
Really great video. I thought what was funny was that with the high gain settings everything really blurred together, but the low gain and clean tones really brought out the differences.
Yeah, I wasn’t sure if anyone would really listen to the high gain stuff but it was fun! I think at that point it’s which ones are easier to coax the tone you want out of them.
Thanks for putting in such a huge effort to make the best pickup comparison vid out there. #1 Tweeds, then Blackface for me. I have Special T’s in my Deluxe Tele, which are awesome so I thought I’d like them best but they get lost in the mix on the Strat.
Oh, this is fantastic!!! I also can't thank you enough for your effort and diligence to put this up! Great playing and great recording too! I TOTALLY agree with your analysis and comments at the end, the Tweeds sounded fantastic to me...I was in no way ready for that. You can really hear more and more mids coming through as the pickup windings increased, and the specials were maybe over the top, though I suspect a great blues set. Interestingly enough I play through 2 vintage Champs so very similar to your Swart set up. Thanks a ton!!!
Thanks for this comparison video. It is really helpful. All the pickups sound great, just different flavors. I love how the Specials sound close to a p90. The Blondes are very sweet. The Sixty Fours sound like the strat sound I have in my head. The tweeds are my least favorite of the group. Thinking about getting a set of Sixty Fours with a Special in the bridge.
This is probably the best pickup comparison video I've ever seen, really thorough. I sometimes prefer strats tuned down a half step, but I've had trouble with flubby sound in every position except for the bridge, and I think the Tweeds would fix that. When I eventually build a partcaster strat, I think I'll use the Tweeds in the Neck and Middle, and either the Blond or the Blackface in the bridge for that tuning. And I might buy a full set of Blackface for higher gain sounds because those pickups were my favorite for that. So maybe I should build 2 strats. Or maybe 4 strats, one for each set. You can never have too many strats, right?
I thought I replied to this... and I hear ya. I don't regret sticking with the tweeds at all, but sometimes I think it'd be great to build another strat with the BF. They really just cut. That being said, I LOVE the tweeds at Eb... I have a student who plays a strat at Eb and I get excited to play mine down there because it just sings. Cheers!
Wow Phenomenal job. Lots of work went into this. Best Pickup comparison-ever. I have a Suhr-Strat with the Lollar Dirty Blonde's and I absolutely Love-em. My Barber Gain Changer and a Fender Princeton Reverb = Tone Heaven. - SRV, Hendrix, Trower, Knopfler, Gilmour & Nile Rodgers = "Very-Stratty" without being too thin. - oNe LovE from NYC
Hard one, also want to buy Lollar's but they're all nice. Liked the blackface and special clean tones and for lead the tweeds absolutely rule! Thanks for making the effort to make this video!
Great comparison! Blondes!!! Blondes for me. Like, so good that I'm thinking of buying yet another Strat just to put the Lollar Blondes in it. It's okay to have 5 strats, right? WOW!
My opinion for what I like in my tone: I notice some sound better to me alone and some sound better when paired with the neighboring pickup and also some sound better to me from certain positions on one set to another set in another specific position... Decisions decisions decisions... Well, more homework for me to think on what pickup selection and position I think I will use most... I never played much attention to that when I played Strats before, lol... I guess there is mixing and matching for more options as well, so maybe I will have to consider that when I order after I make up my mind. Thanks for doing this, you're really a great help and I hope you aren't as conflicted as I am with these decisions in chasing tone. Lol, maybe if I worry more about my playing vs my tone, I would have made my mind up already.
Honestly I find it's much easier to decide having played and felt which ones worked best for my right hand dynamically. I know that doesn't help but if you know if you prefer the dynamics of A2 vs A5 that will most likely help you narrow down which you'd like best! Cheers
I tried Lollar special, tweed, and blackface this week. And surprisingly I think I am going to stick with the tweeds!! I’m surprised. They really do respond to whatever you put into them which makes playing more fun. I really enjoyed the specials as well. I originally set out thinking the 64 blackface set would fit me best but everything changed once I heard them all. Tough decisions to make! Love Lollar pickups
Great comparison. It's a good lesson that just because Guy-You-Like uses pickup X, pickup Y might suit your style better. The Sixty-Fours are what I was looking to hear when I found this video, but I came away realizing the Blonde set would suit my style better.
Fantastic video, THANK YOU - this is exactly I've been looking for! Arguably, Lollar makes the pickups with sound fidelity in mind, no question about it. All of them sounds great, yet so different. Man, I can't believe it, I am so into the sound of the Tweeds in virtually all of the samples here, ha ha! You have mentioned that you run it through a smaller amp... Lollar does mention that the they are suited for a dimed smaller amp. IMHO, the Blondes sound as if they were a slightly less refined variant of the Tweeds. Before watching your video I thought that I would lean towards the Blackface set, but nope! I am speccing out an S-type build with a RW board, and I am really on the fence between the Blondes & the Tweeds, and so far I am liking the latter noticeably more. Thanks for making this great video - your effort is really appreciated. EDIT: also thank you for testing them out on the Iridium - we get to hear what to expect from a quality modeller, UA plug-ins, and the OX - very thoughtful of you; fabulous!
Thanks Michal! Yeah the Blondes seem to add a more midrange body and it pulls the sparkle down just a smidge. I can see how the tweeds would not sound great with all amps, Blondes seem a bit more forgiving. Glad you enjoyed the iridium and US stuff! I like to use sounds that people can really easily reproduce on their own. I love my live amps but I also have a 15 month old kid to consider during my productive music time!
@@haskitt I am with you on the lowe volume levels, for the same reasons (in my case, ha ha). I am liking the Tweeds noticeably more than any other set that you have tested. I came to the test with rather open mind and intuitively, I was expecting the Blackface set to be my no. 1 pick, or maybe the Blondes at best. Nope, I've re-listened to the whole material and the Tweeds come on top, every single time. My rig is essentially a direct board built around the Iridium. Having heard how well they interact through this modeller, I am willing to give them a try. Thanks, Scott, a very well made video. Cheers!
Wow! This was incredibly helpful. Because of how much gain I often use, I think the Specials would work great for me. The bridge being overwound on the Nash Special is really what would sell it to me. It seems to help the bridge pickup not be too harsh in comparison to the middle and neck.
This video is absolutely incredible. The BEST pickup comparison I have ever seen. You did it exactly right. The comparison has to be in the same guitar, with the same amp, with the same player, and with the same levels. Well done! One question: did all the pickups have the same stagger? If so, all flatpoles or all staggered? It is hard to tell from the video. Thank you again!
Thanks, that was a really useful video. For my taste, I like the Blondes best here. They're not that fr afrom the Tweeds, but add a little more body like you said, and sometimes I found the Tweeds a bit thin-sounding. I did have a K-Line Strat with Tweeds before (flat stagger) and I was also surprised they didn't sound thin at all in that guitar, in spite of the very low output by Strat pickup standards.
Yeah the have a real sweet spot… with a good tone Pot and a nice warm amp they really can put out some thickness. I’ve been using the tweeds since this video, but have considered doing a second loaded guard with blondes or 64 to change it up now and then.
Really interesting and excellently put together. I am interested in getting some Lollar Strat pup's - I will review again your samples and see if I agree with your conclusions :)
Several takeaways... All the bridge pickups were killer. The blackface set, to my ear, were the best, especially with gain and overdrive. They sound deeper. The blonde set were also great in all genres.
Blackfaces have a “push” to them that the Tweeds don’t have. They have a very distinct low/ low-mid focus where the Tweed’s emphasis is on highs/treble. I think with some EQ tweaking you could get a “fuller” tone out of those Tweeds that would be hard to beat.
Yeah, agreed on both. I kept the tweeds and have the bridge wired to it's own tone knob... the neck really sounds thick with a little tone rolled off too. Plenty of great lows live in those A2 mags!
Awesome video, I ve been watching it quite often to decide which pickups to put in my strat. So far I have a hot rail in the bridge and stock pickups in middle and neck, but the hotrail by itself is awfull (Used to play with a lot of distortion, now I am using more a edge to breakup/breakup sound). In position 2 however, the hot rail with the bridge pickup gives me quite a nice balance. When I put back the stock pickup in the bridge, it was super harsh and too bright too me. That's why I want to change the pickups in my strat. What would you suggest, as I can't really decide and change my mind everyday ! I am playing indie/rock, most of the time a edge to break up/break up sound, but sometimes need a bit more hi gain. Would love to know what you think !
Ever consider a p90 or foil in the bridge? Or maybe a Lollar imperial in the bridge with a 4 conductor to split, paired with specials? What are the stock pups in your strat? Not sure what strat you have. I had the hot rails in a tele bridge. Thing was an atomic bomb! I really didn’t like it, don’t know why I kept it in for so long!
@@haskitt i have a american strat (2000-2008), could not really find what the pickups are. You think a special in the bridge will not be warm/hot enough to me ?
Albrengues Jean if you haven’t made a decision yet, this might sound crazy but maybe try picking up a super cheap set of fender MIM standard pickups for the bridge… They are constructed like a P90 in that they have magnets on the bottom (though ceramic rather than alnico) and just steel poles. I’m putting out a video today or tomorrow demonstrating the difference between those and the Lollar Blackface/specials… The bridge is significantly hotter and warmer on the MIM compared to any of the lollars, just because of the drastic difference in construction. I don’t know if they get along with Lollar as far as polarity and wind, but you might like that bridge.
Thanks for this, this is amazing man. Love your playing too. I had the dirty blackfaces and they were killer but watching this I can see why you chose the tweeds. I am after something versatile that can nail frusciante’s tones . The dirty blackfaces while amazing were a bit dark sounding and bridge ( special ) was a bit too compressed for some applications but it shined with distortion. I may either go with a standard BF set or with the tweeds this time. I only have one guitar now so I need versatility.
I love the blackfaces... If I had another strat it'd have them. If I only had one guitar I'd probably do dirty blondes, or tweed neck/middle with a blackface or special bridge... maybe even an imperial in the bridge. Cheers!
As previously stated, just an awesome, comprehensive comparison. For that I thank you. The tones are all great. I'm still undecided, but this helps. I have a lollar set in my tele build w 4 way switching. I love that guitar. I built 2 mjt alder starts 3lb 10oz and 3lb 14oz the 3 10 has tonerider vintage pups currently. Not bad at all. No magic, but pretty good and my first RWP middle. I kinda like the quiet. The 3 14 has fender 59s better in my opinion but still no magic. Thought I could save a buck on pups but I'm gonna get lollars anyway after hearing your demo. Cheers! Great playing and tone BTW.
Feel like Fender Pure Vintage 59s are some of the best sounding pickups on the market. People regularly compliment the tone of my strat that's equipped with them.
Hi Scott, killer video! Just picked up a set of Lollar Dirty Blondes and wondering what the pickup height was that you opted for when you compared these pickups? Thanks!
Hey Jeremy, thanks! In spite of my good intentions, I do all my pickup heights by ear. Sometimes for a certain song I’ll tweak them up or down a little bit, so it’s been kind of silly for me to even write down any real preferences. I did have a starting point for these videos, then I tweaked the pickups to their sweet spot and then recorded all the clips for that set. so I don’t really know where they ended up! I tend to start with the neck pick up quite close to the strings, and I keep backing it away until it gets enough room to breathe but not too quiet. Then I’ll get the bridge pick up so it balance as well volume wise with the neck, ends up fairly close to the strings, then I get the middle pick up so that positions four and two sound good. Hope that helps
I was primarily interested in the middle pickup comparisons. I have a G&L ASAT Classic S with alnico pickups (ASAT bridge and neck, Legacy middle,) so I need a combination of T- and S-style pickups. It's a tough choice, because there's no videos that I know of showcasing this combination and, in addition to the tone, the pickups have to be compatible from an output perspective.
Hey Michael, thanks for asking. I’ve been thinking about doing a few videos of sounds I typically use… finding things to tie in that are useful and not just “here’s my tone!” is the trick, gathering some ideas for that. Cheers!
@@haskitt I would not over-think it. Your presentation's are so Thorough & Informative . . . I'm sure there will be loads of great information, that we'd all appreciate to both hear & see.
Excellent comparison video Scott! Great work! At the end of the video you mentioned now having a backplate on the bridge pickup. How do you feel the baseplate altered the bridge pickup tone/output?
Thanks Dale! The baseplate just gives it a tiny bit more oomph in the lows, a bit more focus to the pickup. A couple good comparisons out there showing how this affects it. It's not going to turn a tweed into a blond or BF but it was noticeable.
@@haskitt Awesome! I'm definitely leaning towards the Tweeds. I was concerned that the Alnico 2 rods on the neck pickup would not produce the bright/clear tone I want in that position, but the neck certainly sounds bright here...the brightest of the Lollar offerings it seems. :)
This is great. Perfect demonstration. Lollar will have to pay for PR😀. What was your string/pickup height? Measurements? All pickups sounded really good. I will go for Blackface neck and middle and a Special in the bridge. Thanks for the substantial work you put in it!
Christ, all are superb, but 'specials' are soo good on top of superb...(😇) Out of that, tweeds get my vote as well; tho yeah, u're right, it depends on one's playing. And I do play clean, but it stopped me in my tracks how J-street was sounding in my tele - specially live. (J-street is actually incarnation of specials)...
They all sound great, but my preference is for the Tweed and Blonde tones (in that order). I didn't hear everything though, I skipped around on your video quite a bit, mostly interested in the neck and bridge only. I like the middle PU too for something unique and woody, but not a fan of the 2 and 4 position quacks (generally). When I have invest more time, I will listen to it all.
This is a wonderful example of both Lollar pups - but also what happens to the sound as you change the number of windings and the types (strengths) of magnets. Personally I like the retro sounds that come from generally weak magnets - degaussed Alnico 5 or Alnico 2 - and less winding (4.5 to 6.0 ohms) So naturally I like the Tweeds and Blondes. But could easily be persuaded to mix these with a Blond in the bridge and tweeds middle and neck. Or Blackface bridge, Blonde middle, Tweed neck? What I was going for the last time I changed pups in a Strat was a faux Rickenbacker toaster sound and that came from pups like the Tweeds - I used SD APS1s which are very like the Blondes.
yeah, i'm very tempted to find a bunch of decent alnico 2 pickups of different brands with similar outputs and compare them. I'm in full agreement with you... weaker magnets especially on mag poles really are wonderful to play. cheers! I'll have to check out those SD APS1s
wow, this was excellent. I am torn between... them all maybe with the exception of the special which is the one I liked the least. Clean, the tween and blonde are better but overdriven the blackface produces excellent tones.
Do your Tweeds have staggered or flat magnets? I want to order whatever you played. Loved it!! Thanks for doing such a great service for Strat players, and Lollar Pickups!
this is a really interesting comparison because the playing style makes a much bigger difference from pickup to pickup than I expected, as dumb as that might sound. I really really liked the Blonds for the clean fingerstyle playing, they have great clarity, but the Tweeds seemed to have the upper hand in that regard with all the strumming examples. also my overall favorite but the Blonds are still a pretty close second, they would be my choice if I was primarily a fingerstyle player. the Blackface and Special obviously don't sound bad but simply don't hold up compared to the others to if you're looking for clarity and brightness.
Doesn't sound dumb at all... I'm always surprised by something I didn't expect (hence the surprise!) when I finish the video editing and listen through everything. Agreed about blackface and special. I actually prefer the tweeds to blond for fingerstyle, but that's just based on the response I get while playing them. I like the blond sound recorded just fine on fingerstyle.
I really can’t say thanks enough for the comparisons. Ive had a blackface in my neck for months and have been debating on the middle. I’m probably going to go with a low wind imperial in my bridge though. What do you think for the middle? Blonde or Blackface?
Glad it was helpful! If you want a softer attack go for blond - but I really like the BF neck/middle combo and BF in the middle would probably keep up better with the imperial. Sounds like a fun combo!
Thanks so much for the advice. I was wondering which would be best with with the low wind Imperial in the bridge. I’ve been up in the air if I should do the standard or low wind
Hi Scott. Thankyou so much for taking the time and effort to do this amazing video to help everyone. May I ask which of these were flat pole and which were staggered?
Hi Jase, none of the lollars were staggered... the MIM are staggered, even though they’re just steel pole, and the Kleins were staggered in that comparison, but all the lollars here were flat pole. cheers!
@@haskitt Thanks for replying so quick! Now all I've got to decide between is Lollars described tonal benefits of flatpole vs the cosmetic charm of staggered
Staggered pole pieces are a thing-of-the past = More Difficult to set bridge-saddle-height and balance output with raising/lowering of the actual pickups. Trust Me. Flat-pole is so much Better.
As I was listening to the comparisons, to my ears it came down to the tweed the blonde. I tend to play without too much distortion. Then, imho, the articulation of the low output pickups should rule. That being said, the price for other boutique pickup people like the Ron Ellis and some of the hand wound Fender Custom Shop pickups seem to be a bit rich for my wallet.
