Telecaster Pickups for Classic Rock Sound?

[jumpinjackflash]

I'm upgrading my mexican telecaster with some new pickups and I'm looking for a real classic rock sound like Keith Richards or something. I was looking at either the Seymore Duncan '59 pickup or else the Duncan Hot Rail Pickup for the Bridge but no idea what to get for the neck, any help/suggestions from someone experienced with the Telecaster sound would be mucho appreciated!!

[the guy who invented fire]

If you want Keith type tones you don't want any kind of humbucker in the bridge and if you want any kind of classic rock you don't want a Hot Rails near your guitar...

If you want Keith type sounds a great place to start is going to be a Broadcaster in the bridge and a 59 or Jazz in the neck...Keith uses custom wound bridge pickups that are a little hotter than most vintage Tele lead pickups but the Broadcaster will get you in the ballpark.

[jumpinjackflash]

cheers dude, what kind of sound will the '59 give me? the broadcaster is almost half the price of the 59 so the 59 must be a lot better no?

[the guy who invented fire]

cheers dude, what kind of sound will the '59 give me? the broadcaster is almost half the price of the 59 so the 59 must be a lot better no?

Cost is a non factor here...the 59 is a humbucking pickup and the Broadcaster is a single coil. The single coil uses less materials and less labor so it costs less.

The 59 is a humbucker so in the neck of a Telecaster you'll get a far sort of thick sound with good bite and a good output...the Broadcaster is thinner and has more bite to it...

The 2 together is a great start at a Keith type sound...

[dr.barlo]

I agree. In fact, I think JD is a better "Broadcaster" than a Duncan Broadcaster... It is hell of a pickup...

B

[SFW]

I have a Quarter Pounder for Tele in my guitar. It's a great P90ish sounding pickup that will do classic rock in spades.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

If you want Keith type tones you don't want any kind of humbucker in the bridge and if you want any kind of classic rock you don't want a Hot Rails near your guitar...

If you want Keith type sounds a great place to start is going to be a Broadcaster in the bridge and a 59 or Jazz in the neck...Keith uses custom wound bridge pickups that are a little hotter than most vintage Tele lead pickups but the Broadcaster will get you in the ballpark.

+1000


. . . TGWIF knows what he is talking about !


Klassic Keef tones = SD Broadcaster in the bridge.

Saying that, i enjoy playing Stones songs with my BK Flatt 50's set too.

[jumpinjackflash]

Originally Posted by the guy who invented fire
If you want Keith type tones you don't want any kind of humbucker in the bridge and if you want any kind of classic rock you don't want a Hot Rails near your guitar...

If you want Keith type sounds a great place to start is going to be a Broadcaster in the bridge and a 59 or Jazz in the neck...Keith uses custom wound bridge pickups that are a little hotter than most vintage Tele lead pickups but the Broadcaster will get you in the ballpark.




Cheers man you seem to know a lot about this, I been playing guitar 10 years and never really got into the technical side of it, i just know what sounds i like and keith's is always bad ass... i seen an interview with him and he said he sometimes used the 59 in the bridge, what would the difference be?

feel free to tell me to piss off but like i said i know nothing about this end of the guitar!!

[symptom]

A Jerry Donahue bridge paired with a 59 neck wouldn't be a nice choice for the OP too?

[rumblebox]

use a duncan hot-for-tele lead pickup. it's very P90-ish until you roll off the volume.

[ItsaBass]

If you want Keith type tones you don't want any kind of humbucker in the bridge and if you want any kind of classic rock you don't want a Hot Rails near your guitar...

If you want Keith type sounds a great place to start is going to be a Broadcaster in the bridge and a 59 or Jazz in the neck...Keith uses custom wound bridge pickups that are a little hotter than most vintage Tele lead pickups but the Broadcaster will get you in the ballpark.

+1. "Classic rock" was, for the most part, played on stock '50's and '60's guitars.

As far as Keith goes, one of my favorite of his quotes is something like, "It doesn't matter what guitar I play. They all sound the same after five minutes." Point being, "It's the Singer, not the Song."

[elelpe]

I agree. In fact, I think JD is a better "Broadcaster" than a Duncan Broadcaster... It is hell of a pickup...

B

A Jerry Donahue bridge paired with a 59 neck wouldn't be a nice choice for the OP too?

Yep! I'd say better choice.

[symptom]

Yep! I'd say better choice.

That's what I have in mine now. It took a while to get the proper electronic configuration (pots and things like that), but now I think I get it and it rocks.

[Powdered Toast Man]

I've been studying Keith's playing for years now. I also play the Keith parts in a Stones tribute band and I have one of my dedicated open G guitars loaded with an SD Broadcaster. It's the best sounding Tele pickup I've played. Suits that style perfectly.

I have a 59 in the neck position but it almost doesn't matter what's in the neck because Keith plays on the bridge pickup nearly 100% of the time.

Keith's main guitar (Micawber) actually has an old Fender lap steel pickup in the bridge.

[the guy who invented fire]

Originally Posted by the guy who invented fire
If you want Keith type tones you don't want any kind of humbucker in the bridge and if you want any kind of classic rock you don't want a Hot Rails near your guitar...

If you want Keith type sounds a great place to start is going to be a Broadcaster in the bridge and a 59 or Jazz in the neck...Keith uses custom wound bridge pickups that are a little hotter than most vintage Tele lead pickups but the Broadcaster will get you in the ballpark.




Cheers man you seem to know a lot about this, I been playing guitar 10 years and never really got into the technical side of it, i just know what sounds i like and keith's is always bad ass... i seen an interview with him and he said he sometimes used the 59 in the bridge, what would the difference be?

feel free to tell me to piss off but like i said i know nothing about this end of the guitar!!

I think he mis-spoke or the interviewer wrote it down wrong or you mis-read it...

A 59 is a humbucker and will not fit in a Telecaster w/o routing it out and FWIW, I have never seen a pic of Keith with a humbucker in the bridge of a Tele of any kind.

Now, he might have been talking about a different guitar since he does play others some times but Keiths signature sound is a Telecaster...

[Empty Pockets]

How do the JD and Broadcaster stack up to the Antiquity for Telecaster line?

[idsnowdog]

I would think a Broadcaster bridge and a Seth Lover neck would nail it. Or a JD bridge with a Alnico Pro II neck.

[the guy who invented fire]

I would think a Broadcaster bridge and a Seth Lover neck would nail it. Or a JD bridge with a Alnico Pro II neck.

right...any semi hot Tele bridge pickup (Broadcaster, JD, etc) and any PAF output neck humbucker (59, Jazz, A2P, PG, Seth, Ant, etc)

[the guy who invented fire]

How do the JD and Broadcaster stack up to the Antiquity for Telecaster line?

Which Antiquity? All 3 of them?

[jumpinjackflash]

right...any semi hot Tele bridge pickup (Broadcaster, JD, etc) and any PAF output neck humbucker (59, Jazz, A2P, PG, Seth, Ant, etc)

Thanks man.. appreciate it.