Feels like Christmas: Lots of pickups to try!

[dr.barlo]

This weekend I am gonna be doing lotsa soldering. Have a set of antiquity HB's I got from John (8.72K bridge 7.74K neck) and am gonna be doing the good old a5/a3 mod. But I think of giving a chance to the a4's I've got from Lew.

Another new one is strat antiquity custom bridge. This will replace the PG+ in my sienna burst lonestar tx special. Cannot wait!

The rest are tele lead pickups, 3 to compare against each other. Now I have a muy grande in there, and the contestants are fralin blues special tele lead, and SD JD tele lead. will be fun.

I think I am gonna take it slow enjoy the thing.

If curious let me know, I would be glad to share my humble opinion.

B

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Feels like Christmas: Lots of pickups to try!

Good to hear from you! I've been wondering where one of my favorite members had disappeared to. By all mean: post your findings. Your opinions are highly regarded.

Lew

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Feels like Christmas: Lots of pickups to try!

Thanks Bro!

I have been travelling, went to New Orleans, what a great town. I think I "drunk" enough for a year!

BTW thanks for the resistance units, with them this weekend I am gonna be doing a funky wiring on my tele. 5 way blade switch, and 2 500/500K dual concentric pots. I wanna LP sorta wiring with 2 vols 2 tones.

And clips will be recorded before and afer for a fair comparison.

B

 

[59paul]

Re: Feels like Christmas: Lots of pickups to try!

Yes, Doc !!! PLEASE share your opinion !!!!!! Thanks !!!!

 

[Curly]

Re: Feels like Christmas: Lots of pickups to try!

cool, Dr. B!

this will be a nice compliment to Lew's "Ultimate Tele tone" post ...

I've been surrounded by tele players lately, and I've been wanting to do some changes myself ... I have an ash tele, and an alder/ rosewood AS tele. My ash tele has a Broadcaster/ Vintage set, 'cause I was going for the early 50's vibe, but I think those pups are just too bright in that ax, so I want to try the A2 pups - the A2 Pro, JD, and Antiquities.

When I was at the factory, I asked MJ what Seymour liked in a tele, and I ordered a "SWD Custom" set, which is basically a hot, tapped bridge with a RW neck. I'll try those in my alder AS tele some time next week.

I'll look forward to your results, and I'll post my own results as well.

 

[BachToRock]

Re: Feels like Christmas: Lots of pickups to try!

Sounds like your going to have a lot of fun! That JD Bridge pickup is great... my favorite second to an heavily overwound Broadcaster pickup I had made many years ago by a guy named Brian Birmingham at Duncan... that's the best tele pickup I have ever heard... sounds like your custom SWD bridge pickup might be just like it but tapped as well!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Feels like Christmas: Lots of pickups to try!

Hello Doc..And another one of my own favorite guys on the forum..Nice to see you around..I was going to post a lookout for the Doc,but read your post while looking around the forums...Looking forward to your tonal results on your pickups..Nice to hear from you buddy..

John

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Feels like Christmas: Lots of pickups to try!

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words.

Here is what happened, and it was great fun!

I have tried the 2 double cream ant hb's I recently purchased from John, 8.70K bridge and 7.70K neck. I tried them in my R7, which is a bright and lively one. That guitar is very resonant, and almost "strat-like" for a LP, if you know what I mean.

I tried dun-aged a2, a2, a3, a4 and a5 in the bridge and the neck. Guess what, even though this guitar is a bright one I again settled for the a5 bridge a3 neck. There were no miracles, everything turned out to be as I was expecting. I am happy to have found my focal point in terms of what kind of HB's I like best, but this whole experimentation also becomes somewhat boring because everything was what it was supposed to be! :banghead: :laugh2:

Then I started swapping pickups in my tele. It's a 1-piece hardash body and maple neck. Muy grande (8.50K) sounded fine, but had that slight icepicky tone in the bridge. Did not twang that much, but still was a tele you know. Clean, it was good but not million bucks.

Then I put the fralin blues special (7.40K) I got from Lew. Great pickup, very twangy, bright, but not that icepicky. I have to admit that I was not amazed, it was cool, it was good, but not to die for you know. With mesa overdrive (v-twin into a modded blues jr) still it had some icepickyness, that I think is due to a5 magnet rods. It is way less than that on muy grande, but is present.

Then I tried the JD (7.85K). HOLY MOSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then my jaw was on the floor, really. I did not see it coming, I am proud to be the owner of that guitar now. That guitar found its heavenly match.

It twangs more than all the above. It is bright, but not even slightest icepicky. The cleans are to die for. With just the blues jr. I could get the exact tones Fogerty has on his blue moon swamp cd, which I think is a great recording by the way, love the guy! It is definitely a real tele sound, without that (a5) icepickyness.

I see why some might not like it, especially those with rounder sounding alder body rosewood neck teles. But on mine, VOOOOW!

Overdriven it is simply great. Turning the tone down to 5-6 washes away the jangly harmonics (due to the body) and what's left is a great LP type bridge tone with way more sustain.

I have to admit, I did not see JD coming, I could not have imagined such a drastic improvement in my tone on that guitar.

B