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Tele Pickup Selection


OmaPlata

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Hey guys, so I'm trying to decide on a set of tele pickups. The guitar is a one piece ash body, maple neck, with an ebony fretboard. The body is medium density. I suspect that this will be a bright guitar, so I'm looking for a set of pickups that will pull back a little bit of the attack and abrasiveness in favor of a creamier, sweeter, smoother tone. I'm assuming this puts my in the "vintage" sector, versus the overwound sector.

I'm just hoping someone can steer me in the right direction. My budget is maybe 200 bucks for pickups. There are so many choices it's hard to understand the differences, especially since I don't have a venue to try them all. In addition, it's hard to get a good feel through youtube videos and such, because the recording quality is generally low.

Is there any method you guys use to decide on a set of pickups, when you have very little experience with all the different brands?

Just a few I've been looking at: Fralin Stocks or Blues Specials, Rio Grande Vintage Tallboy, Anderson VA or SC, Lollar Vintage T or 52 T or ???

Thanks in advance.

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really it sounds like its pretty much a standard tele i mean other than the medium density i would just try to find something advertised to be on the warmer side. if you want to save a little cash you might check guitar fetish i had a set of there humbuckers not to bad.

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In that price range, I'd probably go with Bare Knuckles.

http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=teles

http://guitarasylum.com/index.php?/pickups/bare-knuckle-pickups/single-coils-for-tele/view-all-products

Although, I probably wouldn't be in that price range, and would just go for some of Bill Lawrence's Wilde pickups.

http://www.wildepickups.com/

Oh, who am I kidding? If I ever build a tele, it would probably have P90's or stacked humbuckers or something weird like that.

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I love the Bill Lawrence Keystones I put in my recent tele build. They sound great. I can't say enough good things about them. Then you can take the extra cash and spend it on whatever else.

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is it tele specs - with tele pickups?

because to a certain degree it will always sound like a tele which can be bright - or even abrasive. that is what tele's are for :D

anyway, my absolute favorite tele pickup is a BKP blackguard flat 50. only problem is they added some to the range and i am not sure if the one i have is closer to the current flat 50 or flat 52. Its not as high output as the current flat 50 and it doesnt have the copper baseplate of the 52

http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=teles&sub=vintage&pickup=flat50&series=blackguard

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