RRR...Not happy with the hot for tele tapped!

[Dills]

I just replaced the bridge pickup in my ESP signature tele with one yesterday and was very excited, i was hoping to to use the pickup in the tapped mode for twangy traditional tele sounds and engage a push pull for more output.

I want to like it but, I cannot find a useable twangy rhythm sound out of the tapped output, there are too much mids and bass and, it seems as though it just halves the output and dosent really get eany brighter. The problems i had in both modes were: there wasnt enough bite or high end (edginess), i wanted tighter bass and the pick attack was quite muddy (due to mids and bass) and not defined enough, (great for humbucker rock sounds which i already have in my other guitar) but not good for the tele twang i was hoping to get when tapped.

If you could steer me to new replacement that would be good, i was thinking a broadcaster might be the ticket. Also does anyone know if the 21 day exhange policy applies to distributors in New Zealand?

Dills

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: RRR...Not happy with the hot for tele tapped!

That's disappointing ... I was contemplating getting a Hot Tele tapped myself. Benjy_26 highly recommends it - let's hope he chimes in here.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: RRR...Not happy with the hot for tele tapped!

I don't know for sure about the 21 day exchange thing in New Zealand, but if you bought it from an authorized dealer IN NEW ZEALAND I think you can exchange it. But your experience with the Tapped Tele Hot is a little differant than mine. I've found the tapped mode to be plenty bright and the tone at least similar to a vintage Tele bridge pickup. I'm wondering if there's something else going on. Evan, VP of SD Pickups, uses the Tapped Tele Hot too and has had nothing but good things to say about it. Try moving the pickup closer to the strings: hold the two E strings down at the highest fret and then adjust the high side of the pickup to within 1/16" away from the underside of the high E string and the low E side to within 1/8" or so of the undersude of the low E string and see if that brightens it up for you. Lew

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: RRR...Not happy with the hot for tele tapped!

What condition are your pots in?

Also, like Lew said, it's brighter when you move it closer to the strings. Mine is set pretty high, almost touching in fact.

Do you have a modern 6 saddle bridge? If so, ditch it and get a quality 3 saddle bridge. Believe it or not, that's where a bunch of the tele tone comes from.

 

[Dills]

Re: RRR...Not happy with the hot for tele tapped!

Thanks for you help guys, i have a 6 saddle bridge, i am always concerned that if i change it to a 3 saddle the intonation will be less accurate and it will be harder to re string is this so?

I am using a push pull pot to get the tapped mode (which was replaced with a new one) I have tried moving the pickup closer to the strings, (i will try again) and see if there is any improvement. If cannot get the tone i am after i probably will put in a broadcaster as a replacment.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: RRR...Not happy with the hot for tele tapped!

Thanks for you help guys, i have a 6 saddle bridge, i am always concerned that if i change it to a 3 saddle the intonation will be less accurate and it will be harder to re string is this so?

I've never had problems getting my 3-saddle bridge to intonate properly. I once read an article written by Jerry Donahue about the best way to intonate your 3-saddle. I will see if I can find it online somewhere and post it here.

EDIT: Well whaddya know: it's posted on this very site. Check it out:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/techtips.shtml