SD Little 59 pickups, one month in

A few weeks back I took the relatively radical step of putting a pair of SD Little 59s in my old 52RI. Because SD doesn't make a direct replacement size 59 for the Tele neck, I routed the guitar for a Strat-sized neck pup and used the SD Lil 59 (Strat) in that position.

I posted a demo, but will update. My initial impression was that the pickups might be too dark, and they certainly are quite a departure from the single coils I've used for so many years. Only stage time and working jobs will tell, and so I've used only that guitar for the last 5 electric shows.

The verdict: tasty.

The bridge absolutely lacks that crystalline sparkle to which I'd grown so accustomed. But it's replaced by a magisterial, fat steel tone that works amazingly well in nearly every setting I've tried. It still sounds like a Tele, and I still play it that way. Zero ice pick. Crazy big. Overdrive is outrageous and fun, I laugh every time I kick it in. I feel like Billy Gibbons just handed me the keys.

The neck is clear and likewise big, and for me far more usable than any more conventional Tele neck pup I've ever tried. No mud. Delightful with big swing chords. Gigantic on blues. Volume and presence is extremely well matched, so I can jump from pickup to pickup with ease and stay exactly where I want in the mix.

It feels like heresy to use these Gibson-esque monsters, but just wanted to say I'm having a great time with them. It's the biggest audible change I've made to a Tele, and it's worth it for the music I am making these days.

I gladly hear that they work for you, but am just a slightly dissapointed.

See, if they wouldn't float your boat, you'd put something else in, and would demo it for us.

Now we can wait for a new demo for who knows how long.

Damn' you, Seymour Duncan, damn you!

A few weeks back I took the relatively radical step of putting a pair of SD Little 59s in my old 52RI. Because SD doesn't make a direct replacement size 59 for the Tele neck, I routed the guitar for a Strat-sized neck pup and used the SD Lil 59 (Strat) in that position.



Sounds cool. Can you post a photo of your guitar?

As requested, a photo of the 52RI modified for the SD Little 59 Strat neck pup!

The gnome approves.

I dunno...I've had a couple little 59's in teles over the years, and my favorite smile-inducing over-the-top combo is a MIM tele with a Duncan Hot Tele (16k of wire) in the bridge and a full size Duncan '59 bucker in the neck. I'd describe the balance and usefulness of this pair very much like you describe yours.

The tele little '59 bridge to me sounds dark and murky--way more like a big JB humbucker more than it sounds like a big '59 bucker. (And I have a Les Paul with a pair of Duncan '59 big buckers in it, so I do like those. I dislike the big JB for anything except overdriven tones.)

Just my opinion, but the Hot Tele is over the top but sounds like a tele to me (even being able to do a bit of jangle type tone when it's quiet) whereas the little '59 just sounds like mush when it's quiet. Overdriven bigtime, the little '59 can be fun for harmonics and stuff, but so can the Hot Tele.

(I do have other teles with various degrees of hotness, down to a vintagey sounding Muddy Waters tele with US vintage pickups--staggered bridge magnets--in it.)

George

I'm with you, Brad! I only have one '59, in the bridge, but it's not going anywhere. I love the thick creamy sounds I get with OD and fuzz. It's thick, but still cuts like a Telecaster.

Actually, it occurs to me that I tend to use my neck pickup when playing clean, so I don't really know how the '59 sounds without dirt. I can see how those who are accustomed to a Tele bridge pickup and a clean amp might find it lacking.

I could never bond with Gibsons- something about the scale or the wide nuts, or the multitude of knobs always left me cold, much as I love the way they sound in other people's hands. This is the perfect solution for me. I get the thick dark sound, without losing the bite, and while playing the guitar that feels like home.

My band's record is about to get mixed, and when it's done, I'll be posting some tracks that demonstrate what I'm talking about.

Nice one! Glad it's working out for ya, and I quite like the look too.

I have a three pickup Deluxe Blackout tele. I put a Lil '59 in the bridge and actually wired it for coil splitting....

I can get a pretty good single coil tone out of it, but the signal isn't quite as strong as a normal sized single coil..

I am a humbucker guy by nature though. I like it but would like to re-wire it a-bit.

I have thought the same thing, it's like Rev Gibbons has handed me the keys.:twisted:

Brad

thanx for a well written and performed reviews!

I'll be looking forward to some pure clean '59 samples (if possible!)

!

Brad

thanx for a well written and performed reviews!

I'll be looking forward to some pure clean '59 samples (if possible!)

!

Thanks much. I plan upon doing another clean demo soon, hopefully this weekend.

The Little 59 has a boatload of output, and so it's easy to overdrive my old Champ. Might do the demo on my '65 DR instead.

Like I said, the bridge pup is dark, and definitely lacks the "sparkle" of a single coil. Initially I thought this might not work for clean (which is my dominant mode of playing) but I have been pleasantly surprised at how well it all functions under real-life gig conditions.

Honestly, I haven't had a guitar with Gibson-style humbuckers for many, many years. I didn't care for the Gibsons I owned long ago, and had no notions of going in that sonic direction until quite recently. Thus far, it's a blast.

One more thing - the treble bleed circuit I am using helps to achieve some great brighter sounds when the volume is backed off a bit.

Sorry for the funky graphic, I'll redraw that later, too!