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 zhangbucker@yahoo.com 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.
Notes: BRIDGE - 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 - 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 (nickel silver*) 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.
* So there’s no confusion, this means the main material is nickel-silver. The plating is chrome, not nickel. To my knowledge, no-one makes nickel-plated Tele neck covers.
** 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.
Pricing:
Bridge...................................... $80 -- Sale Price $75
Neck........................................ $80 ($70 w/o cover) -- Sale Price $75 ($65 w/o Cover)
Super Paul Bunyan Bridge.......... $85 --Sale Price $80
Options:
Tap.......................................... $15 per tap
Large (1/4”) Rods..................... $5 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.
No-Baseplate Bridge................ $15 per pickup. Scroll up to Notes for an explanation of the upcharge.
RWRP Neck Pickup................... NO CHARGE. Standard for all Tele sets unless otherwise requested.
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 zhangbucker@yahoo.com 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.
Notes: BRIDGE - 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 - 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 (nickel silver*) 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.
* So there’s no confusion, this means the main material is nickel-silver. The plating is chrome, not nickel. To my knowledge, no-one makes nickel-plated Tele neck covers.
** 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.
Pricing:
Bridge...................................... $80 -- Sale Price $75
Neck........................................ $80 ($70 w/o cover) -- Sale Price $75 ($65 w/o Cover)
Super Paul Bunyan Bridge.......... $85 --Sale Price $80
Options:
Tap.......................................... $15 per tap
Large (1/4”) Rods..................... $5 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.
No-Baseplate Bridge................ $15 per pickup. Scroll up to Notes for an explanation of the upcharge.
RWRP Neck Pickup................... NO CHARGE. Standard for all Tele sets unless otherwise requested.
5/2 or 5/3 Magnet Mix............. NO CHARGE.
Hardcore
Bridge 6.2k/A5, Neck 6.5k/A5
Sweet ‘n’ chimey, nothin’ grimey. You’re not trying for dirt, you don’t want to push the amp at all. You just crave that classic vintage chime/twang/jangle and nothing less will do.
Bridge also available with A3 rods for those who like it extra sweet. (A3 not recommended for neck unless you order it no-cover.)
Sweet ‘n’ chimey, nothin’ grimey. You’re not trying for dirt, you don’t want to push the amp at all. You just crave that classic vintage chime/twang/jangle and nothing less will do.
Bridge also available with A3 rods for those who like it extra sweet. (A3 not recommended for neck unless you order it no-cover.)
Bell Tone
Bridge 7.2k/A5, Neck 7.0k/A5
Basically a Hardcore set with more warmth and output to round the chime into a bell when you pick toward the neck. Will give you just a little dirt when you dig in with the non-master vol amp cranked up, but otherwise chime city. Bridge available in A3 and A2, though you may want to add a few extra turns – or just raise it a little closer to the strings.
Basically a Hardcore set with more warmth and output to round the chime into a bell when you pick toward the neck. Will give you just a little dirt when you dig in with the non-master vol amp cranked up, but otherwise chime city. Bridge available in A3 and A2, though you may want to add a few extra turns – or just raise it a little closer to the strings.
Tar Paper
Bridge 8.5k/A5, Neck 7.8k/A5
BRIDGE: Overwound vintage attitude – more punch and guts than Vintage. Mids start to get a little smokey here, with some tar and nicotine thrown in for good measure. Smoother A2 and A3 versions available.
NECK: Warm and flutey but very clear, and as with all Tele necks in my opinion, at its best coverless.
BRIDGE: Overwound vintage attitude – more punch and guts than Vintage. Mids start to get a little smokey here, with some tar and nicotine thrown in for good measure. Smoother A2 and A3 versions available.
NECK: Warm and flutey but very clear, and as with all Tele necks in my opinion, at its best coverless.
Paul Bunyan
Bridge 9.5k/A5, Neck 7.8k/A5
BRIDGE: The Paul Bunyan bridge is easily one of the most popular pickup models of any type I make. The first guy I made it for passed his Tele around to his friends to let them take a taste. One said “Sounds like a 10-foot tall Tele. That’s Paul Bunyan’s Tele right there.” It stuck.
This is for the player who cries himself to sleep over the lack of a Tele bridge that gives you midrange grunt and muscle without giving up ANY of the twang you got a Tele for to begin with. Can also be made with A2 or A3 for a sweeter top, or with big 1/4” rods to widen the tone even more.
NECK: A little chubby in a good way, ie, only when you want it be. Still very clear, especially if you go coverless. (See a pattern here?)
BRIDGE: The Paul Bunyan bridge is easily one of the most popular pickup models of any type I make. The first guy I made it for passed his Tele around to his friends to let them take a taste. One said “Sounds like a 10-foot tall Tele. That’s Paul Bunyan’s Tele right there.” It stuck.
This is for the player who cries himself to sleep over the lack of a Tele bridge that gives you midrange grunt and muscle without giving up ANY of the twang you got a Tele for to begin with. Can also be made with A2 or A3 for a sweeter top, or with big 1/4” rods to widen the tone even more.
NECK: A little chubby in a good way, ie, only when you want it be. Still very clear, especially if you go coverless. (See a pattern here?)
Super Paul Bunyan
Bridge 10.5k Large (1/4") A5 rods, Neck 10.2k/A5
BRIDGE: An overwound Paul Bunyan with huge A5 rods to beat your preamp into whimpering submission. Like a cross between a Tele and an overwound P90, it has huge beefy midrange while still keeping most of the twang. Hot enough that I’ve occasionally sold it to metalheads, but more than clear enough for extreme versatility.
NECK: Fat and greasy like a righteous cheeseburger, but no mud – unless you strum with a baseball bat. Plenty of SRV attitude that makes 9’s sound like 12’s. I refuse to make this one with a cover so don’t bother asking.
BRIDGE: An overwound Paul Bunyan with huge A5 rods to beat your preamp into whimpering submission. Like a cross between a Tele and an overwound P90, it has huge beefy midrange while still keeping most of the twang. Hot enough that I’ve occasionally sold it to metalheads, but more than clear enough for extreme versatility.
NECK: Fat and greasy like a righteous cheeseburger, but no mud – unless you strum with a baseball bat. Plenty of SRV attitude that makes 9’s sound like 12’s. I refuse to make this one with a cover so don’t bother asking.
Twang Smoker
11.2k/A2, 8.5k/A5
BRIDGE: More turns of 42 than the Super-Paul, yet not quite as hot. Plenty of gutsy mids and twang for some smokin’ leads and grinding riffs when you dig in, but standard size A2 rods cool the output a touch and give you smooth, shimmering highs, lush upper mids. If Alex Lifeson played mostly Teles, this might be his pickup.
NECK: Chubby and flutey with some of that Super PB grease when you hit it hard, but still very clear. You might be able to talk me into a cover for this one but you better eat your Wheaties that day...
BRIDGE: More turns of 42 than the Super-Paul, yet not quite as hot. Plenty of gutsy mids and twang for some smokin’ leads and grinding riffs when you dig in, but standard size A2 rods cool the output a touch and give you smooth, shimmering highs, lush upper mids. If Alex Lifeson played mostly Teles, this might be his pickup.
NECK: Chubby and flutey with some of that Super PB grease when you hit it hard, but still very clear. You might be able to talk me into a cover for this one but you better eat your Wheaties that day...
Extra Hot Output
I so rarely get requests for these that no models have been set but they are available on request. Hit me with your idea at zhangbucker@yahoo.com.
