New Pickups for Hwy1 Tele

[Joe Dirt]

I've just purchased a Hwy1 Tele with a Rosewood neck and I'm not completely satisfied with the stock pups. I'd like to achieve more sustain and a slightly fatter sound while maintaining the vintage Tele sound. I primarily use the guitar for recording and in addition to a Fender Blues Juinor, I play it through a line 6 Flextone. help...

[Luke Duke]

Re: New Pickups for Hwy1 Tele

HEY JOE WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!

My American Series ash tele has a set of Quarter Pound pups. The bridge has a ton more bass and it drives the amp well and I love the look of the oversized polepieces. But it's not exactly vintage it can still get twangy though if you want, if you get the tapped version some say it's even more versatile.

For vintage but fatter you might want to consider the Alnico 2 pro set for telecaster or just the neck with a Jerry Donahue bridge. Both use the Alnico 2 magnet which has less string pull and most think lets the string vibrate more naturally contributing to longer sustain. The hot is an overwound vintage tele pup plain and simple. If you want to deal out the extra dough also look into the Alnico 2 versions of the Antiquity Tele pups.

Hope that helps some man.

Luke

[dr.barlo]

Re: New Pickups for Hwy1 Tele

Depends on your guitar. I am not too knowledgeable when it comes to tele neck pickups, but I know that in a bright guitar JD is exactly as you describe. If your tele is a little on the dark side, then you could consider SD broadcasters as well.

B

[Kelsey]

Re: New Pickups for Hwy1 Tele

If you want to stay vintage but a bit smoother and fatter, then check out the Antiquity I flatpole Tele pickups. For a bit hotter lead pickup, look at the JD, using the Antiquity I rhythm pickup at the neck. For a smooth top and springy bottom, try the 5/2 Nashville Studio lead with the Antiquity neck (I didn't care for the 5/2 neck). Or, if you want to route the guitar, you might try the JD with a Firebird-style mini-HB (SM-1n or SM-3n) or a Phat Cat at the neck. I think the STL-2/STR-2 set sounds interesting, too, but I haven't tried it. The Fender CS Nocaster set is fine as well, especially if your guitar is light in weight and not too bright acoustically.

Good luck!