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Author Topic: Silo or other Bare Knuckle pickups in a Telecaster Deluxe for post-rock?  (Read 3723 times)

Solace

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Hi - I'm new here  :azn:

I bought an American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe and no surprise I dislike Fender's stock pickups in it. They're these new things called 'Double-Taps', a new generation of the 'Shawbucker' I guess, which can split via 'push-push' tone pots and there's much less of a volume drop from humbucker to singlecoil. Sounds good on paper and they do sound good for cleantones, but can't take gain very well at all - extremely microphonic infact, and just lacking in power. Almost everything else about the guitar I absolutely love - I'm going to put locking tuners on it but that's just my preference.

So I've been investigating pickups. I'm new to Bare Knuckle.

What I'm looking for is a set of humbuckers that are hugely dynamic, can produce a very lush clean (on the neck), not muddy up with heavy delay and reverb, and also go all out heavy (on the bridge) when required, sometimes at the drop of a hat. My specific influences for the band I'll use this guitar with are for example Mogwai, Massive Attack, Jakob, 65daysofstatic, Deftones, Holy Fawn, Hammock, This Will Destroy You, Amusement Parks on Fire, etc. The guitar is setup for drop-B as all my band's new material is in that tuning (previously drop-D) - and I'm playing into a 90 watt Mesa Electra Dyne (4x6L6) and occasionally in stereo with Fendery stuff like a Deluxe Reverb clone. Pedalboard includes Kingsley Harlot tube OD, Friedman (BE-OD Deluxe) and Strymon delays and reverbs. I should note that my previous guitar for this job was a Godin LG HMB in mahogany.

Anyway I caught onto Bea's signature pickups and I am really impressed with what I've been hearing and reading, so I signed up an account and I'm looking for opinions on my plan to get some Silos for this Telecaster. Or better yet, if anyone's actually done it themselves with Silos or any other BK pickups in a Telecaster Deluxe. I know... Tele's are not typically suitable for heavy genres, but for whatever reason I am just a Telecaster guy, so I'm going to try to make it work with this guitar.

Bea's goal was to create "a pickup with the ability to create glassy, ambient leads and warm, clear chord tones. Equally I need it to sound crushingly heavy and aggressive." - and that resonates completely with what I'm looking for. I know I'll never be able to play anywhere close to as amazingly as he can, so let's get that out of the way. The way he plays, his energy, precision and dynamic range are definitely what I aspire to.

Here's a pic of the guitar:



PS. I realise the term 'post-rock' may be offensive - I expect a few "I thought post-rock was waking up in the van on the way to the next gig" comments :D I dislike the term "post-rock" too... but it's become this identifiable thing, so I'm using it very strategically in the subject header. Nothing is beyond rock. Well, maybe Aphex Twin.





Dave Sloven

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Re: Silo or other Bare Knuckle pickups in a Telecaster Deluxe for post-rock?
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2021, 10:46:39 AM »
I don't have a Telecaster Deluxe but my Schecter PT Apocalypse is a Telecaster style humbucker guitar and I am getting good results in that with an Impulse set.  I did try a ceramic Black Hawk as well and while I liked that more than the Schecter USA Apocalypse pickups that came in it the Impulse is better, although I never tried an alnico Black Hawk in this guitar (I suspect that might be a nicer match than the ceramic version).  Body is swamp ash wth a bolt-on maple neck with an ebony fretboard.  I have it tuned to C standard with a 12-60 string set.  I use the crunch channel of a Peavey JSX with a clean boost (MXR/CAE MC401 at 18V) through a Peavey 430A (basically a Marshall 1960A clone) with Vintage 30 and Creamback H75 Celestion speakers in an x-pattern.  I'd guess you'd say my tone is closest to Aaron from Paradise Lost.


« Last Edit: October 10, 2021, 10:49:49 AM by Dave Sloven »
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JJretroTONEGOD

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Re: Silo or other Bare Knuckle pickups in a Telecaster Deluxe for post-rock?
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2021, 11:07:45 PM »
I really like mules, are you looking for more of a vintage sound? what kind of sound are you aiming for?
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Solace

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Re: Silo or other Bare Knuckle pickups in a Telecaster Deluxe for post-rock?
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2021, 03:21:52 AM »
I really like mules, are you looking for more of a vintage sound? what kind of sound are you aiming for?

I listed a bunch of bands and descriptors above, but in the most general of terms: Modern, dynamic, balanced, and both brutal heavy and lush clean capable.

After much deliberation I decided on a set of Silos :)