A set for my Telecaster

DeadandBuried

DeadandBuried

New member
Looking for a set of new pickups for my 2008 Fender US Highway Telecaster alder body maple neck. Have had a set of BKP The Boss pickups in there for 5 years and not really happy with the tone. Too low output, no power and solos do not sing with that sustain.

Don't want to go humbucker territory but something with a bit more output would do nicely, and want to retain as much of the Telecaster twang character as I can. I understand going higher output will alter the sound slightly.

Play mostly rock/pop/blues stuff in standard tuning.

What do y'all suggest?
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

id say higher output will alter the tone, not slightly. the qp has strong output, a big bottom and good top end that isnt sharp or piercing. the hot for tele has a nice big warm midrange and lots of output for a single coil. im used to vintage tele pups so neither sounds all that tele like to me but i think they both sound great ymmv
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

The Quarter Pounder is the main one I was looking at, apparently its the highest output single coil they do, I don't want a humbucker in a single coil size, that's what the Hot Rails are I think.

I want to retain that Vintage sound as much as I can, as I play mainly humbuckers so having a guitar to give me a slightly different tone would be great. This Tele is the only single coil bridge guitar I've got left, as I have a JB In my Strat.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

the qp and hot are about the same output but the hot is more middy and smoother on the high end, the qp has a bigger bottom. both sound like single coils, but not vintage. the hot rails is a totally different beast that sounds like a bucker
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

Definitely not getting Hot Rails, may mix neck and bridge, so QP neck with something a little less hot in the bridge, seen they do a Broadcaster which is a bit less hot but I would like it around 11-12k output.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

Jerry Donahue and a BG1400 will still sound like a Tele, but have one hell of a punch to it. This will also depend on what you want from a neck pickup. I generally don't like stock Tele neck pickups, so I tend to go for humbuckers there.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

The BG1400 reads a whopping 29.2k output! Bloody hell that must kick out some power!

Neck I just want that warm fat bluesy fluid sustain when soloing, not some thin weak trebleyness.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

the bg1400 isnt as hot as you think. its an old school stack style pup but its a fat sounding tele pup, still kinda tele like but fatter and smoother, less single coily. the jd is a great pup but it isnt any hotter or beefier than the boss that you have, a bit smoother on the top but it wont push the amp any harder than what you have
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

Are you sure that the problem is with the pickups?

SPECIFICATION
Position: Bridge DC Resistance: 8.2 kΩ Magnet: Alnico 5
Position: Neck DC Resistance: 7.3 kΩ Magnet: Alnico 5

BKP said:
The idea behind The Boss Tele® set was to take the 42 AWG plain enamel wind of the bridge coil to the max without compromising definition or the authentic twang and grind of a true Tele® pickup. The result is a fat, driving set of coils that can still be cleaned up by rolling back on the volume pot, offering up a massive variety of Tele® tones, which span clean Country through hot Rock and beyond. The higher output provides a lot more bass response than would normally be expected and a more compressed dynamic, creating a deep tone with excellent sustain. The high-end is sweet and warm and the mids are fat with rich harmonic detail. The neck coil has been wound to balance perfectly in output and sound, available with traditional neck cover or open coil to suit the application. As with all of the Tele® coils in the range, hook-up is vintage cloth 'push back' and the bridge coil features a copper plated steel baseplate.
Click to expand...

Just saying...

B
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

^ Yeah, 8.2k of 42 gauge in a singlecoil format is pretty beefy. In fact thats very hot vintage just in itself.......
My typical humbucker pickups read that.

Have you made sure the guitar is well setup?? A Tele should sing even with a 6k vintage set if its got the action/frets/relief dialled.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

DeadandBuried said:
The BG1400 reads a whopping 29.2k output! Bloody hell that must kick out some power!

Neck I just want that warm fat bluesy fluid sustain when soloing, not some thin weak trebleyness.
Click to expand...

A Quarter Pound can do that, too. The BG1400 has a high DCR, but since it is a stack, you can't compare that to normal single coil Tele pickups. It is like a big slice of butter pie to the side of the head, though.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

I have a tapped QP set in my Tele. The full on QP is pretty ballsy, has a much bigger low end, and is warmer than lower output singles. There's some twang in there, but it competes with the full bottom end. The tapped tones get a little more into vintage territory with a little more twang and stronger highs.

If you really want to have some fun with a QP set, go for the 4-way switch mod and get the two QPs in series. I'd recommend that mod for any tele because it's great for those moments when you need just a little more boost.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

^ He's struggling with a nominally greater output set being too weak for his likes.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

jeremy said:
the bg1400 isnt as hot as you think. its an old school stack style pup but its a fat sounding tele pup, still kinda tele like but fatter and smoother, less single coily. the jd is a great pup but it isnt any hotter or beefier than the boss that you have, a bit smoother on the top but it wont push the amp any harder than what you have
Click to expand...

yeah I’m trying not to look at DC resistance as my measuring stick. From ear I do like the sound of the Quarter Pounder even if I have to sacrifice the traditional Tele sound. The Boss just doesn’t work with this particular guitar I feel.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

AlexR said:
^ Yeah, 8.2k of 42 gauge in a singlecoil format is pretty beefy. In fact thats very hot vintage just in itself.......
My typical humbucker pickups read that.

Have you made sure the guitar is well setup?? A Tele should sing even with a 6k vintage set if its got the action/frets/relief dialled.
Click to expand...


Yes and I’ve also tried raising the height of the pickup too but no great luck.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

dr.barlo said:
Are you sure that the problem is with the pickups?

SPECIFICATION
Position: Bridge DC Resistance: 8.2 kΩ Magnet: Alnico 5
Position: Neck DC Resistance: 7.3 kΩ Magnet: Alnico 5



Just saying...

B
Click to expand...


It could be wiring and hardware issues too, but I had it installed by a top luthier guy in the UK so it’s unlikely to be a fault unless the actual pickup is faulty.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

If all your other guitars have humbuckers , it might be that you need the time to get used to single coils, or adjust your amp/pedals sound a bit. Try a tube screamer without gain. I was in the same situation when I got my Strat, now I'm used to that sound.
 
Re: A set for my Telecaster

donaldr said:
If all your other guitars have humbuckers , it might be that you need the time to get used to single coils, or adjust your amp/pedals sound a bit. Try a tube screamer without gain. I was in the same situation when I got my Strat, now I'm used to that sound.
Click to expand...

This is actually a good idea. I use a Pickup Booster pedal, but any pedal that can boost the level after the pickups without too much of a tone change would work.
 
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