Flat 50's on Rosewood neck?

[BazC]

Hi, I'm new to the forums, very impressed with what I've heard from Bare Knuckle so far but haven't actually bought any yet! Currently playing a Gibson 345 with Tom Holmes pickups, a japanese 50's reissue Fender strat with Custom Shop Texas Specials and a newly aquired Frankentele with unidentified but decent pickups.

I'm considering upgrading the pickups on the Frankentele. I rather fancy the Flat 50s which are recommended for maple necks and I'm concerned that they might sound muddy with my rosewood fingerboard. I hope to find a nice fat 50's style maple neck to replace the rosewood neck eventually but that will have to wait a while.

Any thoughts, does the fingerboard wood really make that much difference?

[Telerocker]

I have Flat 52's (the old BG50-set) in my rosewood neck/alder body American Series-tele and they work absolutely fine. I don't know about the new Flat 50's. You could send BKP a mail.

[PhilKing]

I have flat-50's in my MIJ tele custom and they sound great.  I really love the sound of the neck pickup.  I have the BG-52's in my 58 tele and they are great there, but to be honest, I like the 50's better.

[BazC]

Thanks guys, sounds like they should be OK in my Tele, I'm starting to wonder if they may be a little hot though. I'm going after vintage bluesy tones from Muddy Waters to Keith Richard with maybe a touch of Steve Cropper. Maybe the Yardbirds might be better. Too bad the Flat 50 vids aren't playing for me at the moment.

Maybe I'll mail BKP as suggested and see what they suggest.

Thanks again!

[PhilKing]

I don't have a Yardbird set, but I have played them and know the sound.  The reason I don't have a set is that they have exactly the same sound as my original 62 tele pickups (which I think is the greatest blues/rock tone).  The Flat-50's are also a great rock tone, but with just a bit more drive in them (but nothing OTT).  The big difference is the neck pu.  The Yardbird is pure tele, the flat-50 has some stratty influences to the tone.

[BazC]

That's great info thanks. I definitely want to keep that tele character though maybe more clang than twang and a good bark when you turn the wick up! If I can get that darker jazzy tele tone too it would be a bonus. The Yardbird set certainly sounds like a contender.