Ultimate Tele tone!

[Lewguitar]

Great thread-

I'm surprised that there's no mention of the APTL-3JD, which is supposed to be a replication of his '52. I don't know how that model compares with the original Fender pickups in the '52 that are mentioned. It, along with the A2Pros are the only A2 Tele pickups that SD makes, and it's a touch hotter, mine was around 7.74-spec sheet says -7.8. I'm not sure about the others mentioned here. I'd love to try a 10K Nocaster at some point.

I'd really love it if Lew, Stevo, or Curly could try one out and give a review of it vs. the Vintage leads mentioned here. I just don't have the resources (cash and ears) on hand to do it. Thanks in advance if that happens.

I really love mine and last night while playing with my friends was super and it is great with the Fralin Blues Special neck.

I have a lot of respect for Roy Buchanan and Steve Cropper myself-definitely roadbuilders with the Telecaster.

That Jerry Donahue is exactly the pickup next going into my test bed Tele: the MIM James Burton. I'll have a report for you all next week. A2 gives a pickup a softer tone, IMO, so a2 pickups are often wound with a little more wire to make up for it. I wonder what kind of alnico was REALLY in those old Fender pickups from the early 50's? Probably whatever Leo Fender could get his hands on...a2, a3 or a5. And from what I understand from speaking to Lindy, a2 & a3 & a5 from the 50's isn't the same a2 & a3 & a5 we have these days! So pickup makers just have to use thier ears anyway to duplicate old pickup designs. Lew

[Dave]

Oops-sorry, after re-reading this there are a few who mention the JD-My apologies to Kelsey and Stratsky.

What mag does the 10K Nocaster use? I'd like to try an even hotter A2, like a 10k JD. Custom shop anyone?

[Lewguitar]

The Nocaster uses a3 magnetic polepieces. Those were used in the first version of the 1954 Strat...to thin and bright for most people so Leo quickly changed to a5 which has more bass and sounds better to me. Lew

[Kent S.]

Thanks! (I think!) No...master volume amps that allowed for overdrive and intentional distortion didn't come along until Randall Smith tweaked some blackface and silverface Fenders and then invented the Boogie MK1 in the early 70's. Lew

Yeah that was a compliment BTW ... Yeah I kinda thought it was a straight out amp, just checking though, thanks.

[InstituteOfNoise]

First off I have 3 Teles and almost all the pickups are Duncans. I have a 81 with the J Donahue in the bridge, stock neck. The brass plate on that just makes it! I have Tele Squire Custom II with the Duncan Designed P-90's, but would like to get more info on them before I swap them out. (Another post I did and have not seen asnwered yet). Finally just picked up a 95 MIM Tele Special. Having a Little 59 in teh bridge and reworkgin the 5 way wiring scheme. Still has the Fender DH1 humbucker, but that may leaving for an Antquity in the neck.

Lew... Your right about Page and the Supro, but I remember not too long ago Eddie Kramer who worked with Zep, was over at Line 6 consulting on some stuff for them, and someone thought they heard him say page also used an old Supro with the 2 6x9 speakers in it as well. Can't confirm that, but I'll check around. Thats' the one that is modeled in the Line 6 gear now.

[Mike M.]

In regards to Jimmy Page's tone I posted this once before and no one belived me. I remember for a fact, reading an article on Page in an issue of Guitar Player many years ago where he briefley talked about his Tele. The guy doing the interview was asking Page about the tones on Led Zepplin 1, and how much they sounded like a Les Paul to him. Page said,...." it was all done on my Telecaster but it sounds like a Les Paul because of the way it's wired." He did'nt go into any further explanation about it. I know for a fact this is what I read.

[kmcguitars]

Page Also used a tele on the Stairway to heaven solo . How about
Joe Walsh ?? He's gotten some interesting tele tone's. Maybe more
to rock side,But Funk #49 was some cool tele tone And his solo on
Hotel Cali was sweet (Might have sounded better W/O the phaser or
what ever it was he used for that?) But I guess that was the flavor
of the month in the late 70's ?? LOL !! But Roy Bucannan's Tele tone
is 2nd to none !! he coaxed some sounds outta that guitar That you
ONLY can get from a Tele. When I play my Tele I can hear them tones
in my guitar.... I just don't know how to squease them out LOL !!
Well I guess it takes some practice

[Lewguitar]

In regards to Jimmy Page's tone I posted this once before and no one belived me. I remember for a fact, reading an article on Page in an issue of Guitar Player many years ago where he briefley talked about his Tele. The guy doing the interview was asking Page about the tones on Led Zepplin 1, and how much they sounded like a Les Paul to him. Page said,...." it was all done on my Telecaster but it sounds like a Les Paul because of the way it's wired." He did'nt go into any further explanation about it. I know for a fact this is what I read.

I've read other interviews with Page where he attributes his tone on the first Led Zep album (and on all of his work actually) to creative miking and just good studio technique too. I wouldn't be surprised if his Tele was not stock, tho I think it's at least FAIRLY stock!

I play exclusively through smaller 20 and 25 amps: all old tweed or brown or blackface Fenders (except for a modified Silvertone Twin Twelve my brother Bruce (http://www.missionamps.com) went through and completely redesigned inside = killer tone!) Any of my Teles through a cranked tweed Deluxe with a Celestion Silver Bulldog 12 can get very close to those Zepplin tones...especially with a Boss DS-1 or Fulltone '69 and Clyde Wah Wah.

My Teles are all FAIRLY stock too...no series wiring or 4 position switches or anything like that.

Lew

[Hoss]

stop the madness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this thread is giving me tele g.a.s.

i'm not over the ric g.a.s. yet!!!!!!!!!!

[jeremy]

ultimate tele tone? a buddy of mine has a '69 tele with an antiquity in the bridge and the stock neck pup and damn it sounds killer thru a good fender amp

[Lewguitar]

ultimate tele tone? a buddy of mine has a '69 tele with an antiquity in the bridge and the stock neck pup and damn it sounds killer thru a good fender amp

I'll bet! As I mentioned in the other Tele thread, the Antiquitys are the Tele pickups I am the most interested in. I'm hoping to try them again right after the Jerry Donahue set. Lew

[jeremy]

i really like the jd. i used it for years in my tele, it does a punchier mid/smoother top tele thing great. the mids are a little tougher than those of a great vintage pup but its a great tone

[Lewguitar]

i really like the jd. i used it for years in my tele, it does a punchier mid/smoother top tele thing great. the mids are a little tougher than those of a great vintage pup but its a great tone

Mids are good!

[Lewguitar]

OK...pulled the NoCaster pickups from my James Burton Tele and put in a set of Jerry Donahue pickups: JD lead pickup and A2Pro neck pickup.

I really need to play this guitar a bit more but I'll give you my initial impressions:

The NoCaster pickups are brighter, deeper and louder.

The JD pickups are smoother, much sweeter and less crisp and biting.

My initial impression was really good when I first plugged in my guitar...it's a very attractive comfortable tone.

Side by side, I like the deeper bass and higher output of the Nocasters...and also like the warmer, sweeter tone of the JD's.

Since the JD's use alnico 2 polepieces with a softer magnetic field, I'll play with the ht. adjustment some. I should be able to get the JD's closer to the strings as the magnetic field is softer.

More later....


Lew

[Kelsey]

I ended up raising the JD lead pickup in my Tele to about 1/16" from the treble side and 3/32" from the bass side strings in order to match the output of the Phat Cat in the neck. They sound great together and separately now. And they are hum-canceling when combined. The JD high end is much softer amd more open than the Nocaster -- the Nocaster has more high end bite. The mids are comparable I think, although they sound a bit different. I think the JD sounds like it has a bit more bottom than the Nocaster, but the Nocaster may be a bit tighter. It's tough to say for sure since the ash bodies resonate differently on the 3 guitars I have these pickups in. I like 'em all.

[captain cavman]

The ultimate tele tone is : THE GREAT KEITH RICHARDS

I tried an antiquity neck humbucker in my telegib and thats it.

About the screaming bridge, I have an early '70s tele PU that is huge but a little too buzzy.
I think I will try the Antiquity bridge PU for tele soon !

[Truthsayer]

Does anyone here have a Tele with a Bill Lawrence 280/290 set. I'm seriously thinking about ordering them for my Antigua Tele which, although it already has great tone, has that damn 60 cycle noise which drives me nuts. I understand that all the Bill Lawrence pickups are noise cancelling.

[Lewguitar]

The Jerry Donahue Tele Lead pickup is awesome. I love it. I moved it very close to the strings and That made all the diff in the world. It now has plenty of output, mids, bass and highs. It can be moved alot closer to the strings without pulling the low E out of tune than an alnico 3 or alnico 5 pickup. Reminds me alot of the Custom Custom humbucker in my Monoco Super Pro: lots of singing mids and a tone that can really squawk and bark when I want it to. I can really shape the tone with my pick and picking hand. So far, this is the best lead pickup I've had in the James Burton Tele...and one of the best Tele lead tones I've heard. It likes to be played through a cranked amp: I've been playing it through my the modded "tweed tone" channel in my old Fender Deluxe Reverb with the Celestion G12H30 speaker. . The APS2 neck pickup needs to be a louder and clearer tho...even tho I also moved it very close to the strings, it sounds a little low in output and a little muffled for my tastes. But I LOVE this Jerry Donahue bridge pickup now that I've learned it can be adjusted very close to the strings, it sounds as strong and loud as the NoCaster lead pickup in my '53 RI and the Fralin Blues Special in my '54. AND: I like it just as much as either! Very impressive. Lew

[Curly]

now I'm curious to know how the various A2 tele pickups compare - the AII Pro, the JD, and the Ants - because I like AII strats, but haven't tried any of the teles

are the specs on the AII Pros accurate? they seem reversed - 6.2 for the bridge and 8.1 for the rhythm? I would think that if your rhythm was close to that, it wouldn't sound weak at all

[InstituteOfNoise]

Here's a track I had done from a session a couple of years ago, using the Jerry Donahue Bridge PU. The cleaner twangier rhythm track and solo at the end were using that PU on my 82 Tele.

Link to Tele using the Jerry Donahue bridge pickup - country track

Here's another slammin track I did for the movie Mission: Impossible II. This one used the same pickup for the main lead melody line, but had all the treble rolled off.

Link to Tele using the Donahue bridge pickup - Heavy/Alt style music

Pretty versatile if ya ask me...