NGD (sort of) - Japanese Reissue Tele / and replacement pick up advice

Stinkfoot

Well, about a week old now but finally got hold of this Japanese 60s Traditional Tele I had been eyeing up for a while. 

http://imgur.com/a/1WtRifE

I got it with a view to upgrade various bits and pieces and am currently deliberating over the pickups. 

Looking for for something that still has the essence of a Tele but just a little less ice picky and that overdrives a bit easier. I also want some that are not necessarily noiseless but quite low on hum. Thinking the SD Vintage Stack or the SD Quarter Pounders and wondered if anyone has any experience as to how they might fare with these requirements?

Loving the guitar but really looking forward to upgrading it and making it my own. 

Cheers
Darren

Funkfingers

The stock MIJ single coil pickups exhibit reasonably authentic “period correct” microphonic characteristics. 

IMHO, the Duncan STK-T3b Stack is too far the other way. Fine for high gain overdrive but lacking the bite or twang for clean or semi-clean Telecaster sounds. The Custom Shop stacks sound infinitely more convincing.

Within the last year, Duncan launched the Red Devil pickup for Stratocaster. Chances are, in the not too distant future, they will produce a variant of it with the three-point mounting baseplate for Telecaster.

On a slight tangent, if you can find one, there is always the Lace Sensor red.

victorludorum

Beautiful colour! Is it Lake Placid Blue, or some other variant?

Rickyd

/\ agreed gorgeous colour.

Funkfingers

victorludorum said:

Beautiful colour! Is it Lake Placid Blue, or some other variant?

LPB is transparent dark blue over silver. The clear top coats discolour to lend it a slightly greenish tinge.

The colour of the OP’s guitar resembles Daphne Blue - give or take some imitation yellowing of the clear coat.

Stinkfoot

Yep apparently it’s Daphne Blue. It actually looks a bit less bright in the pics than actually is. I’ve always loved that colour on a Fender and am a sucker for a double-bound Tele. It plays well enough so figured I could just go for the looks and swap the upgradeable bits as I go! 

Thanks for the P/U advice @Funkfingers ;

victorludorum

I thought it was a bit light for LPB, but then thought it could be the photo that's causing it. Either way, it looks good to me ;-)

Kebabkid

That's lovely!

robinbowes

I've recently got a Yamaha Pacifica 311MS, which came with a Dimarzio Pre B-1 in the bridge and I'm taking it out to replace with a Kinman as I have an AVn-60b and an AVn-48b spare. The Dimarzio sounds great, but I have an AVn-60b in my Tele and I really like it.

Bottom line: I can offer you a Dimarzio Pre B-1 which actually sounds just what you're looking for.

"The Pre B-1™ maintains a lot of the basic character of the Tele® bridge position, but the sound is bigger. It can still cut through a mix, but it will fill more space, as well. It also has about 25% more power than a stock Tele® bridge pickup. That means thicker overdrive and more sustain from your favorite tube amp."

I can post it to you for £50.

Cheers,

R.

gringopig

.

chris78

Very nice.

In terms of pickups, if you can swipe a set off a baja, they’ll do the job, with a bridge pickup that’s still tele

robinbowes

What this thread needs, is pictures!

normula1

The Seymour Duncan Vintage Stack bridge pickup is excellent, the neck version is awful with a capital Fu**ing

Funkfingers

normula1 said:

The Seymour Duncan Vintage Stack ... neck version is awful with a capital Fu**ing

I find its performance varies, depending on whether it is suspended through the pickguard or mounted correctly, directly to the body with wood screws.

The STK-T1n needs setting lower than a vintage style single coil. The nearer it gets to the vibrating strings, the more it begins to sound like a small Gibson humbucker. This is bound to alter the level balance when both pickups are selected.

rze99

I've got more Teles than Currys and I can recommend the Fender AVRI Custom 62 for the MIJ '62s. Few places sell them Thomann does I recall. Big improvement, no icepick. 

blueskunk

Lovely tele. Nearly bought one of these recently. 

Fender 51 Nocaster Pickups are absolutely the very best Tele pickups, ever!!!

Stinkfoot

Some interesting variations and comments there - thanks. I ended up getting a set of SD Quarter Pounders, and also got a 6 saddle bridge installed. Obviously that's changed it away from a vintage Tele vibe but figured everything can be put back as it was if I ever need to.
The QPs seem a good choice for what I wanted after a couple of weeks of trying them out. Definitely thicker and darker than a traditional Tele, but then again that's how I've always tried to make my Teles sound anyway. It will still do that country Tele sound for sure, but with the highs tamed and the mids beefed up a bit. NIce jazzy tones from the neck pickup too with the tone rolled back a bit.
So, happy so far, but this was always going to be a 'blank canvas' guitar so who knows what it'll be in another year or so's time!

CountryDave

blueskunk said:

Lovely tele. Nearly bought one of these recently. 

Fender 51 Nocaster Pickups are absolutely the very best Tele pickups, ever!!!

I agree with this as far as the bridge pickup goes.  Unfortunately the (2nd hand) set I bought had a knackered neck pickup so I am unable to comment.

My MIJ Paisley has the Nocaster bridge pickup paired with an Oil City Honky Tonk Angel neck pickup and sounds very nice indeed.

I do like the Twisted Tele neck pickup, but this is aimed more towards the strat sounds whilst retaining the tele look.