Fender Wide Range Humbucker replacements??

[phlip]

I've got this 1974-6ish Antoria Telecaster Deluxe, it's been through a lot and has great sentemental if not monetary value. The pickup's are shot tbh they used to sound great very much like the the real Fender WRHB, anyway I've done a full rewire with new pots switches the works and no difference.

Does anyone know of a replacement for these size wise (Not the fender reissues though their not good at all)

The size is the issue sound wise mix a PAF with some Tele Twang and your there.

[Philly Q]

I don't know if anyone makes exact replacements, but BKP could rewind them for you, to whatever specs you want!  :)

[headtheball]

The Wide-Range is such a nice sounding pickup. It's stunning to think how something so utterly right emerged in the CBS days, and disappeared almost as soon as they were over.

The current reissues by Fender are a joke. Just a stock humbucker with a big cover.

[HTH AMPS]

are the stock pickups in there now vintage wide-range pickups or reissues?

I would point out that Fender used 1M pots with these pickups, anything else will sound WAY too dark.  I found this out with the WR pickup in my '72 Tele Custom.

[Copperhead]

The problem with the original wide range humbuckers is that the magnets are the pole pieces. The magnet material is CuNiFe. (Copper, nickel, iron)
This material though still manufactured, is rare enough that it is quite expensive, also it is not being used currently for magnets. So you would have to buy a sizable quantity of this material, made into rods, and then have it polarized and magnetized in a separate process.
Also, this material is not very good at holding a magnetic charge for a long period of time. It is estimated that in the original wide range humbuckers from the era you describe, the CuNiFe pole pieces have lost 60%-70% of their magnetic power from new.
Rewinding isn't going to help you there.
I too would like to know what to do to replace a wide range humbucker.

[gepetto33]

Get a custom pickguard for regular humbuckers (save the old one in case you ever decide to sell it).  This should make it possible to put whatever humbuckers you want in it... and would probably sound better than any WR out there, if there are any.

[Copperhead]

If it comes to that, I've got a pair of rings, a Nailbomb and a Mississippi Queen waiting.
Just wondering if anything can be done with the the RI pups

[gepetto33]

The Fender Reissue WR HB's are complete garbage... just so you know. Haven't met a single person who liked em (or didn't hate em), haha

[Copperhead]

I heard you could back out the slugs, raise the pole pieces, lower the pups, and put in 500k pots and then they're fine..... but, this does kinda sound anecdotal to me.

[soulside]

http://www.riograndepickups.com/scart/SubCategories.asp?ProductName=For+Tele&SubCatName=SETS--2+HUMBUCKINGS+for+TELE

that's the only direct replacement for the FWRH that I am aware of.  I haven't used them as I never bought the 72 Custom Tele I was looking at but these are supposedly designed specifically to replace FWRH

[Copperhead]

The book on those here locally is that they are waaaaay too expensive, and they suck. :lol:

Currently discussing w/Tim the possibility and expectations of a Bare Knuckle rewind.

[soulside]

yeah, I'd only looked at them briefly, as I said never used them, and never really looked at the prices.

I bought another les paul instead haha

[Copperhead]

Actually can't wait until it's all together, I have parts due in this week.
72 Roadworn

[WezV]

check over at tdpri - there are a few options worth looking into, including this one
http://www.telenator.com/

hope that linkisnt a problem since its not somethign timoffers anyway

[Copperhead]

I'm leaning heavily towards having Tim rewind them to Nailbomb specs.
I don't care about re-creating the original WRHB tone.
It's a MIM Roadworn, not an original, and it's getting a 22 fret USACG neck anyway!!