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Thread: First Telecaster help

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    First Telecaster help

    New here! Have a question I hope you folks can help me with I'm looking into getting an American Pro II Telecaster in Miami Blue. I currently have two Gibson Les Paul's that are my go-to guitars playing live, and I also have an American Stratocaster (SSS). I play pop punk rhythm guitar through a Marshall DSL100H on a 1960A 4x12 with my gain about 12 o clock

    Now that the basic info is out of the way... I'm a Gibson man at heart, but I really do wanna get that Miami Blue Telecaster for my next guitar. My question is... What pickup could I put in the bridge of the Telecaster that will work best for mid to high gain rock n roll rhythm guitar slamming out bar chords? I never play my Stratocaster live simply because it sounds like dog chit through my amp compared to either of my Les Paul's. It just doesn't have that "umph" to it. Even trying to help it out with the GE7 EQ and SD1 Overdrive on my board, it's either too bright with no power to it, or too muddy. No happy medium

    I've been doing a little research myself and constantly am seeing the SD Little 59 and the SD Hot Rails pop up.

    I'm not exactly after the "traditional" Telecaster sound, I simply want the guitar to have something different, and because I think it's beautiful. However, I still need it to be a solid guitar for what I play with my LP's.

    Just trying to weigh options before I make ANOTHER Les Paul my next guitar purchase So I'm just wondering what y'all would recommend for my situation?

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    Forum Member phantomman's Avatar
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    Re: First Telecaster help

    The Seymore-Duncans may do it for you. Dimarzio also has a nice selection of ultra-hot Tele pickups.

    As for your Strat, if it needs more cojones give Dimarzio's Virtual Vintage pickups a look-see. I have those in several Strats and they're plenty hot, nearly rivaling the output of Gibson's P-90s.
    "When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."

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    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: First Telecaster help

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomman View Post
    The Seymore-Duncans may do it for you. Dimarzio also has a nice selection of ultra-hot Tele pickups.

    As for your Strat, if it needs more cojones give Dimarzio's Virtual Vintage pickups a look-see. I have those in several Strats and they're plenty hot, nearly rivaling the output of Gibson's P-90s.
    +1

    That sure gets the job done.

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    Forum Member jrgtr42's Avatar
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    Re: First Telecaster help

    Quote Originally Posted by dk2429 View Post
    New here! Have a question I hope you folks can help me with I'm looking into getting an American Pro II Telecaster in Miami Blue. I currently have two Gibson Les Paul's that are my go-to guitars playing live, and I also have an American Stratocaster (SSS). I play pop punk rhythm guitar through a Marshall DSL100H on a 1960A 4x12 with my gain about 12 o clock

    Now that the basic info is out of the way... I'm a Gibson man at heart, but I really do wanna get that Miami Blue Telecaster for my next guitar. My question is... What pickup could I put in the bridge of the Telecaster that will work best for mid to high gain rock n roll rhythm guitar slamming out bar chords? I never play my Stratocaster live simply because it sounds like dog chit through my amp compared to either of my Les Paul's. It just doesn't have that "umph" to it. Even trying to help it out with the GE7 EQ and SD1 Overdrive on my board, it's either too bright with no power to it, or too muddy. No happy medium

    I've been doing a little research myself and constantly am seeing the SD Little 59 and the SD Hot Rails pop up.

    I'm not exactly after the "traditional" Telecaster sound, I simply want the guitar to have something different, and because I think it's beautiful. However, I still need it to be a solid guitar for what I play with my LP's.

    Just trying to weigh options before I make ANOTHER Les Paul my next guitar purchase So I'm just wondering what y'all would recommend for my situation?
    My opinion is to play it stock for a while before making any changes. Go into it with an open mind; those stock pickups may surprise you.
    Plus, I'd want to have a very different sound available to me for different songs, moods etc. I always scratch my head at guys who have a dozen identical guitars sitting there.
    |IF the Strat isn;t sounding good, well, there's two things. First is the amps are likely set for the LPs; a very different beast. |You may want to look at adjustments on it, maybe raise or lower the pickups, that can make a world of difference. The next is to tweak the amp setting so the Strat sounds good. Try the LP. Go back and forth until they both sound good (unless it's a point that neither of them do...) You can do the same with the Tele if / when it arrives. I know I have different ears from you, but I can get all my various guitars sounding good on my rig with no changes. Except for those days that one or another, or all of them, sound bad, even with those same settings.
    ********************************
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    "It is if you don't drop it."
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    Re: First Telecaster help

    Quote Originally Posted by jrgtr42 View Post
    My opinion is to play it stock for a while before making any changes. Go into it with an open mind; those stock pickups may surprise you.
    Plus, I'd want to have a very different sound available to me for different songs, moods etc. I always scratch my head at guys who have a dozen identical guitars sitting there.
    |IF the Strat isn;t sounding good, well, there's two things. First is the amps are likely set for the LPs; a very different beast. |You may want to look at adjustments on it, maybe raise or lower the pickups, that can make a world of difference. The next is to tweak the amp setting so the Strat sounds good. Try the LP. Go back and forth until they both sound good (unless it's a point that neither of them do...) You can do the same with the Tele if / when it arrives. I know I have different ears from you, but I can get all my various guitars sounding good on my rig with no changes. Except for those days that one or another, or all of them, sound bad, even with those same settings.
    I'll take that advice and run with it. The way I've done it anything like that is leave my amp as it is for my Les Paul sound, and try and use my pedals to make the Strat sound good. I'll mess with the amp like you said and see if I can find common ground for both.

    I'll also add that after I made this post, I went up to a local shop here in Houston and they happened to have the Pro II Telecaster, and a DSL40 (close enough to my DSL100...) As you said, I was geniunely suprised on how good the stock pups sounded with the gain I typically play through. It didn't have that low end like a Les Paul does, but it had it's own unique sound and it sounded really good!

    Just so we're clear.. I'm not expecting a Telecaster or any Fender for that matter to sound like a Les Paul. I just simply want it to sound good for my application is all :)

    I think when I'm ready to make my next purchase (hopefully here in a month or two,) I'll just get the Miami Blue Telecaster I want and see how it goes. If for some reason I can't like the stock pups on my setup, I'll put in a Duncan Little 59.

    As I said, I truly am a Gibson LP man at heart and absolutely love them.. But my heart is kinda telling me to try something different this go around haha. The first thing that caught my eye was that gorgeous Telecaster

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    Re: First Telecaster help

    Thank you guys for the input on the Stratocaster ordeal by the way! However, I honestly just wanna leave that guitar stock as it is. My primary use for it is tracking clean guitar at the studio.. There's no denying, a Strat is an AMAZING INSTRUMENT for clean guitar.

    So with that said, I would like to keep this thread more focused on having a Telecaster that would achieve what I'm after, because I plan to make it another one of my live guitars, and 90% of my playing live is punching out power chords through some decently high gain out of a half stack tubed Marshall

    Thank y'all again! Liking this forum already

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    Forum Member phantomman's Avatar
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    Re: First Telecaster help

    Quote Originally Posted by dk2429 View Post
    There's no denying, a Strat is an AMAZING INSTRUMENT for clean guitar.
    Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Randy California, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, SRV, and many others had no problems playing it otherwise either.
    "When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."

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    Re: First Telecaster help

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomman View Post
    Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Randy California, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, SRV, and many others had no problems playing it otherwise either.
    There’s also no denying that I am NO Hendrix. SRV, Blackmore, etc.. LOL. I’m just a chord slammer

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