Currently have Texas Specials for Tele... What am I missing?

[PFDarkside]

So, I've had my Tele for 11 years, it came with Texas Specials. What am I missing out on in the world of Tele pickups? I like the idea of a meaty, powerful rock and blues bridge pickup, so might this be the ideal bridge pickup after all? The neck is a little muddy and undefined, not nearly as enjoyable as my many Strats. I can see how a Twisted Tele or Strat under Tele cover would be an improvement.

Any other users of the Tele Texas Specials? Any former users that like something better I should try out?

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Currently have Texas Specials for Tele... What am I missing?

Duncan Broadcaster. Texas Specials are pretty good, but a bit dark. With an SD Broadcaster and a normal 250k Tele tone control, you can do almost anything; can get a rock Texas Special sound or do Chicken Pickin'. I'll never go back, as far as the bridge.

The Texas Special neck however, without any tone control, is really good. Can almost get a Hendrix-like Strat sound when needed. Or leave the tone control on it and (only when played clean) it has a partial foot in the jazz pseudo-Gibson neck tone arena (doesn't sound 'just like' it, but it can get you through in a cover band having to play a variety of music convincingly). Distorted, not so great.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Currently have Texas Specials for Tele... What am I missing?

I have a Tele with a Deluxe Drive bridge and a 51 nocaster neck pickup. The two balance very well together. They sound great distorted and clean. Despite being wound fairly hot they don't sound compressed, dark or stiff.

Evaluation:
Bass is tight and round. Not muddy or loose sounding like a lot of Alnico V pickups.
Midrange is rich and smooth. Not muddy like a lot of Alnico II's.
Treble is round, clear and bell like. Not sharp like a lot of Alnico V's.
​

 

[leevc5]

Re: Currently have Texas Specials for Tele... What am I missing?

I can't hear a real significant difference between the Texas Specials I had and the Twisted Teles I have. Another option may be Fluence. I'm still in the acclimation stage with them. They have some really nice tones but I still haven't had enough time to really recommend them. SD quarter pound tele sets and Vintage Stack Tele Sets that I have heard several times sound more like what I think you are looking for. But if you really want a Tele powerful blues rig my opinion is that you should be consider going to an HH set up.

Do you have a four way switch for series/parallel? If not, I would go there first. It's a simple mod that give a big bang.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Currently have Texas Specials for Tele... What am I missing?

i love the tapped '53 jb for tele. the custom shop page says they are stacked but mine sure as hell arent, neither are the set we put in the tele we built for seymour years ago. bridge is alnico II 6.5k and 9.5k of #42 pe, you get a traditional bright vintage tele tone and a thicker more muscular tone at the flip of a switch

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Currently have Texas Specials for Tele... What am I missing?

Tspec teles are cool. Thick and grunty.
No pickup does everything tho but it sounds like they pretty much deliver what you are looking for.
Perhaps check out a fralin blues special 5% overwound uncovered for the neck tho if you want to get some more clarity and still have enough grunt to match with the Tspec bridge.
Maybe even as a short term solution, take the cover off the pup you have in there and see if you like it.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Currently have Texas Specials for Tele... What am I missing?

I love the Jerry Donahue in the bridge of a Tele. It still sounds like a Tele, but it has more power, and shaves off a bit of the highs for great overdrive tones. For the neck, it depends on the tone. I love a humbucker in the neck, but some people want it to still sound like a Tele.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Currently have Texas Specials for Tele... What am I missing?

Thanks for the feedback gentlemen. As you can see, it's been stock for 11 years, so it's working for me. Perhaps the Texas Specials really are the best pickups for my usage of the Tele. Maybe I'm a little biased since the Strat Texas Specials are a little off compared to really good Strat pickups.

I have been interested in the CS Tapped '53 pickups and the Broadcaster. I've also been interested in trying the BG1400/PG combo, but I don't feel like routing the body....

Maybe if I can find a deal on a used Tapped '53 or Broadcaster combined with removing the neck cover, that might do it.