What's your favourite Tele Pickups?

[Novak]

The original Nocasters. "Never bested". What a Telecaster is supposed to sound like.
Everything else is simply variations on a theme, but to each his/her own.

 

[elihu]

Bill Lawrence Noiseless…they sound as good as anything I’ve heard with less hum.

 

[telemnemonics]

The worst old crap CBS era Tele bridge pickups, current favorites are '69, '72 and '73, with the first two rewound by Fralin to old time specs for nice basic ice pick tone you have to fight with a little.
Some I have are older but black bottom are harder to date, the grays usually have a date stamp.
Strat pickups too, early '70s are superb tone makers.

 

[gkterry]

Suhr and anything Cavalier

 

[Mongo Park]

Glad to see two votes for Bill Lawrence
I like the tele noisless and micro coils second

 

[Southpaw Tele]

I need them quiet so I like the offerings from Dimarzio. I have a Chopper T in the bridge and an Area T in the neck of my Player Tele.

 

[72_Custom]

I love the AlNiCo 3 '62 Custom Tele pickups in my only Tele. Sounds terrific through a Lil Dawg 5e3, VSA Vintage 15, and Vox AC4HW1. I have no desire to experiment with other pickups and will happily wallow in my own, self-indulgent ignorance re what I might be missing.

Let me clue you in to what you're missing: worse pickups!

I kid, I kid! But seriously, we're all looking for different sounds, so I'm not saying "these are the best for everyone" but they're definitely the best for me.

 

[Phrygian77]

The Duncan La Brea set is really good, especially with brass saddles. The Duncan Jerry Donahue can cover a lot of ground with CRS saddles. I'm not a fan of Duncan neck pickups though.

If you like Stratier neck pickups, a clockwise north wound Cavalier Lion King and the La Brea bridge is a killer combo. That's what's in my main gigging Tele. I just happen to like that raised D and G in the La Brea and I miss it if it ain't there.

 

[TwangerWannabe]

Fralin Blues Specials

 

[TwangerWannabe]

The Duncan La Brea set is really good, especially with brass saddles. The Duncan Jerry Donahue can cover a lot of ground with CRS saddles. I'm not a fan of Duncan neck pickups though.

If you like Stratier neck pickups, a clockwise north wound Cavalier Lion King and the La Brea bridge is a killer combo. That's what's in my main gigging Tele. I just happen to like that raised D and G in the La Brea and I miss it if it ain't there.

Would be interested to hear your description of the Duncan La Breas. I love the Fralin Blues Spacials, but looking for something else for another Tele.

 

[Sax-son]

I've tried 7 or so bridge pickups in my Tele. My favorite is the Cavalier Holy Grail Nocaster.

i have to admit that is a fantastic sounding pickup. I have a couple of them in different guitars.

 

[Phrygian77]

Would be interested to hear your description of the Duncan La Breas. I love the Fralin Blues Spacials, but looking for something else for another Tele.

The Fralin's I believe are A5 and wound to around 7.3k. I've never tried them, I have tried the Lollar Vintage T and I found it a touch too bright. The La Brea bridge has A4 magnets, I believe, which gives a slightly warmer tone. Still wound to similar vintage specs. You could easily get brightness by going to CRS saddles, but I really like the tone with brass. Your tastes may differ obviously.


La Brea, mostly neck pickup.



La Brea, bridge mostly. I hated my playing on this track, but a lot guys liked my tone, so I'll post it anyway.

 

[Phrygian77]

The Caviler Holy Grail is basically like a Broadcaster pickup. That works well in an Esquire, but in a two pickup guitar with modern wiring it can sound a bit too dark. Great pickup for classic rock, just don't expect it to twang. Although, like I said, it will in an Esquire.

 

[Phrygian77]

Would be interested to hear your description of the Duncan La Breas. I love the Fralin Blues Spacials, but looking for something else for another Tele.

Speaking of Fralin's I have their P-92 in a Tele Deluxe. Killer pickups.

 

[Wooly Fox]

Lollar J Street or the Nocaster pickups in my CS 52

 

[TwangerWannabe]

The Fralin's I believe are A5 and wound to around 7.3k. I've never tried them, I have tried the Lollar Vintage T and I found it a touch too bright. The La Brea bridge has A4 magnets, I believe, which gives a slightly warmer tone. Still wound to similar vintage specs. You could easily get brightness by going to CRS saddles, but I really like the tone with brass. Your tastes may differ obviously.


La Brea, mostly neck pickup.



La Brea, bridge mostly. I hated my playing on this track, but a lot guys liked my tone, so I'll post it anyway.

Appreciate this.

I ended up going with the Fralins because I wanted something that was a little "ruder" than your traditional Tele pickup, but still worked for the country stuff. They're fairly hot but still twang for sure and took a bright guitar and tamed those shrill highs a bit.

 

[CalebAaron666]

The tele pickups I haven’t tried could fill a book.
I have tried many though.

Front pickup:
TV Jones Starwood

Back pickup:
Bootstrap Pretzel
or
Pickup Wizard Broadcaster

 

[Orpheum]

- bridge: Hepcat "Nocaster"
- neck: Bare Knuckle "The Brute"

 

[midnight340]

Got a set of '52 winds from Rumpelstiltskin pickups in my partscaster Tele. I'll never part with those!! Love 'em!
(Alder body, 1-3/4" nut rosewood, fat neck from USACG. Wired a series-parallel push/pull into the tone knob.)

 

[mimmo]

IMHO The best Tele bridge pickup is the AV52, for the neck tue AV64 is really sweet.

If not Fender, anything Cavalier .