Anyone besides me tried A&F Blackguard pu's in their Tel

[jumpnblues]

Just picked up my new USACG Tele with A&F Blackguard pu's. Very rich, full, and balanced. Gorgeous sounding pu!! Supposed to be modeled after 1955 and earlier Tele pu's. I still really like VanZandt Flatpoles but the Blackguards are smoother sounding...a different style of sound. Check 'em out. I'm having touble getting their website up though.

[T2tele]

:D

Yep, I've been spreading the good word about these pups ever since I first heard them. I have them in all three of my Tele's. I know of some real high profile players that are evaluating the pups. It will be interesting to get the feed back from these guys!

T2tele

[Buckshot]

I got a Blackguard bridge p/u friday a.m. & slapped it in the '75 just in time for a reunion/blues gig w/ old friends friday nite. I LOVE IT! I've had literally a dozen bridge p/u's in this very guitar (I've owned it a little while!), and this is the one. The Suhr I pulled out is outstanding- lush and full, without loosing its twangy accent, but the Blackguard is more"alive" and responsive than any Tele replacement pickup I've ever used. Buchanan pick harmonics were popping out that I usually have to fight for. It very nearly has the Suhr's killer mids and it has the glassy upper harmonic jangle that the Suhr was lacking.
I REALLY dig the Suhr and I think it would make anyone's technique sound nice- maybe the most idiot-proof vintage style Tele pickup around. The Blackguard is more complex and responsive and really pays better attention to what your right hand is up to than anything else I've tried. In this guitar alone I've used Fenders, Fralins, H-Ds, Duncans, DiMarzios, Velvet Hammers, etc,,, and it comes down to 4-5 pickups that really do the early 50's Tele tone thing pretty well and the Blackguard pulls that tone off the best. I think it would be easier to sound harsh with the Blackguard than the Suhr, IMHO. Don't get me wrong, the Blackguard aint no Barden (only a genius like Danny G. can make those sound sweet, again IMHO) and is anything but harsh and sterile. I used my big pedalboard friday and it sounded great with all my f/x, but I found myself going to the pedals less than ever because the clean tone was SO GOOD!
Comparatively, I guess I'd say the Blackguard sounds most like a C.S. NoCaster p/u that went on to get a Master's Degree in harmonic complexity. Graduate school, like a set of Blackguards, is very expensive (don't ask me why a guitar tech knows so much about grad school!) but can definitely be worth it to the right person who can put it to use! I 've been too busy recovering from the weekend to email my report to Ron Ellis yet (who I've molested for months to get this pickup), but I'm putting in an order for another set when I do.

[Cliff]

I've had the A&F pickups in my Tele for a few months now. Standard bridge and the "tall" neck pickup (called the Twisted Tele pickup at Fender). Needless to say, I really like them. Great tone, no ice pick in the bridge position. Whereas, I play mostly on the bridge pickup, I finally have a neck pickup that I can use. Great definition....clear and warm.