Hi guys, since I’m guessing everyone here is a fan of telecasters I wanted to ask a question about telecaster / pickup combinations.
I’m looking for something that can give me that amazing telecaster blues / jazz sound, but can still hold its own fairly distorted.
Any ideas would be great.
Thom
Hi Thom,
I have two telecasters that I upgraded with Lollar pickups, I absolutely get why Lollar has a loyal following. I put a Charlie Christian in the neck of one and a set of Vintage T’s in the other. The CC is an amazing pickup, it’s warm but not muddy, great mids but still has a bit of pop or spank that you’d expect from a Tele. It is perfect for Jazz or Blues. If you push them and they get nice and dirty but do not lose clarity. Tim Lerch has a few great videos on YouTube where he showcases the CC on a Tele. On my other Tele I find the Lollar’s Vintage T’s, capture that classic Tele sound, twang and spank, but can also be sweet and warm. I find they have more presence than stock Fender pups, but nail “that Tele sound”.
+1 for the classic Lollar tele pickups. I have a new Nash with those and they sound phenomenal for pretty much anything you would think to try with a Tele
To add my two cents, I agree that the Lollars are great. I also have them in a Nash that I’ve enjoyed for years. They do the classic Tele thing really well and you can’t miss if you go Lollar.
That said, as I’ve played a wider range of Teles and listened more closely to Tele tones on records, I have found myself occasionally wanting a tone that has a bit less highs, a bit more mids (especially low mids) and maybe a touch more compression than I get with the Lollars. Sometimes you can get this the lollars there just by dialing in your amp appropriately, but I’ve found that on very chimey amps (Vox and Vox-inspired amps), or low volume Fenders before you get any real saturation, they can still sound a bit more “stringy” and “twangy” than I want, when I’m looking for punch with bite.
These nuances are all luxury problems, but I thought I’d share the thoughts either way in case they are helpful. If you go with the lollars you won’t be disappointed!
Interesting thoughts, Thankyou.
Did you ever find anything that gave you the low mids or did you just stick to amp settings?
I picked up a Suhr Tele on a trade and I’m trying that right now, but I still have my Nash loaded with lollars. The Suhr pickups definitely have more body, and I find them easier to use across a range of styles. I don’t connect with the Suhr guitar style as much as I do my Nash, so I’ll likely trade it again for more vintage-style Tele, but it’s a closer step toward the tone I’m looking for.
Pickups I’m looking at long-term are those from Arcane, and perhaps Ron Ellis (although those can be quite expensive), and Fralins. No final decisions though, and the lollars still get plenty of use.
To throw another option in the mix of you want more mids - look at the Fralin Steel Pole 43, they are like a P90 in a standard telecaster pu, they also make the Steel Pole 42 it’s like a blend of classic Tele tone with a P90.
I have Cavalier PUs in my Fender 2019 Broadcaster reissue: ( https://www.frettech.com/) and I love them. I have a Lion King in the neck and a Nocaster in the bridge and love it. Site offers many videos of players using combinations of PUs here: (Cavalier Guitar & Bass Pickups). Much more effective than the short sound clips like the ones Lollar and Fralin uses. Rob DiStefano is great and will answer any question you have. A pair of hand wound high quality PUs are about $150 shipped to your door in a few days. Definitely worth looking at IMHO. Good luck.