David Gilmour needed a pumped-up sound for his famous Black Strat, so Seymour wound what became the Custom Staggered medium-output Stratocaster pickup. It has been, and continues to be, an honor to work with such a legend. The Custom Staggered is a special overwound single-coil that strikes a great balance between increased output and classic Stratocaster tonal character. It will deliver bigger, fatter chords, and will cut through the mix more clearly than a traditional Strat pickup, all the while maintaining the magic and mojo that make a Strat sound like a Strat. Single notes are bold and loud, and solos truly sing. Use in the bridge position with a pair of Vintage Staggered Strat pickups in the neck and middle for the Gilmour-approved setup. Use a Custom Staggered RWRP in the middle for noiseless setup in positions 2 and 4.
The Custom Staggered Strat pickup is also available in a 7-string version. The bobbins are built with hand-ground Alnico 5 rod magnets, lacquered and wound, and are wax potted for squeal-free performance. We use modern oval Forbon flatwork (non-triangular) which enables this pickup to fit into any guitar that is routed for single coils.
- Neck/Middle/Bridge position models will have the same output, wind direction and magnetic polarity.
- Middle RwRP position (reverse wind/reverse polarity) – choose this to have a pickup that will be hum-cancelling with one of our neck or bridge models.
- All sets, except the Jimi Hendrix signature model, come with a Middle RWRP as the Middle Pickup.
- Left- for some models with vintage staggered pole pieces, we offer a left-handed option. The stagger will be reversed for left-handed players.
- Tapped- High output models may have a “tap” option available. An additional lead wire is placed midway through the coil wind, allowing wiring to a push-pull pot or mini-toggle switch to give an additional vintage output level option.