Big G&L MFD with a Tele bridge pup?

Did a long rehearsal in a decent-sounding room yesterday with my old G&L ASAT Junior. First time I've heard it really well in awhile, as I've been playing my dirt dog Telemaster with a nice Tele bridge and a pretty sweet mini humbucker.

It was an ear-opening experience and reminded me of why I once owned 4 G&Ls (and a strat and a Hamer and a couple of big Yamaha hollow-bodies), and ended up with the one. Nothing else sounds like these pickups. Everything else sounds like just part of these pickups. Shimmer, midrange, girth, bite, twang...there just seems to be more of everything in a very quiet package with non of the treble attenuation of a humbucker.

The only exception is a Tele bridge pup. The one I've got in the mut is good. It delivers a pop and snarl the MFDs don't quite have. So I'm thinking of pulling the mini bucker out of the Telemaster and putting in an MFD. Anybody ever heard this combination? I'm already bordering on the absurd regarding the $ I have sunk in this $200 Xavier Telemaster, and a factory fresh MFD is just a bit under $100. So it would be nice to have some idea of what to expect before I start writing checks and grinding pickup routes.

P

G&L makes that guitar.

http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/USA/guitars/asat-classic-custom/index.asp

It is also available as a semi-hollow

Damn.

P

I'm sorry. I want the Thinline myself.

I have a couple of old USA made MFDs in my parts drawer waiting for a project. One is dead and needs a rewind but the other is good. Does anyone know the wire gage use used MFDs and to what DC they should be wound? I also have a nice Jazzmaster pup waiting for a home. How loud are the MFD's? I was thinking Cabronita, but with a jazzmaster and an MFD in place of the filtertrons. The JM is about 7.3 DC. Which would you put in the bridge slot? So many questions, sorry for the hijack/detour.

I had a big MFD pickup in the neck position of my Beloved 1966 Telecaster for several years, matched to a Van Zandt flatpole bridge pickup, and man, it was great! In particular, the middle positon was really cool, as the pickups were apparently out of phase with each other (is that right? I confess to being easily confused by that kind of thing).

Tim

I'm sorry. I want the Thinline myself.

Yeah. What's worse is you can order a thinline with no F holes, which is my preference. I'm picturing a Mary Kay -- trandlucent blond over a chambered ash body with a maple neck. Really, the only flaw, to my mind, is the small MFD in the bridge position. Not that they're bad; I've had them, they're quite good. But like the big MFDs they're quiet, full, very wide range, very "hifi." And what I'm hoping for is the combination of that in the neck and a rude, fundamental Tele bite at the bridge.

P

I have a couple of old USA made MFDs in my parts drawer waiting for a project. One is dead and needs a rewind but the other is good. Does anyone know the wire gage use used MFDs and to what DC they should be wound? I also have a nice Jazzmaster pup waiting for a home. How loud are the MFD's? I was thinking Cabronita, but with a jazzmaster and an MFD in place of the filtertrons. The JM is about 7.3 DC. Which would you put in the bridge slot? So many questions, sorry for the hijack/detour.

You'll have to look around for it, but G&Ls site lists the variations of the big MFD that have been made, wire used, output, etc....

P

Thanks PP. Tim--how loud are the MFD's? Should I use it in the bridge or neck position with a Jazzmaster? Anyone?

Thanks PP. Tim--how loud are the MFD's? Should I use it in the bridge or neck position with a Jazzmaster? Anyone?

They're pretty loud, but different versions are wound to different outputs. The MFDs in my 90s ASAT Junior are overwound a bit, so they have very strong output for single coils, but they do that while staying very clean and sweet.

My favorite is the neck pup, or the two pup center switch position, but I recently cranked the bridge a little closer to the strings and I really like what I'm hearing. Strong, but very sweet. Shimmer more than twang. Unless you push it hard, Then it bites.

P

The neck pickup in an ASAT Classic Custom is overwound especially for that model. It's also taller than the regular large MFDs in an ASAT Special. As for the sound, it's fatter than fat, big and meaty. Does cleans very well and loves some od.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh98/SouthpawGuy/GandL%20ASAT%20Classic%20Custom/P1010009.jpg

As for matching it with a regular tele style bridge pickup I'm guessing it would need to be one with quite a bit of output to match it.