Rio Grande Vintage Tallboys

[Butch Snyder]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for a new set of pickups to go in my Baja Tele. Currently, I have a set of Fender Tex Mexes. They sound good, but I think I'm ready for a change. Was just cruising around different websites and went to Rio Grande's website. I have used the Muy Grande in the bridge position of a Telecaster I once had. Nice pickup, kind of like a Fender CS Texas Special without the harshness and kinder to maple fretboard Telecasters.

I'm interested in the Vintage Tallboy set. Can those with experience tell me about it?

Rio Grande Vintage Tallboy set

 

[mrbdxmpl]

I have a Dual Calibrated Nashville set in a partscaster - the guitar itself doesn’t play that well, but it sounds GREAT - like I want to put Rio Gs in all my teles. To your question, it has a vintage tallboy in the neck and I love it - bright and clear and great in the middle position with the Muy Grande bridge. Do it!

 

[uriah1]

I had some tallboys in neck and mid. I liked them.

 

[Butch Snyder]

I have read and noticed that a lot of players who use Rio Grande pickups don't use the Vintage Tallboy in the bridge. They seem to favor the Muy Grande (great pickup). I was also wondering about the Halfbreed. Anyone have any experience with that one in the bridge position?

 

[ElJay370]

My red Tele has a Tallboy in the bridge. Real strong, lots of bite. It has that overwound sound. Kinda like a P90.

 

[Butch Snyder]

I had some tallboys in neck and mid. I liked them.

"Had"? You removed them?

 

[Nick Fanis]

Had a set in a parts caster I sold.
Lovely pickups.

 

[uriah1]

"Had"? You removed them?

Sold that guitar. Today
1st strat..(Lollar bridge,Talboy Mid,Antiquity neck)
2nd strat (Tex hot antiquity all)

 

[Butch Snyder]

Sold that guitar. Today

Okay, that's better than "pulled them out for something better".

 

[Strato50]

I used them for years. I had friend that worked there. They sound good but are very unforgiving. Super articulate.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Ordered a set of Vintage Tallboys. I like Tele sets for some reason. Got them installed last night and, while they seem to be an improvement over the Tex Mexes and the stock Baja set (Twisted Tele neck and Broadcaster bridge), they're not leaps and bounds better. The neck pickup is very nice and, I would say, the better of the two. Big round sound but warm. The bridge pickup is articulate and twangy, but a smooth twang. These will stay.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Removed the Rio Grandes. In that guitar, they didn't sound as great as I hoped they would. Sending them back in favor of an APTL-3JD/APS-1 combo. I'm going to turn my Baja into a Jerry Donahue Telecaster.

 

[HootOwlDude]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for a new set of pickups to go in my Baja Tele. Currently, I have a set of Fender Tex Mexes. They sound good, but I think I'm ready for a change. Was just cruising around different websites and went to Rio Grande's website. I have used the Muy Grande in the bridge position of a Telecaster I once had. Nice pickup, kind of like a Fender CS Texas Special without the harshness and kinder to maple fretboard Telecasters.

I'm interested in the Vintage Tallboy set. Can those with experience tell me about it?

Rio Grande Vintage Tallboy set

I know this post is sorta old, but if you’re still considering the Tall Boys, I can say they are great, though in the bridge position they can be a tad thin or overly trebly. I have a swamp ash body, maple neck hardtail strat I put together—it is QUITE the bright beast—and have Tall Boys in all three slots. I installed a plate under the bridge about a year or two ago and it softened or fattened it up a bit so that the bridge-only position is more usable. All positions sound great, now especially with that plate installed under the bridge pickup. I use many effects for what I do, but gain-wise I usually stay on the clean side of things. If I use a drive pedal at all it’s usually an SD-1 set low, often with a compressor and these pickups love it. But here is the biggie. As for the neck position—well, I can say I can’t imagine a pickup sounding better. That’s where this pickup shines the best from my experience. Maybe it is just that this ash/maple strat loves it, but I seriously have told myself many a time that if I ever build my dream guitar from scratch, no matter what pickup configuration I settle on a Rio Grande Vintage Tall Boy will be in the neck position. Absolutely beautiful. Very round and yet ethereal. I usually keep the tone all the way open and with that pickup I can eke our everything from soft “woman” tones to near near ice-pick attack and even piano-like or steel guitar timbres largely from just adjusting my pick attack. I could swap out the others, but never the neck. If that guitar had only that pickup It’d likely still be my main guitar.

 

[Butch Snyder]

I know this post is sorta old, but if you’re still considering the Tall Boys, I can say they are great, though in the bridge position they can be a tad thin or overly trebly. I have a swamp ash body, maple neck hardtail strat I put together—it is QUITE the bright beast—and have Tall Boys in all three slots. I installed a plate under the bridge about a year or two ago and it softened or fattened it up a bit so that the bridge-only position is more usable. All positions sound great, now especially with that plate installed under the bridge pickup. I use many effects for what I do, but gain-wise I usually stay on the clean side of things. If I use a drive pedal at all it’s usually an SD-1 set low, often with a compressor and these pickups love it. But here is the biggie. As for the neck position—well, I can say I can’t imagine a pickup sounding better. That’s where this pickup shines the best from my experience. Maybe it is just that this ash/maple strat loves it, but I seriously have told myself many a time that if I ever build my dream guitar from scratch, no matter what pickup configuration I settle on a Rio Grande Vintage Tall Boy will be in the neck position. Absolutely beautiful. Very round and yet ethereal. I usually keep the tone all the way open and with that pickup I can eke our everything from soft “woman” tones to near near ice-pick attack and even piano-like or steel guitar timbres largely from just adjusting my pick attack. I could swap out the others, but never the neck. If that guitar had only that pickup It’d likely still be my main guitar.

Why didn't you read the post just above yours. Would have saved you a lot of typing.