Hot or Not?? ........... bridge pickup

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SachaPlusDeluxe

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So I’ve decided to be use my MIM standard as a base for trying out new bridge pickups.

The one in there is, to be fair, an awesome rock tele pickup as is, it’s not chimey or bell like but it is phat for a single coil. But there’s the rub….. “for a single coil”

So I put it to you experts out there what should I try first.

I’m looking for a really phat sounding pickup, close to a humbucker but with Teleness.

Do I go:

Hot 20K+
Humbucker or single coil
Lace sensor T100 (around 13.5k) my first choice at the minute as I have a neck lace on order
Ceramic or Alnico V
Hot rails?
Dare I say active??

Once again this is probably a start of a little project as to what is the phattest bridge pickup for a Tele which retains the Teleness!

Once again, what are your recommendations to try first?

Thanks all

Sacha
 

pinktele

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I've got Lollar Specials in my Tele and the bridge is a very hot over-wound pickup that gets very fat as you turn up but maintains tele-like tone at lower volumes.
 

Wrong-Note Rod

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Rio Grande Muy Grande

GFS Overwound Alnico

I have both, and both are great, fat, loud; the GFS has a bit more twang, the Rio Grande is a bit more rock
 

blowtorch

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Gibson Melody Maker single coil pickup. Play one of those Melody Makers and you'll see what I mean
 

SachaPlusDeluxe

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Haven't Melody makers got P90s?

If so I already have a set of Bareknuckle Nantuckets in my Modern Player Jaguar and I agree, P90 bridge pickups are ruuuuude!
 

blowtorch

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MMs have a special design single coil (not P-90). It's easy to mistake the appearance for a P-90, because of the pickguard material that surrounds the slim single coil.

This from Gibson's propaganda:

"Gibson’s Special Design Singlecoil Pickup

The legendary Melody Makers of the late 1950s and early 1960s were the best-selling models of Gibson’s famed “Golden Era,” and with good reason—they were lightweight, equipped with a comfortable neck, and capable of exceptional tone courtesy of Gibson’s own singlecoil pickup. Today’s Melody Maker sports a special-design singlecoil pickup that delivers that same vintage tone and performance. A stellar combination of high output and sweet treble response, this multi-ceramic magnet pickup provides plenty of punchy bite when needed, as well as incredible sustain and cutting power."
 

SachaPlusDeluxe

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Damn...... I'd weened my GAS from wanting a Melody Maker as I'd bought my Jag, now I want one again!!! ;)
 

4pickupguy

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Is a matter of probability…
Went Twin Lion for this scenario..... Works great. It's not quarter pounder hot but it will scare the front end of an amp in Fat kill mode. It still twangs in Nashville mode. Wired to a push/push volume pot makes it easy to use. Just a thought.
 

Derek Kiernan

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Bill Lawrence's L298TL is a high inductance pickup with rich lows that doesn't sacrifice clarity. Definitely the first pickup I would check out.
 

axe2grind66

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So I’ve decided to be use my MIM standard as a base for trying out new bridge pickups.

The one in there is, to be fair, an awesome rock tele pickup as is, it’s not chimey or bell like but it is phat for a single coil. But there’s the rub….. “for a single coil”

So I put it to you experts out there what should I try first.

I’m looking for a really phat sounding pickup, close to a humbucker but with Teleness.

Do I go:

Hot 20K+
Humbucker or single coil
Lace sensor T100 (around 13.5k) my first choice at the minute as I have a neck lace on order
Ceramic or Alnico V
Hot rails?
Dare I say active??

Once again this is probably a start of a little project as to what is the phattest bridge pickup for a Tele which retains the Teleness!

Once again, what are your recommendations to try first?

Thanks all

Sacha

I like the SD little 59 I put in my American Std. Still twangs a bit but gets as gnarly as my Gibson p90's and HBs.
 

axe2grind66

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Bill Lawrence's L298TL is a high inductance pickup with rich lows that doesn't sacrifice clarity. Definitely the first pickup I would check out.

I'm curious about Bill Lawrence single coils too. My only experience with BL pups are in my Gibson LP....Bill Lawrence HB-r and HB-l. Absolutely pristine clean and nasty with gain.
 

Derek Kiernan

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I'm curious about Bill Lawrence single coils too. My only experience with BL pups are in my Gibson LP....Bill Lawrence HB-r and HB-l. Absolutely pristine clean and nasty with gain.

If you like work he did in the 80s, his research and products only advanced and improved since then. Wilde pickups are produced to the absolute highest standard possible, and the new designs Bill developed in the last decade (such as the dual blades for Strat/Tele and microcoils) surpass the work he's done at any other point.
 

surfoverb

Doctor of Teleocity
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dont half-ass it
throw a full sized p90
in the bridge..
(p90s loose some of thier p90ness
when you change the shape and size of their being)
I have this same guitar
with an overwound lollar p90
in the bridge
and it screams

 

bluescaster72

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Well, Party of the twangyiness is using smaller gauge strings. I personally love the Mexican bridge pickups . They have a thicker tone then the American made and are more vesatile and will do Rock ext . That being said if you want a fat sounding pickup a Seymour Duncun Hot rails will do the trick it's fat sounding . I woulden't call it twangy , but if you do things like steel guitar bends will get you in the territory on the clean channel . It's my favorite so far for clean tone and dirty .
 

TNO

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The Duncan Little 59 will give you a humbucker sound in the bridge of a tele, with maybe a little more focus. Trade off is you give up the tele character.

I've got a Rumpelstiltskin 1950 Black Rope wound to 10k that rocks out but still manages to have good clarity. That formula of A3 would to 10k with whatever wire gauge the early Broadcasters used is hard to beat.
 

JKjr

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Chillin' with Grammaw
I've got Lollar Specials in my Tele and the bridge is a very hot over-wound pickup that gets very fat as you turn up but maintains tele-like tone at lower volumes.

Mirrors my experience, one of my favorites. Fralin's Blues Special is great too, not quite as fat and will twang with the volume nailed IF YOU WANNA. What I like most about both these guys is that they "get" the harmonic richness thing...nothing beamy or one dimensional.

I have what Kerry at Onamac pickups calls his "Paisley Wind" and it's clear and twangy but kicks like a mule. Pretty good stuff too, and low bucks.

Don't forget Rob's Cavaliers.;)
 

rokdog49

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The Duncan Little 59 will give you a humbucker sound in the bridge of a tele, with maybe a little more focus. Trade off is you give up the tele character.

I've got a Rumpelstiltskin 1950 Black Rope wound to 10k that rocks out but still manages to have good clarity. That formula of A3 would to 10k with whatever wire gauge the early Broadcasters used is hard to beat.

+1 on the Rumpelstiltskin Black Rope at 10k, very powerful and still some twang when you dial the volume back.
 
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