Duncan Broadcaster

[TG]

I'm familiar with the Duncan AlnicoIIPro and the Fender Original Vintage and Nocaster bridge pickups.

Does anybody know how the Duncan Broadcaster compares with the above? Is it similar to any of them?

[Darrell]

I have tried them all, and they are all very different. I am not going to say what I like or don't like about any of them because they all have winning features.

The Nocaster being the darkest of the bunch with the most mids. (mine was a 2000 model) The Broadcaster is a lighter version of the Fender Nocaster. It has a snappier low end, and brighter highes. The next on in the spectrum would be the APTII. It is leaning more towards the mid 50 tones, still vintage sounding. Small, nominal midrange bump, less than the above, more balanced. The 52ri, is scooped. Thick low end that bright on the high end. mids are tame.

[Scotland]

I love the Broadcaster. I have it in my Classic 50's and it will stay there. I have tried the Anico Pro II which I also loved and the O.V. 52 but eventually returned the Broadcaster to it's rightful place. I find it covers all grounds equally which is difficult for a bridge pickup. Some say it can be very ice picky but I certainly don't find that, bright maybe but that is what gives it it's bite.
If I had to change my Hamel in my #1, then I would have no problem in putting the Broadcaster back in there.
To answer your question, I think the Al Pro II is more rounded with less bite...but still a great pickup. The O.V. is much more of a bright pickup with stabbing highs, I would consider the Broadcaster to sit between them both by taking the best qualities of both pickups and boosting the output slightly. I have not tried the Nocaster.

[yegbert]

Originally Posted by Darrell

The Nocaster being the darkest of the bunch with the most mids and less dark.

Darrell, that was very well stated, except your "less dark" remark about the Nocaster is confusing. Can you explain what you meant?

I have an SD Broadcaster in my '50s bridge, paired with an Alnico II Pro in the neck. Before that, I had the Alnico II Pro set; and before that was the stock '50s Classic pickups. I have the '50s Classic bridge in my Squier Standard now, paired with the stock Squier neck pickup. I played these two Teles back to back and got a better idea of the differences between the '50s and the Broadcaster anyway. The '50s seems weaker on the lows and just a bit brighter (and hotter) on the highs than the Broadcaster, and I really like the Broadcaster.

I went on a quest for less icepick compared to my stock '50s pickups, and the Alnico II Pros really worked well for that. But more recently I've been on a quest for some more treble, albeit better than my '50s Classic. (I'm thinking now, it's kinda like good cholesterol vs. bad cholesterol!) The Broadcaster, compared to the AIIP, gave me a good boost in that direction. And it just may be perfect for me and my tastes for now, but...

I think I'd like to try the SD Vintage '54 (with the STR-1 rhythm) and/or an OV (aka 52RI) set. I've played a new 52RI Tele recently and liked it, but I didn't have my Broadcaster-equipped Tele with me at the time to compare. A pair of those pickups is probably the next for me to try, if for no other reason I can get them a lot cheaper than another pair of Duncans.

So my question is, how does the SD Vintage '54 compare to these other bridge pickups discussed so far in this thread; and especially to the 52RI?

[Darrell]

Th 54 has got PUNCH, due to the smaller diameter poles AND staggard design. I love the 54, but it was sooo punchy it felt stiff. Gosh the tone was all that and a bag of chips. They are very bright and rival the OV's in the brightness category.

The OV are really good pups. I would argue that there isn't much better for an ash guitar. And it is probably why that are in the 52ri. There IS something magical about the combo that few dispute.

(I edited my post above. BTW, I will agree that it is debatable as to whether the APTII or Broad. is brighter...but still different pickups...APTII is user friendly to the point of being muddy when driven to hard.)

[jkats]

Well, we started out discussing the Broadcaster, but questions have been raised about the 54, so I'll add my two cents, FWIW. IMO, the SD 54 is a great, reasonably priced Tele pickup, but only if you're looking for a particular sound. If you want the early 50s Tele nasal twang (the Roy Buchanan-type harmonics sound and the basic country tone), an ash body guitar with a flat pole, larger magnet pickup is the way to go (e.g. Duncan Broadcaster, Fender 52 Vintage Reissue , etc.). However, if you want the late 50s/early 60s Bakersfield Tele sound, the Steve Cropper R&B sound or Robbie Robertson-type harmonics, a staggered-pole, smaller magnet pickup like the Duncan 54 is the way to go (and in both cases, preferably with a Fender 52 Vintage Reissue rhythm pickup -- as has been discussed in this forum, the Duncan rhythm pickup is too dark) . The 54 works very well in an alder body and/or with a rosewood fingerboard, which mellows out the high end. I have a 54 in the bridge of my 1986 MIJ 62 Esquire Custom (along with the Fender rhythm pickup), and I can get the Cropper tone in the middle and the Robertson sound on the treble with no problem. To sum up, the Broadcaster and the 54 are both good, relatively inexpensive pickups, but they have different construction and sound (just like the original Fenders they copy), and the one you may want depends upon the tone you're trying to achieve and (perhaps) the guitar's body wood.

[Wild Rice Chris]

So I have both a Broadcaster and a '54, and a Duncan neck and a Fender neck.

One guitar is alder with maple, the other is ash with rosewood.

Any suggestions as to which pickup should go where?

And I do like the dark Duncan neck pickup, but the Fender was too bright (my dad removed the cover before he traded it to me (I have the cover to put back on)and the pickup wasn't in the tone circuit)

[Scotland]

Originally Posted by Wild Rice Chris

So I have both a Broadcaster and a '54, and a Duncan neck and a Fender neck.

One guitar is alder with maple, the other is ash with rosewood.

Any suggestions as to which pickup should go where?

And I do like the dark Duncan neck pickup, but the Fender was too bright (my dad removed the cover before he traded it to me (I have the cover to put back on)and the pickup wasn't in the tone circuit)

In the ash one, I have used the Fender in the neck and the Broadcaster in the bridge. It really works well, a number of people here have the same combo and love it.

[Wild Rice Chris]

Yeah, that's the direction I've been leaning...BTW, the alder one is the Crook Paisley relic I won in the fundraiser with an '83 MIJ Bullet neck. The ash is my '78.

Thanks for the input.

[yegbert]

To summarize the bridge pickup comparisons above, they seem to be in a relative scale from dark to bright (lower numbers having more midrange and higher numbers having more treble), like this:

Darrell:
1. Fender Nocaster
2. SD Broadcaster
3. SD Alnico II Pro
4. Fender 52 Reissue (OV)
5. SD 54

Scotland:
1. Fender Nocaster
2. SD Alnico II Pro
3. SD Broadcaster
4. Fender 52 Reissue (OV)
5. SD 54

If I've characterized either of your assessments inaccurately, please forgive me and provide corrections.

As jkats noted earlier in this thread, there has been much discussion here about the SD neck pickup compared to the Fender 52 Vintage Reissue (OV) neck pickup, with a lot of members (Wild Rice Chris being one exception) preferring the OV and considering the SD too dark.

The SD neck pickup in those discussions is the STR-1 and not the Alnico II Pro, right?

Would anyone like to venture some similar comparisons of some popular Tele neck pickups? The SD STR-1 and Fender 52 RI (OV) have already been compared, and it would seem appropriate to include the SD Alnico II Pro, maybe the MIM Standard neck. I've read some discussions here indicating the MIM Standard is quite dark. What other neck pickups are popular and Tele fans who've swapped them around?

Is the following close ? (dark to bright)

1. Fender MIM Standard
2. SD STR-1
3. SD Alnico II Pro
4. Fender 52 RI (OV)

[randy_mc]

Not to complicate matters, BUT...

If you like the Alnico 2 Pro, then you might want to check out the Antiquity and the JD. I have recently A/B'd them. Both are exceptional, but, to me anyway, they have different applications.

Antiquity: Alnico 2 magnets. output of 6.56 kohm. complex mids, and airy highs. very dimensional sounding and balanced from high to low. no hint of icepick treble. it has some twang, but its not intrusive.... you can easily get more twang with your technique. works great, really great with a Fulltone Soul-Bender or '69. awesome with ac30-type amps.

JD: Alnico 2 magnets. output of 8.20 kohm. punchy, lots of twang, highs are prominent but rounded. not as dimensional as the Antiquity, but more gutsy with the added output. could be one of the ultimate twanger pickups. okay with a fuzz, but tends to "flatten out" the tone given the extra output and mids. probably best with bf/sf fender amps.

IMHO, they are both great. I kept the Antiquity after a major bout of option anxiety.

[Kelsey]

I agree completely wiht Randy's suggestions, although I don't find the JD as twangy as the Antiquity. The Antiquity is more expensive than many of the alternatives that have been suggested, but it's cheaper than buying and selling a couple of pickups. The Ant is more open sounding and has more highs and lows than the JD. I tend to adjust both of them close to the strings to enhance the mids for the blues tone I favor. Both of them work really well with Fender and AC-30 style amps, and sound great with an OD pedal like the Fulldrive or a Tubescreamer-style pedal.

The current Nocaster has strong mids, but is still very bright. In the right guitar, it is just as nice as the Antiquity or JD, but I think the Antiquity is a safer bet in general. Two other options that I like a lot are the SD 5/2 Nashville Studio lead, which sounds just like the description says it should, and the SD Hot Tele lead (STL-2), which is great if you want a strong overwound tone that still sounds like a good Tele should. The STL-2 is the same price as the 54 and Broadcaster, and would be my choice over either of those.

[bibi]

Originally Posted by yegbert

To summarize the bridge pickup comparisons above, they seem to be in a relative scale from dark to bright (lower numbers having more midrange and higher numbers having more treble), like this:

Darrell:
1. Fender Nocaster
2. SD Broadcaster
3. SD Alnico II Pro
4. Fender 52 Reissue (OV)
5. SD 54

Scotland:
1. Fender Nocaster
2. SD Alnico II Pro
3. SD Broadcaster
4. Fender 52 Reissue (OV)
5. SD 54

If I've characterized either of your assessments inaccurately, please forgive me and provide corrections.

As jkats noted earlier in this thread, there has been much discussion here about the SD neck pickup compared to the Fender 52 Vintage Reissue (OV) neck pickup, with a lot of members (Wild Rice Chris being one exception) preferring the OV and considering the SD too dark.

The SD neck pickup in those discussions is the STR-1 and not the Alnico II Pro, right?

Would anyone like to venture some similar comparisons of some popular Tele neck pickups? The SD STR-1 and Fender 52 RI (OV) have already been compared, and it would seem appropriate to include the SD Alnico II Pro, maybe the MIM Standard neck. I've read some discussions here indicating the MIM Standard is quite dark. What other neck pickups are popular and Tele fans who've swapped them around?

Is the following close ? (dark to bright)

1. Fender MIM Standard
2. SD STR-1
3. SD Alnico II Pro
4. Fender 52 RI (OV)

Hello, where's the SD aptl3JD for you? thanks a lot