Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: daisy on March 24, 2010, 11:07:30 AM

Title: Best tele pick ups for jim campilongo sound
Post by: daisy on March 24, 2010, 11:07:30 AM

Has anyone checked out this guy on you tube?What a player!
He has the exact tele tone I'm after(especially in the bridge)but have found so hard to get-twangy,punchy,bright but not shrill.
I want to upgrade the pups in my cv tele and looking for recommendations to get me close to this sound.I've hat blackguard 50's in the past and found them a bit too thick+not quite bright enough for what I'm after.
I loved the sound of a bridge apache that I had in a strat(that I foolishly let go)and if I could get a tele version of this with a zinc plate or whatever,I reckon that would be the sound I'm looking for!
Possibly blackguard 55 stagger be my best bet?

Title: Re: Best tele pick ups for jim campilongo sound
Post by: Fourth Feline on March 24, 2010, 11:52:43 AM

I must apologise at the outset, for not knowing the answer to your pickup dilema , but I saw Jim's  name at the top of your post, and just HAD to sign in and say he is indeed great.  :) For me, it's his taste and tone, I love some of his slower  contemplative playing, and stand in awe at his lively stuff. What he gets out of that instrument with minimum gear is just quality. I gather he is a really nice guy too.

I'm off to enjoy the 'You Tubery' now.  I will follow the progress of this post with great interest.

Cheers !  :D

( And welcome to the forum !  :D ).

Title: Re: Best tele pick ups for jim campilongo sound
Post by: Ratrod on March 24, 2010, 12:04:13 PM

I think a set of Country Boys would do the trick but I'd like that confirmed by someone who actually has them.

You might want a slightly overwound version of it.

The top loader bridge also has an influence on the tone but the main reason for that is easier bending.

Title: Re: Best tele pick ups for jim campilongo sound
Post by: daisy on March 24, 2010, 01:17:17 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys.I was also thinking c boys could be good as alnico 3 and same output as the apache bridge,not quite sure if they would have the attack I was looking for though-i think I'm after a myriad of a few pups.
Y2ah I reckon a toploader bridge would be cool to,also I think a lot of the tone he gets is how close to the bridge he picks--he has a sideless toploader bridge and I reckon 1 of those might be a step in the right direction for the required tone too

Title: Re: Best tele pick ups for jim campilongo sound
Post by: Plexi Ken on March 24, 2010, 02:05:59 PM

Jim is a great player and has the definitive late '50s Tele tone. I have Country Boys in my Baja Tele and they will get you somewhere towards Jim's sonic signature. However I think his vintage '59 Tele, Princeton Reverb along with great taste, agile hands, much experience and massive talent have more to do with his sound than the pickups  :wink:

You can read my mini-review here,
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19843.0

Title: Re: Best tele pick ups for jim campilongo sound
Post by: daisy on March 24, 2010, 02:17:27 PM

Yeah,great player for sure and light years from my talent but regarding his sound,even when he's playing an open e string on its own or when he's doing the bond theme on the princeton demo,that simple playing shows the tone I'm after.Almost hank marvin ish tone in brightness in places further affirming my wish for a tele apache!country boys seem to be the popular theory so far so I reckon that might be the road I go down.