Another pickup question---

Hello everyone any suggestions welcome. My MIM Blackout Tele {3 single coils was very quickly changed over to a 2pickup Tele. using Bare Knuckles Blaggard 55 Staggers, Very good for country Twang--Chicken picikin etc. 2 yrs have gone by, my music has changed I need more Grunt& Thump--classic rock style ,more variations of tone. I want to go back to 3pups, but not the ones i took out. I do want a humbucker in neck position, and a good strat pickup for the middle, the bridge im undecided. --Can ya help. And also this QUESTION How would a NO Load Volume pot affect my tone---and how would a NO Load Tone pot affect my tone. Thanks alot ------Denny

Hello everyone any suggestions welcome. My MIM Blackout Tele {3 single coils was very quickly changed over to a 2pickup Tele. using Bare Knuckles Blaggard 55 Staggers, Very good for country Twang--Chicken picikin etc. 2 yrs have gone by, my music has changed I need more Grunt& Thump--classic rock style ,more variations of tone. I want to go back to 3pups, but not the ones i took out. I do want a humbucker in neck position, and a good strat pickup for the middle, the bridge im undecided. --Can ya help.

can't help - you need to make a guesstimate choice and gamble

And also this QUESTION How would a NO Load Volume pot affect my tone---

no such thing, can't be done

and how would a NO Load Tone pot affect my tone.

it takes the pot (resistance) and cap out of the circuit - at medium to high volumes, most folks can hear the treble increase

Thanks alot ------Denny

....

No load tones make it slightly brighter when turned to ten. They're great, I recommend the nail varnish method. And no load volumes don't exist, though if you really wan't you could wire a switch to bypass the volume.
Too many options to list for what you suggested, but if I were you I might try a PAFish neck bucker, a low wind strat pickup like a CS69 in the middle, and a hot vintage tele bridge pickup. That would cover a lot of territory already! Also cool, instead of a PAF, a P90 or Filtertron would be cool.

i used to use the "insulation" method for making a cts or alpha pot into a no-load, but over time that thin layer of whatever wears out (if you use the pot a bunch). the better method is to scrap off about 1/8" of the carbon wiper element. it's permanent and it will never fail as long as the pot functions ....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/rfdee/no-load/DSC02497.jpg

Thanks so much for all your inputs --keep em comin,, Here is an update----On u-tube theres a demo of S-D*s P-Rails (splitable) Humbuckers. On the demo-- If I remember correctly there in a *52 Re-issue Tele?????????. All other factors aside-these picks seem capable of the the variations im lookin for- but if i want the Bridge pickup--id have to do some surgery, install a half bridge plate etc,etc. i could never go back to aTele . Im thinkin to buy the set, install the neck p-rail, the strat middle, the bridge? Well---if u got more throw em at me----thanks, Denny

Hello again---AJ, can you explain or give me more info on the Low-wind CS69 strat pickup is this a fender item? How does low wind effect tone--would be capatable with the SD P-Rail ? 3 different pickups, dont they all have to be around the same resistance values---wouldnt the middle pup have to be a RWRP?---I still runnin the 5way strat switch. Thanks, Denny

imo, most (but not all) split humbuckers haven't got The Tone. they're anemic and underpowered because each coil is meant to be linked in series, thus doubling the "horsepower", and not to stand alone as a single coil. one humbucker coil isn't even close to what a true single coil can produce. there *are* some dual coil humbuckers that are meant to be split. i've used more than a few sd p-rails and found that, for me, either coil (p90 or strat) by itself was just ok - better than most humbuckers, but no cigar.

to install a p-rails quickly and efficiently, you'd need to swap out for a tele humbucker bridge and do a bit of routing. you can go back to a standard tele bridge, but the "ear" holes of the humbucker rout won't get covered up.

and, not to rain on yer parade, but truthfully most exotic pup configurations sound better in the mind than in reality. :grin:

i'd suggest looking for a fat tele bridge pup - one that's of vintage build and is waaaay overwound for increased mid range and a thicker treble tone. that kinda pup will mate well with whatever you do for the neck and middle positions.

gee, now where could ya find such a beastly tele bridge pup ... and for cheap? HAH! :mrgreen:

I recall a certain winder of beastly pups who offers a free try before you buy deal ....

SD 59
CS 69
Cavalier lion pup

Sounds like a sweet axe to me unless there are volume balance issues.

The CS69 is a custom shop fender item it is a great sounding low output strat pup. Not RW/RP but maybe the bridge pup can be. Anyway, RW/RP is not necessary in fact some players note a decrease in some aspect of the tone w RW/RP. I can't speak for that all my strats have that RW/RP middle. W/ vastly different types of pickup like this DC resistance is pretty useless to go by.

I've got a P-rail guitar and am pretty happy with them. As Rob said they aren't perfect but they are better than all the other split pups that I've tried. I really like the P-90 and humbuggy modes. The single leaves a little to be desired but is useable. All in all They are a good pup IMO. Find a guitar that has them and give them a try to see what you think.