Reviews of Duncan Vintage Telecaster Pickups
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mrfjones
New member
Re: Reviews of Duncan Vintage Telecaster Pickups
I have a set of antiquity tele pickups in an ash bodied Fender 50's reissue tele and i will never take them out. These pickups give me one of the tele sounds i was looking for. They have a nice bite when they are distorted but are really smooth when played clean or through some overdrive. They have a nice open sound and let the natural sound of the wood come through. They have a nicely balanced eq and can really nail tones from bands like the kinks and some old country stuff too. great recreation of the classic tele tone and even the look too.
I have a set of antiquity tele pickups in an ash bodied Fender 50's reissue tele and i will never take them out. These pickups give me one of the tele sounds i was looking for. They have a nice bite when they are distorted but are really smooth when played clean or through some overdrive. They have a nice open sound and let the natural sound of the wood come through. They have a nicely balanced eq and can really nail tones from bands like the kinks and some old country stuff too. great recreation of the classic tele tone and even the look too.
rhmcfarland
New member
Re: Reviews of Duncan Vintage Telecaster Pickups
I installed the Antiquity Tele bridge in a MIM Tele. Its an inexpensive guitar, but to hear it, you'd think it was a vintage Tele from the '50s. The Antiquity Tele has an open sound, with an airy high end. Enough twang to do country, yet smooth enough for overdriven rock tones as well. The output is about 6.5kohms, but it has a very distinctive snarl when you smack a chord with light overdrive. Its one of the best sounds I've got, and I've used it in some Nashville sessions where it sounded incredible. BTW, the other great sounds come from an Antiquity Humbucker (Les Paul), Antiquity Texas Hot Strat (Strat Plus), and Antiquity Firebirds (Am.Std. Strat). Its the best money can buy....
I installed the Antiquity Tele bridge in a MIM Tele. Its an inexpensive guitar, but to hear it, you'd think it was a vintage Tele from the '50s. The Antiquity Tele has an open sound, with an airy high end. Enough twang to do country, yet smooth enough for overdriven rock tones as well. The output is about 6.5kohms, but it has a very distinctive snarl when you smack a chord with light overdrive. Its one of the best sounds I've got, and I've used it in some Nashville sessions where it sounded incredible. BTW, the other great sounds come from an Antiquity Humbucker (Les Paul), Antiquity Texas Hot Strat (Strat Plus), and Antiquity Firebirds (Am.Std. Strat). Its the best money can buy....
BS123
New member
Re: Reviews of Duncan Vintage Telecaster Pickups
Gosh, where do I start....
These will be quick and succinct. If you want more info, PM me.
STL-1: Very nice for that really good 60's Tele tone. Think Don Rich.
STL-1B: Very nice for that early 50's tone. It's got a bit of bark to it which makes it appealing to Rockers.
STL-3: Think P-90 in a Tele pickup. It's got about as much muscle as a fullsize humbucker but it does still have some twang.
Five-Two: I owned this pickup back when it was called the NAshville Studio. While it was a nice pickup, it really didn't do that much for me. I replaced it with a Vintage Stack and was much happier.
APTL-3JD: I was really sold on this pickup for a long time. It's really smooth and has a really nice topend. It's a "friendly" sounding pickup. I think it's due to the airy highs. This pickup, IMO, does best in an ash body. Not that it doesn't sound good in alder or anything else, ash does best though. I thought it sounded lacking in a poplar body.
APTL-1: My favorite... This one is the king. It's sweet and sparkly. Smooth and warm and a very "mature" sounding twang. I can take and grab the strings with three fingers and claw them and the tone is rich and full.
All of these pickups were used in conjunction with a Peavey Classic 50 2/212 amp. effects were light.
Gosh, where do I start....
These will be quick and succinct. If you want more info, PM me.
STL-1: Very nice for that really good 60's Tele tone. Think Don Rich.
STL-1B: Very nice for that early 50's tone. It's got a bit of bark to it which makes it appealing to Rockers.
STL-3: Think P-90 in a Tele pickup. It's got about as much muscle as a fullsize humbucker but it does still have some twang.
Five-Two: I owned this pickup back when it was called the NAshville Studio. While it was a nice pickup, it really didn't do that much for me. I replaced it with a Vintage Stack and was much happier.
APTL-3JD: I was really sold on this pickup for a long time. It's really smooth and has a really nice topend. It's a "friendly" sounding pickup. I think it's due to the airy highs. This pickup, IMO, does best in an ash body. Not that it doesn't sound good in alder or anything else, ash does best though. I thought it sounded lacking in a poplar body.
APTL-1: My favorite... This one is the king. It's sweet and sparkly. Smooth and warm and a very "mature" sounding twang. I can take and grab the strings with three fingers and claw them and the tone is rich and full.
All of these pickups were used in conjunction with a Peavey Classic 50 2/212 amp. effects were light.
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L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Reviews of Duncan Vintage Telecaster Pickups
I've had these pickups in my '02 Fender James Burton Tele:
1. Fender Texas Tele
2. Fralin Blues Special
3. Fender NoCaster
4. Duncan Jerry Donahue
And tonight I'm installing:
5. Duncan Antiquity Tele
Some old 50's Teles are bright and classic...like Nancy, Roy Buchanan's '53.
Some old 50's Teles have a lead pickup that's warmer, fatter and that has mids that quack and squawk and allow a player to squeeze the notes out and shape them with his or her hands...those are MY FAVORITES and THAT is the tone of the Jerry Donahue Tele lead pickup.
It's based on the original in his '52...and the original in my '51 had the same tone. The NoCasters do not get that fatter, middier tone...
Tonight I'm going to replace it with some Antiquitys tho and I'll report on the results this weekend.
Lew
I've had these pickups in my '02 Fender James Burton Tele:
1. Fender Texas Tele
2. Fralin Blues Special
3. Fender NoCaster
4. Duncan Jerry Donahue
And tonight I'm installing:
5. Duncan Antiquity Tele
Some old 50's Teles are bright and classic...like Nancy, Roy Buchanan's '53.
Some old 50's Teles have a lead pickup that's warmer, fatter and that has mids that quack and squawk and allow a player to squeeze the notes out and shape them with his or her hands...those are MY FAVORITES and THAT is the tone of the Jerry Donahue Tele lead pickup.
It's based on the original in his '52...and the original in my '51 had the same tone. The NoCasters do not get that fatter, middier tone...
Tonight I'm going to replace it with some Antiquitys tho and I'll report on the results this weekend.
Lew
Re: Reviews of Duncan Vintage Telecaster Pickups
I have a STL-1 and a STR-1 along with a SSL-2 (in the middle) of a Nashville Power Tele (alder/rosewood). I changed the switching so the 3rd (middle) position taps neck/bridge. The Tele pups are wonderful. The bridge is clear, warm, twangy...more 60's sounding than 50's. It is an awesome rythem pup for blues/vintage rock and nice for lead too, though somewhat thin. The neck pup is very, very well balanced with nice warmth and is a great blues lead pup. The two together are very well balanced with a warm, glassy, full sound, slightly twangy sound. The 2nd and 4th positions (strat positions) with the SSL-2 are nice, a bit bright for my taste, esp the 2nd (as you'd expect from a Tele). I'm a blues player first, rock second and this is my favorite guitar. I'm playing through a Mesa Rocket 4x10. I have another Nashville with Rio Grande Muy Grande's in it. They're much warmer, hotter...great for lead, some rythem, but not nearly as vintage/retro sounding as the STL-1 and STR-1.
I have a STL-1 and a STR-1 along with a SSL-2 (in the middle) of a Nashville Power Tele (alder/rosewood). I changed the switching so the 3rd (middle) position taps neck/bridge. The Tele pups are wonderful. The bridge is clear, warm, twangy...more 60's sounding than 50's. It is an awesome rythem pup for blues/vintage rock and nice for lead too, though somewhat thin. The neck pup is very, very well balanced with nice warmth and is a great blues lead pup. The two together are very well balanced with a warm, glassy, full sound, slightly twangy sound. The 2nd and 4th positions (strat positions) with the SSL-2 are nice, a bit bright for my taste, esp the 2nd (as you'd expect from a Tele). I'm a blues player first, rock second and this is my favorite guitar. I'm playing through a Mesa Rocket 4x10. I have another Nashville with Rio Grande Muy Grande's in it. They're much warmer, hotter...great for lead, some rythem, but not nearly as vintage/retro sounding as the STL-1 and STR-1.
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Reviews of Duncan Vintage Telecaster Pickups
OK...had a chance to give the Antiquitys a good work out with my '66 blackface Deluxe Reverb amp with a Celestion G12H30 speaker. I'm using the James Burton Tele I've had all the other Tele pickups in, including the Duncan Jerry Donahue, Fralin Blues Specials and Fender NoCasters. In addition, I have my '53 RI Fender Custom Shop Tele with NoCasters right here to compare to. I had to remove the Jerry Donahue in the James Burton Tele to make room for the Antiquitys so I have to go by memory in comparing it.
Well...the Antiquity lead pickup is everything I remembered it being.
Extremely lively. Notes just take off!
Pinch harmonics sail off into the stratosphere with ease. Tone wise, the Antiquitys have very nice mids...not quite as thick and quacky as the Jerry Donahue, but very responsive to touch and I can squeeze off harmonics very easily.
The Antiquity Tele lead pickup is brighter than the Duncan Jerry Donahue and I don't notice it being alot lower in output. My Antiquity measures 7K...my JD measures almost 8.2K.
The JD is alnico 2...I'm not sure what the Antiquity is. It sounds like a2 (enough bass, but not an over abundance of bass tho plenty of mids) but it might be a5: it's bright like a5.
How does the Antiquity compare to the Fender NoCasters? The NoCaster Lead is louder and deeper. More bass. The mids of the NoCaster Lead are not as prominant, responsive and shapeable as the Antiquity or JD and the tone of the NoCaster is smoother than the Antiquity and not quite as smooth as the JD.
There's a grainy textured quality to the treble of the Antiquity Lead that is really cool! Like the Antiquity Texas Hot Strat pickups, the Antiquity Tele pickups have alot of personality. They sound and feel old...like they've had alot of music played through them, even tho I know they're brand new.
I like the Antiquity Lead better than the NoCaster Lead...it's just a more interesting tone. The NoCaster seems cleaner and less textured, even tho it's slightly louder.
So I would say that of all the vintage early 50's style Tele pickups I've played in the last few years, that the Antiquity and Jerry Donahue are my two favorites.
Lew
OK...had a chance to give the Antiquitys a good work out with my '66 blackface Deluxe Reverb amp with a Celestion G12H30 speaker. I'm using the James Burton Tele I've had all the other Tele pickups in, including the Duncan Jerry Donahue, Fralin Blues Specials and Fender NoCasters. In addition, I have my '53 RI Fender Custom Shop Tele with NoCasters right here to compare to. I had to remove the Jerry Donahue in the James Burton Tele to make room for the Antiquitys so I have to go by memory in comparing it.
Well...the Antiquity lead pickup is everything I remembered it being.
Extremely lively. Notes just take off!
Pinch harmonics sail off into the stratosphere with ease. Tone wise, the Antiquitys have very nice mids...not quite as thick and quacky as the Jerry Donahue, but very responsive to touch and I can squeeze off harmonics very easily.
The Antiquity Tele lead pickup is brighter than the Duncan Jerry Donahue and I don't notice it being alot lower in output. My Antiquity measures 7K...my JD measures almost 8.2K.
The JD is alnico 2...I'm not sure what the Antiquity is. It sounds like a2 (enough bass, but not an over abundance of bass tho plenty of mids) but it might be a5: it's bright like a5.
How does the Antiquity compare to the Fender NoCasters? The NoCaster Lead is louder and deeper. More bass. The mids of the NoCaster Lead are not as prominant, responsive and shapeable as the Antiquity or JD and the tone of the NoCaster is smoother than the Antiquity and not quite as smooth as the JD.
There's a grainy textured quality to the treble of the Antiquity Lead that is really cool! Like the Antiquity Texas Hot Strat pickups, the Antiquity Tele pickups have alot of personality. They sound and feel old...like they've had alot of music played through them, even tho I know they're brand new.
I like the Antiquity Lead better than the NoCaster Lead...it's just a more interesting tone. The NoCaster seems cleaner and less textured, even tho it's slightly louder.
So I would say that of all the vintage early 50's style Tele pickups I've played in the last few years, that the Antiquity and Jerry Donahue are my two favorites.
Lew
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