What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

Frazer Stockton

Frazer Stockton

New member
I've been hunting about the internet for the pickups Keith Richards uses in his tele- Micawber as he calls it.

If anyone could tell me I would be very grateful, or of a seymour pickup which would be a close match to his tone.

King regards
Frazer
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

I'm pretty sure it's hollow and filled with weed.
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

Getting down details to one specific Tele will be a tall order...Keith owns a lot of Tele's and almost every one of them has been cut in some way or another.

I do know this for a fact...Fred Stuart was at the Fender Custom shop for quite a few years and during that time did a LOT of work for Keith.

Keith would send in 50's Tele's and some specific parts with the following instructions for them all...pull out the neck pickup replace it with a PAF (That Keef would send in), pull off the box bridge and replace it with a flat top, 6 saddle bridge (that Keef also sent in) and pull the bridge pickup and rewind it to better match the PAF in the neck.

Fred Sruart says he's done a dozen or more of these for Keef over the years.

If you want to get close with Duncans get a Broadcaster for the bridge and a good PAF clone for the neck...I'd go with a Seth or an Antiquity myself but a 59, or Pearly Gates would also be good, even an Alnico II Pro would work.

If you want to get a little closer call the Duncan Custom Shop and order an early 50's spec Tele bridge pickup wound up to about 10k or so, tell 'em you want to match it with an Antiquity neck then get said Antiquity neck and you'll be there.

If you want to go all the way get ready to shell out big bucks for a Stuart Lap Wrap, which is based on the pickups that Fred Stuart used to overwind for Keef and mate that with a nice PAF clone in the neck, again I'd go with a Seth Lover or an Antiquity.
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

Micawber has a PAF in the Neck and a rewound Fender Lap Steel in the Bridge. Also, Fender Japan Released a Keith Richards Micawber Tele Replica. It has Seymour Duncan Pickups in it. A '59 in the Neck and a Five-Two in the Bridge
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

I used to tune Keith's pianos in Weston, CT in the early 90's to 2001 (then I moved to Maine). He had a no-caster or sumthin' lying around (it looked real old) like it was just a pair of dirty socks on the floor- imagine what I was thinking :) I did steal a pick off the floor once when he was remodeling and he had junk all over the floor. It;s red and it says "Keef Riff Hard" on it.
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

it's a broadcaster pickup in the bridge and a Seth lover in the neck. If the neck is a little dark use a 59 instead. This will heavily depend on your amp. Pretty much stick with 59/seth lover neck and Broadcaster/JD in the bridge.

If it's the 72 custom sound....good luck. Though help maybe on the way form Lollar pickups. The Rio Grande one's are just to..texas. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just not Keef.
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

I'd say one of the biggest aspects to his tone is the two amp set up; one running clean the other slightly dirty.
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

viewaskew2k5 said:
If it's the 72 custom sound....good luck. Though help maybe on the way form Lollar pickup
Click to expand...

Pete Biltoft/Vintage Vibe also winds a replacement for the Wide Range Humbucker that is a very good pickup. I have a set in a '72 Thinline RI

Also, a guy that goes by "Telenator" offers a number of vintage accurate replacements for that particular pickup.
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

Oh, and Don Mare makes a good version of the Fender lap steel for Tele bridge option....he calls it the 0038. It can be ordered to spec but I think he typically winds it to 10k.
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

I read somewhere that he never uses the neck pup anyway, so it really doesn't matter. I don't know if that is true or not. Maybe someone can chime in. Cheers! JIMO
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

Most of keith Teles are strung with 5 strings & tuned to open G. The one you speak of I believe to have a real Paf in the neck & a Stock bridge(its a 53 or 54 Tele).
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

Bludave said:
Most of keith Teles are strung with 5 strings & tuned to open G.
Click to expand...

The only thing I'm thinking is to get close with the pickups, then forget about it and live in open G for a few years. Then, you'll know the most important aspect of Keith Richards. My open G guitars don't even resemble his.....Dearmond Goldtones in a Dearmond M-72 and a Dobro. But as soon as you start playing Stones songs, you know that open G is the signature sound.....way more than his pickups.

Most Stones fans already know this, but I'm just throwing it out there.
 
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Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

I haven't had a problem getting Keef-ish tones with a duncan vintage '54 pickup. The Fender CS Nocaster was a lil closer tho. Use the 6 saddle bridge with block saddles. It's definitely not that "brass barrel" tone at least not these days.
Also, in Keef's Micawber tele, I'm pretty sure he has the screw coil towards the bridge.

I can definitely hear in his live tone these days that he doesn't seem to use the neck pickup alone very much. the neck pickup is just there to give that "middle" sound, I guess.

If I had to pick a duncan pickup combination I'd say a Seth N, turned around, and a broadcaster. Use the antiquity equivalents if $$$ permits.
 
Re: What does Keith Richards Have in his telecaster!!!

Gearjoneser said:
The only thing I'm thinking is to get close with the pickups, then forget about it and live in open G for a few years. Then, you'll know the most important aspect of Keith Richards. My open G guitars don't even resemble his.....Dearmond Goldtones in a Dearmond M-72 and a Dobro. But as soon as you start playing Stones songs, you know that open G is the signature sound.....way more than his pickups.

Most Stones fans already know this, but I'm just throwing it out there.
Click to expand...

+1.

My Firebird 5 with stock mini hums tuned to open G gets the signature Richards sound. Not as much the guitar or pups as the open G tuning (not saying guitar and pups don't matter, but just as Gearjoneser says, get close, then tune to open G).

Unlike Keith, I use all six strings...the low "E" and "A" are both tuned to "G" to get a real thick low end.
 
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