Jerry Donahue vs. Broadcaster bridge

[jdfoosh357]

How would you compare the JD with the Broadcaster lead? Thanks.

 

[Tele295]

My impression is that the Donahue is brighter than the Broadcaster. I found it a little brittle for my tastes. I love that beefy Broadcaster twang.

 

[Stan Martin]

the Donahue uses

alnico 2 magnets and is a little less brittle.
you should match the pickup with the guitar wood..
is your Tele a light ash ? an alnico2 pickup can tame the highs a bit. heavy alder? alnico 5 may brighten things up a bit.

 

[slack]

Yeah, I would think the Donahue would be less bright than the Broadcaster, too. The one Tele I have with a SD Broadcaster in it is not only the most brittle sounding of all my Teles, it has the least Tele character.

 

[Darrell]

If you put them in a blender

You would probably have the Alnico II pro.

I think the Broad. is a great little pickup. A little bigger on the low end than I wanted. But I used it for a few years. I miss it on occassion. Great combo pickup for those that do Country, Blues and Rock and don't want to change guitars.

 

[Kelsey]

The JD is plenty bright, but it's also fat and smooth rather than brittle. And the ash vs. alder thing isn't as important as whether the particular Tele in question has a fairly bright acoutic tone. The JD does a great job of treading into P90 and HB territory (think Jimmy Page) when (a) it's raised close to the strings (5/64" to 1/16" at the treble side), (b) the guitar's tone control is rolled back a bit, and (c) it's played through an overdriven tube amp. 8) The only possible knock on the JD is that it doesn't have as much bite as a less overwound Tele pickup, or an alnico 3 or 5 pickup.

Check the "Ultimate Tele Tone" thread at the Duncan web forum for some useful info and comparisons.

Happy hunting.

 

[Robin Nahum]

I have one of each...

.... in each of my quilt top Thinlines.

I hear the JD as 'hotter' - brighter and stronger than the Broadcaster.

 

[El Capitan]

JD is my favorite pickup.
Bright (not brittle), twangy, smooth, etc. can't compare it to the broadcaster because I haven't tried SD's version of one. BUT, I have compared it to Voodoo, Champion lap steel conversion, Rio, Antiquity, ad nauseam (own them all) . You could do a lot worse for $85.00

I have had this pickup in a basswood, alder and Swamp ash body,
It sounded best in the Alder body, for what it's worth, but that body is the best sounding one i've got, no matter what pickup, if compared equally.

 

[hookstrapped]

I'm not familiar with the Jerry Donahue but the Broadcaster is the flattest sounding bridge pickup I've tried. Other than its low end, which has a pleasing growl, it's lifeless. Mids and highs lack character -- no harmonic complexity or richness of any kind. It has some thickness, not being overly bright, but it accomplishes this in the most uninteresting way imaginable. YMMV.

 

[DrB]

I've tried both, and I think Broadcaster is best suited for darker wood (like alder) and JD best for brighter ones. My tele is hardash, and JD works great in that guitar. Broadcaster was a little icepicky.

B

 

[Darrell]

Wow

8 different opinions. I think you have to "dig in" on the Broadcaster to get what you want. It comes back at you in spades and then some.

 

[dogcityrocker]

go to the duncan discussion board, under "the vault". It is a discussion about all the SD p/u's for tele's. Very well done!