Ultimate Tele tone!

[dogcityrocker]

DOH! I found it shortly after I made the last post. Thanks. Started to worry for a minute.
Have you tried the Ant. II?

[Lewguitar]

DOH! I found it shortly after I made the last post. Thanks. Started to worry for a minute.
Have you tried the Ant. II?

I've had the Ant I Strat Texas Hots and the Ant II Strat Surfers in my favorite Strat. Haven't tried Ant II Tele pickups...

I would imagine the diff would be similar. The Ant I's seem have more pronounced and quackier mids and softer, looser bass and splashier, less glassy, highs. The Ant II's are brighter and chimier have less pronounced mids (but beautiful barky, quacky mids, none the less) and the bass is stronger and tighter.

More twang from the Ant II Surfers...

Lew

[matt99camero]

Reading this whole thing has made me even more confused about which bridge pickup to get for my standard tele. I mean there are so many great recomendations out there I can't decide. I won't be able to get another pickup for sometime so I want to pick a good one. I think the JD's have gotten the most good reveiws on here. I guess I'm just gonna have to pick one and hope I like it. This makes me realize that it's all about experimenting with different pickups. Cause for every 100 people who love it another 100 people hate it. I know I have asked this several times on my other posts but I'm looking for country singer Keith Urban's sound. Just something that can get close to resembling his tone. I guess the the best I can describe his sound is country/rock. Any help is greatly appriciated.

[BS123]

Reading this whole thing has made me even more confused about which bridge pickup to get for my standard tele. I mean there are so many great recomendations out there I can't decide. I won't be able to get another pickup for sometime so I want to pick a good one. I think the JD's have gotten the most good reveiws on here. I guess I'm just gonna have to pick one and hope I like it. This makes me realize that it's all about experimenting with different pickups. Cause for every 100 people who love it another 100 people hate it. I know I have asked this several times on my other posts but I'm looking for country singer Keith Urban's sound. Just something that can get close to resembling his tone. I guess the the best I can describe his sound is country/rock. Any help is greatly appriciated.

I would say that Keith's bridge pickup is prabably stock. I could be wrong. I would say that he gets most of his tone from his amps ( a wall of Matchless combos) and his technique. Sure the Telecaster plays a part. I have seen him live several times and he uses a Les Paul quite a bit too. The way he plays it, it really doesn't sound much different than his Tele. BTW, I believe the JD gets a lot of praise here is because the people who use it really really like it and sing its praises loudly. I would also say that if you want Keith Urban's tone and want to use replacement pickups to get it, get something a little hotter to push your amp. Make sure it's something that will still retain the twang... Oh, the JD would be a nice choice.

[Twang Man]

I tend to agree with BS 123 that Keith's Tele pups are probably the stock ones, that's why I said I think an Antiquity II would most likely be closest to that tone.. Its a bright, glassy tone (but not harsh) and the bass is tight and there's not a lot of mids. To me the JD sounds fatter (more mids) and quackier with spongier bass and sweeter highs. There's a sound file that you really need to listen to. Its one in which a Tele with a JD was used. It sounds great but it doesn't sound like Keith Urban tone at all to me. To me it sounds more like SRV playing Country on a Tele. I'll try and see if I can find the link to that sound file.
Someone help me out. The sound file is named 3_day_bender

[Kelsey]

From the recent video footage of Keith Urban that I've seen, it looks like he plays one of the earlier 3-pickup American Deluxe Teles with the middle and neck pickups removed. I have read somewhere (probably at the TDPRI) that he replaced the Fender Noiseless bridge pickup with an EMG of all things. I think any vintage-style Tele pickup that is slightly overwound for a bit of push, perhaps combined with something like a Fulldrive through a good tube amp, would get you in the neighborhood. You know the rest about the hands and all...

[matt99camero]

Yeah I have heard Keith's Matchless amps are what make his tone. But seeing how expensive those things are I don't think I'll be owning one anytime soon. I'm going through a Hot Rod Deluxe so at least I'm using a tube amp. That's why I'm looking for a pickup that can get me as close to that tone.

[Luke Duke]

The best recorded tele tone (to my ears) is Jimmy Page doing the solo on stairway to heaven. I read an article on (GW's?) website for the 30th anniversary of Zep 4 and they posted the original interview from the 70's in which he talks about his old tele he got from George Harrison (paisley and ugly if you ask me) with a weird wiring which made it sound like a LP but not.

I like Communication Breakdown too as far as clean tones I like Junior Brown's tones from his tele. Unless he was using the tele and slide doubleneck guitar.

Luke

[BluesOwl]

This thing keeps goin and goin'
Thank God it wasn't VAULTED before I could make this latest post.
Performed surgery on the Tele, over the holiday weekend.
Installed S.D. 5/2 neck pickup with the metal cover removed.
Strings are still too new and bright, but I think I took the tone in the direction I wanted.
Low strings are less mushy, high strings aren't too bright.
More clarity without the cover.
I previously shield the cavities with copper foil tape, so background noise did not increase noticeably without the metal cover.
I've also triedat the neck)
SD Alnico II pro (good'n'dirty but low end is mushy)
Fralin Blues Special (Too bright? hot? for me)
Fralin stock (good, but I didn't want to alter it by removing the cover)
various stock Fenders

The guitar now has Fralin Blues Special at bridge and SD 5/2 at neck.
It's a Warmoth blonde tele with a compound radius boat neck.
Vintique compensated brass saddles.
Big Eric Johnson signature GHS Nickel Rockers (11-60?)

[Lewguitar]

Cool! I found the A II Pro neck to be to warm and muffled for my tastes when used by itself, but it does have a nice warm jazzy sound to some players and does sound great when combined with the Jerry Donahue lead. Personally, I like more pop and prefer the Duncan Antiquity or one of the Fralins.

I'm going to add my comments from another , more recent thread too:

In my opinion, the best rythym tone on a stock Tele is the neck and bridge pickup combined.

A pickup like the uncovered neck Fralin Blues Special has a great tone that's much better, IMO, than a stock covered neck pickup, including the Fralin Tele Stock! The Blues Special neck has the unmuffled tone of a nice Strat neck pickup.

However, the more powerful tone of the uncovered Fralin Blues Special neck pickup changes the balance between the neck and bridge pickup when they're combined and so I lose the chime and sparkle of my favorte rythym tone of all: the tone of stock Tele neck and bridge pickups combined!

That's just my opinion of course...but I do believe it's true.

Anyways, my best sounding Tele at the moment is my Fender Custom Shop '53 relic with a pair of Duncan Antiquitys. The Fralin Blues Specials in my '54 were my favorites but they've slipped to #2. My #3 Tele has a Duncan Jerry Donahue lead and covered Fralin Tele Stock neck pickup. It's a great sounding Tele too.

[Bludave]

I'd recommend seeing Robben Ford playing his Tele in live show.

I have seen Robben Ford Live on several occasions. He is am amazing player, but he is not the Tele player that comes to mind. I would say
Albert Collins
Roy Buchannen
Danny Gatton.

My 3 favorite Telecaster Players. Roy had a tendency to play really brite. At times way to brite. Albert Collins.... He Da Man (IMO)

[Lewguitar]

OK...gonna wrap this up. This has been fun!

Here are my favorite Tele pickups I have owned:

Neck:
Duncan Custom Shop "Strat ala Tele"
Duncan Antiquity I
Fralin Blues Special
Fralin Tele Stock

Bridge:
Duncan Custom Shop 6.8K/9.4K Tapped Tele
Duncan Antiquity I
Duncan Jerry Donahue
Fralin Blues Special
Fralin Tele Stock

Sets:
Duncan Strat ala Tele neck & Tapped Tele bridge
Duncan Antiquity I neck & bridge
Fralin Blues Special neck & bridge
Fralin Blues Special bridge & Fralin Tele Stock neck
Fralin Tele Stock neck & bridge

So the question is: if I could only have one set in my favorite Tele...what would that be???


And the winner is:

#1 Duncan Custom Shop Strat ala Tele neck & Tapped Tele bridge

#2 Duncan Antiquity I set

#3 Fralin Tele Stock neck & Duncan Jerry Donahue bridge

#4 Fralin Tele Stock neck & Fralin Blues Special bridge

#5 Fralin Blues Special set

I would say that any of these five sets should satisfy the most talented and discriminating players around. They are all superb and of equal quality and it just comes down to personal taste at this level of quality.

The reason I chose the Duncan alnico 2 bridge pickups for #1, 2 & 3 is because of the midrange growl and pick squeel/pinch harmonics...more quack and more growl and better pinch harmonics from the alnico 2 Duncans.

Whew...all finished!

[dr.barlo]

Whew...all finished!

Good. Now its the "Ultimate Strat Tone" time!



B

[mrfjones]

well i have to keep this going a little longer, what did you like about the fralin stock and BS bridge set?

[mrfjones]

Doc, i'm up for the strat tone talk

[Lewguitar]

well i have to keep this going a little longer, what did you like about the fralin stock and BS bridge set?

It's just a real nice sounding and inspiring set. Very familiar vintage tone that's not ice picky. Alnico 5 magnets.

( I don't know that any vintage 50's Teles actually used alnico 2 magnets like those in the Antiquity, Jerry Donahue and Custom Shop sets...maybe. They sure sound good tho! )

I like using the covered Tele Stock neck pickup because when it's combined with the BS bridge pickup I get a nice, bright chimey rythym tone.

The uncovered BS neck pickup actually sounds "better" to me (as in stronger, clearer and better for soloing) but when combined with the BS bridge pickup it fattens up the tone a little more than the Stock and the resulting tone is not quite as bright and chimey as the Stock & BS combination.

Lew

[mrfjones]

thanks for the explaination lew

[Lewguitar]

thanks for the explaination lew

You're welcome!

And again: all these pickups are SUPERB! A player could not go wrong with any of them.

Lew

[Rainmaker]

Lew, what about JD lead with Ant rhythm?

[Curly]

Lew, what about JD lead with Ant rhythm?

I'm sure that would work well

however, the Ant set is so well balanced in all positions, I'd probably prefer that

(the JD being like an overwound vintage tone)