Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

[Nostalgic Distortion]

I'm thinking about building a Strat guard out of a vintage RWRP SSL-1 & a vintage APS-1 neck that I've got kicking around So I'm looking into buying a bridge pup.

I'm kinda thinking that these two puppies could work well with a Twangbanger bridge & 7 way switching but I don't have any real experience with Twangbangers.

If you do please go ahead & let me know what your general impressions of it were...

Thanks!!!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

i have a strat with aps2's neck and middle and twangbanger bridge. i think its a great set. the ssl1 & aps1 with twangbanger is probably a great set

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

I had a Rio Grande Stelly (similar to Twangbanger) paired with two SSL-1s, it was great.

I now have the SSL-1 in the mid and APS-1 in the neck, it's a great combo! (Chewy neck, bold middle and complex notch). I think your plan sounds good and I look forward to your review!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

If you're going to build a Strat I'd put a real Tele pickup in it.

Maybe a Duncan Hot for Tele.

I never thought the Twangbanger was all that exciting soundwise.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

i dont think the twangbanger sounds very tele like, but i like it just fine for the strat pup it is.

 

[tabeck5]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

I have the same setup, one of the best Strat Pickup combos period. It not only can do most anything but does everything well.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

I own and use three TwangBanger pickups. They are beautiful to me.
Normally a single coil wrapped up to a fairly loud 8K sounds dull, but a TwangBanger has a copper plate underneath that makes it similar to a tele.
It won't be as loud as a hot for tele, but Hot for Tele's may not clean up as well. I use, on stage, a 59/Custom for the bridge, a TBanger for the middle, and a Fender '69 in the neck, which I never use. I have two set up for stage this way. The strong humbucker bridge and the TBanger middle sound like angels singing when used together. And no, I don't care if that sounds corny. My third Strat I use in bed has an TwangBanger in the bridge and a regular Strat '69 in the neck. On this one (my play in bed guitar) has no middle position as I ran out of pickgaurds. I still love the sound though, and plan on buying two more TwangBangers with a regular three pickup Strat pickgaurd. I plan on leaving the neck and middle TBangers set low, and the bridge TBanger higher for a good boost when I hit it.
I love this pickup more than any other single coil, and I have tried many. Not as many as most on this forum, but I've tried stacked, 4 different types of Fenders, four different types of Duncans, the Duncan AS-1's that come with Squires, (I think that is what they are called), so, a good variety, and nothing beats the TB for me.
Steve Buffington

 

[Mincer]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

I like the Twangbanger. But I am not a Tele guy, so I wouldn't be the right one to know how close it is. But it is a great pickup nonetheless. I am curious about the 7 way switching...what will that be, and how will you do it?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

its easy enough to isolate the ground for the base plate. i think its a great pup but i really dont hear it as being all that tele like, could be cause its in a strat through

 

[Riley]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

I love the Twang Banger in the bridge position of a Strat – it just sounds good. I wouldn't say it sounds identical to my Tele's bridge pickup, but I think it shares many of the qualities I like about the Tele pickup, in that it's punchy, snappy, and fairly full sounding (for a single coil bridge).

 

[SJ318]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

So, basically-
In general: Not Tele, but Tele-ish from the copper plate underneath.
Good pickup, some Love (like me) some really like (most others) some want more Tele sound (will not do that).
Steve Buffington

 

[Mincer]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

Well, I a mnot sure the copper plate is 100% the reason it sounds like it does...as adding a copper plate doesn't automatically make a pickup sound like a Tele. But the wind is matched to that, which is why it works. I think a lot of things go into a "Tele sound" and some of that is even psychological.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

Mincer,
If I had one overwound, which I have thought about for a year now, but the copper plate and all else stays the same, would it lose the magic about it that I like so much? I know magic is the worst word in a pickup forum, but I couldn't think of a better one on this p'up.
Also, I tried to stay away from "Tele" and said "Tele-ish" to give me some room in definition. Hope that's ok.
Steve Buffington

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

There have been enough Teles with Strat pickups and Strats with Tele pickups to demonstrate that it's not the pickup that creates the "voice" of those guitars, it's something else. Matching the pickups will match the EQ, for example the typically higher output of the Tele bridge, or the higher treble response of a Strat neck, but the "voice" will still be "Tele" or "Strat", regardless. It's a matter of expectation, if you buy a Twang Banger looking for the EQ of a Tele bridge, you will be happy, but if you're wanting the distinct tone of a Tele bridge, you'll probably be let down.

The bridge base plate just adds a little inductance, the same as if you were to over-wind the coil slightly. The metal plate was originally added by Fender to act as a shield, and as a keeper for the AlNiCo pole pieces, not to change the tone one way or another.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

Mincer,
If I had one overwound, which I have thought about for a year now, but the copper plate and all else stays the same, would it lose the magic about it that I like so much? I know magic is the worst word in a pickup forum, but I couldn't think of a better one on this p'up.
Also, I tried to stay away from "Tele" and said "Tele-ish" to give me some room in definition. Hope that's ok.
Steve Buffington

With more windings, you lose a little more of the twangy vibe, but get more mids and lows. I don't know how you define 'magic', though, as I would probably love it. My favorite Tele pickup is a Jerry Donahue, though, which isn't exactly traditional.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

Mincer and PicoRiveraTele,
Again, great thanks for your response to my question. Mincer, how high is your J. Donahue wound? Do you use it in a Tele guitar?
By "Magic" I mean, when you said more wind = less highs, more dull (I am paraphrasing of course) as it seems all the s.coils I tried wound higher than 7K would start to get dull. And the TwangBanger at 8K still retains the Strat sound to me, only diff being the copper plate, so I must assume the plate is what makes that particular "Magic" happen.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

To be fair, I don't own a Tele right now, but a great friend has let me use his extensively with a Jerry Donahue bridge and Seth Lover neck. It is my favorite Tele tone, really. Last time I checked (I installed it), it came in at 7.8k. As far as 'dull', I was talking more like 10k is where things get a little weird. Like a Quarter Pound, which is even higher. The JD doesn't sound dull at all to me, and seems to hit the sweet spot between twang and power.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Impressions....

Mincer,
Thanks. I will read about the J.Donahue Tele Bridge.
Steve