Any knowledgable Tele people willing to help me with Pups?

[That90'sGuy]

After playing a Tele, I realized there is something there that is wonderful and I want to tap into it.

Before I customize myself one. I have to get some ideas down. Tonally, I'd like something thats punchy but really nails that vintage twang and that jangle and chiminess.

2 single coil pups will be going into a swamp ash Tele body with a maple neck.

I have intentions of playing plenty of light, but aggressive (fast) and upbeat stuff with it. If at all possible, I'd like something that will sound good with distortion to it (always a plus). I'd like to play regular rock (nothing hardcore or anything) and good blues along with the funk, jazz, pop, and (maybe) country stuff.

I am thinking about putting the Jerry Donahue model in the bridge and the vintage '54 in the neck. Will this achieve what I want?

I'm new to the whole Tele modding thing Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

 

[Lewguitar]

I love Teles! My old '54 is the one guitar I will never part with and if I could only keep one electric guitar it would be my old Tele.

The Jerry Donahue would be a great choice. But personally, I'd go for a set of the Duncan Antiquity Tele pickups handwound by Seymour or MJ...the Jerry Donahue model is a killer but it's not signed by Seymour himself and not wound in the Duncan Custom Shop like the Antiquitys are. It's made on the line.

I think the Antiquitys look and sound exactly like the original pickups that came with the two best Teles I've ever owned: my current one, a '54, and the one I owned 30 years ago: a '51.

Most '54 Tele lead pickups have raised polepieces (like the JD)...my old '54 came with the original flat poled pickup like the one in the Broadcaster and my '51. THAT is my favorite vintage Tele tone and the tone I hear when I listen to Roy Buchanan playing his '53, Nancy, or Danny Gatton playing his old '53 before he put the Bardens in it.

It's strong! Almost like a P90. Thick and smooth with great sustain and more warmth than the pickups from 54 or later which are brighter and remind me more of the James Burton, Roy Nichols or Don Rich/Buck Owens tone which is a little thinner, brighter and twangier.

To me, the '50 - '53 model is the ultimate example of true early 50's Tele tone.

So I'd go for the Antiquitys.

Lew

 

[That90'sGuy]

Thanks for the response Lew.

As far as what's custom made or what's made on the line, at this point, doesn't really bother me.

I have Antiquities for my Les Paul, so I already have a guitar that covers the warmer and thicker tones. Will the Tele Antiquities offer the signature Tele sound with bright and chimey tone that is punchy? If it's too warm and not twangy enough, it won't work for me. That's really my main concern.

 

[Lewguitar]

Thanks for the response Lew.

As far as what's custom made or what's made on the line, at this point, doesn't really bother me.

I have Antiquities for my Les Paul, so I already have a guitar that covers the warmer and thicker tones. Will the Tele Antiquities offer the signature Tele sound with bright and chimey tone that is punchy? If it's too warm and not twangy enough, it won't work for me. That's really my main concern.

Will the Tele Antiquitys sound bright and chimey? Sure! Do you like Roy Buchanan's tone? That what you'll get. With neck and bridge pickups combined you'll get a beautiful jangle for rythym and chords too! They're all good tho...you'd get a beautiful chime and jangle with the Jerry Donahue and Duncan Vintage Tele neck too. I just love the whole vibe of the Antiquitys and I DO think the pickups wound by Seymour or MJ have a little more texture and complexity. And it's nice to have something made by the master himself. Lew

 

[That90'sGuy]

Thank you VERY much Lew. I just looked up reviews on harmony-central and people definitely agree.

To be honest, I've never listened to Roy Buchanan being a grunge era kid (Pearl Jam was my upbringing). But great tone is great tone, when I order my Tele this summer, I'll be sure to load them up with Ant.

 

[Tweed]

I really like the Broadcaster pup. I haven't played an Ant bridge. Is it closer in sound to the Broadcaster or the '54?

 

[kmcguitars]

I've always liked a humbucker in the neck of a Tele. I feel it's more
verseatile that way IMHO. I also love the way the PuPs sound
together, You get a little Twang w/t the fullness of the humbucker.
I have a 54' in the bridge in the tele in my avatar and a Fender
RI thinline bucker( It looks better than it sounds ) I might
have it rewound by the duncan custom shop. But it mixes well
with the 54' in the bridge. Need a sound clip ? http://www.soundclick.com/bands/3/toneclipsandtipsmusic.htm

 

[Lewguitar]

I really like the Broadcaster pup. I haven't played an Ant bridge. Is it closer in sound to the Broadcaster or the '54?

I think the Antiquity is probably closer to the Broadcaster than the 54 because the 54 uses smaller diameter polepieces that are also raised...and not flat.

Regarding using a full size neck humbucker, lots of guys do that: Albert Collins, Keith Richards, etc. I always felt that a neck humbucker is a lot louder than a stock Tele bridge pickup...but those guys don't use the bridge pickup by itself that much...they usually use/used the two pickups combined. Which IS a cool tone.

I prefer to have the two pickups more balanced in terms of relative output/volume because I DO use the bridge pickup by itself alot...as well as the neck pickup by itself for jazz and blues and neck & bridge combined for a nice chimey rythym tone.

The Fralin Blues Specials and the Duncan Antiquitys are my two favorite sets of new Tele pickups.

The Duncan Antiquitys are my favorite vintage replica pickups and the Fralin Blues Specials are my favorite "better than vintage" set...they're about 5% stronger than most vintage Tele pickups and the neck pickup in the BS set does not have a chrome cover (the chrome cover induces microphonics and muffles the tone a little, IMO) and is wound for the output of a nice Strat neck pickup.

Lew

 

[That90'sGuy]

Lew, does the Fralin Blues Specials offer that chiminess and twang that the Antiquities do? From other reviews online, these sound like great pickups. I like that they have a bit more output than standard Tele pups.

Still, if the Antiquities would better suit my needs, I should stick with them. They're both priced around the same, is one better at something than the other?

 

[That90'sGuy]

As far as the Thinline Tele goes, I wasn't a big fan of it. While I like the concept, I didn't like the humbucker because I thought it was muddy and detracted from the tone of the single coil. If I wanted really warm and smooth tones, I would use my Gibson Les Paul Standard w/ SD Antiquities. Awesome looking design, but I'm in the mood for something different.

I used to be an all humbuckers kinda guy, but something is making me appreciate single coils so now I want to give them a fair shot

 

[Lewguitar]

Lew, does the Fralin Blues Specials offer that chiminess and twang that the Antiquities do? From other reviews online, these sound like great pickups. I like that they have a bit more output than standard Tele pups.

Still, if the Antiquities would better suit my needs, I should stick with them. They're both priced around the same, is one better at something than the other?

The Blues Specials are what are in my '54 Tele. The old pickups are in the case. They chime just beautifully, but the old pickups and Antiquitys have a little more chime when the neck and bridge pickups are combined. I'd like to find a Tele I can afford that plays and sounds as good as my '54...then I'd put the original pickups (which sound almost identical to the Antiquitys) back in my '54 and put the Blues Specials in Tele #2. But I've yet to find a new Tele that I'd actually play instead of my old '54! Lew

 

[That90'sGuy]

Thanks Lew

The Antiquities sound really amazing and if it's true that it'll give me that tone straight out of your '51 or '54, I'll definitely have to pick them up this summer. Nothing beats that custom shop feel and presentation, right?

 

[Tweed]

A P90 tele neck is also a great choice. With a blender pot, you have a nice range of bluesey, rootsy-type tones.

 

[Frantic_Rock]

Hey man. As far as I understood you have a phat and warm axe already and you're looking for some twang in the bridge!
I have a '54 in the bridge of mine.
<----------

The neck is a fender texas special tele model.

The '54 lead is a VERY twangy pickup with a sort of a burning high-end. I must warn you though it IS a thin pickup (atleast to my ears). I heard all the broadcaster reviews and clips and that just confirms that the '54 is thinner and twangier than the broadcaster. The broadcaster is a raw, thick, warm pickup. The '54 however is a different vibe - its more based on high twang and has a springy bottom end. (I once was playing Rolling stones riffs in my room at like 3 in the morning and couldn't stop man!!!)

I definitely want to get another tele with either Ants or a broadcaster bridge + '54 rhythm. To have two different telecasters... (one fat with attitude, and one countryish thin twangy)

Man i hope i haven't confused you.

Listen to Lew - he knows what he's doing!!!

 

[dr.barlo]

Am gonna get hold of my JD, fralin blues lead very soon. Then I could compare them against my muy grande, and torres blues (surprisingly not a bad pickup at all).

 

[rhmcfarland]

tele pickups

tele pickups

Antiquity bridge
Fralin Blues Special neck


Great tones! Bought them from Lew. The stock Antiquity doesn't have the bluesy voicing that I like (and I managed to mess it up trying to take the cover off):banghead:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: tele pickups

Re: tele pickups

Antiquity bridge
Fralin Blues Special neck


Great tones! Bought them from Lew. The stock Antiquity doesn't have the bluesy voicing that I like (and I managed to mess it up trying to take the cover off):banghead:

You couldn't you miss with that combo! My favorite Tele neck pickup and favorite vintage style Tele bridge pickup.

 

[Dave]

I'll plug the Blues Special-neck. It's more open and airy than a covered neck pickup, but its smoothness is what I really noticed-overdrive it and you've got your hands full of richness and soul!

 

[tskullt]

antiquity sound samples

antiquity sound samples

hi guys,
i can't seem to find audio samples of the antiquity pups (?), can someone point me to them? I had kinda decided on the broadcaster and the 52 until this post!
thanks for your help,
m.

 

[Lewguitar]

IMO, just pick up Roy Buchanan's first or second album and listen to that...cuz the Antiquitys sound alot like that. The Messiah Will Come Again, Haunted House, etc. I think Roy's tone from his '53 Tele, Nancy, is IT if you're looking for classic pre 1954 Tele tone. Just doesn't get any better! After '54 Teles got thinner, twangier and brighter...like the tone you'll hear on Ricky Nelson records. Still a very cool tone but not so much sustain and not so fat a tone as the pre '54 Tele pickups.

Lew