Baja Broadcaster pickup compared to others (ice pickyness)?

How do Baja Broadcaster bridge pickup compare to other "similar style" tele pickups in terms of treble, middle and bass levels?

I have no experience in other tele bridge pickups and I am thinking of maybe replacing the Broadcaster with a pickup with a little bit darker tone. I have been looking at Bare Knuckle pickups, but it's hard to choose the correct pickup since I have no clue how does Baja Broadcaster compare to any of those.

I am going to use the pickup on Esquire (with ONLY vol and tone, no switch) and at the moment, I feel that for single pickup use, Baja Broadcaster is slightly too bright.

Thanks for your 2 pesos.

Well, I already tamed some of the trebleness by adding a .033 cap in series with the .047 cap. Now I can get into the sweet spot by rolling the tone a little bit. Excellent.

Anyway, I would like to know how does Baja Broadcaster pup compare for example to

BKP Flat 50 bridge ( https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=teles&sub=vintage&pickup=flat50&series=blackguard )

or

BKP Boss bridge ( https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=teles&sub=vintage_hot&pickup=the_boss )

I would like to know how does Baja Broadcaster pup compare for example to

BKP Flat 50 bridge ( https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=teles&sub=vintage&pickup=flat50&series=blackguard )

or

BKP Boss bridge ( https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=teles&sub=vintage_hot&pickup=the_boss )

Anyone?

Hmmm... I have the BKP Flat 50 and a Baja. Just have not installed it.

The Flat 50 should be a good match and less ice picky.

Bump.

You may also recommend other options than BKP... Please read the first post.

I once had a Baja and I swapped the bridge pup for what was the old Bare Knuckle Flat 50 ( which is now the 52) before they introduced the new darker flat 50.
IMO, the Bare knuckle was very very similar to the Baja's broadcaster pup and wasn't really worth the change- the new higher output Flat 50 may give you the change you require however

At the moment, I have rewired to tone pot to affect only bridge pickup. To get a balanced sound with other pickup positions, I have to roll the tone about -20% - -25%. I am looking for a bridge pickup with moderately darker sound, with a bit more bass than broadcaster. Still, single coil, not humbucker sound.

On an Esquire conversion: just to get ridd of the highest highs, can it be done by adding a resistor or capacitor somewhere? I mean to permanently roll of the highs, so that even when tone pot stays on 10 there is some high cut.

I don't think the Baja bridge pickup is particularly ice picky at all. In fact in a band mix it cuts through nicely, with just a bit in reserve :smile:

On an Esquire conversion: just to get ridd of the highest highs, can it be done by adding a resistor or capacitor somewhere? I mean to permanently roll of the highs, so that even when tone pot stays on 10 there is some high cut.

Adding a resistor in series with the pickup (say, before the switch) will tame some highs. I know this because one time I wired up my tele and forgot to connect the outside lug on the "volume" pot to ground :oops::grin:. Rolling back on that pot would just cut the high end (basically increasing the value of a resistor in series with the signal).

Adding a capacitor in parallel with the pickup (say, from the switch to the back of the vol. pot). This will be like rolling off a tone pot all the way, permanently, so it has to be a very small value. In this wiring http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7440801/Guitar%20Wiring/Esquire3-WayRobDiStefano.jpg I believe Rob took the vintage esquire wiring and changed the bassy neck position (.047 or .05 or .1, can't remember) and replaced it with a smaller cap (0.0047) to get a tele, but less bright, type sound. :cool:

The Baja's CS Broadcaster? - you don't need a better pickup

1) adjust the pickup, raise it until it icepicks (saturates) or touches the strings, then lower it to its sweet spot on treble and bass. Adjust tilt to miss the strings when they are pressed down (palm mute). Adjust neck pickup to match output level. (Icepick is not too much treble, it is a nasty gritty screeching like fingernails on a blackboard, due to saturation/overload in the coil)

2) Do edge back the volume knob to kill the very top end frissance.

3) Do roll back the tone knob to take the edge off the treble.

Result should be a very full and powerful tele bridge pickup, bright but with plenty of bass twang too.

Want an darker sound that's less bright? - that's what the neck pickup is for.

Thanks for tips! I will check them out.

I actually like the Broadcaster pickup very much. Nothing wrong with it. Mainly I was wondering how does it compare to others in terms of bass/mid and specially, treble. I would be most pleased to realize that I don't need to buy a new pickup to get what I want.

Broadcaster works great on my Baja Esquire conversion (only vol and tone, no switch). I will try to tame the treble with caps/resistors just a little bit. At the moment, my tone knob is usually at "6" -- "8". When tone is on "10", I think it's too bright.

Well actually, no one is forcing me to turn the tone to "10" so why to chance anything... :)

Ime adding caps and resistors will prove to be tone suckers.

Do adjust the pickup heights first. Mess about with it to find out what that does.

Try backing off the guitar vol to 7-8 too (wind the amp up).

Another thing is volume. Playing at higher volume needs more treble and less bass. The same thin treble thing sounds better as the volume comes up. Playing through an amp that actually sounds good at low volume may work better than a big stage amp turned down. To get less treble out of an amp, turn the bass up not the treble down &vv.

Let's bump this thread.

I have tried different kind of settings, but have not changed the pickups yet.

I just acquired a Robert Cray strat and frankly, the electric sound wins hands down compared to my Baja. I know that there are differences in woods and pickup combinations, but for example when comparing neck pickup sound alone, I would say that Baja sounds too hard / tight and Cray is smooth / mellow, but still spanky. It's the overall brightness and unpleasant tightness that bothers me. I would describe that the guitar doesn't have a personal sound. It just "is".

By turning the tone knob, I can get ridd of the brightness, but the guitar does not sound "warmer or less hard".

New pickups or what?

Comparing the sounds of a strat and a tele is like comparing apples and oranges. They're not supposed to sound the same. Maybe you're just a strat guy?

Comparing the sounds of a strat and a tele is like comparing apples and oranges. They're not supposed to sound the same. Maybe you're just a strat guy?


I didn't say I want my tele sound like a strat (not on this thread :), but I guess I am not the only one who likes the feel of a tele, but likes it to have a softer/smoother sound? Except for the sound, I prefer tele over a strat in every way.

Actually, I did the opposite what is usually told: I lowered both pickups as low as I could. The neck pickup is only slightly higher than the pickguard. This was definitely a move into the right direction. The output is now close to Cray strat and it tamed a lot of highs. Sounds still a little bit "hard", though. Maybe that's because of maple neck + ash body.