Not digging the Bridge pup on my Tele...time for a change?

[Shades of Blue]

So I bought a Classic Vibe Custom Tele and I really like the feel, but I bought this guitar for a more contemporary Christian music type of sound and it is really thin and bright.

Should I maybe try a different bridge pup like a Lil' 59 or should I just sell it and get a PRS SE of some sort. I really think I need Humbucker tone.

 

[TerribleRacket]

GFS offers a cheap (and surprisingly well thought of) way of checking out mini buckers in a tele. Lil Puncher XL- Three Versions Available While I personally like my tele to sound like a tele, the number of tele guys that swear by these things has often tempted me to plunk one of these in just to see for myself. The price certainly is right.

 

[nutsauce]

This one has a high output Lindy Fralin in the bridge and it sounds really fat.

Welcome to Lindy Fralin Pickups: Fralin Tele® Style High Output - the Finest Guitar Pickups Available Today!

 

[TerribleRacket]

A couple other thoughts, if you have a 500k volume pot in your parts box, that is a fast, cheap way to grow some hair on a tele's chest. A 500k volume pot will make that hair lush and curly.

Also, Squier has been know to put 500ks into some of their standard pup teles, so while it is unlikely that you already have 500s in there, it pays to take a quick look to see what you have.

 

[AngryHatter]

Wow, you don't like Tonerider IIIs?
I LOVE the bridge pup on mine.
Maybe your tone knob isn't working, or some other electronic answer.
All tele's sound thin in the bridge alone...part of the tele thing.
Bass strings are percussive and higher register is twangy...trebley.
Play with the tone knob, both on the guitar and amp before wasting money on pickups.

 

[randelli]

I have SD hot rails for tele in mine. I like it a lot.

 

[hbucker]

Had the same issue with my Nashville Tele and put a DiMarzio, Hot Area T in the bridge and am quite satisfied.

FWIW

 

[Zr.King]

When it comes to teles, it took me awhile to appreciate that tone knob, as well as how close to the bridge you're actually pick'in. It's a different animal than anything with a HB certainly, but attacked the right way can sound just as thick.

Food for thought.

 

[Fracture]

 

[diceman]

SD Hot Rails in the bridge of my Tele (and a WB ***H in the neck). The SD is a great sounding pickup.

 

[JMV]

Honestly, I'd play more with the tone knob. The sweet spot for you may be between 5-7 on your tone knob. Or it could just be how you EQ your amp.

Otherwise, I would maybe consider a new pickup. My personal favorite is a Seymour Duncan Antiquity (non-staggered). It has all the bite, stank, and clarity I want. It absolutely rocks when I want it to as well.

And you say you're into playing contemporary Christian? LOADS of players use single coils exclusively in that genre. Lincoln Brewster comes to mind, and he certainly doesn't have a problem with tone that is thin and bright.

 

[wulfman]

Otherwise, I would maybe consider a new pickup. My personal favorite is a Seymour Duncan Antiquity (non-staggered). It has all the bite, stank, and clarity I want. It absolutely rocks when I want it to as well.
QUOTE]

+1 for the SD Antiquity bridge. I have had it in 2 guitars and it delivers the goods and is great in that 7 to 9 range on the tone knob.

 

[TerribleRacket]

Honestly, I'd play more with the tone knob.

I danced around the issue because I didn't want to seem rude, but that was my first impression, also.

As a Lester guy, you can't plug a tele into your amp with standard LP settings and expect to get a good sound. And, as JMV has mentioned, the tone knob is the trick to making a tele be the jack of all traits that it can be. A tele *should* be brittle and thin at full throttle, but rolled back it should be just about as jazzy as you like.

It's a wonderfully expressive instrument, provided you work with your amp to find the tones.

 

[gibsonguitar1988]

I love my Lindy Fralin Blues Specials. Killer pickups that I use in my main Tele and main Strat. That said I'm pretty sure I'm going to "Esquireize" my Black Tele and probably go with a Little '59 in the bridge as I have 5 Teles and no guitar with the Esquire config and wiring. I think the Little '59 is a great sounding pup.

 

[Shades of Blue]

Honestly, I'd play more with the tone knob. The sweet spot for you may be between 5-7 on your tone knob. Or it could just be how you EQ your amp.

Otherwise, I would maybe consider a new pickup. My personal favorite is a Seymour Duncan Antiquity (non-staggered). It has all the bite, stank, and clarity I want. It absolutely rocks when I want it to as well.

And you say you're into playing contemporary Christian? LOADS of players use single coils exclusively in that genre. Lincoln Brewster comes to mind, and he certainly doesn't have a problem with tone that is thin and bright.

Yeah I keep the tone at about halfway, but these Squier pups just don't have the bark and punch I was hoping for out of a Tele.

 

[NoStatic]

Adjust the pickup down.

 

[TerribleRacket]

Just buy the Keystone pups.

The Chicoms will be around for years to come, Bill Wilde is about 8,000 years old, on the other hand, and he isn't getting any younger.

Moreover, they're the same price.