Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

SlowGroove

SlowGroove

New member
If i want theee most accurate tone from a Tele, from the time period when the electric solid body guitar was born, what pu's should a modern piece of flat plank have to take me back to that Broadcaster/very 1st infant Telecaster tones ?


Antiguity's ?
Vintage '54 ?
Vintage for Broadcaster ?

Something else ?

$200.00 max for both pu's !


Thanx Guys

James
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

HA! It depends on WHICH 54 Tele tone you want...

Tele's changed a LOT in 1954 and the pickups were one of the biggest changing parts.

Early 54 Tele's have pickups that are a lot like a 53 Tele..large diameter magnets arranged in a flat pole set up but mid way through the year they switched to a smaller diameter magnet and very shorty sfter that started saggering the magnets so that the D and G poles were slightly higher than the E, A, B and E.

So, here are no less than 3 set ups(large magnet/flat pole---small magnet/flat pole and small magnet/stagger pole) before you even get sarted talking about the wind of the pickup.

Now, I would say that most players, if you are talking about a 54 Tele tone think about the small diameter staggered magnet pickups which are brighter, thinner and more twangy than the earlier style pickups. Also, this stle Tele lead pickup became the 'norm" for several years after 1954...so mid 54 until the late 60's when Fender switched copper wire, Tele pickups were set up like this.

For this type of sound, the Vintage 54 is great, the Antiquity '55 is also gret and is basically a Custom Shop version of the Vintage 54...the vintage for Broadcaster is different...If you want that sound I say the Vintage 54 opr the Ant '55.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

That's right.

I own a real 1954 Tele from May of 1954. Up to about mid 1954 Fender made them like mine: The bridge pickup in mine is a flat poled alnico 5 pickup similar to the Broadcaster and the neck pickup is similar to the alnico 5 Vintage Tele Rhythm pickup. In later '54 they went to raised and staggered polepieces on the bridge pickup but the neck pickup stayed the same.

The Antiquity I set uses alnico 2 magnets to emulate the tone of a 55 year old alnico 5 magnets. The Antiquity II set uses aged alnico 5 magnets.

Personally, I like the Antiquity I set just a little bit better (chimier twang rather than a steely twang and more mids from the Antiquity I set) but both sets are superb replicas of the pickups made in the 1951 - 55 period.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

Q1) Does your "modern flat plank" feature a modern flat bridge or the vintage-style, stamped steel article?
Q2) How much "icepick in the forehead" do you require?
Q3) Have you checked out the pickup sound bites on this website?

FWIIW, my favourite T-style pickups are the Fender No-Caster pair.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

Funkfingers said:
FWIIW, my favourite T-style pickups are the Fender No-Caster pair.
Click to expand...

Not me. I had a Nocaster with those pickups and they sounded nothing like the original pickups in my '51 Tele or my '54 Tele. Way to bright.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

Lewguitar said:
I had a Nocaster with those pickups and they sounded nothing like the original pickups in my '51 Tele or my '54 Tele. Way too bright.
Click to expand...

Did your NoCaster have the factory original "blend" wiring circuit or was it converted to bridge/both/neck with master Tone? The loading makes a difference.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

Sure the wiring makes a difference but the other thing about the Fender Custom Shop Nocaster pickups is that they changed a few times...the ones guys seem to really look for are the ones that were wound to around 10k...those are rather mean sounding but there are still lots better pickups out there IMO.

The Duncan Broadcatser pickup is actually pretty close to what a late 53/early 54 Tele pickup might have been although it's wound a tad hotter than most of the original 50's Tele pickups were...

Real Broadcasters and Nocasters use 43 gauge wire for both the neck and bridge pickups but the Duncan Broadcaster uses 42 gauge like the later middle 50's and later vintage Fender pickups.

The wire does make a HUGE difference but it's for sure not the only difference. Duncan doesn't actually make a raal early 50's Broadcaster/Nocaster style pickup outside of the Custom Shop.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

Funkfingers said:
Did your NoCaster have the factory original "blend" wiring circuit or was it converted to bridge/both/neck with master Tone? The loading makes a difference.
Click to expand...

Nah. I got rid of all that. Most serious Tele players do, and I am one. Volume, Master Tone, and 3 way switch for neck pickup, neck and bridge, bridge pickup. No blenders, bright caps across the volume control, caps to make the neck pickup sound like a bass or any of that stuff.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

BigJoe77 said:
lew...can you clarify which antiquity set is your favorite? thx
Click to expand...

I prefer the Antiquity I set with flat poles and alnico 2 magnets.

Did you ever read my Ultimate Tele thread that I started a few years ago? I started it but by the end of the thread I had learned a lot about a subject I already thought I knew just about everything about. :lmao:

Here it is: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=4044&highlight=Ultimate+telecaster
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

Funkfingers said:
Q1) Does your "modern flat plank" feature a modern flat bridge or the vintage-style, stamped steel article?
Q2) How much "icepick in the forehead" do you require?
Q3) Have you checked out the pickup sound bites on this website?
Click to expand...


Wow, sooo many options for one year alone - ouch !

Well, the financial gods is looking down on me all of a sudden, and as soon as i can find a black body with rosewood neck, i am have one of these before the end of next month :

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-?sku=512871 - $700.00

I can always swap out the saddles for a more vintage correct tone.

So far, the pick up w the staggered pole pieces, adding more mid range 'sounds' like a nice unit to have.

I am not a fan of excessive ear pearcig treb.



James
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

Lewguitar said:
I prefer the Antiquity I set with flat poles and alnico 2 magnets.

Did you ever read my Ultimate Tele thread that I started a few years ago? I started it but by the end of the thread I had learned a lot about a subject I already thought I knew just about everything about. :lmao:

Here it is: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=4044&highlight=Ultimate+telecaster
Click to expand...


Thanx for the link :D

. . . lemme get some coffee, and start reading.



James
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

I gotta say for a player always talking about lots of sludgy gain, loads of bass, 15 inch speakers, buckers, doom and gloom, etc...a Tele has got to be the worst choice for a next guitar...no matter how "fat" a Tele sounds you have to keep in mind, it sounds fat for a Tele, which is still thinner and more bighting than almost any other guitar in history...

Just a thought...
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

I have played a lot of vintage Teles & honestly they are all different, so it really comes down to what tone you are looking to get out of it. For me I was looking for a neck pickup that was smooth & warm & A bride that was not ice picky, so I wound up with a Vintage 54 in the neck & a Jerry Donahue in the bridge. It's a great combination but a tad more modern then a traditional tele. Its a very versatile combination and I have this in a 52 RI Tele.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

SlowGroove said:
Wow, sooo many options for one year alone - ouch !

Well, the financial gods is looking down on me all of a sudden, and as soon as i can find a black body with rosewood neck, i am have one of these before the end of next month :

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-?sku=512871 - $700.00

I can always swap out the saddles for a more vintage correct tone.

So far, the pick up w the staggered pole pieces, adding more mid range 'sounds' like a nice unit to have.

I am not a fan of excessive ear pearcig treb.



James
Click to expand...


Don't forget that you would be talking maple and ash on the guitar you wish to emulate.

Don Mare and Fred Stuart might be worth looking into. Mare will wind you something completely custom if you want.

One of Frank Lee's Teles has the Stuarts, and they are nice.

Thank you.
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

the guy who invented fire said:
I gotta say for a player always talking about lots of sludgy gain, loads of bass, 15 inch speakers, buckers, doom and gloom, etc...a Tele has got to be the worst choice for a next guitar...no matter how "fat" a Tele sounds you have to keep in mind, it sounds fat for a Tele, which is still thinner and more bighting than almost any other guitar in history...

Just a thought...
Click to expand...


I hear you, and can not have said it better my self, but i also want a guitar for other genre's.

This is for raw primal blues, through some sort of 5E3 amp. Nick Greer Underdog Mod1, perhaps ?
Think Joe Hill Louis - "When I Am Gone". Chess Records.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5566271503469018255# - Underdog Mod1 :headbang:


Keep 'em comming guys !


James
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

Also worth mentioning that the Greer Underdog, while a great amp has NOTHING in common with a 5E3 past it's looks and tube set up...Nick started with a 5E3 but hot rodded almost every single part of the amp until it was something completely different.

If you want the tone of the Greer go for it but if you want real tweed Deluxe tone keep on lookin...it ain't in the Greer
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

the guy who invented fire said:
Also worth mentioning that the Greer Underdog, while a great amp has NOTHING in common with a 5E3 past it's looks and tube set up...Nick started with a 5E3 but hot rodded almost every single part of the amp until it was something completely different.

If you want the tone of the Greer go for it but if you want real tweed Deluxe tone keep on lookin...it ain't in the Greer
Click to expand...


Thanx . . . i heard that about the Underdog's !

So far it is the "best" i could find, as i sometimes wish that the 'regular' 5E3's had just that little bit more growl to them.
Is there something like that out there ?



James
 
Re: Most authentic 1954 Tele tone ?

SlowGroove said:
Thanx . . . i heard that about the Underdog's !

So far it is the "best" i could find, as i sometimes wish that the 'regular' 5E3's had just that little bit more growl to them.
Is there something like that out there ?



James
Click to expand...

I'd say a speaker switch would probably give you the growl. If you wanted gain an AX7 would do it.

Luke
 
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