Keith Richards Micawber question

[AgentJeff]

I'm building a Tele and want the Keith Richards Micawber tone but also more...Is it possible to get the Micawber blended tone with a 4 or 5 way switch and have more tone options? Which pick ups would pair up the best? Thinking Broadcaster Tele (bridge) with a '59 bridge in the neck position.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

welcome to the forum!

broadcaster is cool for the bridge. why a 59b in the neck?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

You're talking about his '53 Tele that's been heavily modified?

Keith is supposed to have used a 50's Gibson paf for the neck pickup but reversed so the pole's aim towards the bridge.

But is it an Alnico 2, Alnico 3, Alnico 4 or Alnico 5 50's paf? They all sound different.

The bridge pickup is said to be either a real Broadcaster pickup or a 50's Fender lap steel pickup, and supposedly it is a HOT one.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

So if I were going to do this I'd use a Duncan Antiquity for the neck humbucker.

And an Alnico 2 53 Hot Tele pickup for the bridge. That pickup has a 9.3K DCR and is a Custom Shop pickup.

Actually, both are wound in the Custom Shop.

 

[AgentJeff]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

Going for Keith's Micawber Tele. He has a pedal steel PU in the bridge and a PAF, reversed, at the neck. Trying to find a pair that will match up in output.

 

[AgentJeff]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

Yep, I read he started with a Broadcaster PU but it was later changed to a lap steel PU. No clue on the humbucker, all the articles only say a PAF. The wiring question is my main query.

 

[AgentJeff]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

welcome to the forum!

broadcaster is cool for the bridge. why a 59b in the neck?

Thanks for the welcome! I'm going for Keith's Micawber Tele. He has a pedal steel PU in the bridge and a PAF, reversed, at the neck. Trying to find a pair that will match up in output.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

Keith was my favorite guitarist when I was in high school and learning to play

Some say that to nail the tone he gets with that Tele you need a blend control to add the neck pickup to bridge pickup.

Keith plays a lot of rhythm with the pickup selector switch set for the bridge pickup.

Some say one of the knobs on his Tele blends the neck pickup into the bridge pickup.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

So if I were going to do this I'd use a Duncan Antiquity for the neck humbucker.

And an Alnico 2 53 Hot Tele pickup for the bridge. That pickup has a 9.3K DCR and is a Custom Shop pickup.

Actually, both are wound in the Custom Shop.

When I was contemplating a Micawber, these were the pickups I was planning on using.

Interesting thought on a blend instead of a tone control.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

Here's a Broadcaster diagram with a blending pot:

 

[AgentJeff]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

So if I were going to do this I'd use a Duncan Antiquity for the neck humbucker.

And an Alnico 2 53 Hot Tele pickup for the bridge. That pickup has a 9.3K DCR and is a Custom Shop pickup.

Actually, both are wound in the Custom Shop.

Thanks for the input. Do you have any suggestions for the wiring? I wanted more options than the Broadcaster Blend wiring, if that's possible

 

[AgentJeff]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

Here's a Broadcaster diagram with a blending pot:

Thanks, already have that one to consider.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

id use a 59n over the 59b, the 59b is a little higher output which will make it harder to balance outputwise and darker which will give an even more drastic tonal change than what is already going to be a significant difference. broadcaster bridge and 59n would be a better match. the seth or antiquity are good suggestions too, but get the neck versions for the same reason as i mentioned earlier. the pup lew mentions is a great pup for sure, love mine!, but it comes with a custom shop price. they are usually tapped which means you can use a 5 way switch and get:

1- tapped bridge
2- tapped bridge + neck
3- neck
4- full bridge + neck
5- full bridge

if you used a push/pull pot you could split the neck pup or put it in parallel

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

I don't know that I'd be happy without a tone control. I like to go the bridge pickup on my Tele and turn it up but with the tone control turned down for kind of a cocked wah wah effect.

But there is a preset on 50's and 60's Telecasters with a capacitor to ground for a very dark muffled sound.

THAT capacitor could be changed to a smaller value or replaced by a resistor and capacitor to dial in your personal sweet spot if you like to roll down the tone control to create more of a wah wah sound.

The Eldred Mod is supposed to do that.

I've been thinking of wiring my Esquire with a setting that matches where I like to set the tone control.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

i have my esquire wired that way. i think i used a .01 cap for the dark setting but cant recall, its still pretty dark, but with overdrive it sounds cool. a smaller value like the .0047 in the pic above might be a better choice. i too wouldnt want to give up my tone control

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

Here's a Broadcaster diagram with a blending pot:

If you end up using the third position on this wiring, you should probably fiddle around with the 15k resistor. That value was chosen to work with a Tele neck pickup to prevent boominess and match output with the other neck position. 15k probably won't be optimal for a 59 regardless of if you use the neck or bridge model.

As far as wiring goes, the most versatile wiring I've found for an HS Tele is as follows:

3 - Neck
2 - Bridge w/neck blend
1 - Bridge w/cocked wah cap

Now this wiring doesn't have a tone control, but I don't find that to be too much of an issue with the Broadcaster pickup. Another option for position 3 is that you can add a larger cap, maybe a .1uf, in series with the pickup signal so that the cocked-wah sound is more distinct from the bridge alone position. The cocked-wah mod by itself is fairly subtle, so I generally do it in tandem with something else.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

I think the blend pot is a must for copping Keith's sound.

But before I made my tone control and into a blend control I'd find that sweet spot I like with the tone control rolled down, disconnect the pot and measure it to see what it's set to, find a resistor that matches that value, and create a resistor/capacitor network for the #1 switch setting.

Then I'd put a blend pot in it and fire it up.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

I would go with a broadcaster bridge and a Seth Lover or Dimarzio 36th Anniversary PAF neck. Or a JD bridge with a Pearly Gates neck.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

The Custom Shop makes an Antiquity pedal steel pickup. 8.18k
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Seymou...9525?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c1#viTabs_0

Once upon a time, I found a way to have all the 50's options

 

[AgentJeff]

Re: Keith Richards Micawber question

id use a 59n over the 59b, the 59b is a little higher output which will make it harder to balance outputwise and darker which will give an even more drastic tonal change than what is already going to be a significant difference. broadcaster bridge and 59n would be a better match. the seth or antiquity are good suggestions too, but get the neck versions for the same reason as i mentioned earlier. the pup lew mentions is a great pup for sure, love mine!, but it comes with a custom shop price. they are usually tapped which means you can use a 5 way switch and get:

1- tapped bridge
2- tapped bridge + neck
3- neck
4- full bridge + neck
5- full bridge

if you used a push/pull pot you could split the neck pup or put it in parallel

OK, now I'm getting some answers on the wiring. Thanks