“Experience”

Experience™ Stratocaster Pickup Set

Inspired by the powerful voice of the early gray-bottom Stratocasters. Vintage character with added authority.

The Experience™ is my interpretation of the hotter Stratocaster pickups that began appearing during the early gray-bottom era of the mid-1960s. While they retained the unmistakable clarity and dynamic response that made the Stratocaster legendary, these pickups offered a little more output, stronger mids, and a fuller, more commanding voice.

Built with vintage-correct 42 AWG Plain Enamel magnet wire and Alnico 5 rod magnets, the Experience™ is the highest-output Strat set in the Rumpelstiltskin lineup while remaining firmly rooted in vintage design. The added output brings greater sustain, thicker mids, and a more assertive attack without sacrificing the openness, articulation, and touch sensitivity that define a great vintage Stratocaster.

The Experience™ is designed for players who want a fuller Strat tone that pushes an amplifier just a little harder while preserving exceptional clarity and note separation. Chords remain balanced and articulate, single notes develop rich harmonic structure, and overdriven tones become thicker and more vocal without losing the unmistakable character of a traditional single-coil pickup.

Compared to the Gray Gypsy™, the Experience™ delivers a fuller midrange, warmer overall response, and greater output. It retains the familiar sparkle of a vintage Strat while offering the added weight and authority many players prefer for blues, classic rock, roots music, and expressive lead work.

Rather than simply reproducing vintage specifications, I spent years studying what made the finest original examples so inspiring to play. Every aspect of the Experience™ was refined through careful listening, comparison, and development to create a pickup that captures the spirit of those exceptional instruments while providing the consistency expected from a modern boutique pickup.

Features

• Inspired by early gray-bottom Stratocaster pickups of the mid-1960s

• Hand-built one pickup at a time in the USA

• Gray vulcanized fiber bottoms with black vulcanized fiber tops

• Vintage-correct 42 AWG Plain Enamel copper magnet wire

• Hand-beveled Alnico 5 rod magnets

• Highest-output Strat set in the Rumpelstiltskin lineup

• Rich midrange, warm highs, and outstanding dynamic response

• Available with Vintage Stagger, Low-G Stagger, or Flat Pole options

Specifications

Bobbin Material
Gray Vulcanized Fiber Bottoms / Black Vulcanized Fiber Tops

Magnet Wire
42 AWG Plain Enamel Copper

Magnet Grade
Alnico 5

DC Resistance (±5%)

Bridge: 6.8kΩ

Middle: 6.2kΩ

Neck: 6.2kΩ

As with all vintage style hand-made pickups, DC resistance is provided as a reference only and should not be interpreted as a direct measure of tone or output.

Pricing

Strat Singles - $120

Full Sets - $360