Tele sound from LP deluxe?

[jwaltb]

Hi. I have a 75 LP Deluxe routed for full size humbuckers and am interested in what might give me a more modern "tele" style sound from the bridge pu. Currently I have the Jazz neck/JB bridge setup and am not happy with the sound I'm getting from the JB. It's a little too nasally for me and doesn't have the chime I'd like. Also find it a bit overpowering for the jazz. The jazz isn't bad but might be considered a bit bottom heavy. I heard a PAF would be more along the line of what I'm seeking but was thinking coil splitting would be a nice feature. Would the Pearly Gates or 59 custom make sense?

Thanks,
JB

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Try the JB in parallel. You'll need to install a switch or a push/pull volume or tone pot. If you can actually play some real Tele style licks with a Tele kind of attitude and phrasing, you might be surprised at the tone that JB gets in parallel. If you can't play with the right attitude and Tele phrasing tho, you'll be outta luck with any pair of humbuckers, IMO. You've got to think Tele and the guitar might follow.

 

[jwaltb]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Well, considering I don't have to buy a new pickup, might be worth a try. I'll give it a shot. Don't have a push/pull pot in place so can maybe switch the wires around for a try. As for the attitude, well..... guess what matters is if I like what I hear. Thx for the reply.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

LP's aren't going to sound like Teles for a number of reasons, but you'll get closer with P-90's (which are single coils) than with humbuckers. A JB is definitely the wrong PU for what you want; maybe it'll be okay in parallel.

You'd probably be better off selling the PU's you have now and getting a DiMarzio HFH for the neck (low ouput and bright), and maybe an A5 P-90 in the bridge. Look for used PU's and save some money.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Ain't gonna happen. The main obstacle is that the scale lengths are different. If you've ever played a 24.75 scale Strat or Tele, you know that they don't sound like classic Strats and Teles. Scale length is a huge factor in tone IMHO.

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Les Pauls don't sound like Teles. Neither do Strats sound like Teles.

Many factors: body type, neck type, different woods, totally different bridge/tailpiece, pickups, etc.

However, the JB in parallel does have some twang and being a pretty hot pickup, split or in parallel it still has some power to it.

If you're gonna play typical diddly diddly, standard Guitar Center on a Saturday afternoon rock licks on it, then "no" - it won't sound like a Tele.

But if you've mastered a few real Tele licks and have some Tele twang under your fingers, then the JB split or in parallel will give a Tele-ish tone that might sound a little bit like a Tele.

It won't really sound like a Tele but neither will any other humbucker or P90 (or even a real Tele pickup) in a Les Paul.

IMO, it's more what and how you play it than the pickups or anything else.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Here comes a rant look out! (apologies to the Op..its not specifically at you. This is a general rant prompted by reading a lot of posts)

What is it with the current obsession with people wanting to get strat sounds out of a tele, 335 sounds out of a strat or tele sounds out of a les paul? You might as well try to make a cat sound like a dog. If you want to hear something bark, get a dog. This stuff is not rocket science.

Ok rant over.

I Currently I have the Jazz neck/JB bridge setup and am not happy with the sound I'm getting from the JB. It's a little too nasally for me and doesn't have the chime I'd like. Also find it a bit overpowering for the jazz. The jazz isn't bad but might be considered a bit bottom heavy. I heard a PAF would be more along the line of what I'm seeking but was thinking coil splitting would be a nice feature. Would the Pearly Gates or 59 custom make sense?

Now reading this and removing the "tele" bit, the post makes sense.
I reckon a pair of Pearly gates would address all the issues you mentioned. Youll get your harmonic presence without the nasal honk of the JB, you'll address the pickup level balance issue and you will trim off the low end of the stack jazz pickup. Plus youll get a bit more sizzle and bite that works nicely with lower and medium gain vintage type tones (which i guess is what you might have been after when mentioning teles in the first place).

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

To me it's like all those guys wanting to know what humbucking pickups will make them sound like Eddie Van Halen.

The answer is none if you can't play like Eddie Van Halen and pretty much any humbucker if you can.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

yeh thats true too. But now we are hijacking the thread. peace.

 

[scarr]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

It's a cheap trick, but you can try unscrewing all the screw slug's screws, and hear what the slug coil sounds like solo. It's easy to try without soldering, and t'll still be hum-canceling.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

It's a cheap trick, but you can try unscrewing all the screw slug's screws, and hear what the slug coil sounds like solo. It's easy to try without soldering, and t'll still be hum-canceling.

The coil is still operating. Removing the screws just changes the shape of the field doesnt get rid of it. Its easy to test this if you have a 4 conductor pickup by wiring up only 1 coil to work.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

What is it with the current obsession with people wanting to get strat sounds out of a tele, 335 sounds out of a strat or tele sounds out of a les paul?

This is far from a new thing.

 

[tonello]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Honestly, if you want to sound like a Tele, get a Tele. Nothing else to say. I didn't buy an SG so that I could make it sound like a Strat, so don't buy an LP to make it sound like a Tele.

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

I can relate. Some players, especially young players, only own one guitar and until they start making a real living they can only afford one guitar.

 

[chill]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

It won't really sound like a Tele but neither will any other humbucker or P90 (or even a real Tele pickup) in a Les Paul.

Cheap adapter from GFS if you want to give it a try.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Ironically, the Gibson mini humbucker might have given a passable imitation of a Tele neck/Rhythm position pickup.

An SH-5 Custom in parallel would have a hint of Tele bridge/Lead pickup about it but, as has already been written, only a proper Tele is going to deliver.

 

[scarr]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

The coil is still operating. Removing the screws just changes the shape of the field doesnt get rid of it. Its easy to test this if you have a 4 conductor pickup by wiring up only 1 coil to work.

You're right. It's not gone, but it'll be significantly altered/attenuated. It's a fun experiment if you're going for a more Tele-like sound.

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Cheap adapter from GFS if you want to give it a try.

Very cool! I'd put a Jerry Donahue or Custom Shop 53 Style JB Tele Hot Tapped Tele pickup in that if I was going to use it.

 

[jwaltb]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Whew! Guess I hit on a touchy matter.... didn't mean to offend anyone. For the record I'm an older guy that plays weekends in a local worship group. I was fortunate to come across both my LP and an American mid-70s Strat as pawn shop type finds years ago. Wish I would've kept the LP stock but this is where I am. I know I can't make a LP into a tele and I also know I'm not Brent Mason - I do believe though I can get closer to the sound I hear in a lot of modern worship music with a different pickup arrangement, or at least I'm willing to try. And I still love the LP. I'd just go with the PAF 59 but I was thinking that the coil splitting option might bring me that much closer to what I want so asked about the pearly gates or 59 custom. I appreciate all the input. And if you want to actually offer constructive suggestions I'll be happy to elucidate a bit further. Just let me know. And y'all have a good day!

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Tele sound from LP deluxe?

Whew! Guess I hit on a touchy matter.... didn't mean to offend anyone.

I don't think so at all. Everyone's been trying give you the benefit of their experience.

Putting a Tele pickup in the bridge position of your Strat would improve the bridge pickup of your Strat. If your guitar is routed for humbuckers under the pickguard all it would take is a new pickguard and a Tele pickup to do that. IMO, a real good Tele pickup in the bridge position of a Strat gives a better, stronger tone anyway. Lowell George did that. So did I.

Or installing a switch to allow you to split the coils of your JB or put them in parallel would make more sense to me than putting a different humbucker in your Les Paul.

You could remove one tone control and use the hole for a 3 way switch to use your JB in series, parallel or single coil and then connect the remaining tone control to your output jack (like Hamer does) and use it as a master tone control.