Warm but twangy - does it exist?

I've never swapped pups in a tele - really. I'm playing a MIM standard tele w/ a Warmoth ash body and I want a warmer sound but I still want some twang - just not as brittle in the bridge as the stock pups and a little better defined in the neck. Any suggestions?

A Duncan Broadcaster will do that for the bridge, as will the Duncan Antiquity or the Fender Nocaster....

I like the 52RI neck pup, though you have to reverse wire it and move the cover ground to the erstwhile hot lead when using it with the Duncans.....

Virtually any pickup with Alnico 2 magnets will be warmer than a pickup with Alnico 3, 4, 5, or ceramic; given the wind is consistant. But, one man's warm is another man's mud...

Anyway, I like the Seymour Duncan APTL-3JD (Jerry Donahue model) best...

I hadn't thought of warm being muddy so let's say a fatter twang rather than a thinner twang.

The S.D. Broadcaster is the way to go.

To my ears, the Broadcaster isn't as warm as the Alnico II Pro or the Donahue. But, if you like that Broadcasteresque tone, you might consider a Nocaster Clean. It's broadcaster-like; but a bit warmer.

after listening to the sound samples on the SD website HOWEVER, are there other reasonable priced brands worth considering? DiMarzio, or others?

The DiMarzio Twang King is nice; but it's more Broadcaster-like. The Virtual T is also nice, but kind of wimpy IMO...

Butch's comments on the Nocaster are right on based on my experience with it and what I hear in the SD sound clips. The Nocaster neck pup is similar to (same as?) the 52 RI neck pup, but the bridge pup is pretty unique -- a very warm, strong, and smooth mid-range and a sweet high end that sounds good clean or overdriven. It can purr or growl with the best of them.

I am thinking Donahue or Nocaster.

Poplar and Alder respond well to the Broad, 52ri, and Alnico II pro.

and until then I've turned the treble back and the mids up and with a little tweeking my stock MIM pups through my stock PV C30 sounds pretty darn good.

I use EMGs TCs in my tele. The advantages is the fuller tone you may be looking for. In fact, the neck pickup is great for smooth jazz licks or hollow body tone.

Other factors I love is the No loss of briteness when the volume is turned down and the silence of buzz or noise when not playing.

It will give you more signal that standard pickups so those who rely on early breakup on their amps may need to expriment on volume settings.

Here is a site: http://www.emginc.com/

I'm not a salesman but I also run the DG 20s in my Strat. Religious experience.

Ray W.

The Blues Specials do it for me, but it does depend on the wood the guitar is made of.

I had the TC set one time; IMHO, they were the worst Tele pickups you could get. Too hi-fi, too much preamp hiss, na the ceramic magnets did not yeild any kind of good Tele tone. YMMV....

Preamp hiss is usually a function of the amp and not the pickups. Perhaps a different amp but your opinion sounds firm.

Mine are absolutly quite. I play through a Super Six or Band Master with Svets. Unplugging the instrument from the amp provides no difference in normal idle sounds from the amp.

Since the bridge ground wire is not used, never to be shocked by an out of phase equipment makes one warm and fuzzy.

Another vote for the Sd JD - a fav and in my #1 Tele for a while now...

i've played lots of pickups that many folks would contend are either more toward the twangy or fat end of the spectrum. as long as they aren't too far off in one direction or the other i can typically fatten them up or get them to jangle more simply by variating my playing technique a bit, or even cranking back the tone knob just a bit more.

there are plenty of guitarists who are capable of pulling off twangy tones with humbuckers, and then lotsa folks who use bright pickups but can really fatten it up using the tone knob, some muting here and there, etc.

i even prefer the Texas Special on occaision - i can get lots of twang - i can also get it to growl if need be. but some others have found it to be too bright, or too fat and middish.

the right pickup will get you about 20% of the way there with the right twang/warm thing. the other 80% is up to your hands and your brains, IMO.

i've played lots of pickups that many folks would contend are either more toward the twangy or fat end of the spectrum. as long as they aren't too far off in one direction or the other i can typically fatten them up or get them to jangle more simply by variating my playing technique a bit, or even cranking back the tone knob just a bit more.

there are plenty of guitarists who are capable of pulling off twangy tones with humbuckers, and then lotsa folks who use bright pickups but can really fatten it up using the tone knob, some muting here and there, etc.

i even prefer the Texas Special on occaision - i can get lots of twang - i can also get it to growl if need be. but some others have found it to be too bright, or too fat and middish.

the right pickup will get you about 20% of the way there with the right twang/warm thing. the other 80% is up to your hands and your brains, IMO.

You are right on the money. I will only add that the secret is choosing the right PU for the player AND the guitar. I don't run the same PUs in everything, nor suggest them for other folks (in person), but I still sound like me no matter what the guitar - even twang and chicken pick on a (gasp) HB equipped Gibby.