Pick me up

aja

I'm looking at getting a Tele style guitar. Can you recommend a pickup upgrade for the rhythm and lead that will have a higher output than stock, but will also NOT emphasize the already twangy guitar?

I would like the pups to remain in a single coil package so I dont rout the guitar. I am crazy about the P90 sound. I want to play vintage rock, blues and some modern rock.

Seymore Duncan have some interesting offerings, like humbuckers and overwound single coils, but I am a bit lost in all this. They all seem to emphasize the "twang".

What do you say?

BTW I don't care about hum at all, so single/P90 here we come

AlanRatcliffe

Quick question: If you don't want twang, why are you considering Tele? It's the definitive Tele sound and comes through just about anything you do with the guitar.

"Twang" is a bit of a relative term anyway. Because it's the definitive Tele sound, everyone makes a point of claiming that their pickups retain it or accentuate it.

Go hotter if you want - it'll obviously change the tone of the guitar and generally make it a bit darker, which will reduce the twang a little (but not make it disappear altogether). Putting in a P90ish design bridge pickup will give you a much fatter midrange and smoother top end, but you'll still keep much of the tone of a Tele too.

aja

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Quick question: If you don't want twang, why are you considering Tele? It's the definitive Tele sound and comes through just about anything you do with the guitar.

I don't mind the twang, I like the way it sounds on a slightly darker amp. I just don't want to accentuate it to the point that country is all I can play with the thing! ?

Alan Ratcliffe wrote "Twang" is a bit of a relative term anyway. Because it's the definitive Tele sound, everyone makes a point of claiming that their pickups retain it or accentuate it.

Hmmm, I see says the blind guitarist! So I shouldn't pay too much attention to the marketing speak...

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Go hotter if you want - it'll obviously change the tone of the guitar and generally make it a bit darker, which will reduce the twang a little (but not make it disappear altogether). Putting in a P90ish design bridge pickup will give you a much fatter midrange and smoother top end, but you'll still keep much of the tone of a Tele too.

Yes Yes that's what I need! Could you recommend a pickup to look at or a company that makes good ones? What do you think about these?
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/telecaster/progressive/quarter_pound_f_1/
or
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/telecaster/cutting-edge/hot_rails_for_t/

THANKS!

Sean

Off-topic, apologies, but I'm curious now...what then is it that gives a tele this "twang"? The shape of the body?

aja

Sean wrote Off-topic, apologies, but I'm curious now...what then is it that gives a tele this "twang"? The shape of the body?

I always thought it was the ash tray and the thick body, but not sure ???

AlanRatcliffe

As with any guitar, the tone of the Tele is a combination of things, some shared with other Fenders, like the bolt-on maple neck, some unique like the ashtray bridge, the wider coil of the pickup, the steel plate under the pickup, the pickup being suspended from the bridge, the three brass saddles. You can change a few of these things and the sound will still be close enough to the classic Tele tone, but change too many and you start moving away from it.

Gearhead

Eh.. through body string mount? Swamp Ash body? :-\

AlanRatcliffe

Gearhead wrote Eh.. through body string mount? Swamp Ash body? :-\

Two more factors, but nothing definitive by itself. Rosewood board Alder bodied Teles still sound like Teles and I've heard a few great top mounts. Provided enough of the factors are in place it still sounds like a Tele. For me, the biggest factors are probably the bridge and pickup together.

AlanRatcliffe

aja wrote Yes Yes that's what I need! Could you recommend a pickup to look at or a company that makes good ones?

I haven't tried them myself, but the leading "P90 in a Tele format" pickups seem to be the two Fralin Steel pole versions and the Rio Grande Dirty Harry:
http://www.fralinpickups.com/telestyle_sp.asp
http://www.riograndepickups.com/scart/ProductPage.asp?ImageLink=DHTBB&ProductName=For+Tele

Bear in mind that the P90 is more than just a hot single coil, the structure is different to anything else and any Tele size P90 is going to be a bit of a trade-off when compared to a full size P90.

aja

Alan Ratcliffe wrote
aja wrote Yes Yes that's what I need! Could you recommend a pickup to look at or a company that makes good ones?
I haven't tried them myself, but the leading "P90 in a Tele format" pickups seem to be the two Fralin Steel pole versions and the Rio Grande Dirty Harry:
http://www.fralinpickups.com/telestyle_sp.asp
http://www.riograndepickups.com/scart/ProductPage.asp?ImageLink=DHTBB&ProductName=For+Tele

Bear in mind that the P90 is more than just a hot single coil, the structure is different to anything else and any Tele size P90 is going to be a bit of a trade-off when compared to a full size P90.

Nice, Thanks! Hmm, maybe full sized pups are better...

Gearhead

aja wrote maybe full sized pups are better...

You might consider going for Tele pup in bridge and P90 dogear in neck, but there will have to be some routing in both body and pickguard. The soapbars will be a bit hard to mount. I can do the routing for you, is relatively simple job. Alternative is to find a Tele with a bucker rout in the neck, these are not as rare as you might think. That way you would only need a new pickguard.