Need help for SD Metal pickups on Tele !

[Dragaenerys]

Hello !

I just bought a Michael kelly 1954 black wash satin, and I would like to replace the original pickups which are rockfield, because I don't like them at all.

But I'm so demanding, that I don't know at all what pickups to get that would balance, harmonize and marry with the wood of the guitar, that's why I'm posting this message, to get some advice and help

I have a style based on melodic metalcore, death metal, periphery style, August Burns red, Veil Of Maya, Napoleon, Wage War, Novelists, Monuments, Architects, Haunted Shores, While She Sleeps

The sound I'm looking for in a bridge pickup is above all a clarity and an extreme and precise distinction of the notes, that it is sharp, with a lot of gain, depth, while doing well in clean too

For the neck pickup sound, I'm really looking for a sound like yngwie malmsteem and takayoshi ohmura's, which is very precise again, note distinction, which knows how to handle the gain at a high level

The Specs of the guitar :

Top: quilted maple
Body: Alder
Construction: Bolt-On neck
Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Macassar Ebony
Saddle material: Bone
Fork: 647.7 mm / 25.5 in
Headstock Type: Dual Action
Electronics: Master volume - master tone (push/pull coil plug) - 3-position switch
Neck Pickup: MK Traditional Single Coil
Bridge Pickup: Rockfield® SWC Humbucker Pickup
Neck Profile: Modern C
Number of frets: 22 Medium Jumbo

Thank you in advance for any advice and/or help you can give me!

Happy Christmas and New Year's Eve!

 

[Hsb]

For the neck YJM neck, made for Yngwie as for the bridge the Omega, esp since you listed Periphary as a sound influence. It was designed for Mark Holcomb

 

[jeremy]

tele style neck pup, dont know if a strat pup will fit the rout?

 

[Dragaenerys]

tele style neck pup, dont know if a strat pup will fit the rout?

Yeah that's the problem..

I'm afraid that the YJM pickups don't fit in the neck pickup cavity of the telecaster.

Wouldn't there be a pickup that is similar to this YJM ?

 

[Mincer]

For that kind of music, get the right rrouting, bridge and pickguard, and get a Pegasus/Sentient or Black Winter set. No Tele pickups are made for this.

 

[krovatron]

For that kind of music, get the right rrouting, bridge and pickguard, and get a Pegasus/Sentient or Black Winter set. No Tele pickups are made for this.

Agree with Mincer. Single coil sized humbuckers will not satisfy that tone pallette...maybe BKP Cobra??

How handy are you with a router? Not sure if its like a traditional Tele, I have easily modded many teles over the years for double humbucker. New bridge and pickguard and pickups. Boom!

 

[Dragaenerys]

Hi & Thanks You for answered !

I looked at the omega bridge pickups and the pegasus bridge, but I can't decide, which one is clearer, more accurate and aggressive with lots of depth?
Wouldn't the alnico V magnet be weaker than the ceramic?

I would really like to keep the neck single coil pickups to keep that telecaster sound but with a lot of bass roundness and supporting the high gain, I'm interested in the SD quarter pounder, wouldn't it do the trick as a neoclassical solo in the style I'm looking for?

Because transforming the single coil neck into a humbucker, I admit, I don't know how to do it, it would be expensive with the installation of additional pickups...

 

[ToneFiddler]

Well not exactly metal, but Tom morello get’s a great neck tone out of his Tele.
BKP cobraT bridge could do it, yes but with a humbucker rout you have more options.
rout the neck too. Doesn’t hurt with the pickguard if you don’t use it…

 

[Mincer]

Hi & Thanks You for answered !

I looked at the omega bridge pickups and the pegasus bridge, but I can't decide, which one is clearer, more accurate and aggressive with lots of depth?
Wouldn't the alnico V magnet be weaker than the ceramic?

I would really like to keep the neck single coil pickups to keep that telecaster sound but with a lot of bass roundness and supporting the high gain, I'm interested in the SD quarter pounder, wouldn't it do the trick as a neoclassical solo in the style I'm looking for?

Because transforming the single coil neck into a humbucker, I admit, I don't know how to do it, it would be expensive with the installation of additional pickups...

I think the Quarter Pound is too thick sounding for what you want. The Omega will cut more, with less bass than the Pegasus. The Pegasus will chug better, with a more scooped EQ. As far as how to do it, the wiring is simple, we could walk you through that. But you'd have to get a bridge to accommodate a humbucker, and route the wood to fit it in there.

 

[krovatron]

I am not sure what your setup is as with Axe FX III my noise canceling is amazing. However, if I was using a real rig, there would be no way I could play a real Tele single coil live for high gain music. Everyone would hate me. I know Dimarzio Areas are dead quiet and sound good - havent tried Duncans version.

I am a huge fan of Lace Sensors for that humbuckerish tone in a single coil package...if I was forced to do work with a Tele I'd go Lace Red in bridge and blue in neck. I am sure we're loads of help lol

 

[zizyphus]

I'd highly recommend a ceramic Pegasus as bridge humbucker for heavy music.

For that matter, Pegasus A8, A6, A4, and A2 all sound great to my ears. I actually hate it with the stock A5, but that PUP is a great wind__PRESENT

 

[Dragaenerys]

Hi everybody,

thanks you very much all for the tips and advice, I'm very glad to read all of these, actually I had a lot of thought about pickups, so I made my choice, I actually gonna take a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound in neck but in Bridge position I actually still don't know what to pair with it, a Pegasus would be enough for my style and my guitar wood ? Or is there any other "better" pickups according the wood and my music style ?

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Oh, it's a Tele with a bridge humbucker?

I'd look at the Omega.

 

[Mincer]

Hi everybody,

thanks you very much all for the tips and advice, I'm very glad to read all of these, actually I had a lot of thought about pickups, so I made my choice, I actually gonna take a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound in neck but in Bridge position I actually still don't know what to pair with it, a Pegasus would be enough for my style and my guitar wood ? Or is there any other "better" pickups according the wood and my music style ?

The Pegasus is a great choice. Another option, if you like a different EQ with more mids, is the Black Winter. Just choose what you like, or what your guitar needs.

 

[Dragaenerys]

Re!
Good evening to all and happy new year!

#Rex_Rocker: wouldn't the omega pickup sound too high pitched with the guitar wood?

#Mincer : I'm really looking for a lot of growl in the bass, and a lot of low midrange I think, with a lot of definition, and also, especially to compensate for the lack of it in the alder guitar, maple quilted neck erable / ebony macassar fingerboard, I think that's what would be missing because otherwise it would be too clear, if I took a pickup focused on the treble.

 

[Mincer]

Re!
Good evening to all and happy new year!

#Rex_Rocker: wouldn't the omega pickup sound too high pitched with the guitar wood?

#Mincer : I'm really looking for a lot of growl in the bass, and a lot of low midrange I think, with a lot of definition, and also, especially to compensate for the lack of it in the alder guitar, maple quilted neck erable / ebony macassar fingerboard, I think that's what would be missing because otherwise it would be too clear, if I took a pickup focused on the treble.

Well, then look at the Black Winter.

 

[Dragaenerys]

#Mincer : Hi Mincer !

Thank you for helping me all the way !

I'm going to choose a black winter bridge pickup from seymour duncan, but then for this damn single pickup in neck position, I confess that it's still bothering me, I really don't have the material to make a single pickup a humbucker, and at a luthier it would cost me my ass skin !

So at this level it's still a bit vague unfortunately.

 

[Mincer]

A single coil size that would pair well with the neck pickup would be the Hot Rails neck, but you'd need a new pickguard and to route out the size, I am guessing. But if you were going to do that, I'd just put a humbucker in there.
If you end up with a Black Winter bridge, you wouldn't be using the neck pickup much anyway.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

#Rex_Rocker: wouldn't the omega pickup sound too high pitched with the guitar wood?

Honestly, I think it's too high pitched for any type of wood, personally, but Mark Holcomb seems to think otherwise.

 

[Securb]

ChatGPT says:

Seymour Duncan (SD) makes many high-quality pickups for the Telecaster guitar. Some popular options for metal-oriented playing include the:

1. Seymour Duncan TB-14 Custom 5 - A high output single-coil pickup designed for aggressive playing styles.
2. Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion - A humbucker pickup designed for high gain playing, such as metal and hard rock.
3. Seymour Duncan TB-11 Custom - A versatile pickup that offers a warm, balanced tone with a slight mid-range bump.

It's important to keep in mind that pickups are just one part of your tone and the final sound will also depend on factors such as your amp, effects, and playing technique. It's recommended to try out a few pickups or get a professional's opinion before making a final decision.