Workhorse Metal/Hard Rock Tele style guitar

[Valisch]

Hello all,

I recently bought an LTD TE-212, I'm looking to make this guitar my 'bring everywhere' guitar that can handle tunings from Standard to Drop C as well as handle most types of metal and maybe some hard rock too. (Megadeth to Arch Enemy).

 The guitar has a humbucker in the neck and a single coil in the bridge.
Bolt-On Construction
25.5" Scale
22 Frets
Alder Body
Maple Neck
Maple Fingerboard

Any suggestions would be helpful. Again I primarily focus on metal but if the pickups could clean up a bit a play some classic hard rock that would be nice (but not mandatory) :) I know you can't always have it all

[Dave Sloven]

Miracle Man bridge would probably be best here.

Not sure what to recommend for the neck.

A recent post suggested Cold Sweat, Painkiller, or Miracle Man neck pickup as matches for the MM bridge.  Out of those the CS would give the best cleans.  I suspect a CS bridge would be too bright for this guitar.

EDIT: Sorry I see you have a single coil in the bridge.  In that case maybe look at the Cobra T, a Piledriver, or a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound.  Personally though I think for the styles you mention you'd want a humbucker in the bridge.

[Valisch]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I'm pretty sure the bridge pup is a full strat sized one. Is the tele single coil different dimensions than a strat one? 

[Dave Sloven]

Do you have the guitar yet?  Looking at this model online it seems to have a Telecaster pickup and bridge type.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wkJsxvOct8

If you haven't played it yet I would give it a chance, but it's definitely a Telecaster style pickup.  Although this is a BKP forum I would suggest that you also consider the SD Quarter Pound with the tap option, which would be very versatile.

If you wanted to fit a HB in the bridge you would need a humbucker style Tele bridge like this one:

http://www.fullcontacthardware.com/fch-tele-humbucker-bfg-model.htm

You'd have to consider whether it is string-through or top-loader.  Some bridges do both.  Others are just one way.

[Valisch]

You sir appear to be definitely correct on the bridge pup being a tele one. And the bridge is string thru the body.
It was a bit harder to tell with the black one I bought. http://www.amazon.com/ESP-LTD-TE-212-Maple-Black/dp/B00BEM3M8U

It should be here hopefully tomorrow, but for sure by Friday.

I took a look a the SD Quarter Pounder and it's a possibility for sure. You mentioned getting the tapped version? I always thought tapped referred to humbuckers. Maybe I'm thinking of coil-splitting, what would tapping a single coil do?

Also any suggestions on Neck humbuckers to pair with the SD pup?

[Dave Sloven]

It basically turns off part of the coil.

Here's a demo.

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

The tapped version costs a bit more but I think if it was my guitar I'd spend the extra.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/quarter-pound-tele-bridge

[darkbluemurder]

I have one of my teles set up with a DiMarzio Chopper T in the bridge and a DiMarzio mini humbucker in the neck. While it does hard rock it would not be my first choice for metal or drop tunings (if I played these styles). Out of the BKP line the Cobra T appears to be the highest output tele bridge single coil - have not played it though.

Cheers Stephan

[Dave Sloven]

Yeah the Cobra T is the BKP I would go for here

[Valisch]

What neck Humbucker would complement the Cobra best?

[Dave Sloven]

That's a very good question.  I'm not sure if the Blackhawk neck would be the right one.  I would possibly consider a P-90, like the Supermassive neck. I'm really not sure.  On that I would ask BKP directly.