Which pickups for my tele?

[gaex86]

Hi guys I'm new here. I've joined this forum because I'm looking for a nice set of pickups to put in my tele and I've thought this is the best place for advice. My tele is an american one with maple neck;I got a 57 humbucker in the neck and a standard pickup in the bridge, plus a push/pull on the tone pot to split the humbucker. I was looking for a nice set humbucker neck + single coil bridge but I've seen there are dozen and dozen bareknuckle pickups so I need a little help. I want to retain as much as possible the classic feel and "twang" of the tele plus a better response to od,fuzz and dist. Can you help me?
Thx in advance!

[Elliot]

I'm gonna say Blackguard Flat 50 in the bridge and a mule neck pickup. 

[syr2012]

I would suggest a neck pickup with a little more kick if you're gonna use a coil split (and possibly parallel, as it does have that bright thin sound). Maybe a riff raff?

[gaex86]

I would suggest a neck pickup with a little more kick if you're gonna use a coil split (and possibly parallel, as it does have that bright thin sound). Maybe a riff raff?

I've written also to the guys at bareknuckle and they adviced me the riff raff in the neck and the piledriver in the bridge.
What do you think? I just want to hear someone else opinion.
Thx

[gaex86]

I'm gonna say Blackguard Flat 50 in the bridge and a mule neck pickup. 

Thx for your advised. Have you any experience with this combination?

[Ratrod]

I'd go for a Blackguard in the bridge (my personal favorite) or a Yardbird.

For the neck position, a Riff Raff or a Mississippi Queen (humbucker sized P90).

[syr2012]

I would suggest a neck pickup with a little more kick if you're gonna use a coil split (and possibly parallel, as it does have that bright thin sound). Maybe a riff raff?

I've written also to the guys at bareknuckle and they adviced me the riff raff in the neck and the piledriver in the bridge.
What do you think? I just want to hear someone else opinion.
Thx

Tim's always right, so some of us will agree with him and some of us will come up with totally different suggestions. Such is the rule of the Bare Knuckle forum.

[AndyR]

Before I read the Tim/BKP suggestion, I was going to say Blackguard Flat 50 for the bridge, and Riff Raff for the neck (in preference to Mule).

I've got all of these, but in different guitars, and for me the Riff Raff neck would complement the BG bridge better.

I've also got Yardbirds, and I suspect the Yardbird bridge might sound a little tame next to a humbucker. Having said that, the Yardbird bridge does handle a wider variety of distorted tones, and better, for my tastes, than the BG does...

But I'd forgotten the Piledriver... I've not heard one, but I believe it's like the BG Flat 50... but just more :D

If the BKP guys suggest Piledriver/Riff Raff - I'd go with that :)

[gaex86]

Wow guys lot of option available. It would be really hard to choose from! I've got a couple of question: is there a criteria in coupling the bridge and neck pickup? What's the difference between the mule and the riff raff?

[theramblervison]

I was looking for the same thing out of my 68 Tele Custom and Tim said without hesitation to get a Blackgaurd flat 50 and a Mule neck, so I ordered it and am waiting on my pickups as we type

[Philly Q]

I've got all of these, but in different guitars, and for me the Riff Raff neck would complement the BG bridge better.

Is that because the Riff Raff neck is brighter than the Mule? 

I know it has an AV magnet, as compared with the Mule's AIV.  I'd worry about it maybe being a little harsh in a bolt-on, but that might not be a probem since it's in the neck position.

[AndyR]

I've got all of these, but in different guitars, and for me the Riff Raff neck would complement the BG bridge better.

Is that because the Riff Raff neck is brighter than the Mule? 

I know it has an AV magnet, as compared with the Mule's AIV.  I'd worry about it maybe being a little harsh in a bolt-on, but that might not be a probem since it's in the neck position.

Yep, I even thought of you while I was typing :lol: (gaex86 - Philly likes high contrast between his neck and bridge, I prefer different but complementary tones, I find if there's too much contrast I need to change amp settings for different pickups!)

Based on what I got, I would pick the Riff Raff because it would give me a tighter sound to balance the tele bridge pup.

But if you're after a warmer, less focussed neck, then the Mule would do better mebbe?  I'd just be worried, if it was my guitar, about finding an amp setting where one pickup was as clear as I wanted without the other taking the top of your head off! (with the same guitar tone control setting - I want to be able to switch pups without having to adjust tone/vol at the same time)

As to the effect of guitar construction - ummm... good point! But I've no first hand experience of trying BKPs in teles...

(In my defense Philly - remember that I had just read that the BKP folks had recommended a Riff Raff neck :lol:)

[gaex86]

I've got all of these, but in different guitars, and for me the Riff Raff neck would complement the BG bridge better.

Is that because the Riff Raff neck is brighter than the Mule? 

I know it has an AV magnet, as compared with the Mule's AIV.  I'd worry about it maybe being a little harsh in a bolt-on, but that might not be a probem since it's in the neck position.

Yep, I even thought of you while I was typing :lol: (gaex86 - Philly likes high contrast between his neck and bridge, I prefer different but complementary tones, I find if there's too much contrast I need to change amp settings for different pickups!)

Based on what I got, I would pick the Riff Raff because it would give me a tighter sound to balance the tele bridge pup.

But if you're after a warmer, less focussed neck, then the Mule would do better mebbe?  I'd just be worried, if it was my guitar, about finding an amp setting where one pickup was as clear as I wanted without the other taking the top of your head off! (with the same guitar tone control setting - I want to be able to switch pups without having to adjust tone/vol at the same time)

As to the effect of guitar construction - ummm... good point! But I've no first hand experience of trying BKPs in teles...

(In my defense Philly - remember that I had just read that the BKP folks had recommended a Riff Raff neck :lol:)

I think exactly as you. I want 2 complementary pickups and don't want to adjust tone or vol goin from neck to bridge. I think I've made my mind with the riff raff in the neck. I'm only divided about the bridge. Reading the description the piledriver seems really aggressive as pickup so this things scares me a little cos I want when needed a good clean. Anyway this is just an impression based on the description cos I've never heard any of them. On the other hand I guess Tim at BKP adviced this, and I guess I can trust him. Mmm don't what to take..

[Philly Q]

Yep, I even thought of you while I was typing :lol: (gaex86 - Philly likes high contrast between his neck and bridge, I prefer different but complementary tones, I find if there's too much contrast I need to change amp settings for different pickups!)

Based on what I got, I would pick the Riff Raff because it would give me a tighter sound to balance the tele bridge pup.

But if you're after a warmer, less focussed neck, then the Mule would do better mebbe?  I'd just be worried, if it was my guitar, about finding an amp setting where one pickup was as clear as I wanted without the other taking the top of your head off! (with the same guitar tone control setting - I want to be able to switch pups without having to adjust tone/vol at the same time)

As to the effect of guitar construction - ummm... good point! But I've no first hand experience of trying BKPs in teles...

(In my defense Philly - remember that I had just read that the BKP folks had recommended a Riff Raff neck :lol:)

I think exactly as you. I want 2 complementary pickups and don't want to adjust tone or vol goin from neck to bridge. I think I've made my mind with the riff raff in the neck. I'm only divided about the bridge. Reading the description the piledriver seems really aggressive as pickup so this things scares me a little cos I want when needed a good clean. Anyway this is just an impression based on the description cos I've never heard any of them. On the other hand I guess Tim at BKP adviced this, and I guess I can trust him. Mmm don't what to take..

All good points!  As Andy says, I prefer a lot of contrast betwen the two pickups.  In fact I never actually want a clear sound from a neck pickup, so long as the bridge sounds clear the neck can be as woolly/muddy as you like!

Regarding the Piledriver, I haven't tried one but apparently it's capable of very good cleans despite the power.  If you have a search around the forum there'll be more info from people who actually have them, and maybe some sound clips too.

I'm considering putting a neck humbucker in my black Tele (it currently has a minibucker) so this thread is very interesting.  :)

[AndyR]

I agree with Philly, I've heard that the Piledriver does very nice cleans and general tele bridge sounds.

When I was researching my first tele BKPs, I hit a similar problem on the Piledrivers - I just had the feeling they weren't gonna give me "classic tele", so discounted them without much further thought. But, since then, I've read that they do give you that, and some more on top :D

I'm a bit of a volume control tweaker, so I think the Piledriver, if and when I get another tele project going, might be right up my street. I'm personally thinking of "Esquiring" an old Squier, and the Piledriver is prime candidate at the moment.

If I was going for a tele with a neck humbucker (I tried it before, and I didn't really like it, so I'm unlikely to :lol:), but if I was... I would probably be looking at Piledriver myself - I'd want as much oink as possible from the bridge single coil to balance the neck pickup. And if the bridge single I was looking at also managed to retain the character of a classic tele (which I understand the PD does)... then I'd be sold :D