Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

[STRATDELUXER97]

Tonight I Played my Highway 1 alder bodied strat with maple neck with my band....I thought the Texas Hot was a bit thin and bright tonight compared to the Twangbanger it replaced...Maybe I need to raise this Texas Hot up more,but the guys in my band picked up on the thinner and brighter twangier tone of the texas hot tonight?

Do you guys feel that the Twangbanger might be ballsier in the lows or low mids and I'm missing that now by comparison with the Texas Hot Custom bridge?

I was a bit taken back by the tone of this Texas Hot tonight in this particular strat through the same amp and effects..The clean 4th position stuff and both Surfers are great and sounded great,but the Texas Hot by itself tonight with gain just seemed thin and a bit bright for my tastes..This isn't the scenario in my American Deluxe strat though?

Are we sure that flip flopping the white and black wire hookups on this Texas Hot doesn't somehow mess with the pickup's tone?

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

Guys? Lew? Doc Barlo.....?????

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

Good morning John! I don't have any issues with the Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup at all. I still like it as much as I did a year ago. In fact, I'm thinking of putting one in my '63 Strat because it's probably my best guitar and I don't play it anymore because the stock 40 year old bridge pickup sounds so weak by comparism. All three pickups in a '63 Strat are identical and I've gotten so used to the extra lift I get when I switch to the Antiquity Custom bridge pickups in my other Strats that I miss that when I play my old '63. I've been wrestling with whether to install a Texas Hot Custom or a SP-43. Lew

 

[badco33]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

I've noticed the same thing with my Antiq Custom hot. It has a good tone but can be a little shrill at times compared to the twangbanger. I ordered a bridge from Callaham Guitars for my "Parts-o-Caster" and they also had a steel baseplate for a strat bridge pickup on their site. It was cheap so I got one. It's supposed to mellow the high end and beef up the mids when installed and is probably similar to the brass plate on the twangbanger. I haven't installed it yet but I think I am going to do it this weekend. I will report back after it is in. It was inexpensive and I am just hoping for a little more smoothness out of the custom hot, not a drastic change cause it doesn't need it, so I will let you know how it turns out.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

I think the Antiquity II Surfer Custom bridge pickup can be a little shrill...it's the nature of alnico 5 Strat bridge pickups, IMO, and vintage a5 Strat pickups are even glassier and more shrill.

And that's why I think I might prefer the Antiquity I alnico 2 Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup...it's quackier and less glassy and has a more pleasing overdriven tone to me.

But when it comes to neck and middle Strat pickups, I like alnico 5 all the way: Surfers or SSL-1's.

As for the Twangbanger, I'm not sure I want the tone of a tele bridge pickup in my Strat after all. It dominates and doesn't blend with the neck and middle pickups for the classic tones I'm used to. It's cool for soloing though...lots of power.

Lew

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

I think the Antiquity II Surfer Custom bridge pickup can be a little shrill...it's the nature of alnico 5 Strat bridge pickups, IMO, and vintage a5 Strat pickups are even glassier and more shrill.

And that's why I think I might prefer the Antiquity I alnico 2 Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup...it's quackier and less glassy and has a more pleasing overdriven tone to me.

But when it comes to neck and middle Strat pickups, I like alnico 5 all the way: Surfers or SSL-1's.

As for the Twangbanger, I'm not sure I want the tone of a tele bridge pickup in my Strat after all. It dominates and doesn't blend with the neck and middle pickups for the classic tones I'm used to. It's cool for soloing though...lots of power.

Lew

Thanks guys....Lew,we're still talking about the Texas Hot bridge pickup now and not the Surfer bridge,right?

I compared the height of the Texas Hot in this strat against my American Deluxe strat and it was lower...I've raised it up and we'll see how that does..??? Seems the Twangbanger might be a bit softer in the highs...or maybe the TB just works better in this strat,but I still love the Texas Hots in my Amercan Deluxe strat?

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

Different strokes for different Strats. I have a California Series Strat with SSL-1's in neck and middle and Twangbanger in the bridge. To me, the Twangbanger does not sound very Tele-like -- it's still Strat all the way. It blends better than I had hoped in the B/M position, and it sounds really nice in its own right. But then I still love the stock Texas Specials in my other Strat, so I guess you can take my opinion with a few grains of salt.

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

Tonight I Played my Highway 1 alder bodied strat with maple neck with my band....I thought the Texas Hot was a bit thin and bright tonight compared to the Twangbanger it replaced...Maybe I need to raise this Texas Hot up more,but the guys in my band picked up on the thinner and brighter twangier tone of the texas hot tonight?

Do you guys feel that the Twangbanger might be ballsier in the lows or low mids and I'm missing that now by comparison with the Texas Hot Custom bridge?

I was a bit taken back by the tone of this Texas Hot tonight in this particular strat through the same amp and effects..The clean 4th position stuff and both Surfers are great and sounded great,but the Texas Hot by itself tonight with gain just seemed thin and a bit bright for my tastes..This isn't the scenario in my American Deluxe strat though?

Are we sure that flip flopping the white and black wire hookups on this Texas Hot doesn't somehow mess with the pickup's tone?

Hey buddy, I have found both of these bridge pups to be too thin and bright in my Strats for hard rock music, I think they are both great for clean blues and country licks. I have found that an SSL-6 in the bridge works best for me with the rock music.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

Hey buddy, I have found both of these bridge pups to be too shrill my Strats for hard rock music, I think they are both great for clean blues and country licks. I have found that an SSL-6 in the bridge works best for me with the rock music.

What pickups are you talking about? Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup and Twangbanger? Or Surfer Custom bridge pickup? I've never found the Texas Hots to be shrill...just the opposite.

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

What pickups are you talking about? Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup and Twangbanger? Or Surfer Custom bridge pickup? I've never found the Texas Hots to be shrill...just the opposite.

Texas Hot Custom bridge and Twangbanger, for rock music. I like em both for country. I love the Texas Hots in the neck and middle.
"Ones mans pleasure is another mans poison". :smoker:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

Texas Hot Custom bridge and Twangbanger, for rock music. I like em both for country. I love the Texas Hots in the neck and middle.
"Ones mans pleasure is another mans poison". :smoker:

When I hear something that I would describe as being "shrill" that something is usually brighter than I would like and has sort of a shrill/gargley/glassy/rough quality to the highs. I just hear NONE of that quality with the Texas Hot Custom...instead I hear lots of mids and smooth touch responsive quack.

Lew

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

What pickups are you talking about? Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup and Twangbanger? Or Surfer Custom bridge pickup? I've never found the Texas Hots to be shrill...just the opposite.

The correct term would be thin and bright. What kind of amp are you using Lew?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

I play mostly through vintage Fenders:

blackface Deluxe Reverbs
tweed Deluxes
tweed 2 x 10 Super
Super Reverb
etc.

 

[flank]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

i like the twangbanger......its a nice kick and sassy sound to my strat.......plus it gets real sweet with the volume rolled down a bit

i dont like it for soloing though, although it can sound very good for Zeppelin type stuff........but i like it more for clean sounds and rhythm stuff, and it has awesome harmonics that shine through on the high strings when being played clean.......it just shimmers on an open G chord

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

I play mostly through vintage Fenders:

blackface Deluxe Reverbs
tweed Deluxes
tweed 2 x 10 Super
Super Reverb
etc.

Nice amps Lew, I would love to hear one of my Strats
into a tweed deluxe, I am using a DRRI right now, and
I like it a lot, but it is a bit bright.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

Nice amps Lew, I would love to hear one of my Strats
into a tweed deluxe, I am using a DRRI right now, and
I like it a lot, but it is a bit bright.

Mine have been tweaked to the max and have handpicked NOS tubes and naturally, I think they're the two best DR's on the planet because they're set up for exactly what I like and the way I play. Very touch responsive. One big improvement all DR's need is a great 12" speaker. The very best, IMO, is the Celestion G12H-30. It is also the speaker amp guru Ken Fischer of Trainwreck Amps says is his favorite. I have one in each of mine and I've gone through a lot of speakers trying to find the very best. The G12h_30 is it. High efficiency, deep bass, textured complex mids, bright enough highs to be articulate but not so bright that it starts to sound..."shrill". :laugh2: Lew

 

[FretFire]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

The G12H30 is a GREAT speaker. I have one paired with a Vintage 30 in my 2x12 cab and it is very very sweet.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Twangbanger vs Bridge Texas Hot?

The G12H30 is a GREAT speaker. I have one paired with a Vintage 30 in my 2x12 cab and it is very very sweet.

That is one GREAT combo! My two favorite 12" speakers.

(Well, I do like the alnico magnet Celestion G12 too...in the right amp. I use those in my tweed Deluxes.) Lew