Pickup for an Esquire build?

I am thinking about spec'ing a new Esquire build. I already have a lil'59 and a switch in a previous one. This time I am thinking about a broadcaster type.
Any suggestions?
Also I like the thought of a wide-ranging tone knob.
There won't be a control plate- only the 2 knobs.
Thanks

my cavalier lion is specifically designed with "esquire" in mind. you can try one out at no charge and return it if need be, no problem. else keep it for $60. :cool:

no matter what single coil pup you use, if yer doing a switchless master volume and tone 250k pots, consider making the tone pot a no-load and use a .022uf cap.

no matter what single coil pup you use, if yer doing a switchless master volume and tone 250k pots, consider making the tone pot a no-load and use a .022uf cap.

+1
The difference with a no load is subtle, but it's a change towards making 10 on the tone as bright as it can be, I don't see why anyone wouldn't want it.
You can make your own pretty easily with some nail varnish.
Also consider 50s wiring (fezz parka mod), or the treble bleed Don Mare uses.

Say Rob, looking at your site, did you stop making the blues and country lion?

The Duncan Broadcaster is an old fave of mine and is definitely a Broadcaster type. Another great pickup is the Rio Grande Muy Grande--on the hot side but never too middy, with a lot of girth on the low end. I've got one of each of these in 2 of my favorite teles.

The Lion pickups sound like a great formula as well.

George

+1 on Robs' Cavalier Lion-I have them in two Esquires-can't touch 'em for ballsiness and
roar!
Oldteleguy

No experience with an esquire or Rob's Lion (which I plan to try). Out of a pile of Tele's with different pick-ups, my favorite is a SD Broadcaster.

Please report back on your choice and how you like it.

... Say Rob, looking at your site, did you stop making the blues and country lion?

for the very most part, for a tele or an esquire, the lion will more than fill the bill. i see no need to change the wind count, which was the only difference in those other two models. the lang lion is from a different perspective and need. however, there's a cutom build part to my pickup page that allows you to decide on the build parameters for a very custom tele or strat pickup, for the same price as a lion or lioness or tiger.

my cavalier lion is specifically designed with "esquire" in mind. you can try one out at no charge and return it if need be, no problem. else keep it for $60. :cool:

Wow! Cool indeed. What a great offer...how can you go wrong? I have a feeling Rob has forgotten more about guitars and pickups that most of us will ever know. If i was in the market for a new pup, I'd jump at this.

for the very most part, for a tele or an esquire, the lion will more than fill the bill. i see no need to change the wind count, which was the only difference in those other two models. the lang lion is from a different perspective and need. however, there's a cutom build part to my pickup page that allows you to decide on the build parameters for a very custom tele or strat pickup, for the same price as a lion or lioness or tiger.

Now I know you don't like to describe pickups, but can you tell me how noticeable the difference was between the lion and the country lion? Someday I'm going to take you up on the offer to try a pup.

Thanks Rob,
I just might take you up on that. Is there a video to listen to?

Randy
Oops- I found some sound bites on your website- thanks.

Increasing the resistance to ground on the tone control, or making it "no load", mainly has the effect of accentuating the resonance that comes from the interaction between the cable capacitance and the pickup's inductance. This makes the resonance "sharper", which can possibly contribute to unpleasant harshness or edginess if the resonance is in the wrong location, as opposed to extending out the highs or preventing their attenuation - you'd have been better off with the load and turning up your treble at the amp.

For a more versatile tone control, it's worth considering Bill Lawrence's Q-filter, which uses an inductance coil to lower the impedance/general volume of the highend while simultaneously extending the highend instead of rolling it off. The lows are preserved through using a capacitor/resistor that come packaged with it, and it's easy to change the "crossover" by switching capacitor values. It's helpful because it adds versatility while avoiding the mud many complain about from the tone control.

Now I know you don't like to describe pickups, but can you tell me how noticeable the difference was between the lion and the country lion? Someday I'm going to take you up on the offer to try a pup.

as the wind count goes down, so does the mid-range ... whilst the treble increments - these are very very tiny amounts of sonic differences. the build and mags are the same, and we're talking a 42awg turn count range between 10500 and 11500. the lion has always been the beef eater @ 11500 turns.

a "no-load" pot means just that - when the pot that carries the tone cap is fully dimed, the pot's wiper sits insulated and off the carbon resistance strip, so there is no resistance or capacitor in the signal path. at medium to higher volumes with a good single coil creating the signal, the difference can typically be heard whence the pot's cap is introduced into the circuit.

i wouldn't build a circuit without a no-load tone pot, it's that useful for me.

also, with the tone pot out of the circuit, the volume pot can become a more effective "tone pot". yeah man. :cool:

I have an OC Duff A2 fully wound at 9.6K but with a tap around 7.6K, and have this hooked to a 4way switch that gives each tap w tone (.022 uf cap) and without for direct output. I've had that setup for years in my Esquire and love it!

a "no-load" pot means just that - when the pot that carries the tone cap is fully dimed, the pot's wiper sits insulated and off the carbon resistance strip, so there is no resistance or capacitor in the signal path. at medium to higher volumes with a good single coil creating the signal, the difference can typically be heard whence the pot's cap is introduced into the circuit.

i wouldn't build a circuit without a no-load tone pot, it's that useful for me.

also, with the tone pot out of the circuit, the volume pot can become a more effective "tone pot". yeah man. :cool:

The cap doesn't come into play as part of the impedance load until pretty far down into the pot's taper. The reason the volume control affects tone more with a no-load tone control is that the resonance is more accentuated without the load, and easily affected by changes in resistance from the volume pot. If someone wants more highs, they're much better served by turning up the treble control at the amp or flipping the bright switch.

The cap doesn't come into play as part of the impedance load until pretty far down into the pot's taper. The reason the volume control affects tone more with a no-load tone control is that the resonance is more accentuated without the load, and easily affected by changes in resistance from the volume pot. If someone wants more highs, they're much better served by turning up the treble control at the amp or flipping the bright switch.

all passive guitar/bass circuits are born with a maximum amount of treble as dictated by the pickup(s) - treble can't be added, only removed, essentially (but not only) via caps and pots. actively adding treble via an active circuit (preamp, amp, whatever) is the only route to go. if needed. a circuit with just a volume pot is as bare bones as possible with some amount of at-hand control. adding in a "tone pot" sucks off some of that treble ... making it no-load adds versatile function at no cost to anything. a small cap across the vol pot input and wiper ("treble bleed"), removes most of the vol pot's ability to stiffle treble.

all of this is simple, built-in stuff with passive circuits. there isn't all that much viable circuit tone shaping as these circuits start off with as much treble as they will deliver, all controlled within the design and build of the pickup(s).

Call Don Mare www.donmare.com

+1 on Robs' Cavalier Lion-I have them in two Esquires-can't touch 'em for ballsiness and
roar!
Oldteleguy

Another big +1 from me.

my cavalier lion is specifically designed with "esquire" in mind. you can try one out at no charge and return it if need be, no problem. else keep it for $60. :cool:

no matter what single coil pup you use, if yer doing a switchless master volume and tone 250k pots, consider making the tone pot a no-load and use a .022uf cap.

You cant go wrong with rob cavalier lion pup, i have 1 in my esquiere its just a piece of art, Rob knows is bussiness.