italic zero
New member
Can someone give me a comparison of the Antiquity vs. Vintage '54 vs. AII pro? And a Five Two if anyone has experience with it.
thanks in advance.
thanks in advance.
Neck tele pups.
- Thread starter italic zero
- Start date
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Neck tele pups.
Wish I could help.
I've tried some of them but not in the same guitar. I've been doing a running pickup test in my James Burton Tele and comparing it with differant pickups to my '53 CS Tele(NoCaster Pickups )and my old '54 Tele (Fralin Blues Specials) in the ULTIMATE TELE TONE thread but SD is taking so long to fill my last order it's unbelievable! Been waiting for Tele Antiquitys to come in for a long, long time now.
I like the Tele Antiquity alot...but I want to hear it again and plan to put a set in my James Burton Tele. I've had Fender Texas Tele pickups, Fender NoCasters, Fralin Blues Specials and most recently the Jerry Donahue bridge and AIIPro neckpickups in it.
The AIIPro Tele neck has a nice warm tone but I felt it needed to be a little louder. I used it combined with a Jerry Donahue and with the JD adjusted close to the strings, when I switched to the AIIPro neck pickup to play rythym after solojng on the JD lead pickup, I barely needed to lower the volume control.
In a way, that's cool because if the volume isn't reduced much you don't lose highs and the neck pickup tone stays clear...but I would've liked a little more output.
Haven't tried the '54...or the 5/2.
Lew
Wish I could help.
I've tried some of them but not in the same guitar. I've been doing a running pickup test in my James Burton Tele and comparing it with differant pickups to my '53 CS Tele(NoCaster Pickups )and my old '54 Tele (Fralin Blues Specials) in the ULTIMATE TELE TONE thread but SD is taking so long to fill my last order it's unbelievable! Been waiting for Tele Antiquitys to come in for a long, long time now.
I like the Tele Antiquity alot...but I want to hear it again and plan to put a set in my James Burton Tele. I've had Fender Texas Tele pickups, Fender NoCasters, Fralin Blues Specials and most recently the Jerry Donahue bridge and AIIPro neckpickups in it.
The AIIPro Tele neck has a nice warm tone but I felt it needed to be a little louder. I used it combined with a Jerry Donahue and with the JD adjusted close to the strings, when I switched to the AIIPro neck pickup to play rythym after solojng on the JD lead pickup, I barely needed to lower the volume control.
In a way, that's cool because if the volume isn't reduced much you don't lose highs and the neck pickup tone stays clear...but I would've liked a little more output.
Haven't tried the '54...or the 5/2.
Lew
Last edited:
Re: Neck tele pups.
Just installed a SD 5/2 in my Tele neck position.
I wanted the tight Alnico V bottom end and the less trebly Alnico II top end.
I also removed the metal cover to remove the slight muffled-ness due to the cover. I've used the 5/2 bridge pup and I like it, so I tried the neck model.
I think it accomplished what I wanted. I liked previous neck pups, but was told again and again at gigs that the sound was muffled compared to the other guit player (strat). So I would flick on the bridge pup and enter an unwanted twang zone less suitable for blues.
I've tried:
Alnio II pro (good'n'dirty, but mushy low end.)
Fralin blues special (no cover, but too bright on upper strings)
Fralin stock vintage (good, but I didn't want to modify by taking cover off)
various stock Fenders
Just installed a SD 5/2 in my Tele neck position.
I wanted the tight Alnico V bottom end and the less trebly Alnico II top end.
I also removed the metal cover to remove the slight muffled-ness due to the cover. I've used the 5/2 bridge pup and I like it, so I tried the neck model.
I think it accomplished what I wanted. I liked previous neck pups, but was told again and again at gigs that the sound was muffled compared to the other guit player (strat). So I would flick on the bridge pup and enter an unwanted twang zone less suitable for blues.
I've tried:
Alnio II pro (good'n'dirty, but mushy low end.)
Fralin blues special (no cover, but too bright on upper strings)
Fralin stock vintage (good, but I didn't want to modify by taking cover off)
various stock Fenders
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Neck tele pups.
In my opinion, the best rythym tone on a stock Tele is the neck and bridge pickup combined.
A pickup like the uncovered neck Fralin Blues Special has a great tone that's much better, IMO, than a stock covered neck pickup, including the Fralin Tele Stock! The Blues Special neck has the unmuffled tone of a nice Strat neck pickup.
However, the more powerful tone of the uncovered Fralin Blues Special neck pickup changes the balance between the neck and bridge pickup when they're combined and so I lose the chime and sparkle of my favorte rythym tone of all: the tone of stock Tele neck and bridge pickups combined!
That's just my opinion of course...but I do believe it's true.
Anyways, my best sounding Tele at the moment is my Fender Custom Shop '53 relic with a pair of Duncan Antiquitys. The Fralin Blues Specials in my '54 were my favorites but they've slipped to #2. My #3 Tele has a Duncan Jerry Donahue lead and covered Fralin Tele Stock neck pickup. It's a great sounding Tele too.
Truth is I love all three.
Lew
In my opinion, the best rythym tone on a stock Tele is the neck and bridge pickup combined.
A pickup like the uncovered neck Fralin Blues Special has a great tone that's much better, IMO, than a stock covered neck pickup, including the Fralin Tele Stock! The Blues Special neck has the unmuffled tone of a nice Strat neck pickup.
However, the more powerful tone of the uncovered Fralin Blues Special neck pickup changes the balance between the neck and bridge pickup when they're combined and so I lose the chime and sparkle of my favorte rythym tone of all: the tone of stock Tele neck and bridge pickups combined!
That's just my opinion of course...but I do believe it's true.
Anyways, my best sounding Tele at the moment is my Fender Custom Shop '53 relic with a pair of Duncan Antiquitys. The Fralin Blues Specials in my '54 were my favorites but they've slipped to #2. My #3 Tele has a Duncan Jerry Donahue lead and covered Fralin Tele Stock neck pickup. It's a great sounding Tele too.
Truth is I love all three.
Lew
BS123
New member
Re: Neck tele pups.
As far as Telecaster neck pickups, I have three favorites.
1. Fender Nocaster
2. DiMarzio Twang King
3. Fender Texas Special
As far as Duncans go, I have tried just about all of them. The one I liked least was the Quarter Pounder. It was just too muddy for me. The Vintage 54 is very nice but not as meaty or open-sounding as my 3 faves. The Alnico II Pro is very nice especially for wanting to turn your Tele into a jazzbox and do no routing. Like Lew said, The AP2 Pro doesn't have a lot of output. Tonally, it blends with the Alnico II Pro bridge pickup beautifully. It also sounds good with the Jerry Donahue pickup. Most people who use it just turn the amp up.
As far as Telecaster neck pickups, I have three favorites.
1. Fender Nocaster
2. DiMarzio Twang King
3. Fender Texas Special
As far as Duncans go, I have tried just about all of them. The one I liked least was the Quarter Pounder. It was just too muddy for me. The Vintage 54 is very nice but not as meaty or open-sounding as my 3 faves. The Alnico II Pro is very nice especially for wanting to turn your Tele into a jazzbox and do no routing. Like Lew said, The AP2 Pro doesn't have a lot of output. Tonally, it blends with the Alnico II Pro bridge pickup beautifully. It also sounds good with the Jerry Donahue pickup. Most people who use it just turn the amp up.
Benjy_26
25's Nemesis
Re: Neck tele pups.
No experience with the Duncan Tele neck pickups, but i did try the Texas Special from Fender and didn't care for it, with or without the cover. I ended up putting a SM-1 Vintage Mini Humbucker at the neck of my Fernandez Tele and paired it with a JD lead. They balance surprisingly well and sound great when either pickup is solo'ed
No experience with the Duncan Tele neck pickups, but i did try the Texas Special from Fender and didn't care for it, with or without the cover. I ended up putting a SM-1 Vintage Mini Humbucker at the neck of my Fernandez Tele and paired it with a JD lead. They balance surprisingly well and sound great when either pickup is solo'ed
