Nocasters changed at all?

I believe they have gone through a few permutations, but, not in last 10 years.

20 yr ago yes, 15 year ago OEM vs OES, yes. (not to confused you more)

IMHO

 

This is a timely topic. I’m looking into picking up a set of these myself. These or those Keystones I keep hearing about. I’ll be following this for sure.

 

OEM= Orig equip mfg (came with guitar)
OES= Orig equip serv (sold in pkg retail)

 

I have and had both.

If I were to buy a set now.....................Keystones without question, and save about 50 bucks besides.

Put them in, give it a strum and your eyes will look just like the guy in uriah's avatar.

Thank me later.

 

I bought a Nocaster, tired it for a few days, and replaced it. I don't like that pickup. Someone else may love it, but I find it too edgy, too metallic, to0 rough. Someone wish to play guitar with rough edges might like it, but I like sweet pickup, and sweet it ain't.

If Ted Nugent played a Tele, it would have a Nocaster.

 

Nocasters are my favorite Tele pups. I tried several over many years and like these the best, especially the bridge. I have them on two of my Tele's currently.

 

I emailed them last night about the current wait time for a set. Haven’t heard back yet, but I’m thinking I’m gonna give them a try. I may call if I still haven’t gotten a response by tomorrow. Thank you!

 

Sounds like you may have had it mounted too high. The windings and magnets tend to make them bluesier and smoother. They are not quite as twangy as OVs, but it's the fatter mids that make them. They still aren't as fat or grindt as P90's.

I don't think Nocasters are for everyone - I prefer OVs - but they are better than most overwound pickups like Texas Specials IMO.

 

I put a set of Nocasters in a guitar in 2007, they are still in it.

 

IIRC the '51 Nocaster RI originally had a bridge pickup with a fairly high DC resistance. At some point in time the wind changed to the lower DCR that is now. Current specs per Fender:

DC Resistance Neck Pickup: 7.1K, Bridge Pickup: 7.3K
Inductance Neck: 2.35 Henries, Bridge: 3.7 Henries.

 

I'm no help! I bought mine second hand and have no idea what the specs are but DAMN they sound awesome. Stuck em in a T-Style partscaster and it's become my number 1.

 

ah yes, the holy grail pickup, the very short lived 'nocaster' ... well, actually, the esquire/broadcaster (both names were used for both single AND dual pickup esquires or broadcasters!), the original uncle leo guitar, circa 1949 (prototype snakehead) to mid 1951. early '51 was when gretsch drums had copyright issues with the broadcaster guitar name, so the broadcaster label was removed from all currently produced necks, thus the no-name 'nocaster'.

technically and historically, the nocaster pickup is the broadcaster pickup, and vice-versa.

as such, the esquire/broadcaster used a3 mags and 43awg coil wire up until mid-ish '51 when the mags remained but the coil wire got fatter (42awg). it's turn count and coil wire winding tension was all over the map, as evidenced in nacho's 'blackguard' book, and by my dad and i in the mid to late 50's when we began working on them and investigating how they were built.

SO, much to the awe and shock of many, there is no precise, perfect '50-'51 fender bridge pickup set of spec's. too many were horribly screeching low winds that forced a lotta tone pot twiddlin' - yuk a doo. imho, the true holy grail broadcaster/nocaster was the 'mistake' one that got too much coil wire. ay caramba, abigail!

so, if you really want a true vintage spec broadcaster/nocaster pickup, its flatware needs to sandwich alnicu (copper, not cobalt) .195" rod magnets and 43awg coil wire. but that's just the beginning, now the real fun begins - how much coil wire (its turn count), and wound with what coil wire tension? ... hah! the pickup plot thickens, mates!

 

Did you find out what the current wait time is for a set of Keystones?

I already have a set of Nocasters that I plan to install in one of my Teles but would also like to order a set of Keystones.

 

Sometimes the wait time to find out when you can get some, can be as long as it takes to get them.......................weeks, months, who knows.

 

I will go ahead and echo this.

Keystones > other tele pickups.

They really DO seem like the "perfected vintage low output" sound.

Nocasters sound like standard tele pickups, complete with more eddy currents and general muffledness.

The keystones sound like someone let the tele breathe.

 

Fender uses nickel silver covers, so the eddy currents with the neck pickups are minimal. The real reason the Keystones sound so clear and the NoCasters less so is simply because the Keystones are wound to a lower turn count. The Keystones quite possibly have the lowest inductance of any other mass produced aftermarket Tele pickup set.

 

Then wind me some! I'd love some "handcrafted" keystones with a nickel silver cover.

I think if it was as easy as a lower turn count, every winder would have a keystone clone in their line of pickups, because it's a very successful pickup designed by a great pickup scientist. I have tried a LOT of low wind pickups and none sound anything like keystones.

I just think you are "listening with your numbers" and not your ears. Theres some element in their design you haven't accounted for, I'd guess, or every winder would sell pickups that sounded that clear and full. But trust me, no one else can or does.

 

The early, '95-'98 Custom Shop Nocasters (AKA "Cunetto Era") had quite hot bridge pickups, around 9.5-10K, but after that, when they became "In-House" and were known as Time Machines, the bridge pickups got wound like they are today.