Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

[Blue Note Blaze]

Hi all. I have a Nashville Telecaster and am taking out the stock Tex-Mex pups and want to replace them. I really want to put a Duncan 5/2 in the Bridge position but am not sure with what Stratocaster style pickup to match it with in the middle position? I know Seymour has a 5/2 Strat pup, but i wanted something with standard magnets. The only Strat pickup I am familiar with are the Texas Specials by Fender. However, the DC resistance on those are 6.5 and the Duncan 5/2 is 7.5 and was concerned that they would not blend well, or match well in tone? I also would need suggestions on a Tele neck pickup that would work well with the Strat middle pickup. Complicated, I guess...thanks for all your help.

I play mostly chicken pickin, country. i.e. Vince Gill, Brent Mason etc. But I will be using the middle pickup for Blues, as well as the neck. Position 1 and 2 will be used for mostly country pickin.

 

[Blue Note Blaze]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

LOL...isn't there anybody that can help me with this?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

How about the antiquity texas hot mid/neck? Close to 7k, would probably mix well with a solid tele bridge pickup and do blues perfectly.

 

[Blue Note Blaze]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

Thanks Alex...I'm gonna go look those up right now.

 

[Blue Note Blaze]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

I took a look at the Antiquity Texas Hot Mid/Neck pup and it appeared to say DC 6.3? Maybe I'm looking at the wrong one?

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

DC resistance isn't everything, and most people put a slightly hotter pickup in the bridge position anyway. I've had great luck with plain old SSL-1s in the middle and neck position on Nashville Teles.

If you want something less bright, slightly fatter and hotter than a normal vintage Strat-style, but still with a lot of clarity and detail, I highly recommend the Fralin Blues Special. I just happen to have an extra for sale - I bought one for my Tele, but ended up buying two.

 

[Blue Note Blaze]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

Rich S: The Only Fender Strat Pickups I have heard are Fender Texas Specials and Fender Vintage 57/62. The ladder I could not stand, but enjoyed the Texas Specials. How do those "Blues Specials" compare in tone to the ones I've mentioned?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

I took a look at the Antiquity Texas Hot Mid/Neck pup and it appeared to say DC 6.3? Maybe I'm looking at the wrong one?

I have 2 waiting to go into a guitar.....middle is 6.63k, neck is 6.23k.

As you get further from the bridge posi the string movement gets greater when you strike a note, hence the pup requires less winds to produce the same amount of signal to the amp. Also, the tonal quality of the vibration is much more in the lower harmonic range than in the bridge position. A pickup wound hot put in the neck is more likely to sound thick and dull......think of the smooth buttery sound of a humbucker and you get the idea. The trick with a hotter neck is to get the drive without the tone changing.

The Ant texas is (I think) supposed to be like an overwound '62 with extra sizzle....but with treatments to make it sound (and look) more like it could actually have come out of a strat made then.

 

[Blue Note Blaze]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

Alex...I guess I would have to change the Neck Pickup cut size which is for a standard Tele pup? So that it would fit a Strat pickup?

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Pickup Matching for 3 Pup Tele (Help) -5/2-

Rich S: The Only Fender Strat Pickups I have heard are Fender Texas Specials and Fender Vintage 57/62. The ladder I could not stand, but enjoyed the Texas Specials. How do those "Blues Specials" compare in tone to the ones I've mentioned?

I don't know about the Texas Specials, but the Blues Special middle & neck are 6.2K. Here's the spec page:
http://www.fralinpickups.com/stratstyleBS.asp

Remember what I said, though... DC resistance isn't everything. Magnet strength and the number of turns determine how strong a pickup is, DC resistance is a convenient shorthand measurement, but doesn't translate across different wire sizes.