More Tele Talk

[The Reverend 48]

With all this talk of telecasters...I still fancy one having said that I already have a cheap tele that I had sprayed to match my custom car
It has a great maple neck and good solid plank like body so I am going to replace the crap electrics and get it reset up.........



So my question is which pick up configuration gives the real tele sounds
I.e. Strat 3 single coils Les Paul 2 Humbuckers etc.
What output and presumably it's a lip stick and a single coil?
What are your views

[Greeny]

You've all gone Tele mad!!!! I can't blame you... lol

Humbuckers? On a Tele? Sacrilege, lol. I know it's been done before, but it makes me uncomfortable... !

[Bro]

That is one nice car 48!

I'm glad to hear that you like your tele too!

[AndyR]

I'm with Greeny - I want tele pups on a tele, no humbuckers (and no strat pickups either).

I do use a four-way switch on all my teles though, which gives me an additional "both pickups in series" option (the modern standard middle position is both pickups in parallel) - that position kinda rocks when you want/need it.

But what are the "real tele sounds" of which you speak 48? There's lots of different ones...

For example, I use Bare Knuckles Pickups (tele sets are about £120 - so not for the faint-hearted! But I'm addicted to them now ). I have two different sets in three teles:

I have "Blackguard Flat 50s" sets in both of my "blackguard" type teles - these are ash bodies, maple fingerboards, brass 3-piece saddles (one is a Mex Fender Baja, the other is a Fender Japan "52 re-issue").

These two both sound like early 50s teles. They're really quite high powered. They do country, Roy Buchanan, etc as well, but their strong suit in my hands is blues and rawk (stones, black crowes, zz top).

The other set is "Yardbirds", they're in my Fender Japan "62 custom". Double bound alder body, rosewood board, 3-piece steel saddles. This sounds really sweet (but still with the tele bite) and 60s like. It does the 60s pop guitar sounds (twangy/chimey/woody all at the same time) like none of my other guitars do. It also does country, blues, etc. The other thing it can do, which the blackguard guitars can't so effectively is layers of distorted guitars (eg - this is the main guitar on my two most recent recordings).

They both sound like teles, but they're different. And, in fact, the two blackguard teles play and sound different.

(I suspect you're after the 50s sound, I was originally, that's what I got sorted first)

It is funny how everyone has suddenly gone tele mad - I'm ahead of you all though  ... After being rundown/ill/depressed for weeks (that's why I've been so quiet, btw), I needed to buy a geetar  - I'm on to SGs now ... The SG is the new tele...

[Greeny]

Guitar therapy... can't beat it.

[Ferryman_1957]

Interesting to hear AndyR's comments. I'd heard good things about Bare Knuckle pickups and was contemplating getting a set for my Tele for my birthday, but decided on some different toys instead (more news of which later). If you are going to put replacement pups on a Tele, they have to be the lipstick and single coil slanty in my view. I suggest you check out the Bare Knuckle pups, I fancied the "Brown Sugar" ones myself.

Cheers,

Nigel

[AndyR]

Yeh, I'm a complete Bare Knuckles junkie

The SG I bought was to house the BKP humbuckers that were in an Epi SG that really wasn't doing it for me.

BKP are really good, excellent service, and they have a really good forum as well. BEWARE of joining it (or even lurking) though - if you have the disposable income, you will buy more guitars and pickups than is sensible/sane

There's been an attack of tele love over the past 6 months on the BKP forum as well, by the way.

[The Reverend 48]

Sorry Guys you miss understand me
I meant that the 3 single coils define a Strat
the 2 Humbuckers describe a Les Paul/SG/PRS
I want lipstick + single coil but there seems so many Pups all with different outputs what is the classic combo?

[Ferryman_1957]

Check out the Bare Knuckle site or go with Fender replacements would be my advice. Bare Knuckle sell theirs in matched pairs, with different outputs for different styles. I guess the classic combo depends on the era of Tele and the sound you are looking for.

Cheers,

Nigel

[AndyR]

I personally go straight to Bare Knuckles, I think they're class, and have improved every guitar I've put them in.

But also have a look on the telecaster forum (tdpri.com), there's LOADS of knowledge and experience on there. Lollars/fralins/etc - and some well respected guys that think us "boutique" pickup people are conning ourselves

EDIT: If you get interested in Bare Knuckles I can explain how/why I chose the pickups I did, etc