Pickup recomendation for rock/grunge...

[dirty.frank]

Hi, I'm new in this forum, and first of all, I want to say I've searched to find an answer of this question, but nothing exactly I need...
Maybe I don't know how to find becouse my poor english...

So,
I have an American Standard Telecaster from 1998.
I'm very happy with the feeling I have when I play the guitar, but maybe I need more punch/volume from the pickups, bridge and neck.

I would like to have a nice overdrive sound with my tube amp, but I need a little more power.. I don't know how to say it...

Do you know wich pickups have my guitar?? I've never changed...

I usually play play Rock / grunge... I'd like to sound like eddie vedder's tele... Pearl Jam in general...
Can you recomend any pickup upgrade??

Can I adjust or do something to my standard pickups, to sound like that??

thanks a lot!!

[KokoTele]

What amp and pedals are you using?

[dirty.frank]

Originally Posted by KokoTele

What amp and pedals are you using?

Hi, I'm using a Traynor YCV20WR

For overdrive I use the chanel specified on the amp or an Ibanez TS9DX.

I have to say, I own a LP Studio with burstbucker pro which I'm glad with the sound I have.
But I don't want my tele sound like my Gibson LP, they are different guitars, but I want my tele, have a little bit more power.. not such difference with the LP...

For example, I have to change a lot the volume and gain pot in my amp, when I change guitars... with my LP I can get a lot more saturation than with the tele.. I know is normal, but I want to have less difference between the two guitars....

[TimMcNelly]

Harmonic Design makes a set of tele pickups called vintage plus. They deliver the punch I think you're talking about. But more than just being a little higher output, they sound GREAT! They seem to just feel right to me. Still very much tele sounding. I've used them with 250k pots and 500k. The 250k gives them a punchier feel that may be better suited to what you're looking for.

[Tom Pettingill]

You might enjoy something like the BG-Pups Rock Winds ... basically less twang and more rock. The only downside is Bryan has about an 8 week backlog.

[dirty.frank]

They look great!! But one question.... When you talk about 250k pots or 500k, does it means that i should change the pots and the pickups???

I thought that I only need to change pickups...

What about seymour duncan broadcaster.. I heard good reviews... Are they good for grunge??? They are cheaper....

Originally Posted by TimMcNelly

Harmonic Design makes a set of tele pickups called vintage plus. They deliver the punch I think you're talking about. But more than just being a little higher output, they sound GREAT! They seem to just feel right to me. Still very much tele sounding. I've used them with 250k pots and 500k. The 250k gives them a punchier feel that may be better suited to what you're looking for.

[PraiseCaster]

I threw an SD Lil 59 in my Tele, and it kept up, no problem, with my LP Custom with PAF-59's.

That lil 59Jr. is a spanker, let me tell ya! High gain, little "Rock-Monster" is what it is! And my Tele sounds nothing like my LP. Sounds like a Tele with a really bad attitude! Haha!

[Mad Kiwi]

Eddie Vedders tele sound...NICE!

I have played around a bit with this and I suspect it is mostly quite a crunchy rock / grunge sound but with the volume on the guitar rolled back, and he plays gently for the quieter warm parts and digs and / or turns the Volume back up when he rocks out.....

Try the volume rolled back a bit trick on your tele and les paul, I think you'll get close with what you have and sometimes it is a magic sound all in itself...

I have recently discovered my Epiphone 60's with burstbuckers sounds really amazing at 8-9 on the volume...especially for the live Betterman intro etc...

[KokoTele]

Originally Posted by dirty.frank

They look great!! But one question.... When you talk about 250k pots or 500k, does it means that i should change the pots and the pickups???

I thought that I only need to change pickups...

What about seymour duncan broadcaster.. I heard good reviews... Are they good for grunge??? They are cheaper....

You probably do not need to change the pots. The choice to use 250k vs. 500k depends on how much brightness you want. 500k results in a brighter tone than 250k. Since single coil pickups tend to be brighter, 250k is the norm to tame that brightness a little.

When I think of a grunge sound, I think of thick, creamy, distorted mids, with a strong base and rounded highs. The Broadcaster will not get you there.

Duncan pickups that fall in this range are the Lil'59 and Quarter Pound set. Neither of these sound very Telecaster-y.

The Donahue bridge pickup will get you close, but it still retains normal Tele character, as will the Alnico Pro 2 set. These sound very Telecaster-y.

[brianr0131]

A GREAT tele rail humbucker is the Dimarzio Super Distortion T. It's an incredible sounding Rock pickup

Not very Tele-Y though....it's clearly a humbucker

[dirty.frank]

Hey.. Thanks for explanation!!
Do you know how much the standard pots are???

I think maybe to have a 250 pot can really help me....

Originally Posted by KokoTele

You probably do not need to change the pots. The choice to use 250k vs. 500k depends on how much brightness you want. 500k results in a brighter tone than 250k. Since single coil pickups tend to be brighter, 250k is the norm to tame that brightness a little.

When I think of a grunge sound, I think of thick, creamy, distorted mids, with a strong base and rounded highs. The Broadcaster will not get you there.

Duncan pickups that fall in this range are the Lil'59 and Quarter Pound set. Neither of these sound very Telecaster-y.

The Donahue bridge pickup will get you close, but it still retains normal Tele character, as will the Alnico Pro 2 set. These sound very Telecaster-y.

[dirty.frank]

Thnks for advice.. But I don't want to lose the tele character at all... I mean... I want more punch, but in a single coin pickup... For big punch I will use my LP, but for the other things I'd like the Tele... But more agresive sound....

This Dimarzio Super Distortion T are like a Gibson tone??? When you say it's clearly a hambucker maybe I'm scared to feel is the same that my gibson.... what do you think??

t

Originally Posted by brianr0131

A GREAT tele rail humbucker is the Dimarzio Super Distortion T. It's an incredible sounding Rock pickup

Not very Tele-Y though....it's clearly a humbucker

[Sleph]

You really don't need to change anything for what you described....just learn to use what you have.

[dirty.frank]

Originally Posted by Mad Kiwi

Eddie Vedders tele sound...NICE!

I have played around a bit with this.....

Which pickups do you mean you have played???

[dirty.frank]

This is the best option
With the economic situation here in europe.. Is better not spending money....

So, can you tell me some tips???

Originally Posted by Sleph

You really don't need to change anything for what you described....just learn to use what you have.

[glen smith]

Have you tried to move the pickups up closer to the strings?

[dirty.frank]

Sometimes I've tought this can help. But I don't know which distance have to be set the pickups to the string....
Do you know in milimeters which dictamce have to be??

Originally Posted by glen smith

Have you tried to move the pickups up closer to the strings?

[capth00k]

You can run some sustain / boost with a compressor ... The script logo MXR is your best choice, the MXR EVH one is good too -- or mod a new one into the script logo version (I think it's just 1 resistor) .

I like DiMarzio pups if you think you should replace it. I actually have a DP192 (bridge humbucker) in a Strat that I'll never take out because it's 'THAT' sound....

[' burn 08]

Well, Eddie's tele has a P-90 in the neck. You could put a p-90 in the neck and tap it to get a more traditional single coil tone as well as the growl of the p-90.

[glen smith]

I don't know if there is a "correct" distance but I would bring the pickups up a bit then try it and adjust a bit more just to see if the sound is improving.

[dirty.frank]

I tried to adjust up, and I just get more volume but not the punch I want....

Originally Posted by glen smith

I don't know if there is a "correct" distance but I would bring the pickups up a bit then try it and adjust a bit more just to see if the sound is improving.

[' burn 08]

I'm going to tell you what Pearl Jam sound out of my Tele. I have a nashville, and I use the 2&4 position overdriven. I have overwound pups. You still get plenty of twang. The neck and middle combo can get almost humbuckery and in the middle and bridge position it gets that Hendrix/Pearl Jam sound. I have tex-mex pups in mine. They tele pups have a little more treble, but the combo of the strat pup in the middle adds to the mid presence.

[dirty.frank]

Yes... But I don't have the middle pickup!!!

Originally Posted by ' burn 08

I'm going to tell you what Pearl Jam sound out of my Tele. I have a nashville, and I use the 2&4 position overdriven. I have overwound pups. You still get plenty of twang. The neck and middle combo can get almost humbuckery and in the middle and bridge position it gets that Hendrix/Pearl Jam sound. I have tex-mex pups in mine. They tele pups have a little more treble, but the combo of the strat pup in the middle adds to the mid presence.

[dirty.frank]

I've readed about the 4 switch pickup selector...
do you think maybe with this mod, can I use my standard pickups...

If I'm right, the 4rth position have more output, is'n it??

[Televised]

Originally Posted by dirty.frank

I've readed about the 4 switch pickup selector...
do you think maybe with this mod, can I use my standard pickups...

If I'm right, the 4rth position have more output, is'n it??

I use BL "Keystone" Pups which are a rich, clear, microphonic single coils. They are very reasonably priced. I used their Pup adjustment recommendation, "Press down on the 21st fret and have 1 nickel height on your 1-E string and 2 nickel height on your 6-E string, (between the Pups and strings)." I also installed a 4 way switch for about $15. In the 4th or "Parallel?" position the Pups scream like a humbucker with a very inexpensive Mod. Though I can highly recommend Bill Lawrence Keystone Pups, if I'm in your shoes I would probably go for the Bill Lawrence "Micro-Coils" + the 4way Mod. Reaonably priced with a set under $100 and the 4-Way Mod is also easy and inexpensive. Very happy with the outcome tone wise at my end.

[dirty.frank]

Hi,
I've just recieved th 4-way switch...
I'm going to make this upgrade this weekend, and I'll explain if I'm happy or not!!!

thanks!!

[José]

Try a second handed Boss DS1.

[Phelonious Ponk]

A slightly overwound alnico Tele bridge pup will retain the Tele character while giving you more drive. Put a graphic eq pedal like a Boss GE-7 in the chain with the mids and volume boosted and step in that to take it to the next level. It'll be good. And it'll still sound like a Tele when you turn it down.

P

[space cadet]

the cranked tweed amps he uses is probably what you have in mind..overdrive being controlled with the volume knob

[dirty.frank]

Hi, I've just done the 4 way switch mod.
I had some wiring problems but now its working well.

I just tried the 4th position at home, and I think I will use a lot to play rock/grunge.... I have o try with my band, but I think it's a good improvement for me...

[JosephE]

I can definitely vouch for the lil 59. Awesome pickup for a tele!