Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

D

dspiffy

New member
Is there such thing as pickups that will fit in a Tele without modification and sound like Strat pickups? In a perfect world, they would be hotter than strat pickups as well.

I bought a 45th Anniversary Mad Cat which, unlike the Reissue Mad Cat, has Bill Lawrence T1 and T2 pickups. My original plan was to swap in S1/S3, but I dont want to cut the pickguard, it's far too pretty and I want any changes to be reversible.

I can find a lot of discussion about Strat pickups that sound like Tele pickups, but not the other way around.

Actually I wouldnt mind if they sounded between the two, and I assume if they are built like Tele pickups (size, brass plate) but wound like Strat pickups (what is the difference anyway) they will.

The thing I like the least about the Tele pickups in the Mad Cat is how much they feed back. The S1/S3 pickups dont feed back at all. But I would also like it to sound slightly more strat-ward.
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

Fralin Blues Specials. That was Lindy's goal. To come up with a Tele size neck pickup that sounds like a Strat. Excellent pickups.
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

+1 yep, or the fender twisted tele neck pickup.
I do like the fralins tho.

btw im jealous. Those madcats look sweet. Can you do some pics?
 
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Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

What about the bridge pickup? The bridge pickup is more of an issue, I think. Although I could modify an S3 to fit in the bridge a lot easier than I could modify an S1 to fit in the neck.

I will look at the Fralins.

I dont have pictures but I do have video:

Unboxing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RJ2dSdZkC4

Playing it:

 
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Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

i have a dimarzio twang king in a tele that is definitely brighter than a traditional tele neck pu and is more strat-like than most.
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

Custom shop has it. I have Wilde Keystones by Bill Lawrence. But if you want it asap, go with what others have suggested: Twang King or Twisted Tele.
 
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Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

I dont want it to sound like a Strat, I want it to sound like Strat pickups in a Mad Cat :)

Here's my comparison of my Mad Cat with Tele pickups to my Mad Cat copy with Strat pickups: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDi1yQotPWg

I originally planned to swap the Strat pickups into the real Mad Cat, but I didnt realize they wouldnt fit.
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

My bad, I didn't read it carefully enough. Try Microcoil, great performing single-coil set you can put in a Tele without regard to whether the result resembles anything else. It's not in traditional tele ballpark but still leaves tele sounding like a tele.
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

you can always call the custom shop and ask them to build you a set of pickups to replicate the sound of a particular set of strat pickups in a tele size.
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

gibson175 said:
btw what is wrong with the stock pickups?
Click to expand...

The bridge one feeds back terribly. Not sure if it is defective or not. But I want the guitar to sound more like the original/reissue Mad Cat, which is strat Pickups in a Tele body with the odd bridge arrangement:
 
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Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

I'd be interested to see what they say. I know they can build this stuff, and that $140 goes to someone who hand-built exactly what you want. In many cases, it might be the only one like it in the world. For the exclusivity, and the fact that 'boutique' makers charge much much more, it is quite a deal.
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

Wow, you went crazy cross posting today, didn't ya? And I thought we were special...
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

Meaning I posted on multiple sites? I posted on a couple sites a week or so ago and didnt get many answers. I've gotten a lot of good answers today!
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

I don't know about a bridge pickup but the Five/Two for Tele neck sounds remarkably similar to the neck pickup in my 54 Reissue! Its loaded with a Lil 59N in the bridge and SSL-1's in the other two slots..
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

There seem to be a lot more options for neck than for bridge.

My concern is if I dont buy them as a set, will they blend well?
 
Re: Tele Pickups that sound like Strat pickups?

There are two things that give the Tele bridge pickup a different character from a Strat pickup:

1) The steel (not brass) baseplate, which is usually coated with copper or zinc;
2) The actual bridge that surrounds the pickup, especially if it, too, is steel and many, if not most, are.

The steel in both alters the magnetic field, taming the highs just a little and thus making it seem as if the Tele pickup has more midrange and is less spikey and harsh than the Strat.

Problem #1 is easily solved by getting a no-baseplate Tele bridge pickup. Okay, maybe not that easy because they're hard to find but I know someone who makes them (wink-wink).

Problem #2 is a little trickier -- if your bridge is steel, you have to replace it with one that is brass or some other non-ferric metal. I don't know if there are any made that are non-magnetic stainless but if there are, one of those might also help.

On to the neck: There is one thing that gives the Tele neck a different character, and that is the cover. Most covers are awful, not transparent at all.

Some covers are better but none are as good as the solution: yank the cover, or have a coverless one made. Yes, the Tele neck is smaller in width, length and spacing (usually 49-50mm) than a Strat pu (typically 52mm), and yes, because they are significantly smaller, Tele necks are wound with 43 AWG instead of 42 at least 95% of the time. Nonetheless, the basic Strat character returns once that cover is gone.
 
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