Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Ascension

Ascension

Well-known member
Picked up a basket case parts guitar at work today. Looks like a US 1 body with a 12 radius just sick lacquered flame maple aftermarket neck with med jumbos and a 6 saddle bridge. Neck is growing on me is a little more chunky with a slight v profile than what I normally play but am warming up to it. Pulled it apart went through it cleaned it up polished the frets and did a quick set up. Acoustically the guitar sounds fantastic plays really nice but the pickups and electronics flat don't cut it. 500K cheap mini pots and who knows what on the pickups neck tones are usable but not great but the bridge tone is very harsh and nasty! Looking for a sweeter bigger fatter tele tone but still keeping that Tele bark.
Thinking a Stew mac upgrade kit 250 k pots and 3way then looking right now at ether an Alnico II Pro Duncan set or Hot For Tele set. Concerned on the Hot for Tele set not having the normal Tele bass plate for one thing. What say you guys?
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

How about just doing the harness swap? It might tame things down enough.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Demanic said:
How about just doing the harness swap? It might tame things down enough.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Thought about that myself so thanks for that input. Might just try that 1st as a set of 250K decent pots alone should really tame the harshness on the top end.
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Ascension said:
sweeter bigger fatter tele tone but still keeping that Tele bark
Click to expand...

I'll recommend the SD Jerry Donahue Lead Tele for this. The Alnico 2 magnets yield tonal warmth while retaining Tele twang.

Lil 59 bridge is also a good-sounding pickup, but it is a full-on humbucker and to me doesn't retain much Tele tone.
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Antiquity neck/JD bridge gives a great range of tones, with a little more power in the bridge. If you aren't going to go for a Seth Lover in the neck, the Antiquity (either of them, actually) is a good choice.
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Mincer said:
Antiquity neck/JD bridge gives a great range of tones, with a little more power in the bridge. If you aren't going to go for a Seth Lover in the neck, the Antiquity (either of them, actually) is a good choice.
Click to expand...

Will go back and listen to those. Looking for a fatter sweeter top and more open tone but want to still keep that Tele bark. Like a traditional Tele neck tone a lot just want more sweet and more meat from the bridge. The Hot For Tele seemingly would get close if it had a basplate . The bassplate seems to really give that bridge pickup some bottom and also sweeten the top. All the rest of my guitars except my Strat have buckers in the bridge and my Strat is running Alnico II's neck and middle + a SSL 5 in the bridge. Trying to keep this one in the ballpark so to speak if I swap guitars in a set.
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

baseplates really only seem to soften the top, they dont seem to add bass as far as i can tell. the hot for tele already has a pretty smooth top end
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Spent some time listening to some clips and went for now with a Alnico II in the bridge. The more I play with this thing the more I like this neck pickup with the 500K pots so found a great deal on a new Alnico II bridge for $50 shipped so jumped. Will try it with the 500K pots and see if it tames the top end enough for me. If not will go with a set of 250 K pots and a full harness and then grab the matching Alnico II neck. Thanks for all the suggestions guys and it came down to the Alnico II and the JD in the bridge. Wanted a little more sweet and less heat than I kept hearing on the clips from the JD was the final decider.
Have the modern Player with the 59/Custom in the bridge so wanted less heat more sweet with this guitar.
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Another to keep in mind is the Quarter Pound with coil tap. It has that "sweeter bigger fatter tele tone" that you're after in full coil mode. And a more traditional bright and twangy (yet slightly fuller) tone in tapped mode.
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Finally got time to finish this one so thought I would throw out what I finally went with and how it turned out.
Bought a pre wired full harness from a local guy. 250K CTS solid shaft pots 3 way paper and oil cap high quality jack. Made a HUGE difference just changing the pots and cap but the pickups were still unbalanced and lacked character being harsh and shrill. Went with a matched Alnico II Duncan set and i really worked out well in this particular guitar for what I needed. Got her really dialed in last night and am really pleased with how this one turned out in the end. Is just a sweet guitar nasty when needs to be with some unique tones. the neck is a little different for me slightly chunky with a slight v profile but with that 12 radus and the med jumbos it's a real joy to play on.
Thanks guys for all the suggestions considered every one. In the end after to listening to clips and thinking on you guys suggestions this was what seemed to fit my needs on this guitar and she turned out well.
Looking forward to playing this one out soon!!
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

Sounds like you got a winner! Care to post a pic of the successful transplant?
 
Re: Building a Tele need pickup sugestions.

A little late here, but just had to say that it has a gorgeous neck. Love the flame and skunk stripe.
 
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