Crazy Person Requires Tele-Health Appointment

Peen Simmons

Peen Simmons

Let’s Get Obtuse!
So I’ve got an American Vintage II 63 tele that is wonderful—playable, resonant, light. But I recently almost had a mental breakdown and sold it because the bridge pickup ain’t doing it for me. Clean with the tone rolled off is good. For brittle super bright stuff it does the job. But it ain’t cutting it for crunch and gain unless you pile on the fuzz. Usable sounds are possible with fussing and workarounds, but it’s just not happening effortlessly. Right now the tone is weak/thin and really spiky—which makes sense as these are going for the vintage wound ‘60s tele thing. The neck pickup is lovely.

I was really close to letting thing thing go then I played a bunch of guitars in shops over the last 10 days and remembered why I bought this one and not the Les Paul, SG, or Strat type objects I always think I want.

So any of you all have a recommendation for a tele bridge pickup for an alder-body vintage type T that is more in the 50s broadcaster vein? Or something that is a bit more Led Zep 1 or 60s rave up vs. broken glass in an angry blender doing the two-step with a limp dishrag at a Bakersfield honky tonk? Basically I’m looking for a warmer, middier, more balanced tone that tames the highs and has a little more girth without necessarily being an overwound hard rock flame thrower. I’m still a retro-inclined player after all.

The Lollar Special T and Fralin Blues Special are on my radar as folks I know IRL recommend them, but I’m not opposed to more economical options or something I might have missed.
 
My tele sounds massive with the Tex-Mex tele pickups that came in it but I'm not sure thats a function of the pickup or the actual guitar itself. My tele can completely rock out if neceessary although I struggle with the noise in my IEMs on most gigs. It's actually pretty ballsy.
 
Interesting. I’ll check those out. I think I had a Nashville Tele once upon a time with the Mexican made version of those and I remember it sounding good but I never really pushed it hard as I mostly used that guitar for clean stratty sounds.

This particular guitar sounds great unplugged. And it sounds really nice on the neck. It just kinda falls flat in the bridge position so I’m pretty certain it’s a bridge pickup that isn’t doing the guitar any favors.

I swapped out the slotted steel saddles and that tightened up things a lot but it’s still not there.
 
How about a Bare Knuckle Blackguard Flat '50? I have the Blackguard '55 Stagger set in my swamp ash tele and absolutely love them, but the '55 bridge pickup might be a bit too strident in the upper frequencies for you. You said 'I’m looking for a warmer, middier, more balanced tone that tames the highs and has a little more girth', and that sounds like the Flat '50 to me.
 
I have the Lollar Special T in my American Professional and it sounds great and I *think* might be more along the lines of what you're looking for. I put that guitar up for sale when I got that HS Tele of mine all set up the way I like, even though it doesn't have a traditional bridge pickup. Your post is making me rethink selling the other one.

Or how about going totally off the reservation and getting one of those humbucker-sized single coils like a Little 59? Or would that be too far astray?
 
Motorik said:
How about a Bare Knuckle Blackguard Flat '50? I have the Blackguard '55 Stagger set in my swamp ash tele and absolutely love them, but the '55 bridge pickup might be a bit too strident in the upper frequencies for you. You said 'I’m looking for a warmer, middier, more balanced tone that tames the highs and has a little more girth', and that sounds like the Flat '50 to me.
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Ooh. That Flat 50 sounds like it might be the right sort of thing. There’s also a Flat 52 that splits the difference a bit and also sounds good. Even the clips of the ‘55s sound more in line with the sound in my head. The Pure Vintage 63s in my tele sound a lot more like the Bareknuckle 68 set and they’re probably just designed for a brighter thing than I’m looking for.
 
smurfco said:
Or how about going totally off the reservation and getting one of those humbucker-sized single coils like a Little 59? Or would that be too far astray?
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I’ve considered it. That’s the sort of last ditch thing I’ll do if I can’t get this solved otherwise. I’ve had other teles before with bridge pickups I’ve liked.

I think it’s probably just the combo of Alnico 5 and staggered poles and a kinda underwound thing that I’m not loving. I didn’t like the Pure Vintage 65 pickups I had in that Jazzmaster either—especially the bridge. I think I’m just not as into the 60s flavored “grey bobbin” era repro sounds vs. the tones people chase when making 50s inspired “black bobbin” era pickups. And the general thought seems to be that the Pure Vintage 63 pickups are just rebranded Pure Vintage 64s.
 
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My all time favorite Tele bridge pickup is the DiMarzio Twang King. It will do all the things you are looking for. It retains a vintage quality but also eliminates the ice pick factor and delivers a nice phat midrangey single coil sound. I had one in a Tele for 25 years and never thought about swapping it out.
 
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OR for cheap moteh fookes like me...I got as AlNiCo 5/2 from Artec online and it sound real smooth but is still a tele pickup. Can't hurt to try at that price. I also like the Fender Custom Shop Nocaster bridge.
 
I think this might do well for you.

BG A3 Rockwind Bridge Pickup

$50.00 shipped within continental USA...:rawk:- SOLD!!
markweinguitarlessons.com

Here is a rec I made a long time ago.

Which tele bridge & pickup?

I'm doing a telemaster build soon (just waiting on confirmation from the luthier to make the body) and I'm getting ready to start ordering parts now :) I can't afford the likes of hipshot so what bridge do you guys recommend? I'm looking at this offering from Gotoh -...
markweinguitarlessons.com

And it went into a rebuild of my alder CV tele I did an age ago. That is still one of my very favorite guitars and could be the one I would keep if I got rid of my other electrics, which is not happening, but I say it to make a point. The guitar had A5 tele pick up stock in it and I hated the ice pick thing. This along with a complementary sounding P90 in the neck make me love this guitar.
 
Honkridge said:
OR for cheap moteh fookes like me...I got as AlNiCo 5/2 from Artec online and it sound real smooth but is still a tele pickup. Can't hurt to try at that price. I also like the Fender Custom Shop Nocaster bridge.
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+1 Still love my Nocasters. I remember @PunkKitty had them and she goes through guitars and pickups like water :grin: so, I hope she chimes in. Also, you were talking about alnico 3 and I couldn't remember what magnet they have. It's alnico 3. Also, also thanks to google I know how much they cost now. Ouch. $250 for the set.
 
Peen Simmons said:
Yeah. Seems like I’m looking for a flat pole alnico 3 “hot vintage” type thing.
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I dropped a set of Tonerider Hot Classics in my Yamaha Pacifica 402S (which is Tele derived) 11 years ago and still love them. Alnico 3, flat magnet polepieces and definitely a hot vintage thing going on. Budget prices as well so not that big a risk. You can buy the individual pickups as well as the sets.

I can cover everything from twangy country to classic rock with that guitar.
 
If you're looking for more Zep, remember that Page's Tele was a '59 toploader.

I would suggest looking at something later '50s spec for the pickups, like a Duncan Antiquity '55, although my Candy Apple Red Tele has the Planet Tone '63/'64 in the bridge and it's Zep all day and night.

planettone.com

1963-1964 Classic for Tele®

Handmade in the USA to order!!Wound for that classic 60s twang!!Singles are $74.95 each or Calibrated Sets Start at $139.95Current Lead Times Quintessential American 60s tone! It will make your Tele perfect for chickin’ pickin’ or country blues! Of course with the right overdrive and tube amp...
planettone.com planettone.com
 
Bob411 said:
+1 Still love my Nocasters. I remember @PunkKitty had them and she goes through guitars and pickups like water :grin: so, I hope she chimes in. Also, you were talking about alnico 3 and I couldn't remember what magnet they have. It's alnico 3. Also, also thanks to google I know how much they cost now. Ouch. $250 for the set.
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Nocasters are great pickups.
 
Well, I spent a bunch of time researching early 50s broadcaster and nocaster and early blackguard bridge pickup technical specs and then I ordered a custom wind from Bootstrap (who makes very affordable handwound pickups) with Broadcaster specs. We’ll see if this does the trick.
 
Peen Simmons said:
Well, I spent a bunch of time researching early 50s broadcaster and nocaster and early blackguard bridge pickup technical specs and then I ordered a custom wind from Bootstrap (who makes very affordable handwound pickups) with Broadcaster specs. We’ll see if this does the trick.
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I have a set of Bootstrap's Big Spotted Cats in my WhiteOut Jaguar. They're pretty sweet.
 
smurfco said:
I have the Lollar Special T in my American Professional and it sounds great and I *think* might be more along the lines of what you're looking for. I put that guitar up for sale when I got that HS Tele of mine all set up the way I like, even though it doesn't have a traditional bridge pickup. Your post is making me rethink selling the other one.

Or how about going totally off the reservation and getting one of those humbucker-sized single coils like a Little 59? Or would that be too far astray?
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One of my students went with those in her American Pro II tele and it made it sound great,
 
Peen Simmons said:
Well, I spent a bunch of time researching early 50s broadcaster and nocaster and early blackguard bridge pickup technical specs and then I ordered a custom wind from Bootstrap (who makes very affordable handwound pickups) with Broadcaster specs. We’ll see if this does the trick.
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I'm very keen to hear how you get on with that new bridge pickup.
 
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