Guitar Toad
Toadily Stratologist
What is the difference? Pole spacing? Is that it?
Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
- Thread starter Guitar Toad
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flank
New member
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
polespacing....and the biggest difference is the metal baseplate......that gives the extra strongness to the tone, and more twang......combined with that fact that the pickup is mounted into the bridge....and you get a real "steely" twangy sound with a strongness to the tone
polespacing....and the biggest difference is the metal baseplate......that gives the extra strongness to the tone, and more twang......combined with that fact that the pickup is mounted into the bridge....and you get a real "steely" twangy sound with a strongness to the tone
Guitar Toad
Toadily Stratologist
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
Lew reported great results when putting custom wound tapped Tele bridge pup in one of his strats. I wondered if I should consider doing that. But, it doesn't sound like an easy modification.
Lew reported great results when putting custom wound tapped Tele bridge pup in one of his strats. I wondered if I should consider doing that. But, it doesn't sound like an easy modification.
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
you have to either open the bridge pup route up a little more, or hope that the guitar is already routed for a bucker, then you have to either mod the guardplate or get a custom guard...I used to have a Strat with a Tele lead coil in the bridge...it's cool
Guitar Toad said:
you have to either open the bridge pup route up a little more, or hope that the guitar is already routed for a bucker, then you have to either mod the guardplate or get a custom guard...I used to have a Strat with a Tele lead coil in the bridge...it's cool
Guitar Toad
Toadily Stratologist
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
Thanks for pointing that out and not letting me think it's the pickup!
Curly said:
Thanks for pointing that out and not letting me think it's the pickup!
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
IMO the strong Tele bridge sounds is due to the string through, the base plate, and the 3 brass saddles also help alot...I think that the 3 brass saddles is often over looked as a key factor in Tele tone. I had an old strat once that I had a Tele lead coil in the bridge, in the same guitar I modded the bridge and put 3 brass saddles on it, and it had a very tele tone eventhough it was not string through. I later put a different Tele pickup in it, one w/o a base plate, and it did loose some Tele twang!
IMO the strong Tele bridge sounds is due to the string through, the base plate, and the 3 brass saddles also help alot...I think that the 3 brass saddles is often over looked as a key factor in Tele tone. I had an old strat once that I had a Tele lead coil in the bridge, in the same guitar I modded the bridge and put 3 brass saddles on it, and it had a very tele tone eventhough it was not string through. I later put a different Tele pickup in it, one w/o a base plate, and it did loose some Tele twang!
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
There are differences though. A Tele bridge pickup has a bigger bobbin and some of the earliest 50's versions were wound with 43 GA plain enamel wire from what I've read, although 42GA is more commen. According to Duchossoir's book, 9200 turns was "standard" in the early 50's Teles, although my own experience is that they can vary alot!
Some early 50's Tele bridge pickups are pretty strong and sound almost like a Gibson P-90 and it's those that the SD Jerry Donahue Tele pickup must be based upon. Others from the early 50's can be alot weaker and might measure under 6.5K.
In the Tele, flat pole pieces were used until about mid '54, then Fender went to thinner polepieces that were raised and staggered and the tone changed to the bright twang we associate with country Tele players. The polepieces in all of the 50's and 60's Strats are raised and staggered...never flat.
According to Duchossoir, the 50's and early 60's Fender Strat pickups were wound with 8350 turns compared to 9200 for the Tele, and then later as little as 7800 turns. Then to 7600 turns in the late 60's and early 70's...Fender's worst and weakest Strat pickups IMO.
Seymour has found that the 50's Strat pickups were wound with fewer turns than the early 60's version. I believe this is true because the pickups in my '63 Strat sure seem a little hotter than the pickups that were in my '54 and '57 Strats.
There are differences though. A Tele bridge pickup has a bigger bobbin and some of the earliest 50's versions were wound with 43 GA plain enamel wire from what I've read, although 42GA is more commen. According to Duchossoir's book, 9200 turns was "standard" in the early 50's Teles, although my own experience is that they can vary alot!
Some early 50's Tele bridge pickups are pretty strong and sound almost like a Gibson P-90 and it's those that the SD Jerry Donahue Tele pickup must be based upon. Others from the early 50's can be alot weaker and might measure under 6.5K.
In the Tele, flat pole pieces were used until about mid '54, then Fender went to thinner polepieces that were raised and staggered and the tone changed to the bright twang we associate with country Tele players. The polepieces in all of the 50's and 60's Strats are raised and staggered...never flat.
According to Duchossoir, the 50's and early 60's Fender Strat pickups were wound with 8350 turns compared to 9200 for the Tele, and then later as little as 7800 turns. Then to 7600 turns in the late 60's and early 70's...Fender's worst and weakest Strat pickups IMO.
Seymour has found that the 50's Strat pickups were wound with fewer turns than the early 60's version. I believe this is true because the pickups in my '63 Strat sure seem a little hotter than the pickups that were in my '54 and '57 Strats.
Guitar Toad
Toadily Stratologist
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
Where do you get these? That sound like cool/easy mod to experiment with?
Jester700 said:
Where do you get these? That sound like cool/easy mod to experiment with?
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
Fralin has them, Callaham guitars sells them, Lew might be able to get them from Fralin.
Guitar Toad said:
Fralin has them, Callaham guitars sells them, Lew might be able to get them from Fralin.
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
Thanks Christian.
I do stock 'em: $10. each for the Bassplate. It's very easy to install.
I start by sticking a piece of 1/2" masking tape over the bottem of the pickup so the Bassplate doesn't rattle against the polepieces.
The Bassplate comes predipped in wax. So you just press it tight against the bottem of the pickup and heat it up with your soldering tool to melt the wax. When the wax cools, the bassplate will be stuck to the bottem of the pickup.
Then there is a plain wire that's already soldered to the Bassplate. You solder the other end of that wire to the black or graound wire on the pickup.
That's about all there is to it.
Lew
the guy who invented fire said:
Thanks Christian.
I do stock 'em: $10. each for the Bassplate. It's very easy to install.
I start by sticking a piece of 1/2" masking tape over the bottem of the pickup so the Bassplate doesn't rattle against the polepieces.
The Bassplate comes predipped in wax. So you just press it tight against the bottem of the pickup and heat it up with your soldering tool to melt the wax. When the wax cools, the bassplate will be stuck to the bottem of the pickup.
Then there is a plain wire that's already soldered to the Bassplate. You solder the other end of that wire to the black or graound wire on the pickup.
That's about all there is to it.
Lew
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
Have you tried one Lew? If so, what did you think?
Lewguitar said:
Have you tried one Lew? If so, what did you think?
Guitar Toad
Toadily Stratologist
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
Does it have a strong influence on the pickup/strat's tone?
the guy who invented fire said:
Does it have a strong influence on the pickup/strat's tone?
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
GT...I know this sounds crazy but I glued a piece of a hack saw blade under a set of Strat pups one time, and it had a pretty big impact on the tone. It wasn't as fancy as a cut to fit/custom made baseplate but I was young and it did the trick!
Guitar Toad said:
GT...I know this sounds crazy but I glued a piece of a hack saw blade under a set of Strat pups one time, and it had a pretty big impact on the tone. It wasn't as fancy as a cut to fit/custom made baseplate but I was young and it did the trick!
Guitar Toad
Toadily Stratologist
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
That's CRAZY!
the guy who invented fire said:
That's CRAZY!
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Telecaster Vs Strat Single coils
The bassplate seems to increase the bass and maybe the mids by 5 - 10%. It's a diff I can hear. I like it! Lew
The bassplate seems to increase the bass and maybe the mids by 5 - 10%. It's a diff I can hear. I like it! Lew
