changing my tex mex pickups!

[teleguytal]

hey!
i own a telecaster nashville deluxe, and it comes with two tex mex tele pickup and a start tex mex pickup in the middle position... the problem is it sounds allot like a strat and i already have an american strat... and im looking for that sweet tele sound... ive been thinking of replacing them all with only two pickups, rather the telecaster VN pickups or the fender "original vintage" tele pups! what would you preffer or offer?
thanks!

 

[Twang-O-Matic]

Welcome to the Forum!! I have owned Vintage Noisless, assuming thats what you are referring to by "VN". I couldn't stand them...to me they had no life, very dull and not vintage sounding at all. I think people call them "vintage toneless"...if so, I would definitely agree! I don't believe in using stacked pickups or noiseless on Fenders...but thats just my opinion. I have also owned Fender's CS 51 Nocasters. LOVE THEM! They are the best, vintage sounding pickups I have yet heard! Period. Full, rich, quality tone without the "ice-pick". Slightly compressed. Thick, driving lows and shimmering highs, with a well balanced mid-range. The OV's, have not owned...but played a few guitars with them installed. One guitar, they were way too bright and "ice-pickey"...the other one sounded very nice, vintage and well balanced. So I am not sure about those ones. Not alot of experience with them. However, I am considering buying a Bridge pup. The Neck pup seems very dark and muddy. Alot of people like them though, including the neck pup. I would just get the bridge, if I were buying one. My .02. And Welcome.

 

[goinpostal]

I would say either CS Nocasters or Fender's Vintage Tele pups. For the middle pup,if you're going that route,is to use an SD Twang King neck pup. Or better yet contact Aaron Campbell that custom winds Rumpelstiltskin pickups. Well worth the money and they're wound to YOUR specs.

 

[GreyBeard]

Check out Wildepickups.com
Whatever Tele tone you're looking for, Bill Lawrence builds em. I put a set of his Keystones in one of my Tele's...Pure clean tele twang without the ice pick.
Just put a set of his L200T's (noiseless) in another...I wanted the Strat neck P/U sound. They nailed the Hendrix "Little wing" tone.
Call em up...tell em what kinda tone your looking for...they'll hook you up.

 

[charlieboy]

I've have a set of OVs in my Nashville and they sound great. I kept the stock Tex-Mex mid pickup, I found it gave enough of the Strat "quack" sound for my use. For whatever reason I never warmed up to the Tex-Mex tele pickups on my Nashville either (although they sound real good in some of the Road-Worn series Tele's on which they think they are also found). I think the OVs would give you more of the Tele tone you are looking for although any of the above suggestions I'm sure would get you there as well.

As a sidebar, you might also want to consider modding your Tele to get the Neck/Bridge combination which you can't get on the standard 5 switch wiring but you get on a normal 3way Tele switch. I have a toggle on my control plate which activates the Neck pickup on any of the 5 settings (you can also substitute the toggle for a push/pull tone pot). You need to get that Neck/Bridge setting to get some nice Tele tones!

 

[telerocker1988]

I changed my Tex Mex's in my Roadworn for Bill Lawrence/Wilde Keystones.