Can Twang King owners give me some info?

[paulblackford]

I am looking into purchasing a new set of pickups for my tele. The old set is the Lawrence L-250 set, and it sounds a bit too rock oriented. I'm looking for great, plucky twang and a good chicken-pickin' tone. Are the Dimarzio Twang Kings built for country, or are they one of those pickups that try to do too many things, and only do a marginal job? Tell me about the Twang King for the country player. Thanks.

Oh, and any audio samples are always appreciated.

paulblackford

[RockStarNick]

Hey Paul,

This weekend, I'll try my very best to do a quick soundclip comparison between a Duncan Vintage 54, a Duncan Broadcaster, and a Twang King.

If you can wait till Monday, I should have some good MP3s for ya.

[paulblackford]

That would be fantastic. I would really appreciate that.

[Louthunder]

Originally Posted by RockStarNick

Hey Paul,

This weekend, I'll try my very best to do a quick soundclip comparison between a Duncan Vintage 54, a Duncan Broadcaster, and a Twang King.

If you can wait till Monday, I should have some good MP3s for ya.

Nick, if you could, please post them here, because I'n curious too.

[pcypert]

I played a 52 RI where someone had put a Twang King in the neck. Now it was a neck position, but it wasn't twangy at all to me. Really reminded me of a strat neck position. Nice sound to it I thought...but I only played it for about 15 or 20 mins. The guy who had the guitar was by no means a country guy...

Paul

[Dave_O]

I got the full deck in a MIJ 52RI. I'm not a trad country player, by any means, so I may not be the go-to guy for full-on chicken pickin'.
But the middle position's got twang in bucketfuls.
IMO, FWIW, yadayadayada

[RockStarNick]

I'll definitely post them here fellas.

I'll provide a link to my soundclick page.

[Jelle]

Originally Posted by RockStarNick

I'll definitely post them here fellas.

I'll provide a link to my soundclick page.

Great, thanks for that!

[chisa]

these are good but expensive

[e-merlin]

The Twang King set is an incredible set for the money. You would have to spend twice the money to get better Tele pickups. The neck pickup is one of the best Tele neck pickups on the market. It is my go-to when I'm building a "real" Tele since Chandler no longer makes the Super 60 Tele Neck pickup.

One thing you have to remember, though, is that the neck pickup is not RWRP with regard to the bridge pickup, but neither was the original...

[Model-T]

i'd go for the bare knuckles ,i put on every guitar i make !
you got the blackguards,country boy & brown sugar for more spanking factor go for it man

[RockStarNick]

Ok guys. I had a chance to record some clips of the Duncan 54, Duncan Broadcaster, and Twang King Bridge pickups. I'll be posting them later on today... stay tuned.

[RockStarNick]

OK, MP3s have been posted!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE excuse my hacky pretend country licks. I just tried to showcase some of the twanginess.

Did some arpeggios, lead runs, Tom Petty-esque rhythm, and some low note twangy bending.

Signal Path was: Tele > Fender Pro Jr > 1x12 iso cab > Sennheiser e609 > Presonus Eureka Preamp > Protools. Just a tough of ambient reverb added to give it some air.


SEYMOUR DUNCAN STL1B Broadcaster - BRIDGE
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7741405

SEYOUR DUNCAN STL1 Vintage 54 - BRIDGE
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7741390

DIMARZIO TWANG KING - BRIDGE
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=7741391

The Duncan Vintage 54 is definitely the brighest and bounciest of the bunch. Very springy souning, very twangy.

The Duncan Broadcaster and Twang King are similar in the fact that they're overwound, and have more mids, and less upper-end treble sheen. The Broadcaster has a little more bite on top, which for some, may be a good or bad thing.

The Twang King would work best in a bright guitar to begin with. The Twang King set is EQ'd in reverse, as to what you'd expect from a tele. The neck pickup is much brighter than a "standard" tele neck pickup, and the bridge is slightly smoother and less harsh.

The Duncans sound a bit raw-er, the Twang King sounds a bit more refined.

I'd reccomend the Vintage 54 for those who want to keep it real. REAL real.

I'd reccomend the Broadcaster for someone who wants more mids and punch than a Vintage 54.

I'd reccomend the Twang King for someone with a very bright guitar, who needs just a touch of treble attenuation, but wants to keep their tone knob on 10, and doesn't feel like "riding the tone knob" at 8 all the time.

[paulblackford]

Wow, Nick. Thanks so much for taking the time. Excellent clips with each pickups qualities clearly shown. I have a little evaluating to do. Thanks, again.

paulblackford

[paulblackford]

Well, I made my choice, and I really like what I ended up with despite one byproduct - a new project. I finally widdled things down to 2 pickup sets:

1) the Dimarzio Twang King for the neck position, and the Peter Florence Voodoo TE60 BL for the bridge.

2) Bill Lawrence Keystones

I couldn't make up my mind, and, realizing that I had all the hardware for a second tele, save body and neck, I just decided to build a second guitar.

I put set 1 in my existing tele, and it is Twang heaven. Beautiful character in both pickups and they work extremely well together. I will eventually rewire it, as I used 500k pots, and I would prefer 250s, but it sounds much better than the previous pickups, as is. Right now, it just sounds a little too 'wide open'.

I just received the new 1 piece pine body for the second project, and after I receive the neck and slap these Keystones in it, I'll update about how it stands compared to Tele 1.

[sa paine]

Good clips, I really could tell the apart. I would pick any one of them, but I think the 54 and the Broadcaster or the most traditional Tele sounding. Does this mean I rating the Twang King last......
I have the 54 and have had the Broadcaster, they are great p-ups.
Know I want to try the Twangking...........