Tele pickups

Steve French · Post by **Steve French** » 2 Jun 2009 1:08 pm

A lot of great suggestions here. As you and others have noted, there are a lot of high-quality, great sounding pickups to choose from. I've had great success with Fralins, Duncans, and the Fender OVs.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is the impact of the guitar itself on the overall sound. I've put Fralins on one guitar and not been impressed, then put the same set on another Tele and been knocked out. It's really the combination of guitar and pickup that either works for you or not. You'll have to experiment to see what sounds best to you in that specific guitar.

Steve

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 2 Jun 2009 4:31 pm

Good point Steve!

Danny Bates · Post by **Danny Bates** » 2 Jun 2009 4:46 pm

I've tried loads of pickups and eventually settled on Kinman pickups in my strats and tele's. They have an authentic sound and are humbucking too. I've played original '53 and original '63 pickups and the Kinmans sound is the same... only it's better because they're humbucking.

Michael Haselman · Post by **Michael Haselman** » 2 Jun 2009 7:24 pm

I haven't tried most of these, except for my Bardens replacing the stock on my California series Tele. Got the Bardens before they went out of business for awhile and the price skyrocketed. I believe they're down now that he went back into business. But let me tell you, talk about fat sound, I can't imagine any Tele pickup sounding fatter than these, and you can still get a little of the country twang. So to me it's the best of both worlds. IMHO

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 2 Jun 2009 10:09 pm

THIS POST WILL USE SEVERAL VAGUE, SUBJECTIVE TERMS. (What else can I do?)

I have way too many "Tele"-style guitars, Fender and otherwise.

I find the G & L MFD full-size pickups (rectangular, but not as wide as a P90) sound great--very twangy, higher output than vintage-spec Fender Tele pickups, but brighter (!). I usually back the tone knob down a little bit. Downside: what they lack is the "spank" of the Fender Tele units.

I have an ASAT Z3 also, and while I love the concept and most of the sounds are good, the bridge pickup entirely misses the Tele sound, for me--it sounds like a Strat bridge pu, and not a good one.

The Duncan Jerry Donahue bridge pu sounds very "vintage" ('50s vintage), to my ears. So does the Fender Custom Shop "Nocaster" bridge. The latter came in two versions I know of: First one over 9K Ohms, then one in the 7K range.

I used to have a '68 Tele that turned out, unbeknownst to me, to have a Duncan "Hot" neck pickup in it. It sounded fabulous! (a rare thing for Tele neck pus!)

But my main gigging guitar has Bardens, which have spoiled me completely! They are so close to true Tele, but higher output, lacking only a little "spank" (midrange)--but totally quiet--no hum! Play Don Rich licks, then kick in your mega-overdrive and play Santana; they can do it all! Yes, they're expensive, but IMO, worth it!

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 3 Jun 2009 5:23 pm

www.vanzandtpu.com make some of the very best sounding replacement PUs, and have for many years. A friend was picking his Tele briefly the other day and the neck PU sounded especially beautiful, buttery but yet clear.

Joe A. Camacho · Post by **Joe A. Camacho** » 3 Jun 2009 5:41 pm

Hey Dave, I just took in an Old World Blackguard, Sean from Lovepedal builds them, best Tele I've ever had, he puts Buds pickups in his guitars. Check 'em out: http://budzguitars.homestead.com/

Richard Chapman · Post by **Richard Chapman** » 4 Jun 2009 11:39 am

I have Don Marre's pickups in my main Tele. Sweet. Just call him. He will figure it out. That being said, The next best thing in my mind is a set of Custom Shop Nocasters. Very versatile.

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 10 Jun 2009 3:10 pm

Kinman

Jeremy Threlfall · Post by **Jeremy Threlfall** » 10 Jun 2009 6:37 pm

Kinman

Greg Gefell · Post by **Greg Gefell** » 11 Jun 2009 5:42 am

I'll 3rd the Kinman response. I've had great luck with the Broadcaster series in my Tele. All the great sparkly tone and none of the hum. Its quieter than the humbuckers in my Gibson.

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 11 Jun 2009 6:12 am

Dave, I have done these in two Teles and love them! The two guitars I did also had a Strat middle and the TL-290 for a bit more of a P-90 tone on the lead pickup.

Outstanding pickups!

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 11 Jun 2009 7:10 am

I think Ken's talking about the Lawrences?

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archiv ... 39754.html

I have his singles in a Tele neck position and another guitar, and his blade pickups in my aluminum Tele - they pick up!

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 11 Jun 2009 2:30 pm

Yes, the Lawrence pickup s direct from Bill and Becky

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 11 Jun 2009 8:33 pm

Dave - if you jump to the Tele Forum and search for Jeff Rhodes or Velvet Hammer you will find the "grail"...

Jeff is making his dad's dual-coil bridge pickups again. I*think* he has the correct wiring diagram, but if not I can get it to you - it's part of the key to the whole thing.

It's the pickup Clarence White was using from around late-'69 until shortly before the Byrds broke up (it was missing and a rewound stock pickup in its place when Marty Stuart got it - the guitar still sounds tremendous but very different). James Burton also used one for quite a while as have many others, most of whom don't talk about it much because it's kind of a Tele/cult/secret weapon thing.

It's a little hard to describe, but basically you have a very low-output primary coil and play with your amp cranked up. When you kick in the secondary coil there is a massive boost - but it's very controllable because Red's weird wiring and switch setup actually causes the volume to be at its highest (with both coils on) at about 75% on the volume control, and as you turn it up it shunts to ground, going weirdly out of phase as far as tonality. It takes a few days of playing to get used to it, but once you do you end up with a sweet, bell-like Tele tone with nice punch; a smooth 2 pickup tone (Clarence used a Red-rewound Strat pickup in the neck position; I use one of Red's in one of mine and a Harmonic Design mini-Strat in another); and a screaming humbucker-like, mid-enhanced roar with the boost coil on.

It's not for everyone - if you are a compressor-dependent Tele picker or one who plays with a consistent attack it's more confusing than anything else - but if you are a touch player who picks lightly and knows how to dig in, varying your attack and picking position, there's nothing close. I have a Fralin attempt at a clone - he didn't get it nailed, but his works great with the wiring reversed (kind of a normal Tele and then a huge boost - not as sweet as the Hammer, it has a more agressive sound....and BTW, Red's *can't* be wired backwards - it will short out. It's wound very strangely; in fact Seymour Duncan has been working at taking an original one apart wind-by-wind to figure out what the heck he did).

Until Jeff started making them again used ones were selling for around $500 just for the bridge pickup - and then you had to know who to find to get the wiring (hint - the Clarence White Forum, or dig up two guys on the 'net who have been using them for years - "Stringpull" and "Silverface").

Seriously - if you have a good touch to your playing there is no better pickup/wiring system for a Tele as far as I'm concerned, and I've played primarily bender Teles set up this way (except for the few years my left hand was messed up) for decades in everything from country to Chicago-style blues bands.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 12 Jun 2009 6:59 am

But when I look up "silverface" it turns out to be YOU, Jim, and when I search "stringpull guitar" all the reviews are by "jimsliff" too... everybody else loves their own guitars too.

I could post reviews of Gleemo & Binky on four different sites then point to the reviews as providing a consensus opinion, huh.

Great guitars! truly....

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 13 Jun 2009 11:15 pm

No, Stringpull is Mike Nihen, who made the Nashville West guitars, first modding the Parsons-White bender into a long throw (1 1/8" like Clarence's original instead of the 5/8 stock PW throw). He used only Red's entire harness in those guitars, and when Red's family pulled out of the market several years ago he stopped making them. He was the one on the east coast who was really dialed-in on those pickups through his dealings with Red; I'd known about them since '71 or so through Clarence, who sent me to Red's shop (the infamous Red's Royal Amplifier Service.)

And yeah, the "name search" thing WAS sort of a gag...but Tele pickups are something I've been dealing with for decades, testing all kinds of designs. I can't think of very many named ones I haven't had at one time or another.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 14 Jun 2009 5:41 pm

Yes Ken, I get lot's of good comments on the tone of my Tele with the Lawrence pickups (and only $40 a piece!)

Steve Hamill · Post by **Steve Hamill** » 14 Jun 2009 8:54 pm

I've got an old set of Bill and Becky's vintage style in my 85 mij strat. That guitar has sent a lot of guitars up to 10 times it's value back out the door. those pu's are a big part of it. I haven't been disappointed in any product they make.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Tele pickups

Little professed love for Van Zandt's

Lawrence pu's