Tele*
The sought after muscle and twang of the Tele bridge pickup -- makes you want to yank out your Strat bridge and throw it out in the street, doesn’t it? Then there’s the neck, a cold mountain stream of shimmering tone languishing in bondage under that cover, yearning to flow free! (More on that later.) There’s also the noise, but we learn to live with it, and stack/noiseless single coils (and actives) are beyond my capabilities for now.
I’m a custom winder so beyond that, the sky’s the limit. Mix and match the features of the models listed below or hit me with your own idea at [email protected] if you don’t see what you want. I just reserve the right to veto your suggestion if I don’t think it will work for the sound you want, or you ask for some kind of Art Bell pickup.
Bridge Notes: For the high gain/volume player, I recommend a no-baseplate bridge pickup. The absence of a baseplate will kill or at least greatly reduce squeal. (If you have any squeal with one of these, it’s your steel surround bridge, so put some wax under that thing.) The absence of a plate also adds very noticeable output and bite, which Tele bridges by nature already have plenty of, so this option is recommended primarily for higher output winds.**
The no-plate option costs a little extra because I have to fabricate a new bottom flat with holes small enough for the mount screws to grip it and thread in. (The pre-cut flats have holes too wide for the screws, which thread into the baseplate instead.) I make all my Tele bridges flatpole. I can make them with a stagger if you want but they seem to work best flat, probably in part because you can raise them a little closer to the strings without any warble.
Neck Notes: I know it’s not vintage kosher, but I strongly recommend coverless neck pu’s. Most Tele neck covers are made of brass or some other horrible tone-killing alloy, but even the most tonally transparent covers will darken the tone at least a little. I’ve got some of these better covers if you have to have the vintage look, but coverless gives you tone like a cold mountain stream in August. It also makes your pickup a few bucks cheaper.
Finally, for those not familiar with Tele pickups, on vintage output sets, the neck pickup sometimes has a higher DCR spec than the bridge. This does NOT mean the neck is hotter. This is the result of the Tele neck pu’s size – smaller than a Strat pu – which requires a narrower gauge of wire (43 AWG) to get enough turns on the bobbin to get decent output balance with the bridge. But because it is thinner, 43 has more resistance per inch than 42, resulting in DCR readings that are misleadingly high to those unaware of this factor. Once in a great while you’ll run across a 42 gauge Tele neck, but they usually weigh in somewhere in the mid 4’s to low 5’s.
** However, if you're a high gain/volume player who prefers vintage output pickups, there is a solution to this dilemma - order a no plate bridge with vintage specs from me with the plate loose and separate. You can screw the plate into the bottom of the pu cavity and adjust it's height (use springs on the screws or foam or shims under the plate) to where it's sitting just a millimeter or two below your pickup. This way you get the tone-softening effect of the plate without its vibrations affecting the coil. Just make sure you still ground it!
Pricing:
Bridge...................................................$145
Neck......................................................$145 ($135 w/o cover)
Super Paul Bunyan Bridge...................$150
Pure Handwound..................................$200 ($185 for coverless neck)
Tap........................................................$15 per tap
Large (1/4”) Rods................................$10 per pickup (bridge only). The Super Paul Bunyan comes standard with these but this option can slightly widen the tone of other models without compromising the chime or twang. Available in A2, A3 and A5.
5/2 or 5/3 Magnet Mix........................NO CHARGE.
I’m a custom winder so beyond that, the sky’s the limit. Mix and match the features of the models listed below or hit me with your own idea at [email protected] if you don’t see what you want. I just reserve the right to veto your suggestion if I don’t think it will work for the sound you want, or you ask for some kind of Art Bell pickup.
Bridge Notes: For the high gain/volume player, I recommend a no-baseplate bridge pickup. The absence of a baseplate will kill or at least greatly reduce squeal. (If you have any squeal with one of these, it’s your steel surround bridge, so put some wax under that thing.) The absence of a plate also adds very noticeable output and bite, which Tele bridges by nature already have plenty of, so this option is recommended primarily for higher output winds.**
The no-plate option costs a little extra because I have to fabricate a new bottom flat with holes small enough for the mount screws to grip it and thread in. (The pre-cut flats have holes too wide for the screws, which thread into the baseplate instead.) I make all my Tele bridges flatpole. I can make them with a stagger if you want but they seem to work best flat, probably in part because you can raise them a little closer to the strings without any warble.
Neck Notes: I know it’s not vintage kosher, but I strongly recommend coverless neck pu’s. Most Tele neck covers are made of brass or some other horrible tone-killing alloy, but even the most tonally transparent covers will darken the tone at least a little. I’ve got some of these better covers if you have to have the vintage look, but coverless gives you tone like a cold mountain stream in August. It also makes your pickup a few bucks cheaper.
Finally, for those not familiar with Tele pickups, on vintage output sets, the neck pickup sometimes has a higher DCR spec than the bridge. This does NOT mean the neck is hotter. This is the result of the Tele neck pu’s size – smaller than a Strat pu – which requires a narrower gauge of wire (43 AWG) to get enough turns on the bobbin to get decent output balance with the bridge. But because it is thinner, 43 has more resistance per inch than 42, resulting in DCR readings that are misleadingly high to those unaware of this factor. Once in a great while you’ll run across a 42 gauge Tele neck, but they usually weigh in somewhere in the mid 4’s to low 5’s.
** However, if you're a high gain/volume player who prefers vintage output pickups, there is a solution to this dilemma - order a no plate bridge with vintage specs from me with the plate loose and separate. You can screw the plate into the bottom of the pu cavity and adjust it's height (use springs on the screws or foam or shims under the plate) to where it's sitting just a millimeter or two below your pickup. This way you get the tone-softening effect of the plate without its vibrations affecting the coil. Just make sure you still ground it!
Pricing:
Bridge...................................................$145
Neck......................................................$145 ($135 w/o cover)
Super Paul Bunyan Bridge...................$150
Pure Handwound..................................$200 ($185 for coverless neck)
Tap........................................................$15 per tap
Large (1/4”) Rods................................$10 per pickup (bridge only). The Super Paul Bunyan comes standard with these but this option can slightly widen the tone of other models without compromising the chime or twang. Available in A2, A3 and A5.
5/2 or 5/3 Magnet Mix........................NO CHARGE.
