Full Description
The Ultimate in Vintage Strat Tone, combined with Class-Leading Hum-Cancellation
The Apex Classic allows players to enjoy breathtaking vintage Strat tone - rich with detail and with bell-like chime, but without the hum. From stage to studio, our twin coil design allows for the natural movement of the strings to be unimpeded, and the lack of metal plates choking the magnetic circuit mean that the Apex doesn't have the harsh, nasal sound of many other hum-cancelling pickups. This breakthrough design delivers superb tone even in the hard to recreate "quack" positions (the 2 and 4 parallel positions on a five-way switch). The ultimate players pickup, the Apex Classic makes any Strat "unputdownable!"
Made for Easy Installation
Our low profile design allows for the height of the main product to be just over 0.8inches (20mm), meaning that installation is easy on guitars with vintage or modern pickup cavities without any routing required.
Designed for Maximum Compatibility
Apex Classics are wound to match the polarity common on most humbuckers and P90s, making them easy to match with humbuckers, soapbars, dogears from all major manufacturers. On each pickup there are three wires - a ground wire that connects all metal parts (green), a coil start wire (black), and a coil finish wire (white/yellow). This means if any phase issue with another manufacturer's pickup is encountered, the Apex pickups start and finish wires can be swapped, resulting in an in-phase sound.
Screws and Springs Included for all Pickguard Styles
Apex Classic use Imperial 6/32 screws for easy installation. We've included two sets of screws (panhead and countersunk), so no matter your pickguard style we've got you covered.
Apex use standard covers
In a first for noiseless pickups, Apex Classics use standard sized Strat covers. No custom tall covers are used. This means the whole Tonerider range of nylon covers can be used, as well as easy to find covers from Fender and other manufacturers. In most cases when you change to Apex pickups on a vintage or older guitar, you'll have the option to use your original covers to maintain the aged look of your guitar. We included our beautiful deep pearl white nylon covers as standard.
Tech Specs
| Apex Neck | Apex Middle | Apex Bridge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | APS1-N | APS1-M | APS1-B |
| Magnet | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 |
| DCR | 6.3k | 6.3k | 7.0k |
| Inductance | 2.3H | 2.3H | 2.8H |
| Magnet Stagger Options | Right, Left or Flat | Right, Left or Flat | Right, Left or Flat |
| Hookup Wire | XLPE | XLPE | XLPE |
| Polarity | North Pole Up | South Pole Up | North Pole Up |
Dimensions
Wiring Diagrams
Full Description
The Ultimate in Vintage Strat Tone, combined with Class-Leading Hum-Cancellation
The Apex Classic allows players to enjoy breathtaking vintage Strat tone - rich with detail and with bell-like chime, but without the hum. From stage to studio, our twin coil design allows for the natural movement of the strings to be unimpeded, and the lack of metal plates choking the magnetic circuit mean that the Apex doesn't have the harsh, nasal sound of many other hum-cancelling pickups. This breakthrough design delivers superb tone even in the hard to recreate "quack" positions (the 2 and 4 parallel positions on a five-way switch). The ultimate players pickup, the Apex Classic makes any Strat "unputdownable!"
Made for Easy Installation
Our low profile design allows for the height of the main product to be just over 0.8inches (20mm), meaning that installation is easy on guitars with vintage or modern pickup cavities without any routing required.
Designed for Maximum Compatibility
Apex Classics are wound to match the polarity common on most humbuckers and P90s, making them easy to match with humbuckers, soapbars, dogears from all major manufacturers. On each pickup there are three wires - a ground wire that connects all metal parts (green), a coil start wire (black), and a coil finish wire (white/yellow). This means if any phase issue with another manufacturer's pickup is encountered, the Apex pickups start and finish wires can be swapped, resulting in an in-phase sound.
Screws and Springs Included for all Pickguard Styles
Apex Classic use Imperial 6/32 screws for easy installation. We've included two sets of screws (panhead and countersunk), so no matter your pickguard style we've got you covered.
Apex use standard covers
In a first for noiseless pickups, Apex Classics use standard sized Strat covers. No custom tall covers are used. This means the whole Tonerider range of nylon covers can be used, as well as easy to find covers from Fender and other manufacturers. In most cases when you change to Apex pickups on a vintage or older guitar, you'll have the option to use your original covers to maintain the aged look of your guitar. We included our beautiful deep pearl white nylon covers as standard.
Tech Specs
| Apex Neck | Apex Middle | Apex Bridge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | APS1-N | APS1-M | APS1-B |
| Magnet | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 |
| DCR | 6.3k | 6.3k | 7.0k |
| Inductance | 2.3H | 2.3H | 2.8H |
| Magnet Stagger Options | Right, Left or Flat | Right, Left or Flat | Right, Left or Flat |
| Hookup Wire | XLPE | XLPE | XLPE |
| Polarity | North Pole Up | South Pole Up | North Pole Up |
Dimensions
Installation & Wiring Diagrams
Media
Customer Reviews
I bought these before some of the video reviews went up, and WOW! I’m blown away!
Most noiseless offerings (including Kinmans and DiMarzio, which I’ve tried before) lose a little top end sparkle. Not so these Apex pickups which retain every bit of top end sparkle - and that’s using my original 250K pots.
The 'out-of-phase' sounds in the in-between positions really stands out - that classic Dire Straits Strat 'quack’ is there in spades. I am stunned.
Finally they hum-cancel more effectively than some full-size humbuckers I own…dead silence!
I'm usually nit-picking to find something that can be improved - but here I’m impressed, very impressed.
At the risk of using hackneyed 'tone words', I'd say these pickups are magnificent. I have the Surfaris, the City Limits, and the A2 blues pickups as well.
Tonerider pickups are always top of the heap in build quality, and these are no exception. Opening the box and seeing the spotlessness of each pickup, I got a touch emotional. Holding something so nice, and knowing that I would get to use it for my music, was a special moment.
The output: They seem to be slightly quieter than a traditional strat pickup, which is expected from a noiseless design. But not as quiet as my Dimarzio HS-3 set, those are borderline unusable without a boost.
The Tone: Way different than the Surfaris and the HS-3 set. There isn't any 'honkiness' or 'woodiness', aka there's not much mids or upper mids. This is a great thing, as the 'sparkle' of the treble and 'richness' of the low end makes these pickups sound 'hi-fi'. If you were going for 'that 50's sound' which is honky bordering on boxy, these pickups are not for you. If you want 'spanky', 'bell like', 'slinky', 'warm and bright', 'articulate', that's where these live.
The 'noiseless' element: I will continue to test this, it seems like a well shielded and grounded traditional single coil is just as quiet as these pickups, but my studio is RF free and well wired. I'll try to simulate an old saloon with fluorescents/dirty power and see how they do.
The Verdict: I haven't tried Fender or Duncan Noiseless, but these are fantastic strat pickups, better than the HS-3, different than the Surfaris, and the build quality is unsurpassed.
Fun Fact: You can also use them in true single coil mode by adding a wire, which is awesome! That'll be another test one day. So much to do, let's get rockin!
I recently fitted a set of these pickups into my Vintera 2 Strat.
The pickups arrived quickly, and were well packaged.
The install was easy as the Apex set are exactly the right size to use the original Fender pickup covers.
Once everything was soldered in place (thanks to the very clear instructions), it was time to test.
I was amazed at how clear my Strat sounded.
The lows were full, plenty of mids, with lots if presence at the top end.
They are also far quieter than the stock Fender pickups (the reason I bought them).
I was able to compare my 'Apex' Strat with a friend's stock US Strat - and we were both amazed at how much bigger, and clearer the Apex set was.
These pickups are a game-changer.
I came for the low noise, I stayed for the tone.
Thank you Tonerider!