I like OVs, nocasters, SD broadcasters; do I really need to check out boutique pups?

[dusty tolex]

That's all there is to the question, really. I like the standard vintage pickups. But I have no idea if they are the best there is.

After having spent lotsa time with OVs, Nocasters, and SD Broadcasters, would the average gearhound be floored by trying some Kleins or Kinmans or Lollars?

cheers
dt

[Chet Johnson]

I would imagine its worth trying one set of something more boutique. I played a set of custom shop Texas specials in a tele for 13 years and thought nothing else could touch them. Then, I built another tele with Peter Florance voodoos and it blew the Texas specials out of the water.

Its no guarantee of course that whatever you try will be better, depends on what you like and what you try.

[Colt W. Knight]

Nope, not in my opinion.

Broadcasters and Nocasters are just as good as boutique pickups.

The only reason to try boutique pickups is if you wanted a different sound than the broadcaster or nocaster.

[moondogz]

No, just remove the chrome cover from your OV's neck pup,
it'll be like taking a blanket off of a speaker. Just my opinion.
I have a set of Rio Grande pups, no cover on the neck pup.
A set of OV's with the cover still on (being removed as we speak
by Avenue Guitars) the Rio's sound more "open" to me.
Just be careful if you do, there's a wire attached from the pup
to the cover. Every guitar and pup combo sounds different, just
whatever "flavour" you like.

[Brian blaut]

For me it's not about the booteeky build or anything, it's just about if the pickup is giving me what I wanted. The broadcaster was pretty darn close (I wanted more lows and wouldn't mind a slightly sweeter highend). The Nocaster fixed that and was pretty great and the Fred Stuart turned out to be a better version of the Nocaster. My Stuart has a tiny bit less mids (but still plenty of mid growl), and something about the high end.....I can't explain it but I can hear it in Fred Stuart clips... I like it. Nocasters taught me that I quite like A3 mags. Somewhere else I read the Fred Stuart doesn't use cobalt?, but uses Alni 3 mags? Not sure where I read that and not sure it's true, but there is SOMETHING saucy about that pickup. I say 'saucy' meaning wet. Weird but that's the only word that works for me. Cork sniffery? I bought the pickup used for a song for about the price of a seymour duncan, so it's not about me needing to justify my spending (It would be in my best interest to sell it for a profit). But now that I have it, I'd certainly pay full price for one. Would anyone else notice? probably not. I notice the differences because it's my guitar. I know the smell of her breath, and the sound of her footsteps.

we all have different needs. Some of the very most respected pickups on this board just haven't worked for me. Others have been perfectly fine, but nothing to write home about. Buy them used and experiment. Your own experience is the only way to answer the question. Never expect drastic changes - especially when trying different brands that are going for a similar vibe. The changes are subtle (and often imaginative). Never let fresh strings be what you're hearing. Sacrifice a pair of strings and record the old pickup if necessary.

Different guitars like different pickups too, and then you start balancing with the bridge and neck..... My favorite neck is the twang king, clear as a bell, kind of straty but not too straty. Output was too low and high end was almost acousticly bright against the fred stuart. So I got the other dimarzio that is similar but wound hotter. That was better. The Nocaster was neck was pretty great too but I missed the lower end dimension of the twang king, but still, that Fred Stuart is putting out some good output and I don't want to have to crank my neck up too high and lose sustain. Found the answer with a Twisted Tele. If you have a sound in mind, it's often a journey. Not to mention your taste can change over time... have fun.

[Dr. Bill]

Originally Posted by Brian blaut

Nocasters taught me that I quite like A2 mags. Somewhere else I read the Fred Stuart doesn't use cobalt?, but uses Alni 2 mags? Not sure where I read that and not sure it's true, but there is SOMETHING saucy about that pickup.

Nocasters are A3.

[Brian blaut]

Originally Posted by Dr. Bill

Nocasters are A3.

-THATS what I meant. Stuarts are A3 as well.

[WaylonFan76]

I have to say my Klein Broadcaster blew me away, replacing a Fralin BS. I honestly could tell right off the bat it is a high-quality pickup. It was exactly the tone I was looking for in that particular guitar. Very dynamic and punchy, three dimensional, etc. The opposite of "blah".
All I can say is try a boutique set and you'll see for yourself. If you're curious about it, do it. The chase is fun and you might end up with a pup that will blow your head off, and that's a great feeling... JMO YMMV

[telex76]

If your happy with what you have, spend your time on other things besides swapping pups.

[WrapAround]

nope. :)

[Ramblin Ray]

I had both the Lollar Vintage T and '52 sets. The '52 was just too low in output, although I liked the tone. The Vintage T attack was too percussive for me--I found it irritating. Sold both sets and bought a used set of Nocasters for less than the price of one Lollar. I'm not knocking Lollar at all--the quality is outstanding, just not for me. Just wish I'd have tried the Nocasters first and saved some money.

[rokdog49]

Not really, but it's fun if you can afford it. there are many "reasonably priced" boutique winders out there. I like Aaron Campbell (Rumpelstiltskin) because he has integrity, is very good at it and will make it right if you aren't pleased. And yes, this is a plug but not solicited by Aaron.

[Gringo13]

I've tried a lot of pups and I think it's fun to check out different makes and winds, but to my ears and wallet, nothing has sounded better than the SD Broadcaster and the Fender OV bridge pup. To me, these two pups demonstrate what "a Tele sounds like". You may be able to find a boutique pup that fits an exact tone you want for certain applications, but for classic Tele sound, I haven't found anything better than the two I mentioned.

[twangster2]

No you don't. Step away from the wallet.

You already know what you like and what works.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

The grass is always greener on the otherside.

[vanguard]

i've had pups from don mare, fred stuart, lollar, fralin and more. of all those, the stuart blackguard bridge and don mare's funkier pickups are really unique and fun to hear.

having said that, the nocaster set from fender is still my favorite set of pickups ever.

[Hoodster]

IMO, if you can't find satisfying Strat or Tele pickups from Fender or Duncan, then most likely you either haven't explored all their options or have too much GAS.

I have certainly succumbed to the GAS enough times with both boutique and non-boutique Strat and Tele pickups, but I've never found anything better than the Nocasters for Tele and the California 50s (SSL-1) with "David Gilmour" bridge (SSL-5) set for Stratocaster.

**I do like the Duncan Jerry Donahue Telecaster bridge pickup slightly better than the Nocaster, but for a matched set -- especially with the Fender four-way switch -- it's pretty hard to beat the Nocasters.**

[phblues]

I say... if you have the desire to try something new out, like you found yourself obsessing over it our researching endlessly...you might need to check everything in your setup. It could anything from your amp, your picks, your strings, pedals, etc! Also, sometimes i've found that when i get bad GAS it's time to get out and play with some different people, or do something that gets you excited about the "in the moment" of your setup rather than the detached feeling of when you're focusing on the grass on the other sides of things...

All of this said, i have a set of Lollar 52's and couldn't be happier about the tone. Sweet ballsy neck, and a growling bridge.

Go out and get syked about playing! if you're still missing something, than try it out if you have the money! Altogether it's so exciting to work on your guitar! Even just new strings!

[dusty tolex]

hey thanks for all the feedback. My takeaway is that I'd probably be happy with a wide range of decent vintage-styled pups and I should stick with what I have unless and until something else really hits me in the face.

MIND YOU, I have three teles because I have to have three different flavours on the go - OVs, nocasters, and SD Broadcasters, all in 2 carefully tweaked MiMs and one good partscaster, and all within arm's reach. Who could ask for more? I also have a hotrails pup to (temporarily) install at some point. Lots of bases covered and not too much cash outlay...

Thanks again!
dt

[Wileyone]

I recently bought a 1985 MIJ 62ri at an excellent price. And was delighted to find out it had a set of John Suhr classic T's in it. I am not sure if they would qualify as "Boutique" pickups but my Lord they suhr sound nice.

[Rod Parsons]

I heard a Klein Tele a few years ago, and the pickups in that were amazing. Really amazing.