Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

[mcalo42]

Any suggestions for Tele pickups to get early Zeppelin tone would be greatly appreciated. Looking to upgrade a Nashville Power Tele with alder body, maple neck and rosewood finger board. I suspect Jimmy P. didn't have a middle strat type up and 5-way switch....

Plays really good but Don't really care for the stock Tex Mex's currently in it. Intending to use this guitar primarily for blues and Classic rock. Looking for upgrade suggestions

Thanks!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

I would guess something like these http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/telecaster/vintage-output/1102427_1955_br/ or these http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/telecaster/vintage-output/1102432_33_anti/

Jimmy's pickups would have been alnico 5 and would have had the raised D & G poles. Not sure of the size of the poles in 1959.

Getting that Led Zep tone is so much more than the pickups tho!

The little amp (Supro?), a boost pedal (?), the room, the microphone placement, the player....whole lot going on besides the guitar and the pickups.

I used to feel I got close to that sound with a Tele with Lindy Fralin Blues Specials, a 5E3 tweed Deluxe Amp with a Celestion G12 Blue speaker and a Boss DS-1. But Jimmy didn't use any of that stuff to get that tone. :laugh2:

 

[mcalo42]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Thanks Lew! I'll check into those antiquities.

Good points on all the unique variables that got that tone. Interesting how you got it with totally different set up.

Thanks again!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Here's a link on that ax that Page played: http://iconicaxes.blogspot.com/2012/09/jimmy-pages-fender-dragon-telecaster.html

You know, I saw the Yardbirds live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit sometime in late 1967.

Jimmy played that Tele for every song except White Summer. I think he used a Danelectro in an open tuning for that one, although the original version was done on an acoustic guitar.

The Yardbirds weren't so good that night unfortunately. No groove. They just didn't play well together.

Jimmy sounded good though.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Low output (6k is so), small pole, staggered pole, alnico 5.

Ant 55 or Vintage 54 are good starting points.


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[Lewguitar]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Low output (6k is so), small pole, staggered pole, alnico 5.

Ant 55 or Vintage 54 are good starting points.

I guess some 54's came with flat polepieces like the '53 Tele Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan played and like the bridge pickup in my own '54 Tele from May of '54.

But some came with the G & D raised as they would have been in Jimmy's. Or so I've read.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

55 was the year they changed. The earliest Strats had the fatter alnico 3 poles of the blackguard Teles but shortly after that Keo decided to go to one size magnet and since the Tele neck used the smaller size and that worked best they all got smaller.

Tele lead coils came both wats for a few more months as they used the last of the big poles.

That was the same time period that they started staggering the magnets in a Tele lead coil too as well as going to a white scratch plate.




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[mcalo42]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Here's a link on that ax that Page played: http://iconicaxes.blogspot.com/2012/09/jimmy-pages-fender-dragon-telecaster.html

You know, I saw the Yardbirds live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit sometime in late 1967.

Jimmy played that Tele for every song except White Summer. I think he used a Danelectro in an open tuning for that one, although the original version was done on an acoustic guitar.

The Yardbirds weren't so good that night unfortunately. No groove. They just didn't play well together.

Jimmy sounded good though.

Cool article, great history on that guitar

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

LOL.. I have to stop and REthink everytime I see/hear something about Page. I always picture him with the LP slung low. But I have to remember that he played a tele for alot of it .

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

I'd say any vintage-styled telecaster pickup would do. When I think of Jimmy Page and telecasters, I imagine a fairy stock-sounding telecaster that just works so well.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Just go for a late '50's style Tele pickup (raised D and G poles), and play it hard through a small, lower-wattage combo. I'd go for the STL-1 as a starting point.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Any suggestions for Tele pickups to get early Zeppelin tone would be greatly appreciated. Looking to upgrade a Nashville Power Tele with alder body, maple neck and rosewood finger board. I suspect Jimmy P. didn't have a middle strat type up and 5-way switch....

Plays really good but Don't really care for the stock Tex Mex's currently in it. Intending to use this guitar primarily for blues and Classic rock. Looking for upgrade suggestions

Thanks!

My Tele has a set of BK Black Guard Flat 50's in it, and with my Orange TV50, i nail that Zep I tone.

 

[sporty_blues]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Jonesyblues.com has a beautiful 1950b set for this check him out.

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[sporty_blues]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Watch the jonesyblues blender wiring demo vid on youtube. He answers questions on specific tele setups for sounds too. Great guy and very informative.

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[Lewguitar]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

I would guess something like these http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/telecaster/vintage-output/1102427_1955_br/ or these http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/telecaster/vintage-output/1102432_33_anti/

Jimmy's pickups would have been alnico 5 and would have had the raised D & G poles. Not sure of the size of the poles in 1959.

Getting that Led Zep tone is so much more than the pickups tho!

The little amp (Supro?), a boost pedal (?), the room, the microphone placement, the player....whole lot going on besides the guitar and the pickups.

I used to feel I got close to that sound with a Tele with Lindy Fralin Blues Specials, a 5E3 tweed Deluxe Amp with a Celestion G12 Blue speaker and a Boss DS-1. But Jimmy didn't use any of that stuff to get that tone. :laugh2:

Like I said, I feel that Jimmy's tone on that first Led Zep album had little to do with the actual pickup in his Tele...and everything to do with the amp, microphones, room, etc.

 

[mcalo42]

Re: Best Tele pickups for early Zeppelin tone?

Thanks to all for all the excellent comments and suggestions!