Brent Mason's Tele Pickups

[KYTelewhacker]

Does anyone know the exact brand and model pickups that are in Brent's guitar. I believe the are Seymour Duncan but don't know exactly which ones....

 

[GuitarJonz]

Search Engine

The search engine at the top of the page is great for questions like this, just type in Brent Mason, and what Forum (or look at all of them), and away you go, plenty of Brent reading material to keep ya busy for awhile.

Here's one:
Click for one of the TDPRI Brent Mason pickup threads



*

 

[jdfoosh357]

To get close you just need any vintage style bridge pup and a compressor--I think the Boss CS-3 sounds closest to his tone.

The main part of his tone is the thumbpickin. You can get close with the hybrid style.

 

[editorjuno]

To get close you just need any vintage style bridge pup and a compressor--I think the Boss CS-3 sounds closest to his tone.

The main part of his tone is the thumbpickin. You can get close with the hybrid style.

Actually, despite its name, the Duncan "Vintage Hot Stack" isn't particularly "vintage style" in performance. Even discounting the fact that it's a stacked, hum-cancelling pickup (those were unavailable back in the '50s and '60s), "Hot" (relatively high average output voltage) and "Vintage" (patterned after what's in guitars from a half-century ago) are mutually exclusive -- iow, if it's "Hot" it ain't "Vintage" and vice-versa.

I think you're much closer to correct with the picking style and the compressor -- I don't see how the term "vintage style" applies, especially since so much about Brent's guitar (e.g. bridge, wiring, three-pickup configuration) is extremely non-"vintage."

 

[Bill Hullett]

FWIW

FWIW
If I remember correctly the last time I worked with Brent he was using a Keeley comp. But i do know he used the CE3 in the past.....

Bill Hullett

 

[sidneystreet]

Duncan STK-T3 Vintage Lead Stack Bridge

editorjuno, From everything I have heard Brent currently uses the Duncan STK-T3 Vintage Lead Stack bridge, not a Hot Stack. I believe the Hot Stack is his middle pickup. Here's confirmation from his wife.

http://www.tdpri.com/viewtopic.php?t=34533&highlight=mason+stack

And despite the stacked coils, Duncan says it is actually fairlly low-ouput. It is their attempt at a vintage sound with noise-cancelling.

Thus, I would certainly say it falls in the same general category of sound as most other "vintage" pups. Also, if Brent's clean tele sound isn't essentially vintage tele I don't know what is. Listen to the Alan Jackson recordings. '68 Tele thru a comp into an old tube amp. That's the formula.

 

[editorjuno]

Re: Duncan STK-T3 Vintage Lead Stack Bridge

editorjuno, From everything I have heard Brent currently uses the Duncan STK-T3 Vintage Lead Stack bridge, not a Hot Stack. I believe the Hot Stack is his middle pickup. Here's confirmation from his wife.

http://www.tdpri.com/viewtopic.php?t=34533&highlight=mason+stack

And despite the stacked coils, Duncan says it is actually fairlly low-ouput. It is their attempt at a vintage sound with noise-cancelling.

Thus, I would certainly say it falls in the same general category of sound as most other "vintage" pups. Also, if Brent's clean tele sound isn't essentially vintage tele I don't know what is. Listen to the Alan Jackson recordings. '68 Tele thru a comp into an old tube amp. That's the formula.

Thanks for the correction -- I was going by what I saw in an older thread. I'm not saying Brent Mason's *sound* isn't quintessentially Tele -- I'm saying his *guitar* is anything but "Vintage Style." Teles with stacked noiseless pickups, heavy brass L-shaped bridges with six elongated Strat-style saddles, and three-pickup circuitry with neck position 'buckers and middle Strat pickups on blend pots did not exist in the '50s, which afaik is considered the golden era of Tele-ness by most of the "vintage" crowd. If anything, Brent Mason's picking proves that producing a great traditional Tele sound *doesn't* require any "Vintage Style" gear at all!

 

[sidneystreet]

Re: Duncan STK-T3 Vintage Lead Stack Bridge

If anything, Brent Mason's picking proves that producing a great traditional Tele sound *doesn't* require any "Vintage Style" gear at all!

You absolutely nailed the essence of Brent's whole bag, right there. The guy is pretty good.

 

[TELECASTERbstrd]

Re: FWIW

FWIW
If I remember correctly the last time I worked with Brent he was using a Keeley comp. But i do know he used the CE3 in the past.....

Bill Hullett

Hey bill, I was just wondering...
Did youget kinda nervouse pickin' w/Brent? I know your real good Nashville type, but it seems that guy can do anything.

 

[editorjuno]

Re: Duncan STK-T3 Vintage Lead Stack Bridge

If anything, Brent Mason's picking proves that producing a great traditional Tele sound *doesn't* require any "Vintage Style" gear at all!

You absolutely nailed the essence of Brent's whole bag, right there. The guy is pretty good.

Calling Brent Mason "pretty good" is like calling Mount Everest "pretty tall."

 

[editorjuno]

Re: FWIW

FWIW
If I remember correctly the last time I worked with Brent he was using a Keeley comp. But i do know he used the CE3 in the past.....

Bill Hullett

Hey bill, I was just wondering...
Did youget kinda nervouse pickin' w/Brent? I know your real good Nashville type, but it seems that guy can do anything.

Bill does gigs and sessions with the amazing Reggie Young -- and if that doesn't make him "nervous," nothing will! Seriously, in my experience the real pros just enjoy the heck out of picking with each other -- and if working with great players makes you "nervous," Nashville (like NYC and LA) is the wrong place be! Say what you will about the final product(s), there's no denying the excellent musical craftsmanship that happens there pretty much every day.

 

[valleyartsman]

in the back pickup he uses a duncan vintage lead stack and in the middle he uses a old red seymour duncan stack (they don't make these anymore)but in the signature model guitar it's a duncan hot stack and the middle pickup has a volume pot so he can blend in the middle pickup with the front and back ones and finally in the front pickup he uses a gibson mini humbucker. hope this helps. maybe blue water girl will chime in and get us all straight lol. hope what i put helps.

 

[KYTelewhacker]

Thanks for the info folks. Blue water Girl... I used to play with Randy his brother, an equally talented Drummer. Just heard of this site and looking foward to future discussions.