Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

[STRATDELUXER97]

Today I Pulled the Antiquity Texas Hot Custom out of the bridge in one of my main strats and went back to the Twangbanger...I felt lately,that the TH was a bit thin and lacked the mids and present tone of the TB...After installing the TB and getting it all setup,I began to realize how much better it makes this strat sound...I'm now just going to leave the TB in this guitar...It's mated with Surfers in the middle and neck and those will stay also....

John

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

Sounds like a nice setup John. :wink:

 

[Artie]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

John, I know that the Twang Banger is specifically marketed under the guise of adding a bit of "Tele" to a Strat. So I'm wondering, do like it for its Tele-twang, or does it seem more Strat-ish to you.

In other words, does it make your Strat more a Strat, or do you prefer its dual-personality?

Does that make sense? :laugh2:

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

Sounds like a nice setup John. :wink:

I love the Surfers and I feel the Twangbanger gives me the extra mids and aggression I may have lost with the Texas Hot....

The red American Deluxe strat shown in my avatar however,is loaded with all 3 Texas Hots and I love them in that guitar...Funny isn't it?

 

[Inge Malmstein]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

What about using the twangbanger as a middle-pickup, on a H-S-H Strat?
(A2 Humbuckers - PG & CC)

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

John, I know that the Twang Banger is specifically marketed under the guise of adding a bit of "Tele" to a Strat. So I'm wondering, do like it for its Tele-twang, or does it seem more Strat-ish to you.

In other words, does it make your Strat more a Strat, or do you prefer its dual-personality?

Does that make sense? :laugh2:

Well....I own 2 Fender Teles also...I'd say I like the TB because of the way the mids come out in this strat..I also like the extra output and clarity I get...It does sound sought of Teleish,but we're still hearing the overall differences between a strat and a Tele.

I think it's just that the mids are more out front,but in the right way and I Like the added aggression I feel this pickup offers..It just seems right in this guitar I guess...I originally bought this TB for this strat,but felt my bridge/middle tones were lacking...Today I realized that the straight bridge tone was more important and that the in between tones were still very good..I also have the Fralin Blender pot in this guitar and it makes that bridge position better because I can tailor the bridge tone by adding a bit of the neck if needed...

The TB has this great sense of presence and great cutting mids and a sense of more output at the bridge,but yet it's a very clear and articulate pickup at the same time...I really missed it....

John

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

What about using the twangbanger as a middle-pickup, on a H-S-H Strat?
(A2 Humbuckers - PG & CC)

Guess you'd have to try it and tell all of us about it?

 

[Inge Malmstein]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

Hmm, i would have to order it - i need a new middle pickup for this strat and thought about the SSL-5, APS-1 or even the Twangbanger.
They are all different pickups, but they are the single-coils form duncan i still haven't try.

 

[flank]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

the twangbanger can sound fairly tele like through the right setup, primarily good vintage styled fender amp.......but overall, i would say it just makes the strat sound better and its kind of a unique tone, which i can make sound like old british rock, rockabilly, or good twangy cleans.....

i use it mostly for clean stuff as i like how full it is and the clarity it has

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

Hmm, i would have to order it - i need a new middle pickup for this strat and thought about the SSL-5, APS-1 or even the Twangbanger.
They are all different pickups, but they are the single-coils form duncan i still haven't try.

I've tryed alot of middle pickups...Be careful in the middle.I find I Like a very vintage wind for my middle postions...My current favorites are both A5 poled SSL1s or the Surfer middle...Higher wound middle pickups in my own strats sound weird and un-tolerable to my ears...

John

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

the twangbanger can sound fairly tele like through the right setup, primarily good vintage styled fender amp.......but overall, i would say it just makes the strat sound better and its kind of a unique tone, which i can make sound like old british rock, rockabilly, or good twangy cleans.....

i use it mostly for clean stuff as i like how full it is and the clarity it has

Great post buddy....You've nailed what I was trying to convey,and it's that "unique tone" that sets it apart in my situation...It's a great pickup with great snappy mids,nice presence,and great articulation...Thanks Flank..

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

Personally, I think you've got the best strat set that Duncan offers. Twangbanger, and 2 Surfers.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

Hi Guys! I use the Twangbanger in one guitar and the Ant Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup in another. I love 'em both. To me, the Twangbanger is all about getting a fat, thick, fairly high output tone for soloing. It's juicey! But it can also be a little to thick to get the classic M & B combination tone we're all used to from a Strat. It thickens up that combo alot and though it's a great tone with the Twangbanger, it's not quite the classic tone we're used to. The Texas Hot Custom is anything but thin! IMO, it's thicker and juicier than just about any Strat bridge pickup I've used - except for the Twangbanger.

I did a little comparism a few months ago of the Twangbanger, Ant Texas Hot Custom and the Fralin Steel Pole 43 - my three favorute Strat bridge pickups.

The Twangbanger was the hottest, followed by the Texas Hot and then the SP 43.

Tone wise, the Twangbanger reminds me more than a little of the Antiquity I Tele Lead.

 

[badco33]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

I have a twangbanger in one of my strats and a set of antiquity texas hots in another. I really like the beefed up sound of the twangbanger as well. So much so that I bought one of the metal pickup baseplates from Callaham guitars to put on the bridge Antiquity. It gave me a similar vibe but is also different in its own way. The metal baseplate definitely made the pup less ice-picky and enhanced the mids on the antiquity but it also retained more of the vintage character than the twangbanger. The base plate is just kind of a $5 mid booster for a standard strat pup while the twangbanger is a little more complex and powerful than that. I like them both a lot.

 

[Armotron]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

Ive never had the opportunity to try a twangbanger yet. But my LF SP43 is just fine by my standards!

 

[Imp]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

I've tryed alot of middle pickups...Be careful in the middle.I find I Like a very vintage wind for my middle postions...My current favorites are both A5 poled SSL1s or the Surfer middle...Higher wound middle pickups in my own strats sound weird and un-tolerable to my ears...

John

amen, i use a 5/2 i bought off sweet_lou in the middle hehe - had a practice last night, it sounded awesome - very clear, intense and powerful sounds...

i think it was a valvestate halfstack, with your DS-1, a crybaby and a DD-3 lol - it sounded awesome, it recorded very well too..

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

I'm not a huge strat guy, but I've got a Twangbanger with two Alnico 2 flat pole singles in my strat, master vol, master tone, blender and 3-way. Those are some righteous tones man. Not a big bridge guy either, but blending the neck and the bridge gives me some really cool tones.

 

[Imp]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

i've never really gotten on with positions 2 and 4 on a strat, if i do play with them in a band situation, then switch to any of the pickups by themselves, i always prefer it.. its hard to explain, its a different 'flavour' of twang, more of a rounded bell like sound.. i dunno why, im trying to use 'truth' and 'airiness', these words come to mind.. i dunno why.

i'm TH/5.2/Lil '59 at the mo, i changed to TH/5.2/TH for a bit when i heard forum bro's liked it, but it just didnt feel versatile enough. if i ever managed to get hold of a lester or an SG, i'd go back to TH/5.2/TH in a heartbeat though..

tom

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

Hi Guys! I use the Twangbanger in one guitar and the Ant Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup in another. I love 'em both. To me, the Twangbanger is all about getting a fat, thick, fairly high output tone for soloing. It's juicey! But it can also be a little to thick to get the classic M & B combination tone we're all used to from a Strat. It thickens up that combo alot and though it's a great tone with the Twangbanger, it's not quite the classic tone we're used to. The Texas Hot Custom is anything but thin! IMO, it's thicker and juicier than just about any Strat bridge pickup I've used - except for the Twangbanger.

I did a little comparism a few months ago of the Twangbanger, Ant Texas Hot Custom and the Fralin Steel Pole 43 - my three favorute Strat bridge pickups.

The Twangbanger was the hottest, followed by the Texas Hot and then the SP 43.

Tone wise, the Twangbanger reminds me more than a little of the Antiquity I Tele Lead.

Lew..As you know,I'm also an avid user of the Texas Hot in the bridge..This blue strat and my ears told me that the TH was just wrong in this guitar..Too thin really was how I percieved it....I use mainly the bridge pickup for the stuff we do,so I don't always need "classic" strat tones...I need overall balls,but with the ability to back off on my volume control and get a cleaner tone...I own 6 strats(I think)now and so I think I have a pretty good combination of vintage vs modern tones with each one being different...

This alder bodied Highway 1 strat just screams for the Twangbanger..I'm sure you remembered me not being 100% thrilled when I went to the Texas Hot in this axe? The TB is great..It covers me(close enough)for great clean strat tone,but growls if I need it without going into humbucker territory,as does the SP43 Fralin in my other strat,but without cosmetic changes... :wink:

John

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Went Back To The Twangbanger Bridge In My Blue Strat

I don't mean to be silly, but how did the Highway 1 scream for a TwangBanger.

The HWY 1 strat needed fuller sound?
The TH didn't sound as good with the growl?

Does the TB perform better with distortion overdrive than the TH?

I would have thought that the Antiquity Texas Hot Custom Bridge would be the custom shop version of the Twangbanger. And sound much better.

But apparently it's not.

I don't feel like repeating alot of what I wrote,but I had the Twangbanger in this guitar originally....This guitar sounds great with the TB in the bridge...I was just saying that this axe "was asking" for the TB back in a funny way... :smack: Get it? :wink:

"I would have thought that the Antiquity Texas Hot Custom Bridge would be the custom shop version of the Twangbanger. And sound much better."

Not even close....The TB uses a plate on the bottom like a vintage Tele pickup and has more output and mids than the Antiquity Texas Hot...I use the Texas Hots in the red American Deluxe strat you see in my avatar and I Love them...Some pickups are very model or wood specific in my guitars to my ears..