Which pickups for rock

I have a CV50 Tele which I'm going to do some work on after having it now for 2 years. I'm going to put a rosewood fingerboard neck on it to start with.

OK - I don't particularly like the twangy Tele sound, as I don't play music suited to it and the reason I bought the Tele (before you ask) is because I love the look of it and because it is a substantial piece of wood (I play a Les Paul as well, for same reasons and don't like strats as I find them insignificant in comparison).

I want to play rock and gritty blues with it (ACDC /GNR to Rory Gallagher - yes he played a strat). I need cleans to be crisp and clear (for some intros) and I need to be able to overdive and dirty it up without it becoming a mush. I quite like the sound of Dimarzios (I assume) when I watch youtube videos of some of the better Ibanez models, but I am open to suggestions, as I am not very experienced.

I put a switchcraft jack and electrosocket in it last year and will be changing the rest of the electrics with this upgrade.

Welcome your suggestions and comments
Thanks
Andy

Here's what I did to my cv50. It was vb, I stripped it. Then I put a CVC rosewood neck on. Changed all the electronics. New switch, 375k vol pot and 250k tone. .033 Mallory cap. For pickups I went with a lollar firebird in the neck and a voodoo te50 bridge. Awesome for rock and blues.
The dimarzio pre-b1 is a decent choice. I also like the true velvet t neck. Fender twisted tele is awesome for Strat like sounds and I really like the nocaster bridge. Darker sounding than a traditional tele bridge.

I have to agree with you there, tele's are beautiful guitars! Which CV 50's model do you have? I have a CV 50's Alnico III bridge pup (from the Vintage Blonde) in my Esquire and it can definitely rock! You can spend good money and not get a better bridge pup than this one.

I thought it was a little thin sounding when clean, even at higher volume. It was OK with some dirt, but I kept wanting more oomph all around. The te50 wasn't cheap, but my search is over.

Duncan Antiquity + TS808. All the Blues/Rock you want...

Fender Texas Specials rock.

+1 on the TX. Those pickups rock.

That would be the 'custom shop' Tex. Specials.

I recently put a Lil 59 and STR1 in my Tele. I find that it rocks pretty good.

I feel you can always "dirty up" clean pickups with a boost pedal of some sort, but you cant make hot pickups cleaner. Im voting keep what you have.

Thanks very much for the replies so far. The stock pickups are very good and I agree that with a decent OD pedal you can get a great rock /gritty blues sound. I started looking for a change as I fancied a humbucker in the neck and then thought I needed a bridge change too. The stock CV50 pickups are said to be unbranded Toneriders and if that's the quality of all Tonerider pickups then I'm interested in their Alnico 4 PAF. It measures at 7.9, so maybe it wouldn't overpower the bridge - what do you think?

Tone rider humbuckers are great .I had a set of Rocksongs in a Epiphone Dot and they transformed the guitar .

I have to agree with you there, tele's are beautiful guitars! Which CV 50's model do you have? I have a CV 50's Alnico III bridge pup (from the Vintage Blonde) in my Esquire and it can definitely rock! You can spend good money and not get a better bridge pup than this one.

100%. The A3 bridge rocks.

100%. The A3 bridge rocks.

+1000

I have a Franken-Tele I built and right now it's sporting a Dimarzio Area T Hot in the bridge and on Dimarzio's recommendation, I tried and Air Classic Humbucker in the neck. This has proven to be good for clean and dirty. The neck pickup is not muddy and to my ears anyway, very sweet sounding. Best I've tried so far.

Man, the bridge pickup on my Vintage Blonde CV50 is awesome for rockin' out. I wouldn't change it. I've heard the bridge pickup on the other CV50 isn't as good but the A3 in the Vintage Blonde sounds really good to me.

Which pickups for rock?

Any. Seriously. Just plug into a decent tube and and turn it right up.

Dimarzio Area T and Area T Hot for bridge.