stock fender tele pickups

[mrfjones]

i changed the pickups in my stock mim 50's reissue today. I found the funniest thing when i took the bridge pickup out, it had no baseplate. I knew they were cheap and sounded like crap but i would have at least thought they would have given me a complete tele pickup.

i wonder what kind of pickups those are. They could be the stock pickp from a mim standard. My other 50's reissue tele had what looks and sounds like a decent set of vintage style pickups.

Has anyone else found this when they changed tele pickups?

[BS123]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

Actually, they're not bad pickups. They are kind of generic and a little microphonic; but you could do worse. Fender only puts the baseplate on the 52 Ri, Nocaster, and Texas Special pickups. The designed the modern models like the Tex Mex, American, Vintage Noiseless, and RI types to not need the baseplate. Duncan's Hot model and Quarter Pounders don't have the baseplate either.

[mrfjones]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

when did fender start doing that?

I am trying to figure out what pickups i took out of the other one now.

i have seen other models that didn't have baseplates but non that where supposed to be vintage RI type pickups. It is no wonder the thing doesn't twang though, it has two large screws in the bottom of the pickup

[mrfjones]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

Butch is your tele a 50's reissue? i can't remenber what it is. Did you find a pickup like that in yours?

[dr.barlo]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

Actually, they're not bad pickups. They are kind of generic and a little microphonic; but you could do worse. Fender only puts the baseplate on the 52 Ri, Nocaster, and Texas Special pickups. The designed the modern models like the Tex Mex, American, Vintage Noiseless, and RI types to not need the baseplate. Duncan's Hot model and Quarter Pounders don't have the baseplate either.

That's right. The lead pickup from my 95 american standard tele didn't have one too.

B

[mrfjones]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

that's really weird, i have a 2000 50's reissue that came with really good pickups. which makes them either 52 ri, nocaster or texas specials?

[BS123]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

that's really weird, i have a 2000 50's reissue that came with really good pickups. which makes them either 52 ri, nocaster or texas specials?

Very interesting.... Fender has always been a bit or maybe a lot cheaper with its lower grade Teles. The MIM Standard Teles have, IMO, really crappy pickups. The MIM 50's Teles, which I have, have the same pickups as the 69 RI too. The bridge pickup has white string wrapped around the bobbin. It's the only pickup Fender makes that has this. The Texas Special does, but it has staggered magnets and a copper-plated baseplate.

[mrfjones]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

the pickups out of my old tele have staggered magnets, white thread wrapping and a copper baseplate. I think i am going to call fender and find out about these two sets of pickups.

I always thought i got really lucky with my white 50's tele but this new one confirmed it.

Thanks butch

[BS123]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

the pickups out of my old tele have staggered magnets, white thread wrapping and a copper baseplate.

It sounds to me like you have a set of Texas Specials. If you can check the bridge pickup on an ohmmeter, it should read about 10k. They're great pickups if you can get them adjusted right. I had a set and I screwed them really low and they sounded nice. They were a little gainy though under any type of overdrive.

[mrfjones]

Re: stock fender tele pickups

thats really what they sound like. I put them into the new tele because anything was better than the pickups it had. I will see if someone i know around here can measure the ohms. Maybe i can take it to a music store around here.