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Pickup advice - Telecaster

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scarry67scarry67 Frets: 143
I’ve got an Iron Gear Steel Foundry bridge pickup in my JD Tele (after original died), sounds like a Tele and was cheap. I’m tempted by eBay Seymour Duncan Jerry Donahue pickup but would it sound different enough to justify £50? Used one on eBay...
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Comments

  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12646
    In my experience, Tele pickups are the ones hardest to get ‘right’ - it’s a good test of a pickup winder’s mettle.

    FWIW I haven’t heard a single FarEastern pickup that sounds very good. I know many rate thes Iron Gear/Artec things but I’m not keen.

    The Seymour JD Pickup is ok but there are better ones out there. The man himself didn’t use them in later years... speaks volumes. It’s not got much depth in my opinion - it’s ok just a bit ‘generic’.

    For similar funds (ok a touch more) you could have one of Ash’s BRILLIANT pickups (not heard a bad Oil City Tele Pickup yet), Alegree makes the heavenly Cirrostratus and Marc at Mojo’s Broadcaster is sublime.

    Buy British - not for any flag waving rubbish but because quite simply we have the best pickup winders in the world right now.
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    impmann said:

    For similar funds (ok a touch more) you could have one of Ash’s BRILLIANT pickups (not heard a bad Oil City Tele Pickup yet), Alegree makes the heavenly Cirrostratus and Marc at Mojo’s Broadcaster is sublime.
    This. You on also speak to them before buying for advice on which pickup suits the sound you’re looking for.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    impmann said:
    In my experience, Tele pickups are the ones hardest to get ‘right’ - it’s a good test of a pickup winder’s mettle.

    FWIW I haven’t heard a single FarEastern pickup that sounds very good. I know many rate thes Iron Gear/Artec things but I’m not keen.

    The Seymour JD Pickup is ok but there are better ones out there. The man himself didn’t use them in later years... speaks volumes. It’s not got much depth in my opinion - it’s ok just a bit ‘generic’.

    For similar funds (ok a touch more) you could have one of Ash’s BRILLIANT pickups (not heard a bad Oil City Tele Pickup yet), Alegree makes the heavenly Cirrostratus and Marc at Mojo’s Broadcaster is sublime.

    Buy British - not for any flag waving rubbish but because quite simply we have the best pickup winders in the world right now.
    Quoted for complete agreement!

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Jimbro66Jimbro66 Frets: 2418
    +1 for Oil City. Great Tele/Esquire pickups at very reasonable costs.
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  • Expensive but the Blackguard Flat 50 set by BKP is awesome. The neck is one of my favourite neck pickups on any guitar.
    Read my guitar/gear blog at medium.com/redchairriffs

    View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
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  • NPPNPP Frets: 236
    Jimbro66 said:
    +1 for Oil City. Great Tele/Esquire pickups at very reasonable costs.
    + 1 more. Not into flag waving either but very much into Oil City (owner of 1 Honky Tonk Angel Tele bridge PU and a set of HB-sized P90s)

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  • ricorico Frets: 1220
    I have an Oil City Fortyniner in my Keefcaster and it is simply brilliant. Nice thick mids and a lovely bark. 
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  • scarry67scarry67 Frets: 143
    Annoyingly I didn’t buy a used Creamery Esquire pickup on here a while ago... need to leap in quick with Tele parts. You’re probably right re buying home grown pickups. A new JD p/u isn’t much more than a used one anyway.
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  • After years I finally got around to upgrading the pickups in my 99 US Standard tele to some Custom Shop 51 Nocasters, I was really worried about them being too bright and twangy but they're awesome, super balanced and sound exactly like a tele should. Well worth a look and they come up online pretty regularly
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  • Mojo pickups > the rest
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • beerbeer Frets: 24
    Got Texas Specials in mine. Smashing.
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  • Yep, another owner of a Mojo Broadcaster bridge pickup here. It’s incredible. Go Mojo. 
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  • NPP said:
    Jimbro66 said:
    +1 for Oil City. Great Tele/Esquire pickups at very reasonable costs.
    + 1 more. Not into flag waving either but very much into Oil City (owner of 1 Honky Tonk Angel Tele bridge PU and a set of HB-sized P90s)
    +1 more. After much experimentation with several different pickups I settled on an Oil City Alligator 90 in my Esquire. Fabulous sounding pickup. 
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  • NPP said:
    Jimbro66 said:
    +1 for Oil City. Great Tele/Esquire pickups at very reasonable costs.
    + 1 more. Not into flag waving either but very much into Oil City (owner of 1 Honky Tonk Angel Tele bridge PU and a set of HB-sized P90s)
    I’ve just fitted an Oil City Diesel Tap and am thrilled with it. Twang without being shrill, all the way up to fat without being muddy. 
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  • scarry67scarry67 Frets: 143
    The diesel tap may be my ideal. Anyone selling nice Made in UK Tele bridge or Strat neck?!
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  • JohnPerryJohnPerry Frets: 1616
    I have a Mojo Broadcaster in my JD bridge.  

    Miles better than the stock MIJ pickup...and the Seymour JD which was the first replacement I bought for it 

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  • rossirossi Frets: 1699
    The Toneriders hot Classics  are great in a Tele and  liked by a lot of tele players .I have a set of Van Zandts  in at present which are the best I have come across and I have stopped looking .Covers the lot .
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    Not to play down the talents of our British winders, but if you're looking for used pickups the Seymour Duncan Broadcaster is really good, and funnily enough Fender know a thing or two about Telecasters too. 
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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12646
    p90fool said:
    Not to play down the talents of our British winders, but if you're looking for used pickups the Seymour Duncan Broadcaster is really good, and funnily enough Fender know a thing or two about Telecasters too. 
    +1 on the SD Broadcaster.

    Not quite so sure on the current Fender pickups... not heard one recently thats as good as those suggested above (Mojo, Oil City, Alegree and SD). Sorry, Fender...
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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