Fat 50's Custom Shop pickups review and upgrade for Hank Marvin style Fender 50's classic Mexican Stratocaster -

 The kit of parts to update the 2017 Fender 50's Stratocaster.

Matching white knobs and switch tip

I recently came across the Custom Shop Fat 50's pickups on the 1959 Custom Shop stratocaster I recently purchased. They sounded very close to the ones on Hank Marvin's original 1959 stratocaster which he used with the Shadows from 1959-61.

I purchased a near new Mex 50's Stratocaster in 2018 and although stock it played and sounded ok. The use of the aged plastic parts on the post 2015 Mexican 50's guitars isn't something I really go for but I left them on the guitar as they were functional. The Mex pickups are vintage type around 5.0 ohms and the Fat 50's set are 6 plus.

I did take the precaution of measuring the pickup covers and pole pieces before purchasing the Fat 50s pickups to avoid any alignment problems, I think this was worthwhile and paid off later.

The knobs and switch tips replaced - 

already improves the look

So, I decided to get the Mexican 50's guitar nearer to an original with this simple upgrade. I was unsure if they used the 5 way circuit board type switch as I am sure an earlier Mex 50's I owned had one, so I purchased a Fender 5 way Oak type switch as a precaution, it also had a white tip which was useful. In this case the Mex 50s guitar had an Oak type switch fitted already as standard.

I replaced the knobs first and then the switch blade, it looked like the size of  a USA one so I installed the white tip which fitted nicely. Then I removed the strings and scratch plate to do the wiring. Luckily this guitar had full size pots and a USA type of 5 way switch, so it was just a small matter of doing a bit of soldering in on the new pickup wires.

The original pickups in the guitar looked like Tonerider construction ones I have used before and had surgical tube spacers instead of springs fitted, the new ones have the same type spacers as supplied.

I noted when I took the scratch plate off how much cruddy dried cutting compound paste had been left in the body cavity, I had to chip the crusty accumulation away in places around the pickup routes which was tilting the middle pickup. However, it is now cleaner inside. Even custom shop guitars have not been clean inside I have found! 

With a quick soldering job done I had the plate back on and with a set of D'addario 9's installed I was soon back in action. A set up of the pickups heights to get the correct sound against the Shadows tracks from the 1959-61 era and for about an hour's work I had a nicer sounding guitar.

The pickups aligned perfectly beneath their respective strings across the guitar. The Fat 50's are higher output than the Mex 50s' ones that were in the guitar, but they are not harsh. Adjusted properly they are just great. 

If you like country style music then these might well suit that sound. If you want that early Hank Marvin 'crash' sound, then they just need getting closer to the strings

The sound quality was good on the originally fitted pickups, if a bit underpowered but the new ones are very much closer to the sound of the original Hank Marvin guitar, a Birdseye maple necked Stratocaster from 1959 with gold hardware.

All white parts for a nice colour match - 

I think this red and white is the best colour scheme

the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette had the same colours

I use a clean sound and on the upgraded guitar the picked notes work really well, the front pickup is warm sounding across the strings, the middle a bit tighter sounding (more treble) and as it should sound, the bridge pickup is incisive without being harsh - you will have to adjust the heights to get the rounded sort of sound you want without the guitar sounding harsh.

I had a template sound to acheive and against backing tracks I was pleased with the result. For a clean sound which is my preference, these pickups are great. Against my template sound, the guitar sounds more accurate to the original sound of Hank's 1959 Stratocaster than with the original Mex 50s pickups, so I would say a good improvement on an already nice guitar.

I find the 2015 onwards Mexican Stratocasters great guitars - 

the neck was retooled for this year and is more comfortable

So I would recommend this upgrade if you want to elevate your 50's Mexican Stratocaster. I have had a number of these guitars over the years and have found the 2015 and later ones with the retooled neck and upgraded hardware in terms of pickups and electrical parts are very good.

Against a 57 USA reissue from 2013 I found it almost as good, for a fraction of the price. 

The price of the pickups I bought was competitive and for the money I would say great value. Being Fender parts, they offer a straightforward installation, although I did check the dimensions first off just to be sure. I don't think you will be disappointed with these.