New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

PINKBITS

PINKBITS

New member
G'day, I've just started a Tele build. Going to be a Fender 52' Hot Rod feel.

So, I've decided to go with with an Antiquity II Firebird neck pickup but am having trouble choosing a bridge.

This is going to be a blues, rock to hard rock axe. My main concern is that I believe I need to use an approx 370k volume pot and don't want to make the bridge pickup too bright by doing so.

I have considered the obvious Lil 59 and the Quarter pound but am unsure.

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

Deoends how much Tele character you want to retain. I recently finished a simlar build with a SD minihum (SM-1) in the neck and a SD Broadcaster in the bridge. I used 300K pots, which I think is a happy middle-ground for the 2 pups
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

I'm thinking the Quarter Pound might be too hot for your application, the hot for tele or something like the Jerry Donahue might be better.
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

Thanks guys, yeh I do still want it to have a Tele type character. I did consider the Broadcaster and just ran across the JD whilst searching here. Seems that the JD is highly recommended not only on this board but over on the Tele forum too.

Like I said in the OP, having a bridge pickup that is going to work with the mini hum in the neck is cruscial. No point in having the neck pu just right but the bridge way to bright as a consequence of pots values etc.
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

Duncan minihum neck / duncan broadcaster in the bridge.

for pots, go to RSGW and ask them what to do with the pups you're using. They'll make you a pre-wire and you drop it right in, wire up, and enjoy.
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

I'll tell ya what, the L'il Sceamin Demon is a great tele pickup. It'll give you more smooth than twang, but it's a bit more vintage-y and warm than the Lil 59. Sounds great clean, as well as split. If you're not looking for a straight up vintage tele single coil, I'd check out the Screamin Demon - if I recall correctly, it's one of Seymour's favorite tele buckers.
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

Thanks guys, I agree with RSGW. I use one of their modern kits in my Lester. Top notch stuff. I'll shoot them an email.

I'll check out the lil demon tele too. That could be really good. Cheers.
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

Is the screamin' demon tele a new pickup or a discontinued one? It's not listed on the Duncan tele line. I can't find it anywhere else.
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

IMO, a Broadcaster would be a great fit with that Firebird. You can always roll back the tone knob if you find it too bright.
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

PINKBITS said:
Thanks guys, I agree with RSGW. I use one of their modern kits in my Lester. Top notch stuff. I'll shoot them an email.

I'll check out the lil demon tele too. That could be really good. Cheers.
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I use RSGW in my strat (the luxe vintage kit, with a 500k for the HB and a bumblebee for that pot, and a superpot). Lovin' it. As for the tele, If you want a lil screamin demon for a tele bridge, you may have to call up seymour's CS and speak to MJ about it, i don't think SD does a production demon for a telecaster. I would also look into, if possible, dropping in a callaham bridge. Something about Callaham that tends to wake up guitars left and right when used.

But yea, I would go RSGW for the wiring, and either a broadcaster or a lil screamin demon T-style. The broadcaster sounds like "ye olde pup", but it actually has a decent amount of fire under its rear.

Jason
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

little 59's are great in tele bridge, wire it also for series/parallel or series/split
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

You could go for a bit complicated wiring, using a 500K resistor to be activated in the neck position.

That's what I have in my tele, with a JD bridge and antiquity neck HB in the neck. Works great.

In my case, the vol pot is a 500K audio, and the 500K resistor is always on in every position but the neck. Thus, I get a 250K vol pot with a bit more linear taper. And when I select the neck only position, wiring the lug of the switch that corresponds to the neck slot but on the other side of the row to deactivate that 500K, gives me a 500K neck HB tone. I do not remember the exact details, in fact, have to think because it was a bit tricky. But if you check other HB teles, you will see that Fender used that kinda wiring in earlier models too.

B
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

What ever it is,to me it must be alnico 2 magnets because I think alnico 5 makes me shread.
 
Re: New Tele build, need help with a bridge pickup.

Death Monkey, that was a bit of confusing misinformation, not only is there no such production pickup as a tele lil' Screamin Demon, but it is not Seymour's favorite tele pickup.
 
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