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Author Topic: Brown Sugar vs Boss  (Read 11259 times)

braintheory

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Brown Sugar vs Boss
« on: November 06, 2010, 09:48:05 PM »
I know this question has been asked a million times, but how do these two pickups compare to eachother?  I am looking for a tele tone similar to the one in the guitar solo of Sympathy For The Devil.  I love how that tone is so sharp and biting.  Some people may call it shrill, but to me it sounds great.  I don't want the high end to be to smooth or rounded.
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Nolly

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2010, 12:08:41 PM »
The Brown Sugar will give you substantially more top end with its lower DC resistance and polysol wire.
If you want to take it a step further, the Country Boys will give you a brighter tone again.

Telerocker

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2010, 07:47:39 PM »
I would consider Blackguards too. They have the raunchy bite you want for this type of music.
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Nolly

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2010, 07:58:05 PM »
Yep, the '68 stagger set specifically will give you that very bright CBS-era sound if that's your thing, while the '55 stagger will give similar treble response with a bit more body and output.

braintheory

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2010, 08:52:18 PM »
will the country boys sound weak or mushy under too much gain?  Also I heard he blackguards sound stratty which is something I don't want.
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Nolly

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2010, 09:01:17 PM »
It's only the Flat '52 set that has the slightly strat-like sound in the neck position, which is an authentic reproduction of the design and tone of the pickups briefly made in that year.
The rest of the Blackguard series will deliver the unmistakeable tone you expect from a tele.

The Country Boys don't have much low end so they shouldn't mush up, though the Alnico V mags in the other tele sets mentioned will give you a noticeably more powerful sound.
« Last Edit: November 07, 2010, 09:06:23 PM by Nolly »

braintheory

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2010, 09:06:17 PM »
So how do the blackguards sound compared to the country boys?  Also, how else does the brown sugar sound different from the boss between having more top end?
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Nolly

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2010, 09:12:44 PM »
Which out of the Blackguards are you referring to? There's 4: the Flat '50, the Flat '52, the '55 Stagger and the '68 Stagger.

The Brown Sugars are more forward in the mids, while The Boss's have a woody, slightly scooped midrange character with more low end. The Boss set also has the more compressed feel you'd expect with the hotter wind.


To me, it seems like the Brown Sugars are the most natural choice for you. As the name suggests, it was definitely created with that Stones sound in mind.
« Last Edit: November 07, 2010, 09:16:54 PM by Nolly »

Telerocker

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2010, 12:34:21 AM »
I asked Tim about the Brown Sugars for my tele, cause those I choose initially for blues/rock stuff. Tim nevertheless recommended the BG50's. They have enough output to drive an amp and they sound very good with pedals. Solo's no problem. Watch the Roy Fulton vid.
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

Ian Price

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2010, 12:45:19 AM »
BG50s are great. I swear by them - as do a few others on here!
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Telerocker

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2010, 01:10:41 AM »
BG50s are great. I swear by them - as do a few others on here!

So do I. I think they are more versatile then any other telepuppie.
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

gwEm

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #11 on: November 08, 2010, 01:16:35 AM »
The Brown Sugars are more forward in the mids, while The Boss's have a woody, slightly scooped midrange character with more low end. The Boss set also has the more compressed feel you'd expect with the hotter wind.
i'm not sure i agree they have a scooped mid-range character, and nor does BKP "Classic Tele sound with extra weight in the mid range for driving rhythm and cutting lead."

anyway, i do agree they aren't the right choice here. the boss has a more 80s hard rock feel. brown sugar or bg flat 50
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Nolly

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #12 on: November 08, 2010, 01:29:49 AM »
i'm not sure i agree they have a scooped mid-range character, and nor does BKP "Classic Tele sound with extra weight in the mid range for driving rhythm and cutting lead."

anyway, i do agree they aren't the right choice here. the boss has a more 80s hard rock feel. brown sugar or bg flat 50

Hmm, maybe scooped was a bad choice of wording - it does have rather severe connotations. Certainly compared with the Brown Sugar I found it had notably more midrange grind and growl.

Philly Q

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #13 on: November 08, 2010, 12:17:44 PM »
Have you been doing a lot of Tele playing recently, Nolly?   :D
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Nolly

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Re: Brown Sugar vs Boss
« Reply #14 on: November 08, 2010, 12:21:10 PM »
Sure have! Plus got to spend a day with Ray (the chap that winds all of the tele pickups) at the manson's show.