Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

[Lewguitar]

Been putzing around with new pickups in one of my favorite Strats an '88 MIJ White 57 Reissue. This guitar was routed by the previous owner for a bridge humbucker but I wanted to try it with a Tele bridge pickup.

Tried two sets: Fralin -3% underwound Vintage Hots neck & middle and Fralin Blues Special Telecaster bridge pickup and Duncan Antiquity Surfer neck and middle and Custom Shop Alnico 2 Tapped Tele Hot bridge pickup.

Wired the guitar with a Schaller 5 way Mega Switch:

1. neck
2. neck and middle
3. neck and bridge
4. bridge and middle
5. bridge

No middle pickup by itself...instead I get the neck & bridge combined.

The Fralin -3% underwound (5.9K) neck and middle Vintage Hot pickups sounded great: bright and bubbley and super chimey. But I didn't like the way the Tele Blues Special sounded with them. It sounded to loud. And the middle and bridge pickup combo didn't have the classic chimey Strat tone.

I pulled the whole set and decided to try something differant: all Duncan Custom Shop Pickups!

I knew I'd want a hotter neck and middle pickup with the Tapped Tele Hot pickup...the 9.5K tap is even hotter than the Fralin Blues Special, though the 6.6K output is lower in output and very vintage.

6.37K Antiquity Surfer neck and 6.39K RW/RP Surfer middle and the Alnico 2 6.6K/9.5K Tapped Tele Hot bridge pickup MJ wound for me last year!

I connected the alnico 2 Tapped Tele Hot to a push/pull tone pot so I could switch between 6.6K and 9.5K output.

Guys: this set is AWESOME! It's everything I've always wanted from a Strat.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

The only snag I had was when I discovered that the Surfers were out of phase with the CS Tapped Tele Hot. I had to go back in and reverse the black and wires of both Surfers.

Now it works perfectly and I eve have humcancelling in the #2 and #4 switch positions.

I installed a push/pull tone pot and connected tha Tapped Tele Hot pickup to it.

The 6.6K output has a beautiful vintage tone: very clear and sweet and musical and sounds wonderful combined with either one of the Surfers.

The 9.5K output is thicker and pushes my tweed Deluxe Genders into overdrive easily at about volume 4. Really a great soloing tone.

So this guitar actually gets 8 tones!

1. neck
2. neck and middle
3. neck and 6.6K bridge
4. neck and 9.5K bridge
5. middle and 6.6K bridge
6. middle and 9.5K bridge
7. 6.6K bridge
8. 9.5K bridge

And I wanted it to looka little like a Tele so I only have two controls: master volume and master tone with push/pull switch.

I used two old Tele Dome Top knobs.

Lew

 

[skyydogg01]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

hey lew, can you post a pic?

it really sounds like a sweet axe. now do you have the bridge tapped when the knob is down or up? i would have it tapped in the down position and pull it up to kick into overdrive (no pun intended)

 

[BlueGuitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Sounds great, Lew! I was wondering how the tele bridge pickup is mounted to your strat- did you special order a pickguard which will accommodate a tele pickup, or modify one yourself, or what?

I guess we could special order a reverse wound tele bridge from SD pickup rather than reversing the leads on the Surfers; if the inner windings were to short out to one of the pole pieces you would be up, er, DiMarzio creek! :smack:

Thanks!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

hey lew, can you post a pic?

it really sounds like a sweet axe. now do you have the bridge tapped when the knob is down or up? i would have it tapped in the down position and pull it up to kick into overdrive (no pun intended)

That's the way I do it too. I pull up on the tone control for the hotter output from the bridge pickup.

No pics. I just did this yesterday. I'm using a mint green pickguard I special ordered from WD. But after seeing Dr. Barlo's Strat0Tele with a tortoise pickguard I think I'm going to order one of those.

I have the tone knob where the second tone knob normally is. And the Volume control is about 1/2 way between where the normal volume and tone knob would be.

Just two Tele style knobs.

Clean!
Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Sounds great, Lew! I was wondering how the tele bridge pickup is mounted to your strat- did you special order a pickguard which will accommodate a tele pickup, or modify one yourself, or what?

I guess we could special order a reverse wound tele bridge from SD pickup rather than reversing the leads on the Surfers; if the inner windings were to short out to one of the pole pieces you would be up, er, DiMarzio creek! :smack:

Thanks!

Hi Steve, I special ordered a pickguard from WD in mint green. I only have two knobs on it and I drilled those myself. Lew

 

[gripweed]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Been putzing around with new pickups in one of my favorite Strats an '88 MIJ White 57 Reissue. This guitar was routed by the previous owner for a bridge humbucker but I wanted to try it with a Tele bridge pickup.

Tried two sets: Fralin -3% underwound Vintage Hots neck & middle and Fralin Blues Special Telecaster bridge pickup and Duncan Antiquity Surfer neck and middle and Custom Shop Alnico 2 Tapped Tele Hot bridge pickup.

Wired the guitar with a Schaller 5 way Mega Switch:

1. neck
2. neck and middle
3. neck and bridge
4. bridge and middle
5. bridge

No middle pickup by itself...instead I get the neck & bridge combined.

The Fralin -3% underwound (5.9K) neck and middle Vintage Hot pickups sounded great: bright and bubbley and super chimey. But I didn't like the way the Tele Blues Special sounded with them. It sounded to loud. And the chimey middle and bridge pickup combo didn't have the classic Strat tone.

I pulled the whole set and decided to try something differant: all Duncan Custom Shop Pickups!

6.37K Antiquity Surfer neck and 6.39K RW/RP Surfer middle and the Alnico 2 6.6K/9.5K Tapped Tele Hot bridge pickup MJ wound for me last year!

I connected the alnico 2 Tapped Tele Hot to a push/pull tone pot so I could switch between 6.6K and 9.5K output.

Guys: this set is AWESOME! It's everything I've always wanted from a Strat.

What are the differences between the regular production line tele hot pickup and yours? I'm assuming that the alnico II mags are one difference...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

What are the differences between the regular production line tele hot pickup and yours? I'm assuming that the alnico II mags are one difference...

Two diffs:

1. The standard model uses alnico 5 polepieces while the Custom Shop version MJ wound uses alnico 2 polepieces.

2. The standard model uses plastic covered leads while the Custom Shop version looks classier with it's cloth covered wire in black, white and blue.

Thanks, Lew

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

I suspect there is a third difference, too -- the STL-2 Hot Tele floor model has no baseplate, but I suspect the CS version does. Actually, not having the baseplate makes it a snap to wire up with Fender pickups (and apparently Surfers).

Anyway, sounds like my kind of Strat, Lew. :burnout:

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

You're so lucky to have access to all those pickups, pots, and caps! How close to a Twangbanger does your CS Tele pickup sound? And, how much does WD charge for a custom guard like that? I talked to Mike Gray at Chubtone, who winds to particular eras of Fender, and told him I wanted a slightly overwound A5 set that nails the SRV/Mayer type sound. I have that 63 overwound set in my alder/rosewood strat, right now. I'm actually sending him back the bridge to wind it hotter with smaller wire, but the neck and notch positions are amazing.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

You're so lucky to have access to all those pickups, pots, and caps! How close to a Twangbanger does your CS Tele pickup sound? And, how much does WD charge for a custom guard like that? I talked to Mike Gray at Chubtone, who winds to particular eras of Fender, and told him I wanted a slightly overwound A5 set that nails the SRV/Mayer type sound. I have that 63 overwound set in my alder/rosewood strat, right now. I'm actually sending him back the bridge to wind it hotter with smaller wire, but the neck and notch positions are amazing.

About $50. for the pickguard.

I compared the CS Tele Hot pickup to a few differant bridge pickups and from loudest to least loud they stack up like this:

1. Duncan CS Alnico 2 Tele Hot 9.5K output
2. Jerry Donahue Tele lead
3. Antiquity I Tele lead
4. Twangbanger Strat lead
5. Antiquity Texas Hot Custom Strat lead
6. Lindy Fralin Steel Pole 43 Strat lead
7. Duncan CS Alnico 2 Tele Hot 6.6K output

Tonewise, the Twangbanger has a similar tone. It's just not quite as hot and quite as thick as the three pickups above it on the list.

 

[BlueGuitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Hi Steve, I special ordered a pickguard from WD in mint green. I only have two knobs on it and I drilled those myself. Lew

I'm still confused how you mount a 3 screw tele bridge pickup in a strat pickguard...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

I'm still confused how you mount a 3 screw tele bridge pickup in a strat pickguard...

Hello Steve...I remember you from the "Ampage" buddy and how instrumental you were over there,Welcome! You should remember me also,and I'm a friend of Trace Allen's....I was John S on the Ampage years back.. :dance:

Anyway...I thought I read where Lew drilled his holes for the Tele pickup or he's going to drill the holes?

I'm guessing if you were to lay the Tele pickup into the guard from the bottom,you could then mark the 3 hole locations and drill for them?

John S.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

I'm still confused how you mount a 3 screw tele bridge pickup in a strat pickguard...

Here!

Lew, you gotta get a tortoise pickguard man! :burnout:

B

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Lew,

I am itching for 3 pickups. One is that 6.6/9.5K tapped tele of yours! I think I'd get it 7.8/9.5 or something around these values. Not that it matters but I love my JD clean in my hard ash body maple neck tele. So basically I wanna keep that magnificient JD tone, and add that extra touch more for the overdriven bridge tones.

The other two pickups I think I am going to contact the SDCS for are PAF HB's with the slug coil tapped to 6.5K neck 7.5K bridge both with #42 plain enamel. The basic idea is to get my LP do a real good job when it comes to single coil tones with 0 compromise regarding the PAF tone.

B

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Lew,

I am itching for 3 pickups. One is that 6.6/9.5K tapped tele of yours! I think I'd get it 7.8/9.5 or something around these values. Not that it matters but I love my JD clean in my hard ash body maple neck tele. So basically I wanna keep that magnificient JD tone, and add that extra touch more for the overdriven bridge tones.

B

Hi Doc, I'm with you on the tortoise pickguard. I'm ordering one like yours from WD.

The beauty of the 6.6K output on the Tapped Tele Hot is that's it blends so beautifully with the neck or middle pickups for those chimey rythym tones. Any hotter would lose some of the chime, IMO.

For example, the Twangbanger is hotter than the 6.6K output of the Tapped Tele Hot and when I combine the Twangbanger with the neck or middle pickup of a Strat, the tone is very good, but it's thicker than usual and not quite as clear, sparkley and chimey as the classic #2 and #4 switch positions of a vintage Strat.

The 6.6K output does retain alot of that clean chime of a vintage Strat bridge pickup. It's a little thicker than a Strat bridge pickup, but it still works well.



Lew

 

[BlueGuitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Anyway...I thought I read where Lew drilled his holes for the Tele pickup or he's going to drill the holes?

I'm guessing if you were to lay the Tele pickup into the guard from the bottom,you could then mark the 3 hole locations and drill for them?

Long time no speak! So WD will make custom pickguards without a cutout for the bridge pickup...? I guess you might want to bring it to TAP Plastics to cut it out if your "chops" aren't up to it. (I enlarged the cutout for one pickup once and if you look closely it looks like total crap! ) Holes for pots aren't a problem because they are round and the knob will cover them anyway...

--Thanks!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

I ordered my pickguard from WD with all three pickups cut out.

They cut it for two Strat pickups in the neck and middle and for a Tele pickup with the Tele three screw mount in the bridge position.

Since my guitar was routed for a bridge humbucker, the Tele pickup fit right in.

Lew

 

[Thames]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Lew,

What's up finally with the new Duncan noiseless models you had to try out ?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Maybe my favorite Strat Pickup set yet!

Lew,

What's up finally with the new Duncan noiseless models you had to try out ?

I like 'em - had them in this very same guitar mentioned in this post. I thought they were the best noiseless Strat pickups I've ever used. They're a little thicker and stronger than the Antiquity Surfers and alot quieter. Especially great for live performance. Lew