The ULTIMATE single coil size Stratocaster bridge pickup...

[Lewguitar]

Been comparing my differant Strats with thier differant bridge pickups:

1. Duncan Twangbanger
2. Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot Custom
3. Duncan Custom Shop Tele Hot Tapped
4. Fender '63 Strat...an original!
5. Joe Barden

My conclusion is that my favorite by quite a bit is: the Duncan Custom Shop alnico 2 Tele Hot Tapped. The guitar it's in was routed for a bridge humbucker so the Tele pickup fit easily although it required a custom pickguard from WD. This pickup does everything I've ever wished a Strat bridge pickup would do: at full output it drives my Fender amps into overdrive easily at volume 5 and tapped it blends beautifully with the middle pickup for classic M & B combined Strat tones. It's more powerful than the Twangbanger, but MJ somehow managed to make it both brighter and more transparant than the Twangbanger. She told me she was going to wind me the best bridge pickup I've ever heard...and she did! I can squeeze off notes like toothpaste from a tube, sting pinch harmonics and create Jeff Beck like growls on my wound strings. It's the best Strat or Tele bridge pickup I've ever used and lets me shape the note any way I like with my hands and pick.

#2 would be the Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup...although it's not quite as hot as even the vintage tap on the Tele Hot.

#3 would be the Twangbanger

#4 would be the Joe Barden

#5 would be the 40 year old '63 Fender...it's from the days when all three pickups were wound identically and compared to the rest it's thin, very bright and, IMO, weak sounding.

By a mile, the Custom Shop Tele Hot Tapped beat out the rest, and I'm going to call MJ on monday and order another one...plus I'm going to order a Custom Shop Strat Hot tapped and ask MJ to put a baseplate on it and wind it to sound as much like the CS alnico 2 Tele Hot as possible.

Then I'm going to put it in my Strat that now has the Twangbanger.

Lew

[STRATDELUXER97]

Been comparing my differant Strats with thier differant bridge pickups:

1. Duncan Twangbanger
2. Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot Custom
3. Duncan Custom Shop Tele Hot Tapped
4. Fender '63 Strat...an original!
5. Joe Barden

My conclusion is that my favorite by quite a bit is: the Duncan Custom Shop alnico 2 Tele Hot Tapped. The guitar it's in was routed for a bridge humbucker so the Tele pickup fit easily although it required a custom pickguard from WD. This pickup does everything I've ever wished a Strat bridge pickup would do: at full output it drives my Fender amps into overdrive easily at volume 5 and tapped it blends beautifully with the middle pickup for classic M & B combined Strat tones. It's more powerful than the Twangbanger, but MJ somehow managed to make it both brighter and more transparant than the Twangbanger. She told me she was going to wind me the best bridge pickup I've ever heard...and she did!

#2 would be the Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup...although it's not quite as hot as even the vintage tap on the Tele Hot.

#3 would be the Twangbanger

#4 would be the Joe Barden

#5 would be the 40 year old '63 Fender...it's from the days when all three pickups were wound identically and compared to the rest it's thin, very bright and, IMO, weak sounding.

By a mile, the Custom Shop Tele Hot Tapped beat out the rest, and I'm going to call MJ on monday and order another one...plus I'm going to order a Custom Shop Strat Hot tapped and ask MJ to put a baseplate on it and wind it to sound as much like the CS alnico 2 Tele Hot as possible.

Then I'm going to put it in my Strat that now has the Twangbanger.

Lew

Cool.....You put my favorite strat bridge pickup #3 but it's still my number 1......The Twangbanger is just hard to beat overall in my book...I own 2 and in each case I've gone back to the TB upon trying something else...I would also agree 100% that the Antiquity Custom Hot in the bridge is pretty close to the TB in greatness department and I'd rate that one at a 2 and if I didn't own the TB could live with this pickup...

[STRATDELUXER97]

Lew.....Please tell us more about your CS pickup and how you have it wired into your guitar?

[Lewguitar]

John, if you have a Strat routed for a bridge humbucker you really need to try the Custom Shop Tele Hot Tapped. In forty plus years of playing Fenders, I've never heard a better pickup. I'm going to order another one for my Tele #2 on Monday. I'd be happy to order two if you want to try one.

I have mine in a Strat with just two knobs: master volume and master tone and the tone is a push/pull pot so I can go from vintage output to hot output from the bridge pickup. I have a 5 way Schaller Mega Switch in it too that let's me have the neck and bridge combined in the #3 position. Lew

[STRATDELUXER97]

John, if you have a Strat routed for a bridge humbucker you really need to try the Custom Shop Tele Hot Tapped. In forty plus years of playing Fenders, I've never heard a better pickup. I'm going to order another one for my Tele #2 on Monday. I'd be happy to order two if you want to try one.

I have mine in a Strat with just two knobs: master volume and master tone and the tone is a push/pull pot so I can go from vintage output to hot output from the bridge pickup. I have a 5 way Schaller Mega Switch in it too that let's me have the neck and bridge combined in the #3 position. Lew

Hmmm.....All of my strats(except my black one) are s/s/s routed..... Sounds like a cool pickup, but: :6:

Can you quote the CS price to me via PM Lew?

[Lewguitar]

Hmmm.....All of my strats(except my black one) are s/s/s routed..... Sounds like a cool pickup, but: :6:

Can you quote the CS price to me via PM Lew?

I will on Monday. Gonna talk to MJ....

[jeremy]

i know youve said this before, but what are the specs?

the pup i made at ugd was a 11.3k/6.6k alnico 2 tele pup and its amazing. mine is wound with 42 awg pe wire and was supposed to be more like 10.5k but i wanted more. the coil was so big that i had to widen the hole in the bridge to made it fit but boy does it sound great

[Lewguitar]

i know youve said this before, but what are the specs?

the pup i made at ugd was a 11.3k/6.6k alnico 2 tele pup and its amazing. mine is wound with 42 awg pe wire and was supposed to be more like 10.5k but i wanted more. the coil was so big that i had to widen the hole in the bridge to made it fit but boy does it sound great

I'll take a look at the box Jeremy...but 10K for the full output is about what I remember. But it could be higher. I'll take a look and report back to you.

Christian (The Guy Who Invented Fire) talked to MJ and she told him that the Custom Shop pickups sometimes use a differant type of wire than the assembly line Duncans. And that even if it's a 42 awg wire, it's somehow a little differant than what the regular pickups get wound with.

The Antiquitys and Custom Shop pickups do have more sonic vibe...no doubt about it. They seem more complex, more textured, more "open" and more lively to me.

Lew

[jeremy]

i assume that the pup you and i have is fairly similar, i just went a little overboard with the turns. i think the wire is something like a plain enamel nom/max which means the insulation is a little thicker. same wire they use on the antiquitys, maybe even the brobucker. the heavy hand scatterwinding i think makes a big difference as well

[Lewguitar]

i assume that the pup you and i have is fairly similar, i just went a little overboard with the turns. i think the wire is something like a plain enamel nom/max which means the insulation is a little thicker. same wire they use on the antiquitys, maybe even the brobucker

Wonder if the thicker insulation is responsible for the diff in tone? Like maybe the layers of wire, because it's inside the thicker insulation, are slightly further away from each other or something? Lew

[jeremy]

that and the heavy scatter lead to a wider coil with less capacitance of some type?

i have 42 poly, 42 pe min/nom, 42 pe nom/max, 42 formvar, and 42 heavy formvar wires. as far as i can tell they all sound a little different. the 42 heavy formvar i cant really get up to 8k on a tele pup where with the 42 poly i can get up to 11k without dealing with hole size problem that i had to deal with on my ugd pup.

i have one 7k heavy formvar tele bridge pup that is as scattered as i could get it. its also full, any more wire and i wouldnt be able to get the string wrap and get it thru the bridge hole and it is hands down the best sounding tele pup ive ever made. not as versitle as a tapped model but damn, its just about perfect. right now a friend of mine has it in his tele and keeps making excuses as to why he cant take it out yet.

[stevie_bees]

I presume that the Hot tele is on a regular Tele bobbin, with a baseplate? I wonder how it would sound on a Strat bobbin, with a Strat-sized baseplate fitted. Do you think it would make much difference? It's obviously a lot hotter than a TB, with the option to tap. Plus it would then mount into a regular Strat scratchplate.

[JohnnyGuitarCA]

Right on Lew!

I've often thought of trying a Tele pickup in the bridge of a Strat. Now I have another reason to do so. Thanks! :-)

[Lewguitar]

I presume that the Hot tele is on a regular Tele bobbin, with a baseplate? I wonder how it would sound on a Strat bobbin, with a Strat-sized baseplate fitted. Do you think it would make much difference? It's obviously a lot hotter than a TB, with the option to tap. Plus it would then mount into a regular Strat scratchplate.

Appears to be...

I'm going to order a Strat version on Monday. Will compare them in about a month when I get it. Also, the CS Tele Hot is an alnico 2 pickup...not alnico 5 like the regular Tele Hot.

Lew