Bridge humbucker for Michael Kelly 1955 telecaster

[wattywats]

Hi,

I would like to change bridge humbucker (Rockfield SWC) in Michael Kelly 1955 telecaster (swamp ash body with maple top and bolt on maple neck with rosewood fingerboard). Stock pickup sounds too thin for me and it has piercing and harsh top end. I would like to add fatness and lower mids and smooth highs little bit. I am running the guitar through Orange Rockerverb 50 MKII with 212 Orange cab. I mostly play kind of post-rock instrumental music similar to And So I watch You From Afar, Russian Circles, If These Trees Could Talk, God Is An Astronaut. I think about Crawler or Black Dog. Would you recommend anything else that will work for this setup?

[Dave Sloven]

I would probably recommend the Crawler out of those two but you should also consider the Abraxas model.

I know Russian Circles out of the bands you mention.  I don't think it really put an emphasis on tightness, so the Crawler or Abraxas would be suitable and you would not need to go for a 'tighter' pickup like a Holy Diver or Juggernaut (although I think both of those might also suit), but you might also want to consider the new Impulse model.  Perhaps Josh from Northlane might be able to give his opinion on the suitability of his signature pickup for this application?  He sometimes post here.

EDIT: Actually looking at the EQ specs for the Impulse that might have too many highs for you.  The others I mentioned though - Crawler, Abraxas, Holy Diver, Juggernaut - could all work well.  I am assuming you don't want too much output, otherwise I would have added the alnico version of the Warpig to that list.  You might also want to consider the Stockholm, if you are prepared for the P-90 sound and to do a bit of shielding

[wattywats]

I have Holydiver in my ESP Eclipse and this is not definitely what I'm looking for this tele. HD is too compressed. I want something more open. That is why I have my eyes on Crawler. How you compare Crawler and Abraxas? Abraxas has Alnico IV magnet so I would expect that is more vintage voiced than Crawler, right?

I have no experience with P-90 therefor I would like to stay with humbucker.

[Dave Sloven]

If you need something darker you would be safe with a Crawler.

After suggesting the Abraxas I then thought it might not be dark enough for you.  The Abraxas is basically a half-way point between the Mule and the Crawler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiATbs63m8I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7-oqwybMvk

[Telerocker]

The Crawler has a huge sound due to the big low and centermids. However, the topend is there, the Crawler cuts really well, but with this pickup you might want to adjust your amp. Also the height has a big impact on how the Crawler sounds.

I have a Crawler in a swampashstrat for years now and I do own a Rockerverb 50 MKI head. All I can say is that the Crawler really fits the Orange. It does not sound dark, but big. It levels some frequencies that can be to dominant with real PAF's, especially in combination with the uppermid spike of Celestion V30's.

[wattywats]

Thank you guys for all your advices. I like the sound of Crawler at least from what I heard on youtube, but I am also really interested in Abraxas. If it has similar color like Crawler and more open sound with less output, I might like it more. My only concern is that Abraxas will sound too vintage and I would like to keep modern rock sound.

[darkbluemurder]

If the Holydiver is too compressed the Abraxas will only be a relatively small step to more openness as regards compression. The tonal color is quite similar so if it's just the compresssion that bothers you with the HD, Abraxas could work. If you want something that is really more open you would have to go to a lower output model.

Now - if it's the tonal character that is not quite there for you in the HD, I would rather consider the Crawler, if you want a darker tone. I would say the compression level is about the same as the HD, and I had both in the same guitar (a PRS Custom - the Crawler stayed).

Cheers Stephan