Pickup choice in an HH telecaster

Curt

Curt

New member
Okay, I've traded a couple pedals for a squier contemporary telecaster, poplar body, I believe, with a maple neck. The pickups in it are the stock ceramic humbuckers, they lack chord definition, and are a little too dull sounding for my liking. So the trouble I'm having is, do I go with my tried and true TB-5 for the bridge? Or do I give something else a go. the style I use this guitar for would be similar to this: https://youtu.be/HzZGLOfIxk

I thought maybe the Custom Custom or Custom/59 hybrid as alternate options, but all I really know is I want something that can handle outright filth if need be, with moderate tightness, good chord definition, and a nice crunch, but for this guitar I think I want a fatter/rounder top end than what the TB-5 provides.

Edit: Forgot to mention I am for sure putting a phat cat in the neck, so something that pairs well with that is ideal.
 
Re: Pickup choice in an HH telecaster

If you think stock ceramics are dull, you might not like the Custom Custom. Go for something brighter, like the regular Custom, or even the JB.
 
Re: Pickup choice in an HH telecaster

Mincer said:
If you think stock ceramics are dull, you might not like the Custom Custom. Go for something brighter, like the regular Custom, or even the JB.
Click to expand...

I have a Custom/59n in my mahogany body FMT and it's stellar. They're also wired with pull/push pots for coil split and the single coil tones are really good.
 
Re: Pickup choice in an HH telecaster

Does that squier come stock with 250k tone pots? If it does it may be helpful to upgrade to 500k.
 
Re: Pickup choice in an HH telecaster

I’ve got a Squier Contemporary Strat- The one with the floyd rose, and its got an EMG 57 in the bridge. It sounds phenomenal! As for what you’re asking- filthy but with definition, maybe a little bit on the bright side of things- Lawrence L500xl, Gibson 500T, Dimarzio steve morse
 
Re: Pickup choice in an HH telecaster

I bought a modded Blacktop Tele that came with Phat Cats, and it's a rock machine. My only gripe with it is that it's a bit of a one trick pony. It's a pretty good trick though.
 
Re: Pickup choice in an HH telecaster

I have a custom T-style with a Pearly Gates in the neck and a Pearly Gates for Tele in the bridge slot and it handles high gain very well, and also sounds great clean. It's an unlikely candidate but it works VERY well for high gain stuff, more so than you might think. Maybe not modern metal but just about everything else.

EDIT: Your video link is unavailable.
 
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Re: Pickup choice in an HH telecaster

First check the pot. Its bit like suggesting new tires without knowing what motor is in.
 
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