Tele Taste Question........ [Archive]

Unburst

04-24-2005, 03:59 AM

From the bridge pup I want to hear air when I play it lightly and grit when I play it hard.
Big bottom end and clear highs with a lot of harmonic content.

From the neck I want it to be as different from a Strat as a SC pup can get, warm and smooth, almost acoustic in character.

I prefer them to be slightly microphonic, if I flick the selector switch or turn the vol knob up to the endstop, I want to hear that coming through the pup.
I don't think I've *loved* any Tele that didn't have that.

Eric Pykala

04-24-2005, 04:53 AM

I hear the Wagner mental wheels in motion...yippee! Twang. clang and air when turned-down for the bridge. Something better balanced that doesn't sound like a Strat for the neck. Wait, do Teles have a neck pickup...? -Eric

Teleman

04-24-2005, 05:53 AM

I like a bridge pickup that has that twang but is fat and full without the "icepick" in the ear that give teles a bad rap.
By fat I mean something that approaches the output of a P90 but is more articulate. As stated in an earlier post "on the bridge pup I want to hear air when I play it lightly and grit when I play it hard. Big bottom end and clear highs with a lot of harmonic content."

I like the neck pickup to be very articulate also with an acoustic nature that can get "throaty" or easily comp jazz.

I also prefer them to be slightly microphonic. They must be alive!!
The favorite teles that I own are all like that.

Shemp

04-24-2005, 06:23 AM

Originally posted by WCR
Pretty simple question, I bet I get a WIDE variety of answers.
What is it you Tele fanatics are looking for in a Tele sound?

Here's what I wrote about the Harmonic Design pups in my 52 RI;

"I've had the S90 Bridge/Vintage Plus neck combination in my 52 RI tele for about 4 years now. It's the only reason I haven't sold the guitar. I have a hard time with a tele, we just don'yt bond naturally or something, but everytime I pop a new set of strings on it and plug it in I'm blown away. Powerful, harmonically rich tele tone without the ice pick. All three positions sound great.

The bridge gets growly and nasty when you play it hard, cleans up and is just plain powerful when you ease up. The neck is loud and smokey, but not muddy. Great for comping or blues soloing and well matched to the bridge output. The middle position is very rich sounding, hum gone, and really pushes my amps."

Also:

I hate vintage tele pups. They're much too "treble" oriented for my tastes. I like somthing that sounds "on the edge" without the ice pick and without being sterile and hi fi sounding.

Someone above mentioned pups that are on the verge of being microphonic. That's a great thing. I know people who take their potted bridge pups and either bake them under a hot lamp or hit them with a hairdryer to melt out some of the wax and get them to the edge.

I want a bit of dirt and lot of power from my tele.

enharmonic

04-24-2005, 07:39 AM

The mid-90's Tele Jr's were mind bending instruments. Highly recommended :)

sanhozay

04-24-2005, 07:57 AM

Bridge: Thunderous lows and warm treble. Should whistle with ease.

Neck: Clear, throaty, punchy. I guess as close to a Strat as possible. I couldn't care less about the chrome cover but I'm not too keen on routing a pickup to fit the existing cavity.

Bridge & Neck: No volume loss, should sound like a piano and dripping with sweetness.

Jim Collins

04-24-2005, 10:03 AM

I like my Tele pickups, particularly the bridge pickup, to be somewhat microphonic. I can do more with a microphonic Tele pickup than I can do with one that doesn't squeal. It allows me to go from country twang to full roar, without ever even bothering to plug in a pedal. Think of the range of tones Roy Buchanan got, during the Polydor years, with nothing but a vintage Tele and a Vibrolux Reverb. The pickups in that 53 Tele were wildly microphonic, and his tone was sublime.

jayn

04-24-2005, 10:25 AM

Originally posted by Teleman
I like a bridge pickup that has that twang but is fat and full without the "icepick" in the ear that give teles a bad rap.
By fat I mean something that approaches the output of a P90 but is more articulate. As stated in an earlier post "on the bridge pup I want to hear air when I play it lightly and grit when I play it hard. Big bottom end and clear highs with a lot of harmonic content."

Originally posted by sanhozay
Neck: Clear, throaty, punchy. I guess as close to a Strat as possible. I couldn't care less about the chrome cover but I'm not too keen on routing a pickup to fit the existing cavity.

I'd agree with these guys. For the bridge, think a fat 50's kind of tone.

For the neck, think a slightly fatter/warmer Strat neck pickup tone.

For the "both" position, I like a smooth, jangly 60's pop tone....nicely balanced between the two pickups.

The pickups have to respond well to volume and tone knob tweaks. A slightly microphonic bridge is great. I want to hear the "clank" sound when I slap the selector switch into the bridge position at loud volumes.

For comparison, the pickups Fender put into my '95 Relic Nocaster are superb (the bridge is a Custom Shop Broadcaster model, not sure about the neck, but I assume it's just a cover-reliced '52 reissue). Duncan Antiquities are great bridge pups, but I find the neck pickup to be too dark. I understand that the 50's Hamel Tele pickups are stellar, but I haven't had the pleasure yet.

mainsale

04-24-2005, 05:19 PM

Well, I think there are two opportunities. Since the demise of Joe Barden, there is an opportunity to reproduce that kind of Hi-Fi tele pickup. I have a set in an American Thinline and it kills, then there is the regular Tele pickup. NJobody likes the icepick bridge but everyone seemes to like a full, phat tele tone in the bridge....if this helps at all.

drjoel

04-24-2005, 06:58 PM

"having a rave-up with the yardbirds"

Leonc

04-24-2005, 07:30 PM

I agree with some of what's been said here. The bridge pickup's gotta twang and have some bite, but don't want it to take your eardrums out or make your fillings hurt. But relative to what some of the other guys are saying, I think I like a brighter neck pickup. The biggest problem I have with just about every vintage (50s) Tele I've played is that the neck pickup is too dull and muddy. I don't know if some consider this 'warm' or 'smokey' maybe..or maybe not...but I DO NOT like dull, muddy neck picukps in Teles (or any other guitar). I want some real clarity from the neck pickup. Really, the closer it sounds to my "ideal" hollow, scooped strat neck pickup sound, the better, AFAIC. I'll use the tone knob to take some edge off, if need be. But you gotta start with a sound that's clear as a bell.

Mark C

04-24-2005, 08:02 PM

The first two Roy Buchanan albums.

WCR

04-24-2005, 09:29 PM

Originally posted by Mike Hansen
For me, it's the ability to get lots of tones from an incredibly simple instrument. From twang to blues to fat LP tones, it should be able to do it.

Whatcha got cookin, Jim? ;)

Well, I've built more of them than I care to admit, but everyone seems to enjoy them. I don't build them currently, just don't have the time. I see some guys like them slightly microphonic. I've had one guy recently tell me one I built for him as a favor was kinda like that. I told him what to do about it, and haven't heard back.
Basically, I wind the bridge a little hotter than my SR bridge. In fact, several people have told me that when they back the volume off the SR a little, you'd swear there was a P90 there. The neck will blow yer minds. I have a good trick for that one......
Anyhow, if any of this makes sense to you guys, I may start making them later this year. I'm doing a lot of re-design in my shop procedure-wise, and will try to see if I can squeeze them in. At any rate, as usual, the first guys to try them will be AxeHouse and GearPage guys.
I think GuitarsfromMars will be the 1st official victim. He also wants the RB sound like Mark C does, and heckles me constantly about it.
By the way, i certainly am very thankful to you guys who have answered this thread. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I don't do this by myself. It's all you forum guys who help me out as well pointing me in directions you'd like to see things go.
Once I get an idea as to what I want something to sound like, the rest is easy. I've wound so much, for so damn long, and have re-wound so many other types of pickups, that I can usually make a pretty well educated guess as to what it takes to do it. It helps a lot to have such detailed answers like you guys have provided. Don't stop !!! lol
Stay tuned........:p :cool:

r9player

04-24-2005, 09:53 PM

I think one thing that I like is for the two positions to blend well.
Often I either get crunch and hardly any twang in the mid.
But when I get twang and crunch, oft the bridge setting is much louder then my neck.
On the neck I like it growly with a bite. On the bridge good twang and clang a very clean clear sound.
And mixed, you get a crunch with a twang sound on it.

Pedro58

04-24-2005, 11:18 PM

I hate to highjack this thread, but are you going to do something with p90's, too?
:D

John Phillips

04-25-2005, 03:18 AM

I like...

Bridge: heavy crunch and grind. I don't really want this as a 'twangy' sound, more gritty and aggressive. Big clear bass, complex mids, and the bite should be in the upper mids not the treble. IMO a good Tele bridge pickup is fatter and a lot less truly bright than a lot of people seem to associate with the guitar.

Neck: clear and deep, similar to a Strat neck but fuller and less glassy. Many Tele neck pickups can be both too dull and lacking in true deep bass at the same time. I also like to have the neck pickup around 25% quieter than the bridge, so you can almost use the pickup selector as a channel switch.

If you get both of those right, the middle position is brighter than either alone, about the same volume as the neck, but more open and airy sounding, and slightly acoustic.

I use the middle position for jangly rhythm, the neck for full rhythm or clear lead, and the bridge for crunch or heavy lead.

(Actually I like all guitars to be like that, but the among the 'traditional' types the Tele suits it best since the pickups are quite differently-voiced as well - I like the same thing on a two-humbucker guitar too, I want a 'vintage' pickup in the neck and a 'modern' one in the bridge.)

Jon Silberman

04-25-2005, 05:48 AM

Originally posted by Unburst
I prefer them to be slightly microphonic, if I flick the selector switch or turn the vol knob up to the endstop, I want to hear that coming through the pup.
I don't think I've *loved* any Tele that didn't have that.

Bless you, laddy - other than Jim Collins, I thought I was alone. ;)

Tone_Terrific

04-25-2005, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by John Phillips
I like...

Bridge: heavy crunch and grind. I don't really want this as a 'twangy' sound, more gritty and aggressive. Big clear bass, complex mids, and the bite should be in the upper mids not the treble. IMO a good Tele bridge pickup is fatter and a lot less truly bright than a lot of people seem to associate with the guitar.

Neck: clear and deep, similar to a Strat neck but fuller and less glassy. Many Tele neck pickups can be both too dull and lacking in true deep bass at the same time. I also like to have the neck pickup around 25% quieter than the bridge, so you can almost use the pickup selector as a channel switch.

If you get both of those right, the middle position is brighter than either alone, about the same volume as the neck, but more open and airy sounding, and slightly acoustic.

I use the middle position for jangly rhythm, the neck for full rhythm or clear lead, and the bridge for crunch or heavy lead.

(Actually I like all guitars to be like that, but the among the 'traditional' types the Tele suits it best since the pickups are quite differently-voiced as well - I like the same thing on a two-humbucker guitar too, I want a 'vintage' pickup in the neck and a 'modern' one in the bridge.)

Whoa!
So, what gives you this combination? Sign me up!

bluesbreaker59

04-25-2005, 08:41 AM

I wanna sound like Roy. Though the Redd Volkaert sound is also VERY APPEALING.

Basically I want that bridge pickup to scream like a bitch. The bridge should have nice CLEAR bass for old school rock, and blues, and have enough power to wallop an amp like the old 50's Esquire pickups.

The neck pickup should be warm and have clarity enough for jazz lines.

The middle I don't use often, but I'd like a Steve Cropper tone there please.

John Hurtt

04-25-2005, 09:00 AM

Jim,

Love the Goodwoods you made for my Thorn. I'm still looking for the right p/u's for my '52 reissue. Contact me when you have some ready, I'll be interested.

MCG

04-25-2005, 09:03 AM

Well I'm not a tele fanatic per say. But I have recently been using a tele as my main guitar, and I am enjoying it for all it's simplity and range of tones.

I useally use the lead pickup for my distorted tones with the tone knob rolled about half way down. I tend to roll the tone up a bit for the middle and neck posisions though. I do find the middle posision useful for it's fullness with chime at the same time.

I have however come around to find that the tradional lower output pickups aren't for me. I requier more output and mids. My tele is loaded with Duncan Anico II pros and I'm fix'en to change them out with a set of Quarter Pounds. I'll let you all know how that goes after I've had them in and gigged with them.

MCG

John Phillips

04-25-2005, 11:03 AM

Originally posted by Tone_Terrific
Whoa!
So, what gives you this combination? Sign me up!
Seymour Duncan Vintage Tele neck and Quarter-Pounder bridge :).

If you want more power from the neck, try a QP there too.

(Just for reference, my favorite humbucker combination is a '59 neck and a Custom Custom bridge.)

JNixon

04-25-2005, 04:06 PM

I am one of the lucky ones who have a set of Wagner tele pickups and they are awesome. Definitely fatter with more beef than a "vintage" tele pickup. The bridge is fat and the neck pickup is great too. It's the first tele neck pickup that I really liked. I said this to Jim in an email, but it seems like he took the best part of a strat pickup, tele pickup and P-90 and blended them together.

I did have a problem at first with squeal from the bridge pickup, but I traced it back to the bridge itself... not the pickup. I switched to the Callaham vintage bridge (from a Gotoh) and the squeal was gone. I guess the higher output of the bridge pickup and the Gotoh didn't match. No problem now.

IMO Jim winds the best pickups and if you are able to get a set of his tele pickups, you can't go wrong... for blues, rock, modern country/rock they are great.

Tone_Terrific

04-25-2005, 08:48 PM

Originally posted by John Phillips
Seymour Duncan Vintage Tele neck and Quarter-Pounder bridge :).

If you want more power from the neck, try a QP there too.

(Just for reference, my favorite humbucker combination is a '59 neck and a Custom Custom bridge.)

Thanks.
I may prefer a bit more brightness than you in the bridge as I am currently using a Duncan JD which may be a keeper. The neck is holding an Evans Strat pu but I would like a G&L mfd classic pu, but cannot find one, for the extra bottom, push, and clarity they seem to have without mud or excess brightness.

GuitarsFromMars

04-26-2005, 12:29 AM

Originally posted by Jim Collins
I like my Tele pickups, particularly the bridge pickup, to be somewhat microphonic. I can do more with a microphonic Tele pickup than I can do with one that doesn't squeal. It allows me to go from country twang to full roar, without ever even bothering to plug in a pedal. Think of the range of tones Roy Buchanan got, during the Polydor years, with nothing but a vintage Tele and a Vibrolux Reverb. The pickups in that 53 Tele were wildly microphonic, and his tone was sublime.

(very large SIGH,followed by lOOOOOOOOOg pregnant pause)I told ya Wags,I gotta get you a copy of Roy's 'Second Album'-I WISH I had the time to get the frickin' CDWriter running on this POS P3-or we can just go with the stock Hurricane Jeanne wind... :horse

riffy

04-26-2005, 03:13 PM

I really like this sound for a tele bridge pick up. Maybe not quite as hot as this though. This is thru a Soldano Decatones crunch channel and has the volume on the bridge pick up rolled back for the "faster" parts. Please forgive all the mistakes. This was done very quickly.

http://members
.cox.net/riffy/Rain1.MP3 (http://members.cox.net/riffy/Rain1.MP3)

Gary

WCR

04-26-2005, 07:22 PM

Hey guys, Brad wanted to post this, but for some reason couldn't He e-mailed it to me, so here it is:

"Hi Jim: Just wanted to add my .02 cents worth and for some reason ,was not able to log on to post…anyway:

I believe tele players fall into a few different camps. The first is what I call the “classic tele” pickers. They usually use a hybrid picking technique and play country/country rock ala Vince Gill, Eagles, James Burton, Redd Volkaert, Albert Lee, etc. These guys live on the bridge pickup and like the spank and twang a good, vintage style pickup produces. They usually roll the tone control down ¼ or so to take the edge off and fatten things up a bit. The next group falls into the classic rock territory ala Keith Richards, Black Crowes, Springsteen, Georgia Sattelites, etc. They still reside mostly on the bridge pickup, but paly with a bit of overdrive into Marshall style amps. They like a bit more poop than a vintage pickup provides. The next camp is the Roy B’s, Danny Gattons, etc that play a mixture of rock, blues, jazz & country. Again, they hit the bridge pup a lot, but quite often sue the neck pup for fatter, jazzier tones. Next up are the blues players. This is where I fall. I hang out on the neck pup 90% of the time. While I dig the tone of a great sounding tele neck pup, I now opt to use a PAF style neck humbucker in my tele ala a Seth Lover or Loller Imperial. I like the fatter, smokier tones they provide both clean and with a bit of hair. For a bridge pickup, I’ve been most happiest with one that has more a P-90 edge to it. I’ve used an SK T-90, Dimarzion VV hot T and an old Duncan ¼ lbr to find more beef. I’d love to try one of your darkbusrts in the neck of my chambered tele. I bet that would be a smoker! For blues, I want the bridge pup to be bit smoother sounding than most of the vintage offerings out there now. The middle position should still get that classic, funky tone…almost stratish in nature, yet not as quacky. I don’t know if any of this makes any sense, but I hope it helps. Good luck! I’ll look forward to your new pickups.

Brad "

roknfnrol

04-27-2005, 08:50 AM

This is a really cool thread, I am a Tele man through and through...

For a reference point, here are some of my fav Tele tones-

Robben Ford (Smoking bridge tones).
Bill Kirchen (twang master, gets great middle position tones).
Brad Paisley ("dirty twang" as I like to call it. He uses Fralin Blues Specials which are my fav pickups for tele).
Redd Volkaert.
Larry Campbell.
Yardbirds.
Jim Campilongo.

I don't really see these players as being in different categories, they just have fantastic control over their instruments and their tones.

I think the neck should be super clear and strong- for jazz or rippin' blues. The bridge should have killer bass response and killer midrange and punch/thump, the treble has to be controlled with the tone knob anyway...

I have tried tons of tele pickups (Duncans, Fralins, DeTemple, Lollar) and I prefer Alnico V magnets and LIGHT wax potting.

T.Wesley

04-27-2005, 08:53 AM

Originally posted by Mike Hansen
For me, it's the ability to get lots of tones from an incredibly simple instrument. From twang to blues to fat LP tones, it should be able to do it.Mike, I appreciate the desire for that kind of tonal spread, but is that a realistic expectation from a guitar with two single coil pickups?

Me, I want a Tele bridge sound but a Les Paul neck sound - hence my Tele has a humbucker in the neck!

:)

Seriously though... I don't mind a little switching noise, but I never, ever, EVER want a pickup that's microphonic and squeals or makes weird, uncontrollable noises. Maybe it's just that I'm under 40 :D, but if I want feedback, I want to be able to CONTROL that feedback (to a certain extent anyway).

I actually keep my neck 'bucker split most of the time. In the bridge position, my Tele sounds pretty much like a Tele - bright, aggressive, slightly twangy when I let it. In the neck it sounds more like a Strat, which is OK. What I really love about my Tele is the bridge + middle (split) sound. Full, round, warm, just bursting with character...

...but not microphonic :dude

--chiba

Jim Collins

04-27-2005, 09:44 AM

Originally posted by Chiba
Seriously though... I don't mind a little switching noise, but I never, ever, EVER want a pickup that's microphonic and squeals or makes weird, uncontrollable noises. Maybe it's just that I'm under 40...

Well, I never considered that my preference for somewhat microphonic pickups had anything to do with the fact that I am a geezer, but I'll accept that. To me, a slight amount of microphonics is like hot sauce. The P90 guitar and the humbucker guitar I have each have unpotted pickups. My Teles' pickups are potted, but not to the point that they have squashed all the squeal. These things make, for me, a more lively guitar. Now, I should say that I rarely, if ever, use effects, and I never use them when playing a Tele. If I did, I might not be so thrilled with any amount of microphonics. A lively -- read, microphonic -- bridge pickup allows me to go from country twang to full on roar with but a simple tweak of the volume and tone knobs.

doc

04-27-2005, 12:59 PM

There are a few of us out here mourning the loss of the Barden pickups. If you could come out with a very similar design for Tele and Strat we'd appreciate it. I think my ultimate "single coil" would be something like a Barden but with a bit more vintage dirt thrown in while preserving the glassiness and wide fairly flat dynamic range and frequency response.

r9player

04-27-2005, 02:07 PM

Not sure if I should go there but ...
I had this I imagine knock off Bill Lawrence Telecaster (Pre Swamp Caster) with what I imagine were Bill Lawrence noiseless Tele pick ups.
And well that guitar had it all, tone, mojo, sustain.
Great twang and great crunch.

doc

04-29-2005, 09:56 PM

I think if I were in your shoes planning a Tele pickup to produce I'd go for one of two options:
1. Really close to the vintage sound - Roy Buchanan tone, simple single coil with some grit and a lot of highs and a bit of the complexity you've nailed with your previous PAF style offerings, as well as the shielded cable as you've done on the SR set. Voice it with a bit more highs and lows than the SR. You'd sell a lot of those.
2. A Barden reproduction except with a bit more complexity to the tone. If you've seen what the Bardens are going for now on Ebay you can see you could ask a premium for them and get it, but you wouldn't sell as many as option 1.

daddyo

05-02-2005, 08:27 AM

For me, Roy Buchanan and "Warm and Dry" era Tab Benoit are my grail tele tones. Tab was still using a regular tele then. I also like a clean, clear country lead with a lot of pedal steel licks.

AJ Love

05-06-2005, 02:00 PM

I like Albert Collins' tone alot...to me, even though he didn't use a Tele, Albert King had the "greatest tone" and a good Tele with a humbucker in the neck can get you in that zone

JohnK24

05-06-2005, 07:33 PM

Bridge...throaty twang with a nice mid punch, I'd say Brad Paisley's "Long Sermon" intro and solo (from his first cd). Neck pup, smokey with a hint of clarity...jazzy tone, dirty 50s jazz tone, again, reference Paisley's first solo at 1:03 in "Make a Mistake With Me". Middle position, a nice Chet Atkins tone, again :) Paisley's figure style on "Make a Mistake".

My vintage tone reference is the master, Redd Volkaert...ah, yes a nicely aged ash bodied Nocaster.

J

pbradt

05-08-2005, 09:14 AM

Originally posted by WCR
Pretty simple question, I bet I get a WIDE variety of answers.
What is it you Tele fanatics are looking for in a Tele sound?

Black Guard, early '50s sound. Alan Hamel Standard Tele pickups will get any ash-bodied Tele there. Fred Stuart Black Guard pickups will, too.

Most of the others don't have the real juice.

pbradt

05-08-2005, 09:19 AM

Originally posted by ringmod
This is a really cool thread, I am a Tele man through and through...

For a reference point, here are some of my fav Tele tones-

Brad Paisley ("dirty twang" as I like to call it. He uses Fralin Blues

Brad Paisley is using Alan Hamel pickups now. He's not advertising it, but tha'ts what he's using.

GuitarsFromMars

06-30-2005, 11:03 AM

Uh-OH....mailman came yesterday and had my roommate sign for a box from WCR...beautifully made as per Wags's gold standard of construction...A 1st batch set of Bardens are coming out along with the harness...mmmmmph?
If they sound as good as they look-We(the Royal We) are in serious trouble-more later,gentlemen...
Wags,they are frickin' gorgeous:cool:

duckbunny

06-30-2005, 11:29 AM

Originally posted by Mark C
The first two Roy Buchanan albums.

EXACTLY!!!

Also - Like Jerry Donahue on the Hellcaster's First album (especially on "Orange Blossom Special") when played through a clean amp.

-db

fr8_trane

06-30-2005, 02:36 PM

Noone ever seems to mention the Pretenders. Lawdy does that band have some of the best ever Pop Rock Tele tones (sounds like mostly bridge and middle to me). Any way seems like alot of you guys would dig my mostly stock MIM 50's tele. Its got vintage style pickups that are always on the verge of feeding back but somehow never do. Still I wish the neck pickup was a little less dull and more strat-like and I wish the bridge was a little beefier.

unclej54

06-30-2005, 09:15 PM

i'm building a sort of tele thin line as we speak. modified the shape a bit. walnut back chambered out with a zebra wood top. french curve sound hole on the upper bout. i'm putting an 80's gibson t bucker in the neck position and an overwound dimarzio single coil in the bridge. i'm thinking of a four way switch with the fourth position putting the bridge pup out of phase. i have absolutely no idea what it's going to sound like but i'm anxious to find out. if it sounds good i'll let you all know..if not you'll never hear about it again.:D

tonedrip

06-30-2005, 09:56 PM

Just want to say what a great thread this is. I'm diggin my Tele more and more every day, and one observation I've made is, I get more nods of approval from band memners and positive comments on tone when I play the Tele. And I have some very high end guitars.

Teles are honest tone machines, no doubt. I had my pickups made to my desired specs based on musical examples I discussed with Pete Biltoft (vintagevibe guitars) . I truly think that is the way to go. There are so many talented pickup gurus out there willing to listen to your wishes...you can't go wrong.

Long live the Tele :dude