Looking to upgrade from Duncan Designed

[wwit]

Hey all, thanks in advance for any input. I tryed search, didnt realy see anything that applied.

I just picked up a cheap Squire VM Tele Special. Realy nice playing guitar for $300 bucks. It has Duncan Designed TE-101B Bridge Pickup and a JM-101N Single-Coil Jazzmaster Pickup with AlNiCo 5 Magnets. These are okay for what they are in an inexpensive guitar. But they just dont scream "Im A TELE" to me. Well they sound Tele-ish in a weak and noisey sort of way. Im finding that I realy have to dig in way harder than normal with the volume dimed.

So Im looking for improvement.

Things to concider.
Basswood Body, Maple 1 peice neck.
I dont play CW or chicken picken, so I dont need country Twang.
I play heavy rock, fat blues and barely scratch metal.
Instead of the Jazzmaster pup in the neck, Im considering something else. Possibly P90. i have no problems replacing pickguard or modifing body to accept other pickups.

My main concern is in keeping with the Tele tone. Most of my guitars have HB's in them. What I dont want to do , is end up with a Tele that sounds like a Les Paul. I already have a Les Paul that sounds like a Les Paul. Does that make sence?

The pots/caps etc will get upgraded to US made parts along with the pickup changes.

Thanks again.

Non glam truck bed pic just out of the box.

[musicmatty]

All I can say is you bought the wrong guitar for what you want to play with a certain sound already in your mind

The stock pickups are excellent in that guitar..but just not your cup of tea..You should have bought the Tele Deluxe for $500. By the time you re-rig your guitar..you could have had the tele deluxe and be done with it.

Your searching for heavier thicker tones and a P90 over the Jazzmaster pup..and you setteled on the VM Tele Special Kinda like trying to make a Gibson SG into a Tele

[Dave_O]

You say--

"...I dont play CW or chicken picken, so I dont need country Twang.
I play heavy rock, fat blues and barely scratch metal...."


I reckon you check out GFS pickups. You should be able to find a punchy bridge to match a P90ish neck without parting with too much hard-earned.

I bought 2 sets of Strat pups (1 set AlNiCo II in a loaded p/guard, and 1 set overwound ceramic) from Guitarfetish, along with a half Tele bridge for my Dano baritone, 1 steel and 1 brass trem blocks, a trem arm, some orange drop caps, strap buttons, and a whole bunch of random and various guitar bits-and-bobs. Shipped to Australia for much less than I would have to spend on a set of "name" replacement pups. And they don't sound half bad.

Good value, IMO.

[slowpinky]

You might want to try a Mini Humbucker - it wont 'gibson' your tele but it will add some fat warm mids - the GFS MHB's are not bad at all or better still the SD antiquity MHB (SM-2 or SM-3) range..

[SPUDCASTER]

Seymour Duncan makes other Jazzmaster selections like the "Hot for Jazzmaster" and the "Quarter Pound Jazzmaster". Both of those will probably have more balls than what you have now for the neck pickup.

Just Google "Jazzmaster pickups" and you'll find a bunch of people that make them. Lollar, Fralin and O.C. Duff to name a few.

For the bridge I would recommend a Seymour Duncan Jerry Donohue, O.C. Duff Plankster, Don Mare 0038 and a DiMarzio PreB1.

I highly recommend O.C. Duff (Owen Duffy). He winds both the Jazzmaster and the standard Tele pickups. Easy to work with and since you already have a sound in mind, he's generally pretty good at coming through for you.

Duncan and DiMarzio are just going to be off the shelf. Duff and Mare you can communicate your desires to. Whatever you do, good luck.

[wwit]

Originally Posted by musicmatty

All I can say is you bought the wrong guitar for what you want to play with a certain sound already in your mind

The stock pickups are excellent in that guitar..but just not your cup of tea..You should have bought the Tele Deluxe for $500. By the time you re-rig your guitar..you could have had the tele deluxe and be done with it.

Your searching for heavier thicker tones and a P90 over the Jazzmaster pup..and you setteled on the VM Tele Special Kinda like trying to make a Gibson SG into a Tele

I appriciate the input. What i left out, was that I did buy this as a mod platform guitar. Just something to mess with. Those Duncan Designed arent real SD pickups...just cheap as possible made in Asia somewhere that Seymour cut a deal with Fender on. Even on the SD forum they say the Duncan Designed pups are poor at best...just cheap pickups for cheap guitars.

Its not about spending money on something to have a perfect factory peice. Honeslty I had already had it in my head that if I dont like the neck after the first month, then I'll replace it with a Warmoth Raw Indian RW. Yup, I'll toss $350 at just the neck on a $300 guitar...thats the way I roll.

Ive taken a look under the control cover. Again no surprise that I found the little micro pots and a 2 cent cap. And no surprise, the solder joints all look like there gonna break off at anytime.

Just for giggles I priced out just a Tele body from Warmoth. I cant paint, so a basic body from them with butterscoth finish would run me $415...which is $115 over what I paid for the whole guitar...and I would bet dollars for doughnuts that it wont sound any different when its all said and done.

[musicmatty]

Originally Posted by wwit

I appriciate the input. What i left out, was that I did buy this as a mod platform guitar. Just something to mess with. Those Duncan Designed arent real SD pickups...just cheap as possible made in Asia somewhere that Seymour cut a deal with Fender on. Even on the SD forum they say the Duncan Designed pups are poor at best...just cheap pickups for cheap guitars.

Just for giggles I priced out just a Tele body from Warmoth. I cant paint, so a basic body from them with butterscoth finish would run me $415...which is $115 over what I paid for the whole guitar...and I would bet dollars for doughnuts that it wont sound any different when its all said and done.

The Pickups may be made in Asia..but they are not poorly constructed..just because the SD forum has posters who proclaim those Asian made pups to be junk, doesn't make it the Gospel truth The actual Semour Duncan website speaks about these pups and that they are indeed made to Semours own specs but at a different Labor rate outside the USA..no Union wages abroad

When I read a post like yours that proclaims Asian made junk ..etc..etc..I realize quickly that this is just a child at play with a guitar

[wwit]

Originally Posted by musicmatty

The Pickups may be made in Asia..but they are not poorly constructed..just because the SD forum has posters who proclaim those Asian made pups to be junk, doesn't make it the Gospel truth The actual Semour Duncan website speaks about these pups and that they are indeed made to Semours own specs but at a different Labor rate outside the USA..no Union wages abroad

When I read a post like yours that proclaims Asian made junk ..etc..etc..I realize quickly that this is just a child at play with a guitar

Im not quite sure why this is getting you all worked up?

3 of my current guitars are "Asian Made". The Squire is Indonesian and the 2 Epi's are MIC. And i enjoy them all and dont concider any of them "junk". The JBLP is an amazing guitar. My Dot Deluxe is a realy fun guitar to play. And I did replace the pups with Duncans...and holy freakin wow batman, what a huge improvement. The Squire has only been in my hands for @ 24 hours, and I havent had a Tele style guitar since the 70's.

So freind Im not sure why you insist to pee on my cornflakes. These forums are about Fun and sharing idea's. But I guess guys like you need something to do in between corksiffing and attempting to impress us all on guitar forums.

Have an awsome day cupcake.

[pondcaster]

Originally Posted by musicmatty

When I read a post like yours that proclaims Asian made junk ..etc..etc..I realize quickly that this is just a child at play with a guitar

What the ...? Totally unnecessary barb, the OP was just asking for info/advice... Easy boy!

[musicmatty]

In your original post you state that you play 'heavy rock..Fat Blues..and scratch Metal' ..Not many Tele's to be found in that ganre of music. Yet you proclaim that you want a guitar that will scream 'Im a Tele'

Your original post is a bit of a paradox...not trying to wee on your muffins man. Also you state that you will be replacing other parts with 'American made parts...as though that is the superior way to go. I have to ask..do you work on guitars yourself If you did work on your own guitars..I think your post would have read very different if indeed you would have posted at all

[uriah1]

If you play 'heavy rock'...that is not your basic rock setup, even if they
were 'top of the line' p/u for a tele, which they are not.

Slap a pearly gates mini-bucker in the bridge and hot bucker in your neck....

[paulblackford]

There are plenty of bridge pickups that fit a tele bridge and still rock out. Florance TE60 sound great with overdrive and gain. The Keystone bridge also sounds great for rock. I've heard good things about the Bareknuckle Piledriver. I've got a Vintage Vibe Charlie christian in one guitar's neck position, and it's great for blues. Pete at Vintage vibe can do the same pup with Ceramic 8 magnets, and make it more percussive. Lots of solutions out there. If you check Vintage Vibe, I'd bet he could make a hot Jazzmaster, that would be a direct fit, and not break the bank.

[musicmatty]

I really don't think the problem here is the 'Duncan Designed' pickups. Trying to keep a 'Tele' sound and yet be able to play heavy rock and scratch metal and do it to the point it sounds good, is not really gonna happen..just the wrong weapon of choice for the task

With the above said..in my opinion..the better choice would have been the VM Jazzmaster with it's hot Duncan Designed Bridge pup @ 11.29k output and the neck which is most likely the same pup in the VM Tele Special @ 6.57k output. With this setup..you have a Hotter bridge pup that is designed a little different then a Standard Tele bridge pup for jazzier thicker tones..yet you still retain much of the Tele sound because they are individual mags unlike P90s.

If you start putting buckers in your guitar..theres no way your going to keep a Tele sound at all ..so there has to be some sort of comprimise to retain a Tele sound..and the Jazzmaster would be it in my experience

Here are some video Demos of the VM Jazzmaster with it's stock 'Duncan Designed pups' These pups hold their own

Some classic rock with gain


Some Tele soundin Classic Rock

[LohnnyL]

Can't agree with many posts here. I play loud distorted rock on a Strat... it's not the classic Les Paul tone but you can get heavy tones from single coil equipped Teles - and the contrast with our other guitarist (who uses a Les Paul) just brings new colours to our tone.

However, I'm not sure what to recommend you - as just stating the styles of music seems not enough in my humble opinion. Any specific players you're thinking about? how about Richie Kotzen, for example?

[wwit]

Originally Posted by musicmatty

In your original post you state that you play 'heavy rock..Fat Blues..and scratch Metal' ..Not many Tele's to be found in that ganre of music. Yet you proclaim that you want a guitar that will scream 'Im a Tele'

Your original post is a bit of a paradox...not trying to wee on your muffins man. Also you state that you will be replacing other parts with 'American made parts...as though that is the superior way to go. I have to ask..do you work on guitars yourself If you did work on your own guitars..I think your post would have read very different if indeed you would have posted at all

Its obvoius that you and I have totally different sounds in our heads as to what makes a guitar rock. Sorry i cant explain it so YOU understand what i want. Weither I ask in a reference that you do understand makes no matter to me. IMHO your just a keyboard cowboy with some need to be condensending and snide. Ive read your posts. You do great work.

In my past 35ish years of playing guitars, i have not even once taken my many guitars Ive owned into any shop for repairs. Never. I have done all my own work, good bad or otherwise. I will admit my first guitar I got as a kid was a import Tele and I destroyed it while teaching myself to play, and how to work on guitars, and latter how not too.

I ask for freindly advice and get crapped on. Nice Job...this realy makes it fun for me.

Thanks to the rest of you that did offer freindly advice. I realy do appreciate it. I have many pickups in my collection, that Ill stick 1 in the neck to try. If I dont care for it, I got 5 more to try. I removed the pickguard and find that there is a large deep cut out under the JM neck. So plenty of room to toss in single coils, P90's or Mini HB without doing any surgery to the body. I ordered a SD for the bridge and all high end guts coming to replace the cheezy cheap factory stuff.

I found that the pickguard was the main source of the static and noise. Ive been playing the guitar without it and it does sound far better. Im sure that once I get the new pups in and get it fully copper sheilded, it will get me close to what I want. If not, Ill keep messing untill I do.

Thanks again.

[musicmatty]

I appologize for being rude. Good luck in your quest and you do have a nice guitar to work with and I'm sure you will achieve your goal with this axe

[elelpe]

Maybe CS Texas Special - Gibson P90. Or SD Jerry Donahue - Hot for Jazzmaster. Then give the rest to your amp/pedals.

[slowpinky]

This is getting a bit polemic for no reason.... - an HB in the neck isnt exactly anything new - and for many Tele players the 'essence' is in the bridge pickup anyway.

The only issue you have for wanting an HB or something fatter in the neck is that maybe it will be too warm for the heavier stuff and if you want to use the middle setting ,something that blends well with the Tele bridge. Something like a Lace Hemi with 4 way switching could be cool - wire up the humbucker so you can use it as a single coil as well ..just an option...

[LohnnyL]

If you're concerned with keeping the Tele tone - don't worry if the manufacturer says 'good for country'. It doesn't mean that you have to play country on this pickup. However, something with higher output might work better with the set up of a Les Paul user.

Quite a few manufacturers make Tele pickups that are supposed to be beefier yet retain the twang... additionally to what was suggested - I'm really curious about Zhangbucker and David Allen. A few nights ago I saw a Bruce Springsteen concert on TV. He was soloing on a Tele which seemed to have Bardens in it. His tone was pretty good actually, seems like something that could work for distorted Blues Rock.

[Rhomco Guitars]

Originally Posted by wwit

IMHO your just a keyboard cowboy with some need to be condensending and snide. Ive read your posts. You do great work.

I ask for freindly advice and get crapped on. Nice Job...this realy makes it fun for me.



Thanks again.

No crap, do ya!
Good luck on your quest for what you like best.
Rob