TONERIDER SURFARI PICKUPS / IRONSTONE GOLD PICKUPS

[leddo]

Don't just take my word for it,
https://tidywords.wordpress.com/2013/03 ... e-pickups/

[chris mcbain]

Hi Leddo,
looks like you are correct about the pick ups but I notice the review you posted is from 2013 so are the specs still the same ?? on say 2020/2021 Fender C.V.
does anyone have one of the latest Fender C.V's and checked it out yet ?. this would clear the way so to speak.

Chris.

[dave robinson]

I have a brand new Indonesian Fiesta Red maple neck 50s style Classic Vibe Strat and it plays and sounds as good as any of my USA/Jap/Mexican ones. At no time did I or would I consider changing the pickups, I sometimes have to wonder why people want to do this as I have learnt the hard way that it is mostly meaningless and the one single thing that would improve the sound is actually practicing and improving their own playing instead of looking to blame the instrument as clearly, many folks do.
We also have an original Chinese Classic Vibe in Fiesta Red from 2010 with those very pickups that we are scrutinising and I can't hear a difference.
Out of all of the pickups I bought over the past 20 years, 90% of my guitars ended up with their own equipment reinstalled. The exceptions were a set of Sliders that remain on my 1961 Strat and some USA made Custom jobs on my 1963 Strat, the reason being the originals were lost or knackered. I do have some AVn Kinmans on a 'bitsa' Strat as well. A couple of guitars that came with Texas Specials had pickups replaced too, Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II and ToneRider Vintage were used on those. I have some Iron Stones on another 'bitsa' build and some Amalfitanos on my Warmouth Strat that came with Custom Shop 54s that were very trebly. Even my newish Fender USA Deluxe retains the Fender Noiseless that came with the guitar. All of the afore mentioned sound as good as my Fenders' that have their original equipment back in situ. My advice from experience is to check out what you've got and don't be too fast to dismiss stuff because there are replacements available. Luckily I sold all the extra stuff that I accumulated and got most of my money back because I sold at a time when prices were good for whatever it was that I was moving on.

[shadphil]

Thank you all for you comments its much appreciated regards phil

[leddo]

Hi Leddo,
looks like you are correct about the pick ups but I notice the review you posted is from 2013 so are the specs still the same ?? on say 2020/2021 Fender C.V.
does anyone have one of the latest Fender C.V's and checked it out yet ?. this would clear the way so to speak.

Chris.

The honest answer is I don't know what pickups are in the new Indonesian made CV strats because I haven't tried one yet. But if Dave says they are just as good, that's good enough for me.

[dave robinson]

To fill you in completely, my fellow guitarist in Past Masters has also bought the new Squier in F red on the strength of hearing mine and we are using them in the show instead of our USA 62 AVRI models, in fact because they are so good I sold my second AVRI recently for a lot of money. I do still have my original '63 and a '61 reissue that I use as the yardstick by which I compare the newer guitars. The new CV plays and sounds as good as my original and you would be pushed to hear the difference in an A/B comparison test, I certainly can't.
There has never been a better time to play and enjoy the music of The Shadows given the guitars, echoes and amps that are available at very modest prices.

[Stu's Dad]

The original Chinese made Clasiic Vibe Stratocasters had Tonrider pickups factory fitted. The different models, ie the 50s, 60s and Simon Neil Strat, had the different models of Tonerider but they were Tonerider. i think someone asked the Tonerider guys the question and it was all nudge nudge stuff. I think there were legal issues which stopped them from confirming it was their pickups in the guitars.
But the new Classic Vibe guitars are made in Indonesia. I have not tried one of these, or looked inside, so I could not say what pickups are in them. But I have spoken to someone who owns one and he says they are not as good as the original Chinese CV Strats. So make of that what you will.
And as an aside, the Simon Neil Stratocaster was, pound for pound, the best Strat Squier have ever produced. Sadly, they've stopped making them. Even more saddly, I sold mine after getting a silly offer.

Hmm, yes, I very much doubt the CV has Toneriders fitted as they are a moderately more expensive than the spec of a Squier would permit. I recently owned a Squier CV Strat and the pups didn't sound like Surfaris to me having fitted Surfaris to another Strat myself a couple of years or so ago.

Fender wouldn't pay anything like the full retail price for the pickups, and the Classic Vibe, great guitar that it is, does cut some corners. Among other things the tremolo block seems to be made of cheese and I've replaced mine with a Wilkinson. Another indicator that they're Toneriders is that they are Alnico 3, and you don't see many of those. There can be a million reason why two guitars with the same pickups will sound different. I did say I was sceptical at first but I've seen enough evidence to convince me.

Len