Best pickups upgrade for the tele?

[jazztice]

What are the best pickups one could ever want to use to upgrade an american standard or a deluxe tele?

[Robin Nahum]

Originally Posted by jazztice

What are the best pickups one could ever want to use to upgrade an american standard or a deluxe tele?

What is the best pasta sauce?

What is the best car?

What is the best city?

Depends how you define "best".

[Martin-Tele]

Welcome Jazztice

Don Mare Pickups are about the best there is

[morroben]

I like Duncan 5/2s the best. YMMV

[jazztice]

Originally Posted by Robin Nahum

What is the best pasta sauce?

What is the best car?

What is the best city?

Depends how you define "best".

The best for anyone who likes to partecipate to this thread.
That's why I am asking your precious opinion, but you don't have to if you don't like to share infos or if this topic is not of your interest just let others reply to me. Thanks

[dreamingtele]

I hope people who have tried it all from cheapos up to the expensive boutiques could give their insights and reviews about the pickups they've used.. and different flavors.. from twang city to heavy metal rock..

I too have been searching a thread like this.. all the information is scattered and tough to find one thread that answers it all..

[10Alex10]

Originally Posted by Robin Nahum

What is the best pasta sauce?

What is the best car?

What is the best city?

Depends how you define "best".

Tomato and Marscopone with a bit of coarse black pepper.
Ford Mustang. It's the only car I like.
I think I'd like to say New York, even though I've never been. Second would be Venice I think. I've also never been there.

[Joey]

Pick up tone is a personal taste. What sound good to one guy may not be pleasing to your ears. I recently changed pups in my MIM Tele and went with Lindy Fralin vintage stock. However, I listened to many sound clips before deciding. I know this is not the end all method, but it gave me something to go on with the excellent old speaker system on my computer. It came down to Lollar, Keystones and Fralins. What helped me finally decide was a demo by Lindy Fralin on his site using a MIM Tele. I wanted a clean articulate, but warm tone and the Fralins worked out well and were accurately represented on his website. But like amp speakers, this can be a hit or miss adventure.

[dreamingtele]

Originally Posted by Joey

Pick up tone is a personal taste. What sound good to one guy may not be pleasing to your ears. I recently changed pups in my MIM Tele and went with Lindy Fralin vintage stock. However, I listened to many sound clips before deciding. I know this is not the end all method, but it gave me something to go on with the excellent old speaker system on my computer. It came down to Lollar, Keystones and Fralins. What helped me finally decide was a demo by Lindy Fralin on his site using a MIM Tele. I wanted a clean articulate, but warm tone and the Fralins worked out well and were accurately represented on his website. But like amp speakers, this can be a hit or miss adventure.

I saw that too! and wow! it's awesome, but the price tag is up there among the expensive ones..

[Clem]

http://rumpelstiltskinpickups.com/

Try the samples here - think you'd find them hard to beat and a good price...

[Edwin]

humbuckers or active will give you something different.

[ButterScotchPH]

a bit of topic, but the review section would help, if it was alive!

[dreamingtele]

Originally Posted by Clem

http://rumpelstiltskinpickups.com/

Try the samples here - think you'd find them hard to beat and a good price...

Wow, those are great samples! and the fact that it can still be tweaked to suit what I want.. and the price of the package is sweet!!

Thanks for the link!

[Strongpersuader]

Originally Posted by jazztice

The best for anyone who likes to partecipate to this thread.
That's why I am asking your precious opinion, but you don't have to if you don't like to share infos or if this topic is not of your interest just let others reply to me. Thanks

Hi jazztice. Welcome aboard.

Even though I can understand your feelings, I guess I know what Robin meant. The fact is that there are too many different tones and flavours in Telecity that a simple answer just seems difficult to give sometimes.

I can tell you about MY OWN experience. When I was gathering the parts for my 51 inspired partscaster I knew deep in my mind that I was not aiming for that twangy country-ish type of tone, I was more interested in that old gnarly early Tele's type of tone. I had been checking some reviews and everybody was telling only good things about the Fender Nocaster guitar, so I decided to install a set of Nocasters in my guitar and I am fully satisfied.

After all of this is said and done I'm sure that there many pickups manufacturers, such as Lollar, Don Mare, Rumples, etc.. that can make a good pickup that will be able to reach the exact tone you have in your mind. Maybe a better aproach would be getting in touch with one of these makers, tell them the exact tone you're aiming for and expect for a solid answer.

I hope I may have given you some enlightment on this tough subject.

[Ben Harmless]

Why do so many people like to tell others to shut up when they have been given a good piece of philosophical wisdom.

"Best is subjective" will serve anyone much better than "Nocaster." ESPECIALLY when there is such a broad range of options, and no useful information (genre, desired tonal balance, etc) has been provided...

[Apintforme]

Originally Posted by jazztice

What are the best pickups one could ever want to use to upgrade an american standard or a deluxe tele?

I've tried a wide range and can recommend Jason Lollar. I was after a set of pickups for a replica of my original '63 Stratocaster, I made an email enquiry, was asked to send in some sound samples and then pointed in the direction of a set of Blackface pickups which sound superb. A friend has some Lindy Fralins on his Tele and they sound very close to Brad Paisley's tone.

[Clem]

Originally Posted by dreamingtele

Wow, those are great samples! and the fact that it can still be tweaked to suit what I want.. and the price of the package is sweet!!

Thanks for the link!

No problem, and Aaron is really easy to deal with... shame I haven't been able to order any yet. There are some rave reviews on here somewhere though haven't time to dig them out.

[dreamingtele]

and oh, for additional information, I like that twangy sound.. It might be different from the OP's preference though.. but I want to gain some info too..

My guitar is a Peavey Generation EXP Tele copy.. and the bridge pickup is really thin and not twangy?? or it may just be my playing style as I'm not used to playing blues and country.. the neck is fine.. I love the neck pickup on that guitar.. it's just the bridge pickup is not bonding with me..

there's so many pickups to choose from!! Right now, these are my choices..

Seymour Duncan
DiMarzio Twang King

both of those two are available locally, though I don't know what SD pups are great.. here most people like to shred thus more humbuckers and less single coils.. meaning lesser percentage of finding these pickups..

other choices are

Lindy Fralins
Rumpels
Lace
Fender Pickups

so there..

[Ricky D.]

Originally Posted by jazztice

The best for anyone who likes to partecipate to this thread.
That's why I am asking your precious opinion, but you don't have to if you don't like to share infos or if this topic is not of your interest just let others reply to me. Thanks

If you refuse share information about what kind of music you play or what kind of sound you want, the question of what would be best for you is unanswerable, isn't it?

[Joey]

Originally Posted by dreamingtele

I saw that too! and wow! it's awesome, but the price tag is up there among the expensive ones..

I know they are up there, but i waited until I could swing them and went for what I wanted instead of settling, then changing again. Check out Bill Lawrence's web site. the Keystone are about half the price and sound pretty nice. They also get very good mentions on the forums.