Pickups for New Tele

SnaxGirl · January 1st, 2004, 04:12 PM

For Christmas, I recieved a beautiful flame maple thinline tele guitar body (thanks to Kevin), a guitar neck, and just about everything else I would need to make a wonderful guitar. However, I am still in need of some pickups. I already have a Ghost bridge/pickup system, and I'm looking for a humbucker neck pickup and a single coil bridge pickup. My dad is going to help pay for the pickups. I play in a band (The Snax) and we play a lot of 60's pop, such as the Beatles (we're commonly known as a Beatles cover band). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. Thanks, Alice

Kevin · January 1st, 2004, 05:15 PM

I'd typed a very long response, but then got hit with "Invalid Session." Aarrgh....

Anyway, for the neck pup, I'd go with a Seth Lover. These are my favorite humbuckers: designed by Seth Lover and Seymour Duncan to duplicate the original PAFs when they were new. The are made with the same materials as the originals and are even wound on Seth's original coil winder.

Some people think the Seths are muddy, but I like them. They do have less top end than, say, a '59, but it's a sound I like. The Seths are also unpotted and tend to break up a bit more quickly than a wax-potted pup; however, the lack of potting can make them a bit squealy at high volumes. You can't pot these yourself, either, because the plastic the coils are made from will melt at the temperature to which you must heat the wax. To pot them, you have to send them back to Seymour.

If you want a brighter humbucker that's been potted, you might consider the Duncan 59....

For the bridge pup, I'd recommend either the Duncan Broadcaster, the Fender 52RI, or the Duncan '54. Those are listed in order from most mids to most highs.

It really depends on what type of sound you are looking for and what your guitar sounds like unplugged. I like a "growly" sound from a tele, and find that the B'caster is great for ash. I've used 52RIs and 54s in alder, basswood, poplar and ash. In fact, my daughter's Esquire -- made from the same piece of basswood as the back of your thinline -- has a 52RI in it and sounds great.

Now, if your body were solid basswood, I'd recommend either the 52RI or the 54 to get some high end. However, your body is semi hollow and has a flame maple top. The maple will help accentuate the top end and the thinline construction will make it a bit more resonant, anyway. The guy who bought the blue thinline body told me that it had a really even tonal response.

So I suppose that if you want to accentuate the mids, I'd suggest the B'caster. If you want a lot of top-end, I'd recommend the 54. If you're really not sure, but kind of want both, I'd recommend the 52RI. Any of them would sound good, I think.

KingPussBlues · January 2nd, 2004, 05:28 AM

Fender Noisless in my American Series Tele in the last month. Excellent tone and they are quiet. Fender bills them as having a Vintage 60s tone. I don't know about that. I do know I'm playing my '52 Reissue with Texas Specials less these days. You can get a set for around $90. Not bad.

Good Luck!

John

Captain Simian · January 2nd, 2004, 08:57 AM

Rio Grande's are starting to become my favorite pickups. Check out the Muy Grande for the bridge and a BBQ Humbucker for the neck.

TwinReverb · January 2nd, 2004, 01:19 PM

How about a nice Fralin Unbucker (7,5kOhm) and a Fralin Steelpole 43? Good match and Unbucker can be be bought with the possibility of "splitting" if required.

January 1st, 2004, 04:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
SnaxGirl NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Blacksburg, VA Posts: 5	Pickups for New Tele For Christmas, I recieved a beautiful flame maple thinline tele guitar body (thanks to Kevin), a guitar neck, and just about everything else I would need to make a wonderful guitar. However, I am still in need of some pickups. I already have a Ghost bridge/pickup system, and I'm looking for a humbucker neck pickup and a single coil bridge pickup. My dad is going to help pay for the pickups. I play in a band (The Snax) and we play a lot of 60's pop, such as the Beatles (we're commonly known as a Beatles cover band). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. Thanks, Alice

January 1st, 2004, 05:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Kevin Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Terre Haute, IN Posts: 2,967	I'd typed a very long response, but then got hit with "Invalid Session." Aarrgh.... Anyway, for the neck pup, I'd go with a Seth Lover. These are my favorite humbuckers: designed by Seth Lover and Seymour Duncan to duplicate the original PAFs when they were new. The are made with the same materials as the originals and are even wound on Seth's original coil winder. Some people think the Seths are muddy, but I like them. They do have less top end than, say, a '59, but it's a sound I like. The Seths are also unpotted and tend to break up a bit more quickly than a wax-potted pup; however, the lack of potting can make them a bit squealy at high volumes. You can't pot these yourself, either, because the plastic the coils are made from will melt at the temperature to which you must heat the wax. To pot them, you have to send them back to Seymour. If you want a brighter humbucker that's been potted, you might consider the Duncan 59.... For the bridge pup, I'd recommend either the Duncan Broadcaster, the Fender 52RI, or the Duncan '54. Those are listed in order from most mids to most highs. It really depends on what type of sound you are looking for and what your guitar sounds like unplugged. I like a "growly" sound from a tele, and find that the B'caster is great for ash. I've used 52RIs and 54s in alder, basswood, poplar and ash. In fact, my daughter's Esquire -- made from the same piece of basswood as the back of your thinline -- has a 52RI in it and sounds great. Now, if your body were solid basswood, I'd recommend either the 52RI or the 54 to get some high end. However, your body is semi hollow and has a flame maple top. The maple will help accentuate the top end and the thinline construction will make it a bit more resonant, anyway. The guy who bought the blue thinline body told me that it had a really even tonal response. So I suppose that if you want to accentuate the mids, I'd suggest the B'caster. If you want a lot of top-end, I'd recommend the 54. If you're really not sure, but kind of want both, I'd recommend the 52RI. Any of them would sound good, I think. __________________ Of course, I don't see anywhere in my post that says it'll actually work...

January 2nd, 2004, 05:28 AM	#3 (permalink)
KingPussBlues Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Biloxi, MS Posts: 629	Just put a set of... Fender Noisless in my American Series Tele in the last month. Excellent tone and they are quiet. Fender bills them as having a Vintage 60s tone. I don't know about that. I do know I'm playing my '52 Reissue with Texas Specials less these days. You can get a set for around $90. Not bad. Good Luck! John __________________ "There's been a lot of people, and they've had a lot to say. But this time, I'm gonna tell it my way." 'The Messiah Will Come Again' - Roy Buchanan

January 2nd, 2004, 08:57 AM	#4 (permalink)
Captain Simian Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Albuquerque, NM Age: 40 Posts: 584	Rio Grande's are starting to become my favorite pickups. Check out the Muy Grande for the bridge and a BBQ Humbucker for the neck.

January 2nd, 2004, 01:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
TwinReverb Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 477	How about a nice Fralin Unbucker (7,5kOhm) and a Fralin Steelpole 43? Good match and Unbucker can be be bought with the possibility of "splitting" if required.