Two major differences distinguish an excellent vintage Strat® pickup from an average one: treble response and dynamics. An excellent pickup provides a clear, bright sound without being thin. It makes the sound jump out of the amp when you attack the strings hard and lets it drop back when you play softly; the tone also varies depending on where the string is picked. The best pickup of this kind we have ever heard dates from 1958, and that is what inspired the Area 58™, with two major differences: our pickup has much less magnetic pull and produces virtually no hum.
The Area 58™ shares obvious similarities with the Virtual Vintage® 2.1 it replaces, but several invisible performance factors have been modified. The dynamic range and string definition are significantly increased, improving both clean chord work and overdriven solos. The Area 58™ is very sensitive to height adjustments: close to the strings, it produces a richer, slightly compressed blues sound, while moving it away produces a crystalline clean sound. Finally, noise reduction has been optimized. All Virtual Vintage® pickups offer better hum reduction than standard single-coil pickups. The Area 58™ and Area 61™ models are even quieter.
Recommended for: Neck and middle positions; can also be used in the bridge position.
Quick Connect: No
Wiring: 4-conductor
Magnet: Alnico 2
Resistance: 6.15 kΩ
Year of introduction: 2006