Blackout tele deluxe

couldn't find one for these so i thought i'd start one.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/broncstomper/maggie-4.jpg,
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/broncstomper/maggie-3.jpg,
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/broncstomper/maggie-6.jpg,
After a good set up this thing is a real player(greasy fast).

couldn't find one for these so i thought i'd start one.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/broncstomper/maggie-4.jpg,
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/broncstomper/maggie-3.jpg,
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/broncstomper/maggie-6.jpg,
After a good set up this thing is a real player(greasy fast).
Oh yeah, I could live with that!

Cool! :cool:

And yes, it's about time for a Blackout thread. I love the look of these beauties. Back in early 2008 I was GASing big time for one, but I couldn't find one anywhere. I searched in vain for one here in Corpus, and in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and several of its environs. I didn't want to buy one sight unseen, unplayed, so I was hesitant to order one.

But then as it turned out, oddly enough :shock:, I wound up pulling the trigger on a (Logan) custom made guitar. Sight unseen, yes. Unplayed, yes. I don't know why I was reluctant to order a Blackout but eventually accepted the idea of ordering a custom-made guitar. But fortunately for me, it turned out to be the best deal I ever made. Now I have two Logan Custom Teles. But I still love the look of the FMIC Blackout Tele.

Talk to me about the pups. Are the stock pups pretty good...or just okay...or crappy? Are the middle and neck position pups the same? Are you able to get a lot of versatile sounds out of the different switching options?

I like he sound of the pickups. I tend to run in the neck or bridge most of the time.I'm not sure if the neck and middle sre the same but they seem to be. Running the neck and middle remind me of a warm strat sound. the bridge pick up is hot and quacky.It gets pretty close to the tele sound i like. But i have been playing a tele plus since 97. Some seem to not like the pick ups. the website just calls them vintage, but i really like the warm to bright sounds i get out of it.

We had a lot of those up here in the northeast and they're truly sweet guitars! Played great and sounded great!

I like he sound of the pickups. I tend to run in the neck or bridge most of the time.I'm not sure if the neck and middle sre the same but they seem to be. Running the neck and middle remind me of a warm strat sound. the bridge pick up is hot and quacky.It gets pretty close to the tele sound i like. But i have been playing a tele plus since 97. Some seem to not like the pick ups. the website just calls them vintage, but i really like the warm to bright sounds i get out of it.

Yeah, I can't remember where now, but back a couple of years ago I read a review that was less than favorable of the pups. The description "Vintage" didn't help sell the guitar, IMHO. Too vague.

I did eventually get to play one, BTW, and sorry to say I was underwhelmed with the pups and the resonance of the body. But you know how that stuff goes; one coming off the line can seem dead, and yet another can be very resonant. So I tried not to make my judgment on just my one experience.

We had a lot of those up here in the northeast and they're truly sweet guitars! Played great and sounded great!

Interesting. I wonder why your region saw a lot of this model while down here sightings were and are rare. The local GC basically said they would not stock it, and another local store has only had one in the past couple of years.

Hey all. I hadn't even heard about this model until I saw one in a random GC a few weeks ago. And 3 days ago, I became the proud owner of one! :grin: The pickups are nothing special, yet there's just something about 2 tele pickups in a black on black guitar with a maple neck that I couldn't resist. I'm in the process of posting demo videos on youtube. If you're interested in the basic tones, feel free to check me out as Tamotsu101.

Here's a phone pic of said "victim". Muahaha!
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/538/11_1_2.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l87/broncstomper/maggie-4.jpg,

I have that amp too!!!! i love it soo much~!

got mine for fathers day last year.....love it, but replaced the bridge pickup with a duncan lil '59 and push pull coils split....

love it.

I have one.....I like it.....the pickups are not very hot but I am ok with the sound .....warm and bluesy ....!

Looks like the necks are great, and the pickups are strat like, but coulkd always be upgrade or a cool platform to mod. I keep seeing these for around $350 and seems like a sweet guitar for the price.

Interesting. I wonder why your region saw a lot of this model while down here sightings were and are rare. The local GC basically said they would not stock it, and another local store has only had one in the past couple of years.

Larry, sorry you missed it. I got it. The used one that appeared at GC in March, that is. I played it before spring break, went up to Austin and tried a bunch of new and used teles and didn't find anything I really wanted. When I got back to town, it was still on the wall so I tried it again, offered them $300; they countered with $350, tried it once more, and took it home.

But you're right. That one, and another at the other store in town are the only ones I've seen here.

This one is a good one: fast neck, thick enough but not too thick; sustains forever; capable of lots of different sounds. Later on, I might consider changing out the bridge and neck PUPS and modifying the 5-way or adding a mini-toggle to get the traditional tele bridge/neck combo; but for now, I like it the way it is.

yo. sweet.
i have a standard HH red one w/ maple neck.
i would swear these have (at least) USA necks!!

....shhhhhhh!!!:wink:

Larry, sorry you missed it. I got it. The used one that appeared at GC in March, that is. I played it before spring break, went up to Austin and tried a bunch of new and used teles and didn't find anything I really wanted. When I got back to town, it was still on the wall so I tried it again, offered them $300; they countered with $350, tried it once more, and took it home.

But you're right. That one, and another at the other store in town are the only ones I've seen here.

This one is a good one: fast neck, thick enough but not too thick; sustains forever; capable of lots of different sounds. Later on, I might consider changing out the bridge and neck PUPS and modifying the 5-way or adding a mini-toggle to get the traditional tele bridge/neck combo; but for now, I like it the way it is.

Pops, I don't remember interacting with you before on this forum. Are you in Corpus? :shock: It sounds like it from your comments, and from the "CC" in your username. Or am I putting 2+2 together and somehow coming up with 5?

If so, I guess the "other store in town" to which you refer is the one I call "Bad Vibrations." :wink: Got tired of dealing with the owner there; he's got a couple of good people working for him, though. I never saw a Blackout at our GC; I just knew about the one at "that other place."

And I'm not really sorry about the way things worked out. I probably would not have found Logan Custom Guitars if I had acquired a Blackout back in the day. And I couldn't be happier with my Logans. (I now have three.) But as I said before, the Blackout sure catches my eye.

Pops, I don't remember interacting with you before on this forum. Are you in Corpus? :shock: It sounds like it from your comments, and from the "CC" in your username. Or am I putting 2+2 together and somehow coming up with 5?

If so, I guess the "other store in town" to which you refer is the one I call "Bad Vibrations." :wink: Got tired of dealing with the owner there; he's got a couple of good people working for him, though. I never saw a Blackout at our GC; I just knew about the one at "that other place."

And I'm not really sorry about the way things worked out. I probably would not have found Logan Custom Guitars if I had acquired a Blackout back in the day. And I couldn't be happier with my Logans. (I now have three.) But as I said before, the Blackout sure catches my eye.

You're right; the CC is for Corpus Christi. Been a member since March, and a lurker before that.

And, sorry you've had problems at the other store; I haven't, and enjoy just visiting sometimes. Different strokes, I guess... As for GC, I check it out from time to time, mainly looking for used bargains or new stuff.

On the blackout, I didn't know whether you'd seen it or not, and just wanted to let you know what happened to it if you had. I'm not familiar with the Logan guitars; I'll have to check them out. (Although I don't really need another guitar, except maybe a 12-string, or a Dobro, or a classical. . . :smile:)

Well, Pops, sounds like you got one heckuva deal on that Blackout. Congrats!

And that's great that you live here. I think we need to get together sometime. Look for a private message from me.

I think a black headstock and black fingerboard would be very cool looking on one of these. Has anyone seen or modified one like that? I don't know how an ebony fingerboard would work...

Here's mine, it will be getting an allparts rosewood 7.25 vintage neck pretty soon.

http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo54/frankb/my%20guitars/IMG_8050.jpg

Frank B. when you get the new one i would love to buy the old one for a project.

Frank, I don't get it. Part of the appeal to me of a Blackout is the light/dark contrast: the chrome hardware on a black body with a blackguard, and the maple neck and board. I wouldn't have a black cap on the headstock or a rosewood or ebony board.

But of course, when it comes to tastes regarding appearances, to each his own.

I do love the tint and the DBO's looks... trust me. This is one of the reasons I bought the guitar, heck I didn't even play or see one before I ordered it, I thought it looked awesome.

However, there is no point in me owning this guitar if I'm not going to mod the neck, it doesn't suit me and I hardly ever pick it now.

So it's definitely 7.25 w/ vintage frets, but indeed I'm still a bit torn between maple & rosewood though... I'd love to get maple on it to maintain that look she has. Thing is, all my other teles have a maple neck.

I'd love the get the exact same neck the AV 52 RI have, that would be perfect.

Well, I can certainly understand the need for change regarding neck profile and radius. And if you decide to go with rosewood to different from your other Teles, of course that's understandable, too.

For a long time, my local GC had an AV52 out on display. I would use that guitar to test out amps. I get along with that neck just fine.

So I guess it's cool no matter which way you go. But just remember, pics or it didn't happen! :razz: :lol:

You know, broncstomper started this thread after not finding one here in the club section. But there have actually been a number of threads started about the Blackout, and even more that mention it. I've already said that I was looking for a Blackout back in early 2008. What I haven't said yet in this thread is that I started a thread about the Blackout in the main Telecaster Discussion Forum (back before this "Guitar Club" section existed).

Of course, these threads are not in this club section and are tantamount to historical archives now; reviving them would draw the derogatory term "zombie." But going back to read about them back in the first months after this guitar hit the market can be interesting and perhaps instructive. Here is the link to mine and one other. If you go to the Telecaster Discussion Forum and do a search on "Blackout," you find quite a few others as well.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/110448-deluxe-blackout-tele.html
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/147982-blackout-tele.html

Got to see (and of course, hear) PopsCC's Blackout up close and personal today. Since we both live in the same town, we've met up a couple of times now. Today he came over. He brought his sweet 1966 Martin D21. He brought over his Egnater Tweaker. And he brought over the Deluxe Blackout. We jammed and talked for hours. We played acoustics, and we played our Teles. I also got to try out that Tweaker of his. Lots of fun. Once again, I really like the look of the Blackout. And I like its versatility. It does a nice quack, and nice twang. Good times.

I do love the tint and the DBO's looks... trust me. This is one of the reasons I bought the guitar, heck I didn't even play or see one before I ordered it, I thought it looked awesome.

However, there is no point in me owning this guitar if I'm not going to mod the neck, it doesn't suit me and I hardly ever pick it now.

So it's definitely 7.25 w/ vintage frets, but indeed I'm still a bit torn between maple & rosewood though... I'd love to get maple on it to maintain that look she has. Thing is, all my other teles have a maple neck.

I'd love the get the exact same neck the AV 52 RI have, that would be perfect.


Hey, Frank, any new developments? Have you swapped out the neck yet? Or are you still looking for a replacement neck?

I have one and I love it. It needed a fret dressing when I bought it (why isn't that taken care of before it leaves the factory?).

Hey all. I hadn't even heard about this model until I saw one in a random GC a few weeks ago. And 3 days ago, I became the proud owner of one! :grin: The pickups are nothing special, yet there's just something about 2 tele pickups in a black on black guitar with a maple neck that I couldn't resist. I'm in the process of posting demo videos on youtube. If you're interested in the basic tones, feel free to check me out as Tamotsu101.

Here's a phone pic of said "victim". Muahaha!
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/538/11_1_2.jpg

I'd have to disagree about the pups, for the price, they're hot enough. But what sets it off is the out of phase tone betwen the two lip-stick pups; a different sound all together as opposed to the same configuration in the standard Strat:

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/sfcgragg/sfcgraggs%20album/DSC01770-1.jpg
I bought this one just last week.

It was the first time I'd heard of one, and it was on sale (a G.A.S. situation if ever I've known of one :lol: ).
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/sfcgragg/sfcgraggs%20album/DSC01641-2.jpg
Anway, I already have this Standard Tele that I modd'ed into an HH with some hot Stacked DeMazz'es.

Now these are two different sounding Tele's! :cool:

Well, there you have it, in black and white! :razz: :roll:

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/sfcgragg/sfcgraggs%20album/DSC01770-1.jpg http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/sfcgragg/sfcgraggs%20album/DSC01641-2.jpg

Well, there you have it, in black and white! :razz: :roll:


Well... I guess even bad humor can still be good humor :lol:

It's all depenant upon the timing! :wink:

I used to have one, but could never get into it. It was the guitar that turned me into a start man fir write some time. I'd like to get my hands on one again now, I kind of blame my maturity for not liking it...

Don't worry though. I'm back to only having GAS for teles... and the occasional hollow body. :razz:

yo. sweet.
i have a standard HH red one w/ maple neck.
i would swear these have (at least) USA necks!!

....shhhhhhh!!!:wink:

As far as I know, ALL MIM Teles and Strat have US necks. :smile:

I'm going to dig one of these up as a xmas gift to myself.

I'm going to dig one of these up as a xmas gift to myself.

You can't go wrong with it...

Well... I guess even bad humor can still be good humor :lol:

It's all depenant upon the timing! :wink:

Uh, can't figure out if this is a backhanded compliment or just a compliment.

If the "bad humor" remark is about a "groaner" being redeemed by the timing of its usage, then I get it.

If the "bad humor" remark refers to something perceived as inappropriate, the I want to assure you that this was just a comment about the contrasting body colors (which I really admire) using an old school reference of black & white photography vs. color film. Yeah, I am so very old school. :oops:

And of course, if this is a case of my sense of humor being misconstrued, it wouldn't be the first time. :oops:

Uh, can't figure out if this is a backhanded compliment or just a compliment.

If the "bad humor" remark is about a "groaner" being redeemed by the timing of its usage, then I get it.

If the "bad humor" remark refers to something perceived as inappropriate, the I want to assure you that this was just a comment about the contrasting body colors (which I really admire) using an old school reference of black & white photography vs. color film. Yeah, I am so very old school. :oops:

And of course, if this is a case of my sense of humor being misconstrued, it wouldn't be the first time. :oops:

Naw man, it's all good! The bad humor was about the joke "Well, there you have it, in black and white!".... It was a "groan" moment :wink:

Thanks for the prompt reply. I thought it might be nothing more than a comment on the "groaner."

And to express my compliment in a less "punny" way, those Teles are lookers. If I had those, I'd hang 'em side by side for decorative purposes when they weren't in use. But then again...ok, "groaner" alert (yeah, another one), with apologies to the Statler Brothers...

"Hanging Teles on the wall/Doesn't bother me at all."

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/medium/Hanging_Teles_-_IMAG0387_800x478_.jpg

Thanks for the prompt reply. I thought it might be nothing more than a comment on the "groaner."

And to express my compliment in a less "punny" way, those Teles are lookers. If I had those, I'd hang 'em side by side for decorative purposes when they weren't in use. But then again...ok, "groaner" alert (yeah, another one), with apologies to the Statler Brothers...

"Hanging Teles on the wall/Doesn't bother me at all."

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/medium/Hanging_Teles_-_IMAG0387_800x478_.jpg

Sometimes (Just sometimes) the worst jokes are the best! :lol:

By the way, thanks for the Statler Brothers inference... I miss Captain Kangaroo! :cool:

Frank, I don't get it. Part of the appeal to me of a Blackout is the light/dark contrast: the chrome hardware on a black body with a blackguard, and the maple neck and board. I wouldn't have a black cap on the headstock or a rosewood or ebony board.

But of course, when it comes to tastes regarding appearances, to each his own.

I would agree with the look being great because of the contrast but man the playability and tone of maple is unparalleled for the blackout. This is my main guitar and it has every tone under the sun from blues to rock to country. Most versatile guitar period. And I think the pickups are plenty hot. That's what the volume knobs are for, right? Haha

Yeah, beyond the aesthetic qualities of Maple neck & board on the Blackout, the playability of that neck is key for me, too. For the fingerboard, I'm not real fond of Rosewood. I have a couple of acoustic/electric guitars with Rosewood boards, and they're okay, and certainly playable, but I like the feel of Maple so much better. All my Teles have maple boards, and my other two acoustics have ebony.

Yeah, beyond the aesthetic qualities of Maple neck & board on the Blackout, the playability of that neck is key for me, too. For the fingerboard, I'm not real fond of Rosewood. I have a couple of acoustic/electric guitars with Rosewood boards, and they're okay, and certainly playable, but I like the feel of Maple so much better. All my Teles have maple boards, and my other two acoustics have ebony.

I agree on the rosewood. Definitely playable, I have some acoustics with those boards too. But Maple is superior. Took me forever to find it out too.

How did you stumble upon your blackout? Mine was an "ugly duckling" (hahahaha) in a very metal based guitar town here in Springfield IL. I played it once and was sold on it. Price cut from 800 to 400 made the decision so simple. I got a steal.

For me, I played an acoustic with an ebony board for 17 years before getting one with a Rosewood board. I still have both, and play the one with the Rosewood a lot, so it's definitely playable. All three of my Logan Custom Teles have Maple boards. Any future Teles will have Maple boards as well, unless I one day pull the trigger on a Rosewood Tele a la George Harrison.

BTW, I don't own a Blackout. You can read my story about my interest in Blackout in post #3 in this thread, on the previous page. Although I don't own one, I've had a chance to play three of them, including one owned by fellow TDPRI member PopsCC, who has also posted in this thread (again, see previous page).

Since we've started a second page of posts about this beauty of a guitar, I think we need some pics here, too. But since I don't have one of my own (yet?) to post pics of, these stock photos will do the trick.

http://media.fmicdirect.com/fender/images/products/guitars/0135032306_frt_wlg_001.jpg
http://media.fmicdirect.com/fender/images/products/guitars/0135032306_alt_wlg_002.jpg

Really happy with my new purchase!

Congrats! Boy, the Blackout is just one eye-catching beauty, eh? BTW, your pic of yours approximates that stock photo (see my previous post) very well. :grin:

Congrats! Boy, the Blackout is just one eye-catching beauty, eh? BTW, your pic of yours approximates that stock photo (see my previous post) very well. :grin:

I couldn't wait to take a pic of my new guitar, so I just grabbed one off of the net. :)
I love the tones you can get. Do you know the history of the Blackout, year they started making them etc? Also, I'd be interested in learning the specs of the pup's. Are they only available on this Tele model? Any other additional info would be great. Thanks in advance.

I know some of the history of the Blackout. I was GASing for one pretty bad in early 2008, so I copied the stats/specs off of the Fender website when it came out, and kept them in a Word file on my computer. So I know that the model was introduced October of 2007, as a part of the Deluxe Series.

The black color is cataloged as #306, the model # is 013-5032-(306). The Alder body has a Polyester Finish. The 1 piece Maple neck is the Modern C shape, 9.5" radius, Medium Jumbo frets. The width at the nut is 1.650" (42 mm). Unfortunately, FMIC didn't give any specifics about the pups, beyond the simple description "3 Vintage Style Single-Coil Tele® Pickups." Maybe others here have more on the pickups.

I know some of the history of the Blackout. I was GASing for one pretty bad in early 2008, so I copied the stats/specs off of the Fender website when it came out, and kept them in a Word file on my computer. So I know that the model was introduced October of 2007, as a part of the Deluxe Series.

The black color is cataloged as #306, the model # is 013-5032-(306). The Alder body has a Polyester Finish. The 1 piece Maple neck is the Modern C shape, 9.5" radius, Medium Jumbo frets. The width at the nut is 1.650" (42 mm). Unfortunately, FMIC didn't give any specifics about the pups, beyond the simple description "3 Vintage Style Single-Coil Tele® Pickups." Maybe others here have more on the pickups.

Thanks LG. I'll look around some more to see if I can find more information on these pups. I'm interested to know if they are ceramic or alnico. There has to some info out there on them. Cheers and thanks again.

I know some of the history of the Blackout. I was GASing for one pretty bad in early 2008, so I copied the stats/specs off of the Fender website when it came out, and kept them in a Word file on my computer. So I know that the model was introduced October of 2007, as a part of the Deluxe Series.

The black color is cataloged as #306, the model # is 013-5032-(306). The Alder body has a Polyester Finish. The 1 piece Maple neck is the Modern C shape, 9.5" radius, Medium Jumbo frets. The width at the nut is 1.650" (42 mm). Unfortunately, FMIC didn't give any specifics about the pups, beyond the simple description "3 Vintage Style Single-Coil Tele® Pickups." Maybe others here have more on the pickups.

Latest info I have received is that they are Alnico 3's but no confrimation. Looks like they are not ceramic though.

Alnico 3s. Now that you say it, that sounds familiar to me, like I'd heard that before about these pups on the Blackout. Like you, I have no confirmation of this, but it sounds right to me.

One owner (Dallas from South Dakota, don't know if he's a member here) posted a review of the Blackout on the Sam Ash website, commenting about the middle pickup, saying "Its [sic] an Alnico 2 like the neck pickup." I don't know where he got his information, but there it is.

One owner (Dallas from South Dakota, don't know if he's a member here) posted a review of the Blackout on the Sam Ash website, commenting about the middle pickup, saying "Its [sic] an Alnico 2 like the neck pickup." I don't know where he got his information, but there it is.

Thanks for pointing out that review. Interesting that it might be an Alnico 2. The mystery continues.

I've told by Fender that all three pickups are AlNiCo 5's.

Well, that's straight from the horse's mouth, isn't it? I'd say case closed, then. AlNiCo 5s it is.

I'm assuming that the way these pups are wound is the reason for their being dubbed "Vintage Style."

Update: I just received this from my original post to Fender ...
" These are the same pickups as the older Highway One models. These are Alnico 5 magnets that are slightly overwound for higher output. "

Has anybody replaced their Deluxe Blackout pickguard? I need a new one and not sure where to go. Thanks.

Hmmm...Stew-Mac and Guitar Fetish came to mind. But I admit those would be my guesses. I don't know from experience if there are any fit issues between those pickguards and the FMIC Blackout.

Oh, and telemoder, thanks for the info on the pickups. Nice to get some definitive information about them.

x3IXRdfCrqg&feature=related

You guys are on my current wavelength and thanks for the info (new to the forum BTW) ... I have a Blackout Tele (really like this one) ... considering upgrading pickups and am looking at the DiMarzio Area T™ 615 DP424 for the bridge and Area T™ Neck DP417 for mid and neck.

Have you guys done pup upgrades for your Blackout Tele's? If so, interested in the results. Any "gotchas"? I want to retain the Tele sound but move into better pups with less noise. Can you give me the ins/outs of going with "hum-cancelling DiMarzios vs the standard Tele versions? Any youtube or samples would be cool as well. Thanks from a new member.

-- Scriptor

Latest demo: http://www.ricklangdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/58-Weeping-in-Ramah-mix-2.mp3

For more very simple demos of original music: http://www.ricklangdon.com/

Can't really help with your questions about upgrades, but hey, at least let me welcome you to TDPRI. :grin: Good luck with your project.

Can't really help with your questions about upgrades, but hey, at least let me welcome you to TDPRI. :grin: Good luck with your project.

Thanks ... you know I may just talk (or is that play) myself out of this upgrade idea ... the Blackout Tele sounds so good (as I reaffirmed last night after a couple of hours of playing) that I don't want to mess it up ... glad to be here among the Tele Brain Trust ... :mrgreen:

Classic black and chrome,, how can one go wrong...

Thanks ... you know I may just talk (or is that play) myself out of this upgrade idea ... the Blackout Tele sounds so good (as I reaffirmed last night after a couple of hours of playing) that I don't want to mess it up ... glad to be here among the Tele Brain Trust ... :mrgreen:

Is there a learning curve on how best to use the pups on a Blackout? I've heard/read mixed reviews about the pups.

Of the two I've played, one was something of a dud, the other (one belonging to fellow TDPRIer PopsCC...see previous page) quite nice.

Is there a learning curve on how best to use the pups on a Blackout? I've heard/read mixed reviews about the pups.



Well, the X factor is the middle pickup ... the bridge and neck pups are just like any standard Tele ... the middle and bridge combo sort of sounds a little Strat-like to my ears but still with Tele charactier ... I use this combo a lot with mine ... I had the push/pull tone dial mod installed to allow for the neck pup on demand ... this makes sure I get the classic bridge/neck pup combo tone that no Tele should be w/o IMO ...

Hey, Frank, any new developments? Have you swapped out the neck yet? Or are you still looking for a replacement neck?
Nope... It kinda grew on me with time. Before I ordered a neck I spent a bit of time playing with action and the nut one day and finally found its sweet spot.

:mrgreen: has a lil '59 in the bridge w/ push-pull coil tap.

Love my Blackout Tele. I think Leo would have smiled if he had seen the three pup version of the Tele.

Leo was still alive when Gene Parsons and Clarence White invented their "Pull-String" (a.k.a., B-Bender), installed in White's 50s era Tele. I'm not sure when White installed the middle (Strat?) pup on his Tele, but since he was tragically killed in 1973, that third pup was put on there well before Leo died (in 1991). The Nashville series wasn't in production (I don't think) before Leo died, but it seems to me he would have seen that three pickup configuration before his death.

Just speculating here based on what little I know. Anybody have more details of the story?

I've been looking back through this thread a little bit, and have observed that some talk about getting Strat tones from the stock pickups of their Blackouts while others refer to the Blackout's pups as giving a different sound. Thinking about this Strat comparison, the thought occurred to me: has anyone actually tried Strat pups in a Blackout? My mind's just wondering (or wandering, maybe :oops:).

Funny you should mention pickups. Need some help.

I've been playing my blackout and cv back to back for a couple months.
The cv pickups seem to have more bite than the blackout.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a new Neck and also Bridge pickup for the blackout? (I'm not taking out the cv stock pickups either, just clarifying.)

Need more power with the same Tele twang/brightness.

So you're talking about replacing the stock neck and bridge pups in the Blackout, and leaving the middle pup? And you want more twang/brightness? I have a set of DiMarzio Twang Kings in one of my Teles, and in my experience they really earn their name. Definitely twangy and bright.

Also, I've heard nothing but good things about Bill Lawrence Keystones, and heard great sound clips of them (look up Arlo playing "The End Is Not In Sight" on a Pinecaster loaded with Keystones). I want a set of those in my next Tele.

Here's a vid of a guy playing his modded Blackout. He has a DiMarzio Twang King neck pup and was talking about replacing the middle pup with a Twang King.

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I brought my recently purchased Blackout Telecaster to my local luthier for a set-up. When I went back to pick it up he stated that
the intonation was way out and that he had to adjust the saddles to the point where the screws were almost on their last thread. He
surmized that the bridge may have been placed further away from the neck than normal. Any of you Blackout owners (or any others) experience this? Thanks.

I guess it is possible. But I've never heard of that issue on this (Blackout) model.

The body is CNC identical to the Deluxe Nashville (not the Power version) and we'd had no complaints on that model that I can remember, either.

Now, the Blacktop models, those have had issues with bridge placement.

I don't know if Tamotsu101 is one of us (i.e., a TDPRI member), but he has made several YouTube videos demonstrating the tonal distinctions of the Blackout's stock pickups. I posted one of his vids earlier this year (in May, see post #59 above). I just found a couple more.

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Any of you Blackout owners tried switching the neck and middle pickups with each other? No need for rewiring. You end up with position 1) bridge 2) bridge and neck 3) neck 4) neck and middle 5) middle.
Just thinking out loud and was wondering if anybody has tried it. Thanks

Hmmm...interesting idea for a pickup/switching configuration. Are you asking if anyone else has tried it, so as to compare notes with what you've experienced? Or are you asking because your thinking of it in theory but haven't done it yourself yet?

...

Just thinking out loud and was curious to know if any body had tried it. Also, interested to hear members general opinions of the idea.

Any of you Blackout owners tried switching the neck and middle pickups with each other? No need for rewiring. You end up with position 1) bridge 2) bridge and neck 3) neck 4) neck and middle 5) middle.
Just thinking out loud and was wondering if anybody has tried it. Thanks

Well, it's an interesting question. But upon reflection, maybe I misunderstood what you're asking about.

Your statement "switching the neck and middle pickups with each other" first impressed me as taking the lipstick pickup in the neck position and swapping it with the pickup in the middle position. The further comment "No need for rewiring" kind of reinforced that idea for me.

So have I got that right? Are you talking about swapping the two lipstick pickups? Are they different pickups in terms of output? If not, what would swapping them with each other achieve?

Not trying to challenge you here, just trying to make sure I understand.

Well, it's an interesting question. But upon reflection, maybe I misunderstood what you're asking about.

Your statement "switching the neck and middle pickups with each other" first impressed me as taking the lipstick pickup in the neck position and swapping it with the pickup in the middle position. The further comment "No need for rewiring" kind of reinforced that idea for me.

So have I got that right? Are you talking about swapping the two lipstick pickups? Are they different pickups in terms of output? If not, what would swapping them with each other achieve?

Not trying to challenge you here, just trying to make sure I understand.

Yes, swapping may be a better word. Thank you. Both the neck and middle pickup are roughly the same output. What I'm trying to achieve, as an experiment, would be with positions 1-3 you have your standard tele pickup sounds (bridge, bridge-neck, neck) with the added two tones of neck and middle and the lone middle pickup in positions 4 and 5 respectively. Hope that clears it up. I plan on trying this on my next string change. I was just curious to know if anybody had tried this and what they thought of it. Cheers.
Summary:
Position 1 - (switch toward the vol pot) Bridge
Position 2 - Bridge and neck (RWRP neck with bridge)
Position 3 - Neck
Position 4 - Neck and middle (RWRP neck with middle)
Position 5 - Middle

Okay, I get what you're going for. And I think the fog is starting to clear for me, and I'm starting to get how this swap without re-wiring will achieve this set of selection options you desire.

So when you toggle up from the Bridge to second position of your selector, according the manufacturer's design, it's wired to give you Bridge and Middle, but the Middle pup is now in the Neck position. So you get Bridge and Neck.

And toggle the switch to Middle position, since that Middle pup is now in the Neck, you get Neck.

Toggle the selector switch to Position 4, and you get Middle and Neck, or, rather, Neck and Middle.

And then slap the switch all the way up to the 5th position, and by design it's Neck, but since you've swapped it, you get Middle instead.

Right?

Would I be right in saying that this new set of selection options sacrifices the Bridge and Middle combination?

Okay, I get what you're going for. And I think the fog is starting to clear for me, and I'm starting to get how this swap without re-wiring will achieve this set of selection options you desire.

So when you toggle up from the Bridge to second position of your selector, according the manufacturer's design, it's wired to give you Bridge and Middle, but the Middle pup is now in the Neck position. So you get Bridge and Neck.

And toggle the switch to Middle position, since that Middle pup is now in the Neck, you get Neck.

Toggle the selector switch to Position 4, and you get Middle and Neck, or, rather, Neck and Middle.

And then slap the switch all the way up to the 5th position, and by design it's Neck, but since you've swapped it, you get Middle instead.

Right?

Would I be right in saying that this new set of selection options sacrifices the Bridge and Middle combination?

You are correct. The downside is that you would not get the Bridge/Middle combination.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I guess you Canadians have already had your day of thanks (when is that for you again?), and maybe others in this thread are from nations that give thanks on a different day, or don't have an official national day of thanks, but...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I guess you Canadians have already had your day of thanks (when is that for you again?), and maybe others in this thread are from nations that give thanks on a different day, or don't have an official national day of thanks, but...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you. Ours (Canada) was on October 8th this year.

Just got a Blackout on Saturday and I love it so far (my first Tele!). I am planning on installing the Pickup Switch Upgrade from awesomeguitars.com which will give me all combinations of pickups, parallel and series, and in/out of phase (35!). One of the advantages is that I will have the Bridge/Neck combo, but I think that because the middle pup is RWRP on the blackout, the Bridge/Neck combo will produce a hum. Since 2-pup Teles are RWRP, does that mean if I replace my neck pup with a normal Tele neck pup, it will be hum-canceling with my bridge?

Or what about replacing them all with noiseless pups? Any downsides to that (other than $)?

Congrats! :grin:

Can't help you with the mods, but I'm wondering why you're so quickly considering swapping pickups for noiseless. When I've played Blackouts, I haven't noticed an inordinate amount of hum, at least compared to the pups in other Teles. are you getting unacceptable levels of hum?

Congrats! :grin:

Can't help you with the mods, but I'm wondering why you're so quickly considering swapping pickups for noiseless. When I've played Blackouts, I haven't noticed an inordinate amount of hum, at least compared to the pups in other Teles. are you getting unacceptable levels of hum?

Thanks!

I don't think the hum is irregular, it's probably just that this is the first single-coil guitar I've owned in 15 years and I'm not used to it. I'm finding it pretty unpleasant, to the point that I'm actually avoiding using the single-pup settings. Which I know is crazy. I love the tones that they make but the hum really bothers me.

What other options are there besides noiseless? Lace-sensor? What would you suggest? At least on a Gibson you can set it on both pups and just turn the volume down on one.

Merry Christmas, fellow Blackout Tele fans. I'll be out of town for a couple days, so I wanted to express my Christmas wishes to all before I signed off for a while.

Honestly I have used my MXR Noise Gate and a better power supply (1SPOT) and have minimized the hum out of my Fender DeVille. It now sounds crisp and warm, clean or dirty, no matter what. Have you tried those two things bud?

Honestly I have used my MXR Noise Gate and a better power supply (1SPOT) and have minimized the hum out of my Fender DeVille. It now sounds crisp and warm, clean or dirty, no matter what. Have you tried those two things bud?

I think you are addressing me...
I do use a 1spot for my pedals. Anyway, I've pretty much decided to get the EHX Hum Debugger for this issue. Will let you know how it turns out.
Installed the pickup switch upgrade after filing the cavity to make it deep enough. Very happy with it so far:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v122/beave/30FDF2AD-1902-404A-87BB-8582ACE4EA85-1701-000000770214DFB7_zpsf738069b.jpg
Only issue is the volume knob says tone and vice-versa. It should be an easy fix.

Incidentally, I won a Big Block Tele on EBay and it arrives tomorrow. Almost the same as the Blackout but with a rosewood fretboard and block inlays, and a chrome pickguard.

WOW! Looks like you've got every possible pickup selection covered! :grin:

I got my Big Block Tele and ended up swapping necks with my Blackout to make a Big Blockout!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v122/beave/6D6828FA-B522-461D-9BF2-6BB07693C255-1637-00000071F535AAF3_zpsa4014a69.jpg
Black on black in black.

Some differences between the two models, aside from the neck:

The Big Block has bent steel saddles, which deliver a brighter sound than the block style saddles. I really like the sound and might swap them too!

The chrome pickguard on the Big Block all but eliminates hum on the middle and neck pickups, but sacrifices some treble and overall level too. So it actually complements the saddles well.

The Blackout comes with chrome knobs and a black switch cover, and the Big Block has black knobs and a chrome switch cover.

The reason I switched necks is because I wanted the block neck on my main axe, and I had already filed the Blackout's cavity for the pickup switch upgrade. I figured it's better if I can avoid making a permanent change to one of the bodies, especially because I'm a total amateur at this stuff.

The bent steel saddles really added something nice that I didn't expect, so now I have two awesome sounding guitars!

Very nice look to that Big Blockout!

:lol: Big Blockout! :lol: I like it! :grin: Reading that line was a literal "laugh out loud" moment for me!

That big block neck kinda reminds me of the first electric guitar I ever played: my Dad's Harmony Silhouette.

http://harmony.demont.net/images/0/H19_Silhouette_14.jpg

The body shape was a Jaguar copy, but the fretboard that big block style. The headstock was sort of a cross between a Tele and a Strat.

:lol: Big Blockout! :lol: I like it! :grin: Reading that line was a literal "laugh out loud" moment for me!

That big block neck kinda reminds me of the first electric guitar I ever played: my Dad's Harmony Silhouette.

The body shape was a Jaguar copy, but the fretboard that big block style. The headstock was sort of a cross between a Tele and a Strat.

Love the look of that one! And the pickups are beauties too.