Tele Nocaster vs OV(52RI) Set

[doveman]

I have the Original Vintage (52RI set) and love the tone of both pickups but really wish they were RWRP in the center (hum cancelling). I understand that the Nocaster set is RWRP and that the bridge is the "reverse". So it seems that if I have a set of Nocasters, I could run either:

• Nocaster neck + Nocaster Bridge = RWRP
• OV(52RI) neck + Nocaster Bridge = RWRP

My questions:

• Is the above true as far as RWRP?
• How do the Nocaster and OV BRIDGE pups compare to each other ... how are they different?
• How do the Nocaster and OV NECK pups compare to each other ... how are they different?
• Anyone have the DC resistance ... wire used ... for these sets? I have had trouble getting to the Fender site today.

[STRATDELUXER97]

I have 2 Teles....1 is a 94 American Standard with one of the early 10k Nocaster bridge pickups and a texas special in the neck...

The second Tele is a 62 Reissue and has the same pickups in place....I was using the vintage 52 pickups from Fender in these guitars..They are great pickups...I felt the neck pickup was a bit too weak and so the TS is better in that spot....Even better would be a neck humbucker or a nice strat neck pickup,but I haven't made the changes...

The 52 bridge pickup was nice also...It's a cleaner and more articulate pickup with good note clarity....The Nocaster bridge pickup,has more grind,output,and slightly more mids to my ears...I really like the Nocaster bridge pickups and it's odd that I haven't pulled either one out and tryed a SD pickup instead...Great presence and nice harmonics with the Nocaster pickup....I Know they have changed this pickup from the early ones I'm using,in that they lowered the dc resistance...I can't give you any info on the later version,but if it's anything like the ones in my Teles,it would be worth trying....

I'm not sure about the RWRP issue,plus I have a 4 way switch in both of my Teles....Bridge,bridge/neck,neck series,neck parallel....I still prefer the neck parallel tone over the series though....

The Nocaster pickup uses the early style cloth wire...The TS I'm pretty sure just uses standard black and white coated wiring...Since the neck spot on a Tele is weak and lacking,I found the Texas Special helped....I hate the TS strat pickup,but the Tele version is really pretty good...

[STRATDELUXER97]

If you like I can measure the dc resistances on both guitars neck and bridge pickups? The OV 52 pickups are really nice and I actually had owned a 52 Ash bodied reissue Tele that sounded great with those pickups in it...I had to sell it though.The neck was like a baseball bat and I was having almost carpal tunnel issues playing it...The guitar sounded wonderful and was gorgeous though! ;o(

[doveman]

Please don't go to a lot of trouble ... mainly trying to get a handle on the differences. I really like the OV set ... but just wish it was RWRP. Mainly asking just how different these two sets are ... also want to make sure RWRP would be true. I hate to have two sets that aren't RWRP.

[STRATDELUXER97]

Please don't go to a lot of trouble ... mainly trying to get a handle on the differences. I really like the OV set ... but just wish it was RWRP. Mainly asking just how different these two sets are ... also want to make sure RWRP would be true. I hate to have two sets that aren't RWRP.

No trouble at all....you just stick a plug into the input of the guitar and stick the ohm meter across the hot and ground. It's not as accurate as reading directly off the pickups when they aren't wired into the guitar circuit,but it's close enough...

[doveman]

Finally got access to Fender site ...

Nocaster:
Bridge: 7.72K - 3.7 Henries
Neck: 7.9K - 2.35 Henries
Alnico 3 Magnets
Enamel Coated Magnet Wire
Zinc Shielding Plate

Original Vintage Telecaster
Bridge: 7.2K - 3.27 Henries
Neck: 7.7K - 2.45 Henries
Alnico 3 magnets
Enamel coated magnet wire
traditional copper-plated steel base plate

They look pretty similar ... except the nocasters have noise cancelling in the center.

So what's the word? How do the nocasters sound different?

[STRATDELUXER97]

Finally got access to Fender site ...

Nocaster:
Bridge: 7.72K - 3.7 Henries
Neck: 7.9K - 2.35 Henries
Alnico 3 Magnets
Enamel Coated Magnet Wire
Zinc Shielding Plate

Original Vintage Telecaster
Bridge: 7.2K - 3.27 Henries
Neck: 7.7K - 2.45 Henries
Alnico 3 magnets
Enamel coated magnet wire
traditional copper-plated steel base plate

They look pretty similar ... except the nocasters have noise cancelling in the center.

So what's the word? How do the nocasters sound different?

Yeah......I have the earlier 10k Nocaster bridge pickups...

[doveman]

Yeah......I have the earlier 10k Nocaster bridge pickups...

I'm running the OV neck with a Seymour Duncan Noiseless bridge stack but I've got it split disabling the lower coil .... gives it a nice 9.2k single coil a5. I'm betting it's getting close to the 10k A3 nocaster sound. Not quite standard Tele but maybe just a little bit beefier but a good sound.

[doveman]

But I'm still interested in opinions on the two stock sets listed above. I have the OV(52RI) and like it with the exception of noise cancellation. Would still like to know how Nocaster set compares since it does have noise cancellation in the middle.

[Butch Snyder]

I have the earlier 10k Nocaster bridge pickups...

Those pickups are gems. They were produced during the "Cunetta" Nocaster years; when Vince Cunetta was making the Nocasters. back then, they had 9.5" radius necks too. It's getting harder and harder to find a 10k Nocaster pickup. To me, 10k is the magic number on Tele bridge pickups.

[doveman]

Looks like I'm gonna have to buy a set of Nocasters to find find the answer that I seek ...