Traditional Tele Tone for Pine Body & Rosewood Board

[Mr Kite]

I have a 2011 Pro Pine Telecaster which currently has a twisted tele neck pickup and a 'master designed' twisted tele bridge pickup. The body is 100 yr old pine, and it has brass saddles and a rosewood board.

although both pickups sound great, they're not exactly what I'm after at the moment - the neck pickup is a little too 'clear', and the bridge pickup has a bit too much 'oomph'. I play through a Princeton reverb and use pedals for my dirt, and I find that the bridge drives the pedals a little too hard, and can sometime be a bit dark. The neck p/up on the other hand is a bit too 'stratty' for my liking....

The guitar itself is really resonant - the notes seem to jump out of it!

What I'm after is a more traditional tele tone - warm, woody neck pickup, twangy, boingy bridge pickup, and a nice 'chime' in the middle position with both on.

Tim recommended a set of yardbirds to me but, looking at their spec, they seem like a slightly watered down version of what I've already got, so I was thinking country boys, or maybe 55's - or even a country boy bridge and a different neck...

Although I don't play country music per se, I love those old country tones from don rich, roy nichols etc, and my favourite player at the moment is Jim Campilongo and I want a set that can go from jazzy neck tones to buchanan-esque shrieks.

Ideally I want warmth not mud from the neck, and twang not plink from the bridge...

Thoughts?

[Nolly]

I concur with Tim's recommendation of the Yardbirds. Not sure where you have the idea that they are watered down versions of your current pickups - the twisted tele sets have entirely different internal dimensions to a regular tele pickup and are therefore not directly comparable. Apart from that, the Yardbirds feature alnico IV mags, which will change the sound quite drastically in a way I believe you will enjoy.

[Ratrod]

I'd say either Yardbirds or one of the Blackguards.

The 52 and 55 are still quite clear and bright but they warm up very well with the tone backed off a bit.

[BigB]

I'd say either Yardbirds or one of the Blackguards.

The 52 and 55 are still quite clear and bright but they warm up very well with the tone backed off a bit.

BG52 would possibly be a bit too close to what the OP already has, wouldn't they ?

Well, at least my impression when he complains about the neck being too "stratty"...

[Nolly]

BG52 would possibly be a bit too close to what the OP already has, wouldn't they ?

Well, at least my impression when he complains about the neck being too "stratty"...

Yes, the BG52 has an 42AWG wound neck coil, which is one of the features of the Twisted Tele sets.

[AndyR]

Yep, my experience says the same - my Blackguards (I believe it's the 52 set) are like the twisted tele stuff they replaced, but "more", just all-round better for me.

The other tele BKPs I have are Yardbirds. I think they'd do the job you're after. The tele they're in (Rosewood board, Alder body) can chime and twang, it also does good rock tones and is superb for layering lots of guitar parts. The Yardbird neck is gorgeous, I can actually use it for crunch rhythm - not played many teles I've played will do that.

I was expecting Yardbirds to be maybe slightly thin and pokey (in a "nice" way :lol:) compared to the BGs. But they're not, they're very musical and balanced. They'll do gritty and aggressive if you push them, and mellow if you're gentle. They have that tele bite with this underlying sweetness that makes them really versatile for me.

I'd always say go with what Tim recommends anyway... but seeing as I've got them myself, I can add that they pretty much do the same job for me :D

[Telerocker]

I think the Yardbirds are spot on, the broadcaster-range is close to the specs of the pickups you already have.

[Mr Kite]

Wow, surprised so many are going for the Yardbirds set!

To be honest I'm still not 100% about them - the whole description seems to focus on 'punch' and 'mids' which is what I'm trying to get away from - plus i must say I crunchy rhythm is not what immediately springs to mind when I think of a tele neck pickup - I think of rounded treble, with a fundamental tone, and woody bass notes...

By watered down I mean the bridge pickup mainly - it seems the yardbird set is going more for a 'hot 50s' style, and i think I'm after a cleaner, lower output feel...

Maybe I'm just swung by the name, but I still think the cb's are going to be the ones - you can always dial out treble but you can't dial it in!

I have decided thought that, if I change the pickups, I'm going to stick the current bridge pickup in an esquire and have that as my 'no frills' rock guitar...

[Philly Q]

By watered down I mean the bridge pickup mainly - it seems the yardbird set is going more for a 'hot 50s' style, and i think I'm after a cleaner, lower output feel...

My impression (not based on personal experience, I must confess) is that they're more '60s pop than '50s twang - moderate output, capable of jangling or mild rocking, but with a slightly softer edge so they're never piercingly bright.

But I could be wrong!

Still, from what you're saying maybe CBs are the way to go... perhaps '55s or even the '68s?

[Telerocker]

Your last comment make me think the same thing as Philly. Countryboy and the 55/68 stagger. The neck of the Countryboy is quite mellow I read and the bridge real twangy.

[Mr Kite]

My impression (not based on personal experience, I must confess) is that they're more '60s pop than '50s twang
[/quote]

Doh! Should've have guessed that from the name I guess! I thought they'd be based off beck's 54 esquire, or his 59 that ended up becoming page's 'dragon'....

[38thBeatle]

I have a set of CB's in my Tele. I am ashamed to say that it hadn't been out of the house for a long time  and on a whim(partly due to the recently purchased Laney Cub amp that I was using at a small venue) I decided to use my Tele. It was great and I'll be using the guitar at another small venue tonight where I can take only one guitar.
In terms of tone(after all this waffle) I would reiterate what I have said before. If you think of an original tele tone then the CB's deliver. The middle pickup selection is indeed chimey. The other guitarist in my band had a huge grin on his face last week when I was setting up and messing around. He didn't realise that my Tele started out as a humble MIM. Rich tones and all the classic bite that, as the OP says, can be warmed by the tone control. The neck pickup too is lovely and warm  and in the last week or so I have been playing jazzy riffs ( to take my playing somewhere else) and you can get some great warm tones. Plus, as I hear many forumites groan at the mention) I have a 4 way switch and so I have that extra series option. I used it last week for slide for the first time. I was surprised at how great the tone was and I have had these pickups for a good few years yet.

Now I am not saying ignore Tim- personally I would go with his recommendation if I were you but I saw that you were musing CB.s so thought I would comment.

[Philly Q]

Plus, as I hear many forumites groan at the mention) I have a 4 way switch and so I have that extra series option.

It's actually a hell of a long time since anyone mentioned a 4-way switch!  :lol:

[Mr Kite]

I have a set of CB's in my Tele. I am ashamed to say that it hadn't been out of the house for a long time  and on a whim(partly due to the recently purchased Laney Cub amp that I was using at a small venue) I decided to use my Tele. It was great and I'll be using the guitar at another small venue tonight where I can take only one guitar.
In terms of tone(after all this waffle) I would reiterate what I have said before. If you think of an original tele tone then the CB's deliver. The middle pickup selection is indeed chimey. The other guitarist in my band had a huge grin on his face last week when I was setting up and messing around. He didn't realise that my Tele started out as a humble MIM. Rich tones and all the classic bite that, as the OP says, can be warmed by the tone control. The neck pickup too is lovely and warm  and in the last week or so I have been playing jazzy riffs ( to take my playing somewhere else) and you can get some great warm tones. Plus, as I hear many forumites groan at the mention) I have a 4 way switch and so I have that extra series option. I used it last week for slide for the first time. I was surprised at how great the tone was and I have had these pickups for a good few years yet.

Now I am not saying ignore Tim- personally I would go with his recommendation if I were you but I saw that you were musing CB.s so thought I would comment.

This is exactly what I wanted to hear!

I think Tim recomended the yardbirds initially as I said I liked the sound of my current pickups, but was thinking about the CB's - he said 'split the difference and have the yardbirds' - but I was more keen to have a traditional sounding tele and then wait for something to stick my current pickups in as a second guitar, rather than having something was neither...

so I'll probably order some CB's this week - I'm also going to change the current 'greasebucket' tone control to a traditional one as well, but was also thinking about using a .047 cap rather than a .022, as a tech has told me it'll be a much more dramatic roll off (better for those buchanan/campilongo tone swells)... Thoughts anyone?

Plus does the neck cover material affect the tone much? I have nickel hardware on my tele so want it to match...

[BigB]

I think Tim recomended the yardbirds initially as I said I liked the sound of my current pickups, but was thinking about the CB's - he said 'split the difference and have the yardbirds' - but I was more keen to have a traditional sounding tele and then wait for something to stick my current pickups in as a second guitar, rather than having something was neither...

I was about to bypass Tim's advice and order a Piledriver set when I was looking for replacement pickups for my Tele. Then I remembered about this 15 days return policy and decided to go for what Tim said (Blackguards F52 FWIW). Never looked back...

BUT that doesn't mean you're doing the wrong choice - looks like you know where you want to go, so go for it. If it doesn't work as expected, well, you know what to do ;)

so I'll probably order some CB's this week - I'm also going to change the current 'greasebucket' tone control to a traditional one as well, but was also thinking about using a .047 cap rather than a .022, as a tech has told me it'll be a much more dramatic roll off (better for those buchanan/campilongo tone swells)... Thoughts anyone?

Have a .047 cap (PIO, Gibson 50s wiring FWIW) on my Tele and I'll probably swap it for a .033 someday, but it's on a well balanced '62RI rosewood fretboard) and the BGF52 are not overly bright neither - Country Boys on a maple fretboard Tele may be a good use case for a .047 cap. PIO cap mellows the tone quite a bit, and the Gibson 50s style wiringmakes the volume put much more usable IMHO but  it's a kind of love or hate affair.

Oh and yes: by all mean, get yourself a 4-way switch (needs some special attention wrt/ neck pup, but Tim will take care of it for no extra cost if you specify it when placing your order). You'll have all the traditional Tele tones, AND the added "both pups serial", which is really a killer when you need a bit more oomph.