Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

[cactus jack]

I've messed around assembling some custom Warmoth guitars, and was considering a Fat Nashville setup for my next project. Has anyone played something similar? Getting the tone to balance across all combos might be a challenge, but I like the "idea" of the setup. I'd keep the wiring simple, 5 way switch, auto split in position 4, neck on toggle for neck and bridge combo. I know mini hums are popular neck pickups but I prefer full size humbuckers or might consider a humbucker sized P90...possibly a TV Jones. Anyway, if you've played a similar setup please let me know what you think.

For reference, I'm not shooting to cover a specific genre. Rather, I'm just looking to add some interesting tones. My other builds include: Duncan SSL2/SSL2/SSL6 Strat, Duncan APS2/APS2/JD Tele, Fralin SP43 Strat, and Suhr Thornbucker/V60/Thornbucker + Tele. All my guitars have some unique wiring like blender pots, series/parallel, Freeway Switch...I just like to have fun.

 

[telekaster78]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

I have a Nashville Tele Deluxe with a Lace T-150 in the bridge, SD stacked HB in the middle, and a P-Rails w/ a Triple Shot ring in the neck slot with a N/B switch, and it’s the most versatile guitar I have, and consequently my #1.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

Try a Psyclone in the neck position, I have mine wired without a tone control and it sounds great!

 

[chadd]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

I prefer a mini humbucker in the neck of my tele, but some kind of filter tron wouldn't be bad either

 

[cactus jack]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

I hadn’t thought of a P-Rail. Very interesting. P-Rail neck, hot stack middle, hot rail bridge? Might be a hard rock machine.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

Warmoth 1 piece ash body, 95 tele neck. Ellis Broadcaster bridge, Fender Tx. Sp. middle, Duncan Ant HB neck. And here is how it sounds:

Bridge (light drive)



Bridge (more crunchy)





Neck



B

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

I would recommend: JD into the bridge, a clean 6K strat single into the middle spot, and PGn or Seth or Ant HB into the neck. You could also go for a Gibson Deluxe type of mini HB into the neck. (I am not a fan of Firebird pickups anyways, find them a bit too trebly.)

It'll be a cool tele!

B

 

[jeremy]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

i think jd/ssl2/seth neck would be a cool setup. but honestly, i think a lp dlx mini humbucker or firebird pup in the neck is a better option. my black tele is a antiquity II firebird neck pup and a5 7.5k tele bridge pup i wound, love it!

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

i think jd/ssl2/seth neck would be a cool setup. but honestly, i think a lp dlx mini humbucker or firebird pup in the neck is a better option. my black tele is a antiquity II firebird neck pup and a5 7.5k tele bridge pup i wound, love it!

I agree with the neck. I just can't seem to get along with Firebird minis. Love deluxe minis tho!

So your bridge is sort of a "blues special". Staggered?

I think I am stuck to the broadcaster thing. The best guitar that I have ever played was a 51 broadcaster in the Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. Had a price tag of 50K in 2009... And it was cheap!

And I think JD is hell of a broadcaster pickup. I wish Duncan were to offer it with a3 rods as well.

B

 

[cactus jack]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

I have a JD, SSL2, APS2, in other guitars so looking to branch out a bit.

 

[chadd]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

I agree with the neck. I just can't seem to get along with Firebird minis. Love deluxe minis tho!

So your bridge is sort of a "blues special". Staggered?

I think I am stuck to the broadcaster thing. The best guitar that I have ever played was a 51 broadcaster in the Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. Had a price tag of 50K in 2009... And it was cheap!

And I think JD is hell of a broadcaster pickup. I wish Duncan were to offer it with a3 rods as well.

B

I'm with you in liking deluxe style minis much more than FB pickups in general. Full Shred neck is really articulate and would be interesting to try in a tele, too

 

[jeremy]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

bridge is #42 pe, cant remember how many turns off the top of my head, a5 flat pole. i love the high end of the firebird pup but i can see not everyone liking it. the bridge pup is still fairly bright even though its got some extra turns and the two match up very well. i like the lp dlx minis too, more like a paf light.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

I'd go all noiseless:

Seth Lover
STK-S4
Hot Tele Stack

It should balance fine, and sound different enough to be interesting. I *love* that it is noiseless personally, as I've been in too many places that made single coil use impossible, including several studios (!?!).

 

[Mark Le Comte]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

Im not much into strat like sounds so cant really offer an opinion on the middle pup, but:
Hot tapped or QP tapped in the bridge
Prails (reverse) in the neck
Set up pots/switches so the bridge is tapped when you switch to the prials rail. You get
Full bridge, neck humbucker = hard rock tele
Full bridge, p90 neck = Hard rock p90 tele
tapped bridge, rail neck = classic tele
tapper bridge, parallel neck - classic fat tele

 

[cactus jack]

Re: Anyone Play a Fat Nashville Telecaster: Tele Bridge, Strat Middle, Humbucker Neck

Thanks for the pickup recommendation. I've got a lot to think about there. In the mean time I'm circling back to wiring and I'm think of the following two options.

First would use a mini toggle and a push pull to achieve the following:

1 - Bridge
2 - Bridge + Middle
3 - Bridge + Neck. Push Pull to give Middle alone. Mini toggle to split neck.
4 - Middle + Neck
5 - Neck. Mini toggle to split neck

I'm also considering wiring the middle pickup to a toggle so I can turn it on in any position and get the following combos:

1 - Neck Humbucker / Middle on
2 - Neck Split / Middle on
3 - Neck Humbucker + Bridge / Middle on
4 - Neck Split + Bridge / Middle on
5 - Bridge / Middle on

Thoughts on wiring?