Vintage voiced Tele pickups

[woolybeard]

I'm building myself a tele, and have all the choices chosen, except for one crucial element, THE PICKUPS.

With so many choices out on the market, I defer to you guys...

If you were to buy pickups that emulated early vintage Telecaster pickups (not overwound, not humbucking, etc) from who, and which model would you choose?

I'm looking for a truly vintage sound. I already have a Tele or 2 which I would consider having a hotter and higher output sound.

[Narcoleptigon]

It depends what era you are referencing. There is no consistent "vintage" tone that any one could agree on. There are too many variables that contribute to the tone coming out your speaker. AlNiCo II magnets were used in the early 50's. At some point, or amidst that time, they used AlNiCu III as a stop gap measure. Both types are isotropic, which means the magnetic field is omni-directional -- therefore less focused on the strings than AlNiCo V. Depending on the coil dimensions, it may have a different affect on the tone/phase than AlNiCo V, but there is no consensus I'm aware of on just what that affect is. Many will speculate. AlNiCu III is less stable than AlNiCo II, due to the lack of Colbolt. There are plenty of good AlNiCo II pickups around for not a lot of money. They tend to be lower output than AlNiCo V of the same design, so the S/N ratio is slightly lower.

[sjtalon]

Custom Shop Nocaster

[WaylonFan76]

Lollar, Duncan Antiquity, Klein 52s, OC Duff Guardsman...The world's your oyster, man !

[Rockdog]

Van Zandt True Vintage Flatpole

[AJBaker]

What's your budget? From what I've heard here, Don Mare seems to one of the best for vintage replicas. But there are so many, and many that modify the vintage design somewhat.

[mabley123]

+1 for don mare....it seems to me he has gone the extra mile on tele pickups.

i would/will get get his nancy set when i have a tele built.

the nancy set is a reproduction of the pickups in roy buchanan's 53 tele...which many feel is the best sounding tele ever.

[Jellyroll]

Don Mare. I have 3 sets and they are all stellar and worth every single penny and wait time.

[Staggered Mag]

Don Mare makes a fine pickup. The Antiquities are real nice sounding. I always like to go with a hand wound pickup. The Lollars are high quality but I think they are machine wound.

[JohnS]

Bill Lawrence Keystones!

[WaylonFan76]

Originally Posted by Staggered Mag

Don Mare makes a fine pickup. The Antiquities are real nice sounding. I always like to go with a hand wound pickup. The Lollars are high quality but I think they are machine wound.

+1000 for Duncan Antiquity...