Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

[MikeRocker]

Hey Tele Gurus, I'm building another Tele (it's an addiction!), and lately I've really been getting into Clarence White. He's got such a great tone, as heard on the Nashville West and Byrds Live at the Fillmore CDs. Can anybody recommend pickups to approximate his tone? To me it's classic Tele, but not ice picky - it's a warm, snappy sound with a lot of growl and twang. The Tele I'm building is the classic formula - swamp ash and maple with nitro finish.
Thank you for any help!

 

[Falstaff]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

Mike-

Clarence was the man. But you already know that!

For the bridge pickup, I think something like an Antiquity (or Hamel or Stuart) would probably work well and get you pretty close depending on the guitar. He used a '54 Strat pickup in the neck. Both of his pickups had been extensively reworked by Red Rhodes, and I think they've been rewound again since Marty Stuart was given the guitar. Some of the guys on the Clarence White Forum use Velvet Hammers and say they get the CW vibe.

http://www.stringpull.com/telepu.html

Are you going to put a bender in it?

 

[MikeRocker]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

Hey Falstaff, thanks for the response. I highly recommend to anyone who may actually read this thread to check out Clarence White. I discovered him recently, and he is unbelievable.
I haven't decided about the bender yet. If I do, I may look into this one: http://cheapdomains495.com/band/BBender.htm I'd love to have Gene Parsons install a long-throw P/W bender, but for $1000 I think I'll pass! I've heard some less than stellar things about the Hipshot too. I just can't get over how great CW's electric tone was.

 

[Falstaff]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

I think that Stringpull place will install a bender for you but it's only slightly less than what Gene charges.

When the TDPRI comes back up you can check out there bender section.

 

[FenderBender03]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

All hail Clarence White! What a true Telecaster master I don't really have any pickup recommendations for Duncans, but i will tell you that on the former Clarence White signature Tele from the Fender Custom Shop they used their Texas Tele pickups. I haven't any experience with these pickups but i do also know that their the same pickups they use for the Merle Haggard Tele, the Waylon Jennings Tele, the Muddy Waters Tele, and even more than i can't think of right now.... they have to be great pickups though.

The Byrds version of "Buckaroo" on that Live at the Fillmore CD kicks a$$ don't it? Sometimes i like it more than the Buck Owens version lol But Don Rich is another one thats hard to beat though.



FenderBender

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

I think Clarence White's tone was mostly in his hands. The guy was an absolute bluegrass virtuoso with flawless picking technique.

Ever hear him play a Martin D-28? Stupifyingly good!

I saw him with the Byrds in Ann Arbor, Mich at Hill Auditorium back around 1969 or 70. He was playing his Tele through a Fender Dual Showman with two 15" JBL's.

I thought he stole the show and that the rest of the Byrds sounded kind of lame that night.

People were hollering for him to "turn it up". Didn't seem to me that he played alot of his solos with the volume on his Tele on full...his tone was warmer than most Tele players tone and when people hollered for him to turn it up he turned up his guitar's volume control and it got alot louder.

To me, his picking technique sounded refined like that of a virtuoso acoustic guitarist...which he was.

Lew

 

[gripweed]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

I think the Jerry Donahue bridge would be a great choice based upon what you've told us.

 

[MikeRocker]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

I think Clarence White's tone was mostly in his hands. The guy was an absolute bluegrass virtuoso with flawless picking technique.

Ever hear him play a Martin D-28? Stupifyingly good!

I saw him with the Byrds in Ann Arbor, Mich at Hill Auditorium back around 1969 or 70. He was playing his Tele through a Fender Dual Showman with two 15" JBL's.

I thought he stole the show and that the rest of the Byrds sounded kind of lame that night.

People were hollering for him to "turn it up". Didn't seem to me that he played alot of his solos with the volume on his Tele on full...his tone was warmer than most Tele players tone and when people hollered for him to turn it up he turned up his guitar's volume control and it got alot louder.

To me, his picking technique sounded refined like that of a virtuoso acoustic guitarist...which he was.

Lew

That's so cool that you got to see him play. I've been to the Hill (I'm originally from Detroit), I saw Springsteen and BB King there. Great place to see a show. I've got CW's 33 Guitar Instrumentals CD, the guy could pick!
Do you have any thoughts about pickups to approximate his tone? Is it more in the Alnico II or Alnico V (or even the 5/2) category? I was thinking about the Jerry Donahue, but I don't have any experience with Alnico II pickups yet. Is the bass "flabby" sounding with Alnico II singles? I don't want to lose that low end growl and twang.
Thank you.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

That's so cool that you got to see him play. I've been to the Hill (I'm originally from Detroit), I saw Springsteen and BB King there. Great place to see a show. I've got CW's 33 Guitar Instrumentals CD, the guy could pick!
Do you have any thoughts about pickups to approximate his tone? Is it more in the Alnico II or Alnico V (or even the 5/2) category? I was thinking about the Jerry Donahue, but I don't have any experience with Alnico II pickups yet. Is the bass "flabby" sounding with Alnico II singles? I don't want to lose that low end growl and twang.
Thank you.

I think alnico 2 Antiquity I's would be a good choice although I doubt the pickups in his Tele were alnico 2. Probably just vintage alnico 5 Tele pickups like 99% of all vintage Tele pickups are.

Something to remember is that in 1969 those were not OLD pickups. Same thing with Clapton: in 1967 the pickups in his SG were just 5 years old and the pickups in his Les Pauls only about 8 years old.

I don't hear Clarence's tone as being fat and midrangey thick like the Jerry Donahue.

No, the bass is not flabby with the Duncan alnico 2's...but, IMO, the Alnico II Pro Tele neck pickup is a little to warm...the alnico 2 Antiquity has more chime to it.

He did not use an overdriven tone at all. His playing was very clean and almost hi-fi.

Truth is, any really good Tele pickup would sound just like Clarence's Tele...if Clarence was playing it.

 

[Falstaff]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

Mike-have you hit the Clarence White Forum yet? There's some great info there...maybe too much info! :laugh2: But it's cool in that some people have done a ton of research on Clarence's guitar. Apparently Marty Stuart lets Clarence fans play the thing backstage, which is amazing. There are more than a few photos of that on the CWF.

http://www.clarencewhiteforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=6&t=000190

 

[Dirt123]

Re: Question for Tele pickup Gurus - Clarence White?

I think he also use an Electro Harmonix LPB-1, which was a simple transistor booster. Don’t know how essential that is, but some of the CW aficionados/emulators try to track one of them down. They're easy to clone, too.

Come to think of it, the SD Pickup Booster set to a flat response might work too!

Edit: Found a link:
http://www.clarencewhiteforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=next_topic&f=2&t=000099&go=newer