Does a 72 Deluxe Tele Bridge....

[Bunky]

sound anything like a standard single coil tele pu?

How raunchy do the double hb teles get? Can they pull off Classic 70's rock?

[RyMo]

Yes. I changed the pots in mine to get more clarity but it rocks just fine. Not too heavy, but goo dmix of growl with clarity/sparkle.

[RyMo]

Let me clarify. Yes, it pulls off Classic 70's rock (blues rock - Aerosmith, Zep, Who). Wouldn't say it sounds like a single coil, but it does clean up well.

[Bunky]

is iit telesque, or its own thing?

[Kaisean]

Humbuckers typically don't sound like singles. There are lots of demos you can try at your local guitar store/chain. If they don't let you try the '72, try one of those blacktop teles to get an idea of what tele-humbucker sounds like.

[2HBStrat]

When they came out in the 70's I always thought the Fender humbuckers sounded like a cross between a Gibson humbucker and a Fender single coil, fuller sounding than a single coil but still somewhat twangy. IMO really good sounding pickups for a lot of musical applications. Tab Benoit uses one (Thinline, I think) for blues. The new ones aren't the same as the old ones, but pretty close.

[LensOfMadness]

When they came out in the 70's I always thought the Fender humbuckers sounded like a cross between a Gibson humbucker and a Fender single coil, fuller sounding than a single coil but still somewhat twangy. IMO really good sounding pickups for a lot of musical applications. Tab Benoit uses one (Thinline, I think) for blues. The new ones aren't the same as the old ones, but pretty close.

The new ones get much closer when you replace the bizarrely chosen 250k pots the reissues have with 500k like they came with in the first place.

[strat6866]

The new ones get much closer when you replace the bizarrely chosen 250k pots the reissues have with 500k like they came with in the first place.

I believe they actually came with 1 meg pots originally.

[vortexxxx]

The new ones sound very different in my opinion.

[brettk7]

I have a 72' Deluxe RI and I love it! I played Les Paul primarily before getting this guitar, and honestly I chose it basically because of the price (picked it up used for $300 with a hard-case) and the fact that I love the way they look.

IMHO, these really are great guitars but they really benefit from a couple of upgrades. First off, you need to upgrade the electronics. I would start with the pots, caps, input and switch. Then, pick-ups... This is where it gets tricky, because there are only a couple direct replacements that will actually fit in the guitar. You can mount a pick-up ring to the pick-guard, but more times than not that is gonna be a huge pain in the ass.

After going to non-WR pick-up route, I took the plunge and ordered a set of Lollar Regals. These are a direct fit to that pick-guard and they really do sound awesome. Very woody and open sounding, and almost exactly as some have described... A cross between a traditional Gibson style humbucker and a Fender Tele's single-coil. With those upgrades, it has turned into an excellent guitar.

[HP Hovercraft]

The new ones get much closer when you replace the bizarrely chosen 250k pots the reissues have with 500k like they came with in the first place.

Is this the case with the AVRIs or the MIMs?

[brettk7]

Is this the case with the AVRIs or the MIMs?

Probably both honestly..

[Beng2040]

I have a couple 70's teles with WR humbuckers and I think they are the perfect cross between single coils and humbuckers. My favorite pickups ever.