Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

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Danielgallegs

New member
Hello everybody,

First guitar I bought myself was a Tele modern player so now I don't want to give it up, prefer changing the pickups on it. The stock pups are a bit too "thin" sounding for me and kind of lifeless for a lack of a better word. However I do want to keep a Tele twang sound.

I play mostly classic rock and country- mostly I'm trying to get a Joe Walsh/Hotel California sound if that's possible.

I'm thinking: Antiquity II Tele Neck/ Vintage Staggered Strat Middle (SSL-1)/ 59 Bridge OR Antquity Humbucker OR Alnico II Pro HB

I'm rather new to changing pups so I'm unsure if this configuration would cause issues due to output issues or anything like that.

Any suggestions or ideas would be very helpful, especially on the humbucker and its compatibility with the other pups.

Thank you all and rock on !
 
Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Well, I'm not sure about the pickups in your guitar...I can't find specs on what they are.

No specs I can find tell of the pickup strength. But the MIM standard I got had some thick singlecoil tones coming out of it....way thicker and beefier than vintage thats for sure. So I'm not sure if you are not going the wrong way with going full vintage. What you will gain with duncans however is removing all traces of 'flatness' to the tone, thats for sure.

As to your desires, Joe's sound is vintage tele - but with a humbucker you don't get any tele twang to start with. But the best you'll get is with something vintage in the humbucker dep't. A Pearly Gates might give the crispness of the singlecoil tone. Otherwise your choices look ok.
 
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Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Thanks! I have a MiM 60s classic player strat and it actually sounds amazing, one of my favorite guitars. The tele MP was made in China though, if that has anything to do with it.

Pearly gates sound good, I'll check them out, just the closest thing to Walsh's tone would help.

What about a humbucker that I could effectively coil split, like the Stag Mag (SH-3)?

But would the humbucker offset the "vintage" tone of the neck and middle pups when selected alone?
 
Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

The mp pickups are three wire alnico5 hb's around 8.3k it should say MP-h1f, they seem to sound great in the MP mahogany strats but not so good in the MP tele, I have MP strats (hsh mahoganys and HSS alder and MP tele plus and MP tele semihollow) On mine I used the duncan custom custom bridge 500k volume and TBX tone control as well as a .001 pf cap as a treble bleed, a texas special middle and a tonerider hot tele neck, it sounds pretty incredible, the other thing I replaced was the two way mini toggle to a three way series/split/parallel. I am going to replace the neck with a gfs fatbody neck pickup though as its one of the best sounding tele neck pickups I have tried works great with 500k and its cheap.
The other Humbucker I would recommend is the duncan p-rail with triple shot mounting ring, I have them in two other humbucker teles and you can have twang,p90, vintage humbucker (parallel) and big fat humbucker (series) with the MP pine body is should sound excellent and it gives you lots of options and when pairing with the other pickups. PS I dont think the antiquity has 4 conductor wiring. Last thing, my mp tele sounded muddy with the stock HB, I never looked as I wanted a PU change but I will bet they used 250k pots, even my HSS MP didn't sound like my HSH models, I'd pull the control plate and see what pots are in there, swap them to 500k and maybe a different cap and it may solve your problem without swapping pickups, my HSH's came stock with treble bleed as well, hss and tele did not.
 
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Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Danielgallegs said:
Thanks! I have a MiM 60s classic player strat and it actually sounds amazing, one of my favorite guitars. The tele MP was made in China though, if that has anything to do with it.

Pearly gates sound good, I'll check them out, just the closest thing to Walsh's tone would help.

What about a humbucker that I could effectively coil split, like the Stag Mag (SH-3)?

But would the humbucker offset the "vintage" tone of the neck and middle pups when selected alone?
Click to expand...

With the stag mag you have a very un-vintage full sound as your compromise to the better true singlecoil split tone.
But you still won't get the true tele sound as there are bits of that tone still missing.

Personally I'd stick with a nice PAF type humbucker which will give you vintage but fuller....you can always roll the volume back fractionally to mimic the output of a tele singlecoil.
Hotter bridge humbuckers won't do as well as a vintage humbucker in matching the vintage strat and tele pickups you have planned for the M and N. You can always boost the drive for more saturation for those times when you need it.
 
Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

That is where the series/parallel switch comes in handy, the custom custom is A2 and brings out the mids and the mp tele is pine so its a bit bright, hotter "paf" type pickups tend to split better as they are closer to singles in output when split, the pickups that are stock in the guitar are pretty PAFish as they are hence why I would try a switch to 500k pots and the right cap. Another pickup I think that would work great in that guitar would be the 59/custom hybrid, made in China really means nothing anymore, most of the MP line is excellent, I just picked up a squier CV 50's tele in mint cond for 200 bucks and I can't believe how good it is even the stock pups, I have 43 guitars ranging from 200 bucks to 4k and I am amazed at some of these imports nowadays, not like they were 20-30 years ago except maybe the MIJ's. Go play an Ibanez as-93 and then play a Gibby es-335 with a flamed top and tell me the Gibby is worth 3000.00 more........not even close.
 
Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Any humbucker in the bridge will kill a twangy Tele sound, although what you chose isn't a bad setup...I don't know if it is Tele enough for you. I'd be more apt to put the humbucker in the neck, and put a Tele pickup in the bridge if you are worried about losing the Tele sound.
 
Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

the Mp plus is this....102_0424.jpg so installing a correct "tele" pup would require a slanted humbucker to tele adapter ring which I don't know if they are made except if you modify a strat one, I still say a hotter HB or P-rails wil fit the bill, amazingly the custom custom even though not slanted still sounds teleish when in parallel and split with the volume dropped a bit. I needed another guitar like a hole in the head, This headstock drew me to it and then played it was frickin perfect even for a chinese tele compared it to MIM and even MIA and for 349.00 done deal and its a great guitar I picked it up last week not playing it for 4-5 months hanging on the wall and still perfectly in tune..102_0426.jpg in series the HB in full bore has a "Slash" tone.
 
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Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

'59/Custom hybrid or PG brigde, Twangbanger middle, Five-Two neck
 
Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Oh cool Tele! I bet the Custom Custom rocks in that- it is one of my favorites. I bet a 59/Custom Hybrid (with split switch) would work well, too.
 
Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

It does rock in that guitar, almost to the point of I don't think any other pickup could sound better. It is still very bright (maybe the TBX on 10 all the time) but fat.
I agree custom custom is one of my favs too and its a convertible to a custom or custom 5 with a mag swap. I wonder what a custom 4 or 8 would sound like?
 
Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Here's what I did to mine. I didn't want to keep it an HSS or HST.

Nickel C/59 Hybrid (splittable)
SM-1n Mini Humbucker neck, just like the 52 Hot Rod Tele. Sounds great.

Replaced the junk pots/knobs with CTS 500K, 3 way switch, and Fender dome knobs. You must do this because the pots/knobs are the lowest quality parts on the whole guitar. They're stiff to turn, and the stock knobs wont fit quality pots.
I also bought a Fender screw set because the fathead stock ones look wrong.

Ordered a gloss black beveled pickguard from Pickguard Heaven. I sent mine in to trace because the shape isn't compatible with American/MIM pickguards you can buy in the store.

Filed and rounded the fret edges.

Added Schaller strap locks.....luckily the pine body isn't as soft as I'd anticipated.

July20132015_zpscb6c6902.jpg
 
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Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Own one of those guitars and have a 59/Custom in the bridge on mine and LOVE that pickup in that Pine Body! Has bite clarity and really pulls harmonics with a high gain amp like noting else. Made my 4 JB equipped Super Strats sound plumb constipated for solos! Here is mine with the 59/Custom live through my little 1/10 Boogie Subway Rocket combo running no effects.
 
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Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Mincer said:
Oh cool Tele! I bet the Custom Custom rocks in that- it is one of my favorites. I bet a 59/Custom Hybrid (with split switch) would work well, too.
Click to expand...

Don't have to wonder bout the 59/Custom in one of these bro it flat SCREAMS in that Pine body + taps REALLY well.
Here is mine through my Boogie .50 cal + no effects here on this song at all outdoors live and unmiced.
 
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Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Danielgallegs said:
Hello everybody,

First guitar I bought myself was a Tele modern player so now I don't want to give it up, prefer changing the pickups on it. The stock pups are a bit too "thin" sounding for me and kind of lifeless for a lack of a better word. However I do want to keep a Tele twang sound.

I play mostly classic rock and country- mostly I'm trying to get a Joe Walsh/Hotel California sound if that's possible.

I'm thinking: Antiquity II Tele Neck/ Vintage Staggered Strat Middle (SSL-1)/ 59 Bridge OR Antquity Humbucker OR Alnico II Pro HB

I'm rather new to changing pups so I'm unsure if this configuration would cause issues due to output issues or anything like that.

Any suggestions or ideas would be very helpful, especially on the humbucker and its compatibility with the other pups.

Thank you all and rock on !
Click to expand...

Like your thoughts on the neck and middle but will say for certain drop a 59 Custom in the Bridge. Absolutely SCREAMS in my MP!!!
Mine before the 59/ Custom swap now has a Zebra in the bridge with a black ring.
 
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Re: Telecaster Modern Player Pups for Classic Rock

Gearjoneser said:
Replaced the junk pots/knobs with CTS 500K, 3 way switch, and Fender dome knobs. You must do this because the pots/knobs are the lowest quality parts on the whole guitar. They're stiff to turn, and the stock knobs wont fit quality pots.
I
Click to expand...
Actually they aren't as bad as you think. I have some pot cleaner with a lube that I hit mine with right after I got it and they loosened up nicely. Actually have a smooth taper and are quiet as the CTS's in all my Washburns so I left them alone on mine. Were super stiff before I hit them with that cleaner lube though!
 
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