• Indy
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  • From: Philly
  • Registered: 2011-01-04
  • Posts: 269

Topic: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

Just took delivery of a new Fender Custom Shop Closet Classic 54 Esquire. 

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc4 … rTele2.jpg
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc4 … rTele1.jpg
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc4 … rTele4.jpg
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc4 … rTele3.jpg

This guitar was made for Dave's Guitar Shop with a 9.5" radius neck and medium jumbo frets instead of the vintage 7.25" radius and vintage frets which is what I have on my 52 reissue.  I really like the 52 but that smaller radius slows me down.

Fender already routed for the neck pickup and my plans are to set it up like a standard Tele but I need recommendations on some aftermarket pups.  I play blues/classic rock and the amps are Marshall YJM (100watt Plexi), Fender 57 Twin and Sovtek Mig 50.

I want to be able to keep that Tele twang but need to be able to kick in the afterburner for most of the stuff I play.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

I would suggest you keep the bridge pickup because it would be just like having a telecaster.  Esquires have 3 way switch in them that connects it to 2 tone circuits and straight through bypassing the tone circuit all together.  I'd definately try it out like it is for fun, but if you can get a hold on a Fender Twisted Tele pickup those things are awesome.  Its the best Telecaster pickup fender makes imho.  Biggest problem you'll find is Fender doesn't sell these in their aftermarket so ebay will be your best friend.  Avoid the Green wire Twisted Teles because they are custom shop design maked in mexico.  I'm sure they are good and its in the Baja Telecaster which is what I own, but if your going to put MIM parts on a custom shop guitar to me that seems to miss the point.  I've never played one with the black and white leads MIA Custom Shop.

I would avoid anything with the word noiseless in it.  Oh you could get a humbucker and get a Keith Richards thing going.
Another good one would be   Seymour Duncan Pickup, Antiquity Tele Neck they cost around $90
Lindy Fralin makes good pickups a neck pickup from him is $90 as well. 

I'm still a Twisted Tele guy.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-19
  • Posts: 113

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

from a guy that frequents TDPRI, the magic name is DON MARE.

other honorable mentions are:
OC Duff (Redd Volkaert has a set with a strat like neck pickup)
Jason Lollar (listen to Tim Lerch over at youtube for some cool samples)
Fender (a sleeper is the Am Standard neck pickup)

  • DonR
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  • Registered: 2007-05-14
  • Posts: 98

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

Ok guys, I will turn you on to what I think are the best pups out there-especially for tele's.  Klein Pickups.  Winds brad paisley's pups.  Has the best sounding tele, strat, and hb pups I've ever heard (other than vintage).  The tele stuff is better than vintage.  Got a set of nocaster pups in my custom shop 58 tele.  I have these in every guitar I have that's not vintage. (that's about 12 electrics)

Klein also made the pups in my jb goldtop that went through a historic makeover, and then on tour with Joe.  Joe loved them, called then "wicked".

DonR

  • Registered: 2011-05-19
  • Posts: 113

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

brad has also been known to use an Adder in the neck and various bridge pups. smile don't know what he's got now but I know the guy uses most things and sounds amazing.

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

A Joe Barden pickup would be sweet

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Kansas City, MO USA
  • Registered: 2011-01-03
  • Posts: 1,256

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

dalandan wrote:

from a guy that frequents TDPRI, the magic name is DON MARE.

other honorable mentions are:
OC Duff (Redd Volkaert has a set with a strat like neck pickup)
Jason Lollar (listen to Tim Lerch over at youtube for some cool samples)
Fender (a sleeper is the Am Standard neck pickup)

From a guy who USED to frequent TDPRI (before getting banned for no good reason), I would also mention Bill Lawrence's Tele pickups, some of the most-praised on that website. If you can get your hands on a set, the Broadcaster bridge/Twisted Tele neck combo that Fender installs standard on its Baja Tele is pretty sweet.  To my knowledge, Fender hasn't started selling that particular combo as an aftermarket set, but you can sometimes find them on eBay (usually from someone who decided to put somethin' else in his Baja, perhaps not realizing what he already had was superb)...

Terrance Shuman
Kansas City, MO
  • Indy
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  • From: Philly
  • Registered: 2011-01-04
  • Posts: 269

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

Thanks guys for all the great recommendations.

The Klein pups are indeed awesome along with the Barden's.  The Don Mare pups I'm sure are really good as well but the sound clips were just a few and I couldn't get a feeling as to how they really sound. 

The Fender Twisted Tele pup is I think the winner for my ear's and ebay has a set of American made (white wire) up for sale that I'm going to pull the trigger.  It's a package deal with the Broadcaster bridge pup.  The consensus seems to be that the Twisted Tele is similar to the Strat neck which should sound great through my Plexi.   

AD3THREE,
Do you know if I may have to deepen the neck pocket for the Twisted Tele pup to fit?  One review I read indicated that this might so which is not something I really want to do.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

I don't think so, I know the twisted tele pickup is taller then a standard Tele pickup but with my Baja Tele the pockets looked deeper then a half inch, and the pickup itself will be raised up.  I set my pickups 1mm away from the the high E string when I'm pressing on the last fret, and 3mm on the Low E.  If the pickup was sitting in the pocket with out springs or screws it would sit about flush to the top surface of the body.  Remember I have a MIM Telecaster that came stock with with a MIM Custom Shop Designed Twisted Tele so it might not be the same diminsons as your custom shop Esquire on pocket depth.   I am almost 100% positive the pickup is not much taller then a half inch.  When you get the body measure the depth of your pocket since Vinage specs might be different, I know they are with Strats.  I'd say if you have a half inch then your good.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Caribou, ME
  • Registered: 2008-11-26
  • Posts: 418

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

duncan lil 59 stacked humbucker....all my teles have this in there, I am a "gainer" player, love the looks of a tele, but wanted more "balls", so the lil 59 in bridge and vintage stack humbucker in the neck....looks like standard ol' tele single coils, but has some bark!!!!

Jay

Self-Professed "GOLDIE" Nut-Job!!!!

JBLP #267
  • Registered: 2016-02-16
  • Posts: 1

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

I am almost 100% positive the pickup is not much taller then a half inch.  When you get the body measure the depth of your pocket since Vinage specs might be different, I know they are with Strats.

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  • macg1
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  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: NGD! - Need Recommendation on Tele Pickups

I have a Richie Kotzen Tele and I love the pickups in it. DiMarzio Chopper T for the bridge and Twank King for the neck.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint