Question About New Pickups

I'm thinking about changing pickups in my Texas Highway 1 Tele (which currently has vintage tele single coil pickups).

I'm looking for a different tone than the one I'm getting. I don't know a lot about pickups and which ones produce what sounds. I was hoping somebody might give some suggestions.

I'm looking for a tone that has a full, rounded sound with enough highs to produce a snappy tele country sound. I'd like the low A and E to be fuller and rounder instead of flat like they seem to be now.

I'm thinking of something like a Lindy Fralin or something like it.
Any suggestions?

Does yours still have the pickups that came in it from Fender? If so, they are Texas Specials, wound hotter than what some folks want for country.

You might try playing some other Teles you can find in guitar stores. Try the pickups (bridge especially) in any of these you can find:
1) AV '62 Custom;
2) Classic Series '50s or Esquire;
3) Classic Series '60s, '69 Thinline or '72 Custom (bridge pickup);
4) AV '52;
5) Lite Ash or Koa Tele.

The AV '62 Custom Tele is in my experience hard to find so good luck, but the pickups in it are supposedly a good bet for clean country. They are A5, the bridge is staggerpole with a traditional baseplate.

The Classic Series Teles are easier to find. A5, the bridge is either flatpole or staggerpole depending on the model, but doesn't have the traditional baseplate.

The AV '62 Custom bridges may vary from one ot the next, I've heard reports of them being in the mid 6s and others of them in the mid 7s. In any case they are rated brighter than the Texas Specials. The Classic Series are mid 6s, very bright, less harmonics/mids than the AV '62 due to no baseplate.

The AV '52 is A3 flatpole with the traditional baseplate. The wind and magnets probably puts it tonally somewhere between the A5s I listed above and the Texas Tele pickups. If you find the AV '62 and the Classics too bright, this might suit you better.

The Lite Ash and Koa Teles have Duncan A2 pickups. One Tele I had this bridge in seemed real smooth, smoother and less bright than the AV '52 A3; but in another it seemed brighter. In both though, this pickup was more tonally complex than A5s or A3s, responding more dynamically to different height settings, volume and tone control settings, and pick attack.

You can find any of these pickups used on ebay, you can find the AV '52 pickups new as well.

yegbert, according to the fender website they're "hot vintage single coils", not texas specials. they have a different part number than texas specials, and people who've played both have said the pickups sound different from texas specials. so, i think it's safe to assume that they're not texas specials.

my worry about a "hot vintage" pickup is that it will sit in between a bright and open sound, and a really smooth and thick midrange sound, which tends to result in this really flat, sharp, sound, that's hard to describe, and it almost sounds too bright and too dark at the same time! that's a problem with a lot of fender's "modern" telecaster pickups, and judging from the description of his preferred tone, i think that rodeo_joel might be running into this problem with these pickups. rodeo joel, if so, you can either go brighter, to open the sound up, or darker, to smooth the sound out.

since you say you want a "snappy" country sound, i'd recommend that you go brighter, even if your first instinct is to go darker. yegbert made some good recommendations, and i'd especially consider the american vintage '52s, which are my favorite of fender's telecaster pickups. big and open, with plenty of twang, but also a distinct warmth and smoothness, that isn't too smooth.

if you want to go darker, though, texas specials are my second favorite of fender's telecaster pickups, and i've heard good things about the lindy fralin blues special pickups. they have a fat and thick midrange sound, that can still twang, although it's more of a midrange twang, better suited to rockabilly, surf, etcetera.

yegbert: Hey thanks for the suggestions. I would have to agree with you about the vintage 60's or 50's models (AV or Classic Series). There's definately something to be said about that vintage tele sound. I did some research last night and listened to some audio samples of a Kinman pickups and I liked the AVn 60b 60's Custom set. It had a nice snappy sound with plenty of crunch to it.

I'd have to agree with "do not be afraid", the pickups in my tele are definately not Texas specials, but instead are hot vintage single coils.I'll definately check out the guitars at the stores and listen for the different pickups they have. Thanks again!

do not be afraid: Thanks also for your input. I would agree, the hot vintage single coils do produce a flat, sharp sound that is hard to describe. All you know is that its not good for real good country. It does seem like the modern tele pickups just can't match the tones produced in the older models. Particularily the pickups that came with my tele. Still, i'm just an amateur still learning. For a while at least I just need something that'll make noise for me to play guitar and learn.

I like the suggestions about the 50's or 60's vintage models. I'm also leaning toward the Lindy Fralins. I don't mind a thick midrange sound as long as its still snappy, twangy and smooth. Anything but flat and sharp. I do know that Brad Paisley strongly favors the Lindy Fralins, and I really like the tones he gets from his tele's (thicker, fatter and smoother. Not necessarily bright and sparkly)

I'll have to do some more research and listen for what sounds good and what doesn't. Thanks again for the input guys! ;)

yegbert: Hey thanks for the suggestions. I would have to agree with you about the vintage 60's or 50's models (AV or Classic Series). There's definately something to be said about that vintage tele sound. I did some research last night and listened to some audio samples of a Kinman pickups and I liked the AVn 60b 60's Custom set. It had a nice snappy sound with plenty of crunch to it.

I'd have to agree with "do not be afraid", the pickups in my tele are definately not Texas specials, but instead are hot vintage single coils.I'll definately check out the guitars at the stores and listen for the different pickups they have. Thanks again!

do not be afraid: Thanks also for your input. I would agree, the hot vintage single coils do produce a flat, sharp sound that is hard to describe. All you know is that its not good for real good country. It does seem like the modern tele pickups just can't match the tones produced in the older models. Particularily the pickups that came with my tele. Still, i'm just an amateur still learning. For a while at least I just need something that'll make noise for me to play guitar and learn.

I like the suggestions about the 50's or 60's vintage models. I'm also leaning toward the Lindy Fralins. I don't mind a thick midrange sound as long as its still snappy, twangy and smooth. Anything but flat and sharp. I do know that Brad Paisley strongly favors the Lindy Fralins, and I really like the tones he gets from his tele's (thicker, fatter and smoother. Not necessarily bright and sparkly)

I'll have to do some more research and listen for what sounds good and what doesn't.
Thanks again for the input guys!:smile:

I Play Mostly New And Tradition Country,i Have Played Several Pickups Through The Years.the Best I Have Found So Far Is The Seymore Duncan Nashville Studio 5 2. In The Bridge.they Have Serious Twang And They Overdrive Well For Some Of The Newer Stuff And They Sound Impressive On The Old Haggard Style Songs.they Are Definatley Worth A Try.,i Beleive They Even Recieved Serious Praise From Brent Mason!

I Play Mostly New And Tradition Country,i Have Played Several Pickups Through The Years.the Best I Have Found So Far Is The Seymore Duncan Nashville Studio 5 2. In The Bridge.they Have Serious Twang And They Overdrive Well For Some Of The Newer Stuff And They Sound Impressive On The Old Haggard Style Songs.they Are Definatley Worth A Try.,i Beleive They Even Recieved Serious Praise From Brent Mason!

I've got that Nashville 5 2 on order right now too. I think we probably share a similar taste in tonal preference. I was mostly happy with the pickups in my Highway 1 standard, but wanted a bit more definition on the low A and E.
We'll see how it works when it shows up....

Shawn

I really liked the tones Brad Paisley was getting on his DVD (MOTL). They were thicker and fatter, more compressed but still clean with a little dirt on it. Would you say his tone was more derived from his Dr. Z RXES or his Fralins or both?

I don't necessarily want to mimic his tone exactly (nobody could I'm sure). Something close to it though. Tones that are thicker and fatter, but still snappy. Could I get those kinds of tones from Blues special Fralins or could I look into some vintage 50's or 60's Fender's?

Am I looking in the wrong place for these kinds of tones? Would they be produced more by the amp than the pickups? Distant future I'm hoping to change both, but one step at a time here...

Thanks,
Joel:wink:

Adjust your pickup height before you start looking for new pickups. There's a sweet spot in there somewhere. AFAIK, Paisley's been using Hamels for a while now...