Help Me With A Telecaster [pickups]

[blewgrass]

I am ready to put some pickups in a Tele. I have a Duncan "Nashville" neck pickup and I want to match it with a good vintage style bridge. I would like to get country friendly tones that has the potential to twang into some rock sounds like Sheryl Crow gets from her Tele. In other words, great clean vintage tone basically...because then the overdrive usually sounds pretty tasteful and creamy.

I realize I may need two different pickups for this purpose, but I would appreciate some ideas. I'm leaning in the '52 or '62 direction but am open to aftermarket knock off brands that sound better...

Think, Mearle, J. Burton, GE Smith, Marc Ribot, etc.

Thanks for any help.

[Gris]

Man I tried a bunch and just can't find one that sounds steelier than Lindy Fralin's vintage hot.

[Offshore Angler]

I've been using the Duncan Jerry Donahue for what you describe. It sounds pretty much like a slightly hotter Antiquity.

[chuckocaster]

from duncan the JD is a great pup, i really like the broadcaster model. it can do sweet country or rock, alls you need is a good amp and maybe a light od pedal. even without the pedal if you know how to work your volume pot you should be able to set the amp to break up and then back down the vol on the guitar.

my personal fave at the moment, a staurt lap wrap. mucho dinero, but i think it's totally worth the price of admission. best of luck.

[Direstraits]

+1 on the SD Broadcaster It's got all the twang you want and a bit more balls than a vintage Tele style.

[Kap'n]

The Texas Tele is a nice set, both the bridge and the neck.

[Gris]

Seems to me there are many good Tele PUs (I've also heard good things about all mentioned so far) and the big decision is whether to go w/ alnico 5 for a harder sound or 2 or 3 for a spongier sound.

[NeoFauve]

That Ebay seller, Stratosphere, had the Broadcaster bridge p'up and the Twisted Tele neck p'up out of a Baja last week. I like both of those, a lot.

He'd be a good source for a decent deal.

[Kap'n]

That Ebay seller, Stratosphere, had the Broadcaster bridge p'up and the Twisted Tele neck p'up out of a Baja last week. I like both of those, a lot.

That is a nice set, what I've got in mine, not coincidentally, a Baja.

I ripped out all the funny switching stuff, and I've got a linear tone pot in there now.

[ziess]

Do you use a 250KL pot for the tone? Just wondering. I'm rewiring my Tele since I put a Filtertron in the neck.

Tommy.

[Kap'n]

Do you use a 250KL pot for the tone?

Yep. Only on a Tele. I should try one on a strat some time.

[blewgrass]

Thanks gang. I just pulled the chicken switch on a Broadcaster by SD. I will let y'all know when I get my twang up to eleven.

[blewgrass]

Twang officially up to eleven. I like the broadcaster pickup. I also put in a Nashville Studio in the neck position. The difference is huge. The overwound pickups are going to be sold or given..

[chuckocaster]

i don't know how you have the height set on the bridge pup, but a good place to start is one nickel thickness (actual coin) under the high E and two thicknesses under the low E. tweak from there, but that's a good starting place.

[ragtweed]

Yep. Only on a Tele. I should try one on a strat some time.

What is the advantage of a linear taper over an audio pot for the tone control. I'm not trying to sound facetious, just curious because I have a bunch of guitars to re-wire this spring.