Curtis Novak Pickups Strat-V High Wind Pickup Set — Essential Fender Stratocaster Upgrade

Curtis Novak Pickups returns to the channel — this time with a full Strat-V High Wind set in all three positions. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Curtis Novak Strat-V High Wind Pickup Set takes center stage — all three positions, installed in the Fender Custom Shop 1960 Journeyman Relic Stratocaster with Emerson Custom S5B Blender 5-Way Wiring Kit and Treble Bleed, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact, R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44, and Effectrode Tube Vibe feature in the second half.

Get a Curtis Novak Strat-V High Wind set: https://www.curtisnovak.com/shop/strat-v/

The Strat-V is Curtis Novak's vintage-specification Stratocaster single coil — voiced for the warm, chimey, bloom-heavy character of a classic '60s Strat. The High Wind variant adds output compared to the standard Strat-V, pushing the amp harder at lower volume settings and delivering more body and fullness across all five positions. Middle pickup is reverse-wound/reverse-polarity for hum cancellation in positions 2 and 4.

This demo contrasts with the previous Curtis Novak Strat video, which featured the Strat-V High Wind neck and middle paired with the Strat-TB Telecaster-style bridge pickup. Here, the Strat-V High Wind runs in all three positions — a more consistent tonal character across the full sweep of the 5-way, with the bridge position showing what a high-wind vintage-voiced single coil sounds like against the beefier Strat-TB alternative from the previous demo.

The Emerson Custom Blender wiring is explored from 08:21 — blending the neck pickup into the bridge and bridge middle positions, giving parallel neck+bridge combinations unavailable on standard Strat wiring. The Rangemaster into pushed Monarch combination from 12:00 is where the High Wind output shines most: more input level to the boost means a wider cleanup sweep and a fatter, more authoritative fuzz character.

Grab an Emerson Custom Treble Bleed: https://emersoncustom.com/products/2017-treble-bleed-circuit-volume-mod?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG
Emerson Custom Strat Blender Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/products/s5b-blender-5-way-strat-prewired-kit?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG

🎸 Curtis Novak Pickups: https://www.curtisnovak.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

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🎸 Fender Custom Shop '60 Journeyman Relic Strat | Curtis Novak Strat-V High Wind (All 3 Positions) | Emerson Custom S5B Blender + Treble Bleed
🎛️ Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 | Effectrode Tube Vibe
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 12