Single coil guitar

[CommonCourtesy]

Might be on the lookout for a single coil guitar to do tracking and occasional live work as a backup guitarist with, as I'm already armed with a humbucker and the guys in the band are both humbucker users. So I thought by having a single coil one on a cleaner sound I could fill the higher frequencies and beef up the sound.

My first instinct is a Telecaster, but are there any other guitars out there that might be good for this purpose? Will be used in drop c/b tunings and don't want too much low end.

[Dave Sloven]

I'd recommend a Telecaster or maybe a SG with a low output P-90 like a Blue Note (if you prefer Gibson necks etc).

[CommonCourtesy]

Telecaster would be my preferred choice cos I like the neck and the feel. Actually now you mention P90 one of the guitarists might have one in his PRS, certainly looks like one.

What would be the recommended single coil ones if I wanted one (which I do!).

[Dave Sloven]

I really don't know much about the BKP Telecaster range.  The only Tele I've worked on was fitted with a SD Quarter Pound, which is an extremely hot pickup

People seem to really like Flat 50s and Yardbirds, but I am sure one of our Tele experts would be able to give some useful advice

[gwEm]

I wouldn't say I'm a Tele expert, but I have tried quite a bit of the range. The BKP range of Telecaster pickups is all excellent, and something I feel should be talked more about.

The ones that I own are the Blackguard 52 and The Boss.

The '52 is for me the perfect Telecaster pickup and has a very classic sound, with enough guts for raunchy hard rock, but lots of refinement. The strat-ish neck pickup is also a highlight. You can genuinely play anything with this set. I have mine installed in a swamp ash stra-tele.

The Boss has quite a bit more girth and poke to it, but still identifiable as a Telecaster sound. I don't have mine installed in a guitar right now, but I was using it for NWOBHM-ish stuff.

I've also tried the Brown Sugar in two guitars - I liked this alot, it really is the Rolling Stones kind of Telecaster tone. It has less drive than The Boss, but plenty of mids still and good for rock.

The Piledriver and BG Flat '50 weren't for me. I'm not sure why, plenty of people like them, but I didn't feel the higher output wind worked as well in a Tele pickup for the sounds that I personally wanted.

I'm actually looking at getting a tele myself right now to put my Boss into. Have a look at one of those Jazzmaster-Tele hybrids if you're after something different.

[CommonCourtesy]

I have a Telecaster already but its used in standard tuning for teaching, so I don't want to use that for drop c/b metalcore/post-hardcore tracking lol.

The Tele has "The Boss" pickup and I like it a lot, lke gwEm says, very pokey and the top end is very rich. I used it yesterday in a rehearsal with the other two guitarists and it cut through well, I dialled in a low gain crunch sound. Only problem is its got 10-46's on and it won't handle drop b very well.

The Brown Sugar sounds like a good call but til I get it I won't know. I don't think I want anything too high output as that's done by the humbucker equipped guitarists. Nothing too bassey either the bassist won't be too happy! So something that covers top frequencies well.

Other option is to get a Strat but then there's the question of pickups.

[gwEm]

I personally feel SSS strats are less suited to crunchy rhythm tones than teles. Clearly, its manageable - Blackmore, Malmsteen, Roth, Gallagher etc prove it. However, it does involve more experimenting and faffing about. Baseplate on the bridge certainly, and the right combination of amp, cables and pedals. Whenever I've used a tele its always "just worked" for that kind of sound.

[CommonCourtesy]

Yeah when I read about bands tracking rhythm guitar I am pleasantly surprised to see they used a Telecaster for most of it.

Tom Morello uses a Tele alot in Rage and still manages to make it sound big. Slightly different what I'm doing but similar idea.

[Telerocker]

And Ritchie Kotzen not to forget.

Even with vintage pickups a tele has way more bang and is more straightforward than strats. Part of the construction. Jimmy Page used a tele in his early days. The solo in Stairway to Heaven was played on a '59 telecaster. I've played a lot of classic and heavy rock on my tele. The toneknob on a tele is very effective to sculp your sound.

I second what gwEm says about the BKP Blackguard 52. If you prefer more balls from a broadcaster style pickup, go for the BG50. The Piledriver sounds more modern, where the Boss is more of hotrodded vintagepickup.

[CommonCourtesy]

Yeah I like the bite that Tele's can bring. Definitely cuts through, and I must say I prefer the feel of them over Strats, not that Strats are bad guitars.

Would a vintage sounding tone on my amp (low gain crunch) with a low-ish output bridge pickup compliment 2 humbucker (possibly 1 P90) guitarists?

Are the BG50 and 52 more vintage than say, the Boss and Brown Sugar?