Slightly lower output replacement for stock ceramics in MIM Tele

I like quarter pounders but they are hotter than what you have now. The broadcasters may be closer to what you describe.

 

Check what value pots are on the control plate.

If they're 1 meg, swap them out for 250k. That's a lot cheaper than pickups, and a cause of shrillness in single coils.

All of the pickups you nominated are hottish except OVs. They will all be somewhat middier than the stockers.

 

Quarter Pounds are likely much hotter and darker than what you have. I'd recommend either a Five Two or Alnico II Pro Tele set for the issues you are having.

 

If they are the ceramics, they should not be shrill, but should be fatter, being higher output pickups. I'd associate "shrill" with a low wind, low output cheaper set of pickups. If you want some pickups with less gain than the ceramic MIMs, but still overwound a bit to help overdrive your preamp section, look at the Tex Mex. IMO, the ceramic MIMs are excellent pickups, and cover a great deal of ground without icepick.

 

i'm with TR hot clasics since 2008.i absolutely recommend them they sure do blues and rock sounds.and in this price.....ahhh.go get them

 

On my teles ...

I have found that setting both my guitar tone and volume at 75-80 % provides the best results ... Many people dime them as I did for years... This makes a big difference ...

 

Anything with Alnico III pickups will be the lowest, toniest pickups you can put in a guitar. Since there is no cobalt in the A3's there is no magnetic pull on the strings, giving you max sustain.

 

from 2006 i've done many parts casters, teles and strats.many pickups i tryed.fender,dimarzio,bill lawrence,S.D's.The TR has nothing less and beat the rest for the price

 

Guitar volume knobs don't work like we think they should - they alter the frequency response as well as the volume.

Try running the volume at 1 or 2 out of 10 (seriously), back off the tone control till you hear some of the highs are reduced, then adjust your amp eq and volume to taste. That's how I've run mine for years now. My main tele is an MIM with the original ceramics, re-installed. I liked them enough that I found some others and put them in another tele. I use them for Johnny Cash to Stones to ACDC. The best thing about them for me, is they don't icepick easily, and are hot enough to get some smooth overdrive.

If that doesn't work, you can try some different pickups. But it may not be the guitar. In my experience, some amps are more prone to icepick and staticy distortion that no guitar or pickup is going to fix. I'm pickier about amps than guitars and pickups as a result.

 

I’d get the Fender Original Vintage or Cavaliers.

 

My $.02 is:

Fender Tex-Mex (Alnico V) set.
Tonerider Vintage Plus (Alnico V) set.

Both sets get lots of recognition for their rich, clear, clean tones and budget-friendly pricing (either set can be had for under a c-note).

Good luck!

 

The reason many people don't like backing off volume especially as Musekatcher noted is because you also roll back treble with the original wiring.

Many people like a treble bleed circuit, me included, for that reason. You can lose some of the highs, but not all whereas on a conventional straight volume it loses highs as well as volume on anything less than 10.

Some don't at all and there's debate as to best values for resistor and cap. Learning to get a full sound and back it off is a hint for Tele especially but also Strat, and even humbucker guitars.

 

In the same situation I put in Tonerider Vintage Plus. I really like them.

 

Slick Bakersfield Set
Fender CS Nocasters
Fender Yosemite
Bootstrap

 

DiMarzio Area pickups.