Tele Pups 101

[99_not_out]

I recently acquired a MIM Baja Tele and I love it :) As one new to the world of single coil guitars though I have no idea how good the pickups in it are in the grand scheme of SC guitars. I've read a few reviews that claim the bridge pup in the Baja is not so good but the neck is good. I personally like both, but then I'm also simply loving the new sound of SC after years of HB guitars so the newness may be skewing my opinion at the moment!

Anyways, ramble over ... to the point.

I read a lot of good things here about the Country Boys and 4 way switches like what my Baja has (38th?). If I want to keep the essential essence of the core Tele sound but bam it up a notch with some BKP's, I was thinking a set of Country boys would do the job? I have no particular artist sound in mind (well, maybe jeff Buckley), I'm just loving the Tele 'spang' and 'chime' and want more!

Any opinions welcome :) Including stick with what you've got if you like it! ;)

[38thBeatle]

Well I would say stick with what you have for now just to acclimatise to the sc sound. I really don't know how the stock pickups compare to BKPs though a few weeks back, I spent an interesting afternoon with my brother and his new US Tele and my BKP Tele wiped the floor with his in every sense of the word.Up until he played mine, he was enamoured with his. So maybe, after the initial honeymoon period, reasses it. I would like to try out the new Blackguards but I am very very happy with my CB's and have no intention of changing. Good to see you love the sc tone and the 4 way is about the best mod that can be made to a Tele-they are pretty much perfect as they come imho ( hey , did you see that, I used an acronym).

[hunter]

For me the stock Baja pickups are bang on the money, I couldn't imagine any better.

My Baja is very heavy, so the overall tone is dark and beefy - those pickups make it a great rock guitar. Three months ago I played a full gig with it, going from Radiohead over Pearl Jam, RHCP, Rammstein to Rage against the Machine - she did all of them rather well.

Maybe, if you're not 100% satisfied, check pickup heights, as SC guitars can be picky about this, sounding flat/thin when too low, icepicky and out of tune when too high.

[99_not_out]

The 4 way switch is very cool, especially with the in/out of phase option on the Baja. It really covers almost all tonal options I could want from the Tele ... only my Warpigged SG goes somewhere the Tele can't

I also love the V neck on it. I didn't get on with it at first, but after adjusting my fingering slightly I now find the slim SG neck a bit odd! Could I be being converted to Tele-dom after years as an SG-phile? :lol:

I think you're probably right 38th ... I need to play a few other SC guitars to see how they sound and then choose something (or not) based on that. It was actually your description of the Country Boys vs your brothers US Tele that got me thinking about this in the first place :)

Good point about the pup heights Hunter, I haven't tweaked those yet. It's also not that I'm dissatisfied with the Baja pups, its just that I have no experience of the good and bad in SC world. And as one who has a fair idea of what is good for a HB, I was just after some idea of whether i'm missing out on something or not! Victim of the modern world I guess! :D

[Fourth Feline]

Hi 99NO,

I am also in love with my Baja. No other guitar has been played since this came home !

I read that the prestigious gear snob's monthly 'The Tone Quest' raved about the Baja just as it is, the only thing they said they would have changed was to fit Kluson tuners instead of  the stock ones.

I also read that someone mentioned the bridge may be a little one dimensional, but as much as I am looking for an excuse to buy ever more BKPs, - cannot yet find a good reason to change anything yet.

Ironically, despite all the great switching options on the Baja, IF I did anything, it would be to put a standard wiring / control plate in with three way switching and chrome dome callaham 50's knobs. I would do this because:

 a) I am a traditionalist at heart who bought the Baja for it's incredible neck and feel, not the bells and whistles

 b) At this price, it has given me a real taste of that 52 re-issue vibe with a much prefered 9.5 " radius.

F.F.   :D

[99_not_out]

Hail.
I shall give he Baja sometime as is then and get used to it! :) TBH I'm pretty much loving it the way it is anyway.

Do need some Mules for my PRS though I think ... :)