Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: chrisboss on October 17, 2005, 08:25:30 PM

Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: chrisboss on October 17, 2005, 08:25:30 PM
I've just got another 52 Reissue tele (in a very cool copper finish with a maple neck!) and want to put some BKPs in it.  My other tele is also a 52 reissue and looks like Springsteen's guitar so it has, surprise surprise, a set of boss pups in it.  For the new tele I want something different but I need the pups to be very warm and full sounding, I hate pups that are too toppy.

I'm wary of piledrivers 'cos I think they may be too powerful and I play alot of clean stuff (though I'm happy to be proved wrong).  Any recommendations from you tele players?

FYI I play straight into a Fender Deluxe combo and play a real cross section of music in a covers band from lionel richie through to Deep Purple and all points in between!

Cheers,
Chris
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: Tim on October 17, 2005, 10:29:37 PM
Try a set of Country Boy..........don't be put off by their relatively low output, the Alnico III magnets have a great fat tone without being too toppy and taking your head off.They're extremely dynamic too and sound surprisingly loud.
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: stratoblaster on October 17, 2005, 10:49:42 PM
WOW!  My first post!!  I just put in a set of the Brown Sugar P/ups in my '52 Tele Reissue and they are awesome...   My band plays blues, rockabilly, and alt.country and I've found that these are just right... I'm running a Vibrolux and/or Deluxe Reverb...  Just depends on what I grab as I walk out the door...
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: 38thBeatle on October 17, 2005, 11:11:37 PM
Welcome Stratoblaster !  I shall be watching this thread. I will be getting some CB's for my Tele shortly- all my spare cash has been used up on baling my son out but soon, very soon, I shall be getting those bad boys. Tim's recommendation is good enough for me.
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: 38thBeatle on October 17, 2005, 11:35:18 PM
btw I am hoping to have series and parallel options for mine- have you thought of that?
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: stratoblaster on October 17, 2005, 11:53:52 PM
Quote from: 38thBeatle
btw I am hoping to have series and parallel options for mine- have you thought of that?


No I haven't...  Do tell more...
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: Tellboy on October 18, 2005, 07:28:27 AM
chrisboss wrote:
Quote
My other tele is also a 52 reissue and looks like Springsteen's guitar so it has, surprise surprise, a set of boss pups in it.


I have a 52 reissue and am considering  a Boss set. You are looking for something different that's "warm and full sounding" - presumably the Boss set don't give you this. How would you describe their sound?
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: PhilKing on October 18, 2005, 12:40:53 PM
Quote from: 38thBeatle
btw I am hoping to have series and parallel options for mine- have you thought of that?


I used the 4-way switch from Tim on my Esquire.  It really does give a great extra tone.  I have the Piledriver bridge with an original Firebird pickup in the neck.

Quote from: Tellboy
I have a 52 reissue and am considering a Boss set. You are looking for something different that's "warm and full sounding" - presumably the Boss set don't give you this. How would you describe their sound?


 I was thinking of getting the Boss set for my 57 tele (it has SD's in it at the moment - anybody want to buy an Antiquity set  :lol: ).  All joking aside, the reason I am going for the Boss set is not because I a Springsteen fan, but because I love the Roy Buchannan tone.  Tim told me to try the Boss set for that sound.
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: chrisboss on October 18, 2005, 05:27:30 PM
Quote from: Tellboy
I have a 52 reissue and am considering a Boss set. You are looking for something different that's "warm and full sounding" - presumably the Boss set don't give you this. How would you describe their sound?


I didn't mean to imply that the Boss set were not warm and full sounding, they are both and have tranformed my other tele into a wonderful guitar that I love playing!  I just meant that i want warm and full sounding new PUPs and I didn't want to have the same pickups on 2 guitars.  Sorry if you misunderstood.  I would very much recommend the Boss set for any tele players, they are very full sounding and really do nail that Springsteen tone (for example the intro to "Darkness on the Edge of Town" on "MTV Plugged").  Hope that helps!
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: 38thBeatle on October 18, 2005, 07:17:45 PM
Regarding the four way, it gives an extra tone. Normally on a Tele you have a choice of bridge or neck and both in parallel. With the four way switch that Phil mentions, you can have series too. I am not up on the techy stuff but in series you get one pup signal then going into the other and the combined signal gives you a bit more punch. From asking arund you have to ensure that the guitar is shielded because series can induce more noise. I am sure that others more capable than me will chime in with the physics.
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: Ratrod on October 18, 2005, 09:03:03 PM
Damn, I want a Tele again after reading all this. The Trussart Steelcaster looks great but soooo expensive.
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: stratoblaster on October 18, 2005, 09:22:30 PM
Quote from: 38thBeatle
Regarding the four way, it gives an extra tone. Normally on a Tele you have a choice of bridge or neck and both in parallel. With the four way switch that Phil mentions, you can have series too. I am not up on the techy stuff but in series you get one pup signal then going into the other and the combined signal gives you a bit more punch. From asking arund you have to ensure that the guitar is shielded because series can induce more noise. I am sure that others more capable than me will chime in with the physics.


That sounds really interesting!!  I would love to try that!!  MUST FIND 4WAY SWITCH!!!
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: 38thBeatle on October 18, 2005, 09:31:16 PM
You can get one from Bareknuckles I believe.
Title: Tele Pickups
Post by: Joe Dorcia on October 18, 2005, 10:51:58 PM
BKP will supply the 4-way too, i have one in my strat :).

As for Tele pups, my bro has the Rosewood Tele (George Harrison reissue) and that has a yardbird neck and piledriver bridge. The yardirb is beautiful. Really nice n full with brilliant string definition. Sounds so sweet and celan. The Piledriver is very rounded sound that is more like a bucker really. Great for leads and break up but the Yardbird is still a cool bet for ya

Joe