Porter Vintage Custom Strat Pickup Set - White

Being the world's most popular electric guitar, the Stratocaster design has been equally popular in terms of the massive amount of aftermarket parts that are available to modify and personalize the instrument. At the top of the mod list has to be pickups, and Leo Fender made it easy by mounting the entire pickup assembly on the pick guard (Fender was a manufacturer and not a player). Porter makes several sets for the venerable Strat, and their Vintage Custom set gives a little boost to the classic Strat tones.

The Porter 60's Vintage Custom Strat set uses even-height Alnico 5 beveled magnets and wound for slightly more output without losing the vintage feel. Beveled magnets have an interesting history. They were originally beveled because they were less prone to chipping the fiber bobbins during assembly. But players found that the beveled magnet concentrated the magnetic field better on each string and provided a more focused tone. Like a lot of things in early electric guitar manufacturing, process steps in the factory inadvertently took on tonal significance (sometimes to mythical proportions). 

The Vintage Custom set also features a steel base plate on the bridge pickup. The steel base plate couples with the magnets to boost the low frequency response and takes a little edge of the high frequencies (something just about every Strat could use). 

If you like the classic Strat tone, but want a little more pop and energy -- especially at the bridge -- the Portage Vintage Custom Strat set is a great choice.