What Tele bridge pickup to match with Firebird in the neck?

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lovestrat74lovestrat74 Frets: 2489
I have an SD Antiquity ii in the neck. What should I be looking for in a Tele bridge pickup to compliment the fb in the neck?
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  • PhilKingPhilKing Frets: 1473
    edited May 2022
    I have a BKP Boss in the neck of my tele with a original Silvertone (Gibson made), mini-humbucker in the neck.  They match really well.
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  • timmypixtimmypix Frets: 2304
    I've got an Oil City Winterizer in my Tele, and Ash originally recommended his Hardman model to match it for output. However, my Tele isn't the snappiest and it wasn't quite doing it on the twang front for me, so I got his '67 Summer of Love model instead. It's just a classic 60s spec Tele pickup and it matches brilliantly, though I do have the Firebird pickup backed off a bit.

    I've actually since sorted out the acoustic issue that was making my Tele sound dull - a crap batch of Rotosounds! - so I do want to go back to the Hardman at some point out of curiosity now the guitar's twangier by itself, but if I'm honest I'm so happy with the current pickup that doesn't seem much point other than "what if".

    So that's a long way of saying that I've found 60s spec works nicely, but something hotter will probably work nicely too.
    Tim
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  • springheadspringhead Frets: 1583
    I’ve got a Monty’s firebird neck pickup and an Iron Gear Steel Foundry in one of mine. 
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  • lovestrat74lovestrat74 Frets: 2489
    timmypix said:
    I've got an Oil City Winterizer in my Tele, and Ash originally recommended his Hardman model to match it for output. However, my Tele isn't the snappiest and it wasn't quite doing it on the twang front for me, so I got his '67 Summer of Love model instead. It's just a classic 60s spec Tele pickup and it matches brilliantly, though I do have the Firebird pickup backed off a bit.

    I've actually since sorted out the acoustic issue that was making my Tele sound dull - a crap batch of Rotosounds! - so I do want to go back to the Hardman at some point out of curiosity now the guitar's twangier by itself, but if I'm honest I'm so happy with the current pickup that doesn't seem much point other than "what if".

    So that's a long way of saying that I've found 60s spec works nicely, but something hotter will probably work nicely too.
    That's interesting. I know Ash mentioned an offer coming soon, similar to his Strat pickup offer the other month. So might keep my eyes pealed for that. Do you know what magnets are in each pickup? Doesn't say on his website...
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  • timmypixtimmypix Frets: 2304
    timmypix said:
    I've got an Oil City Winterizer in my Tele, and Ash originally recommended his Hardman model to match it for output. However, my Tele isn't the snappiest and it wasn't quite doing it on the twang front for me, so I got his '67 Summer of Love model instead. It's just a classic 60s spec Tele pickup and it matches brilliantly, though I do have the Firebird pickup backed off a bit.

    I've actually since sorted out the acoustic issue that was making my Tele sound dull - a crap batch of Rotosounds! - so I do want to go back to the Hardman at some point out of curiosity now the guitar's twangier by itself, but if I'm honest I'm so happy with the current pickup that doesn't seem much point other than "what if".

    So that's a long way of saying that I've found 60s spec works nicely, but something hotter will probably work nicely too.
    That's interesting. I know Ash mentioned an offer coming soon, similar to his Strat pickup offer the other month. So might keep my eyes pealed for that. Do you know what magnets are in each pickup? Doesn't say on his website...
    Both A5 I believe - both feel and sound that way, although my ear for Tele pickups isn't as dialed in as it is for humbuckers as these are the only ones I've played!  The 67 SOL is vintage spec plain enamel wire, and I suspect the Hardman is more modern/finer wire, and it's then a much higher wind.

    I do wonder if Tele pickups are a bit like Strats, where a higher wind equates to a thicker sounding pickup without actually being that much louder/higher in output. Strat sets with significantly overwound bridge pickups still balance well as a set, generally.
    Tim
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  • PhilKingPhilKing Frets: 1473
    I also have an Oil City Copperfield, but that's matched with a Dynamite neck full sized humbucker.  It would probably still sound good with a Firebird though.
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  • lovestrat74lovestrat74 Frets: 2489
    timmypix said:
    timmypix said:
    I've got an Oil City Winterizer in my Tele, and Ash originally recommended his Hardman model to match it for output. However, my Tele isn't the snappiest and it wasn't quite doing it on the twang front for me, so I got his '67 Summer of Love model instead. It's just a classic 60s spec Tele pickup and it matches brilliantly, though I do have the Firebird pickup backed off a bit.

    I've actually since sorted out the acoustic issue that was making my Tele sound dull - a crap batch of Rotosounds! - so I do want to go back to the Hardman at some point out of curiosity now the guitar's twangier by itself, but if I'm honest I'm so happy with the current pickup that doesn't seem much point other than "what if".

    So that's a long way of saying that I've found 60s spec works nicely, but something hotter will probably work nicely too.
    That's interesting. I know Ash mentioned an offer coming soon, similar to his Strat pickup offer the other month. So might keep my eyes pealed for that. Do you know what magnets are in each pickup? Doesn't say on his website...
    Both A5 I believe - both feel and sound that way, although my ear for Tele pickups isn't as dialed in as it is for humbuckers as these are the only ones I've played!  The 67 SOL is vintage spec plain enamel wire, and I suspect the Hardman is more modern/finer wire, and it's then a much higher wind.

    I do wonder if Tele pickups are a bit like Strats, where a higher wind equates to a thicker sounding pickup without actually being that much louder/higher in output. Strat sets with significantly overwound bridge pickups still balance well as a set, generally.
    I usually steer away from A5s in the bridge as I believed they were more "ice pick" like in the higher frequencies.. 
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14036
    tFB Trader
    A black guard 50's Nocaster in the bridge is always #1 IMO - various options/builders - Bite, grunt, grit, body, twang - To many other options are to thin/scratchy/spikey  
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  • rze99rze99 Frets: 2261
    Nocaster or Broadcaster type
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  • timmypixtimmypix Frets: 2304
    timmypix said:
    timmypix said:
    I've got an Oil City Winterizer in my Tele, and Ash originally recommended his Hardman model to match it for output. However, my Tele isn't the snappiest and it wasn't quite doing it on the twang front for me, so I got his '67 Summer of Love model instead. It's just a classic 60s spec Tele pickup and it matches brilliantly, though I do have the Firebird pickup backed off a bit.

    I've actually since sorted out the acoustic issue that was making my Tele sound dull - a crap batch of Rotosounds! - so I do want to go back to the Hardman at some point out of curiosity now the guitar's twangier by itself, but if I'm honest I'm so happy with the current pickup that doesn't seem much point other than "what if".

    So that's a long way of saying that I've found 60s spec works nicely, but something hotter will probably work nicely too.
    That's interesting. I know Ash mentioned an offer coming soon, similar to his Strat pickup offer the other month. So might keep my eyes pealed for that. Do you know what magnets are in each pickup? Doesn't say on his website...
    Both A5 I believe - both feel and sound that way, although my ear for Tele pickups isn't as dialed in as it is for humbuckers as these are the only ones I've played!  The 67 SOL is vintage spec plain enamel wire, and I suspect the Hardman is more modern/finer wire, and it's then a much higher wind.

    I do wonder if Tele pickups are a bit like Strats, where a higher wind equates to a thicker sounding pickup without actually being that much louder/higher in output. Strat sets with significantly overwound bridge pickups still balance well as a set, generally.
    I usually steer away from A5s in the bridge as I believed they were more "ice pick" like in the higher frequencies.. 
    I also worried about this but the '67 SOL is fine - nothing like the nasty icepicky Fender/Squier pickups that had put me off friends' Teles over the years. I suspect having quite a dark Tele (acoustically) may help tame that, but it's got lots of spank and twang without attacking your ears. The Hardman didn't have that at all - the EQ was more in the midrange and it did have twang but it wasn't dominant.
    Tim
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14324
    I have an SD Antiquity ii in the neck. What should I be looking for in a Tele bridge pickup to compliment the fb in the neck?
    Money no object, the SD Custom Shop '53 Tapped Tele Lead. Tapped output for traditional twang. Full output to rock out.

    The Fender Hot Rod '52 Telecaster paired a Duncan SM-1N mini humbucker with a Fender single coil of approximately 9.5 to 10k. (I forget the rod magnet formulation.) These balanced nicely.

    Paired with an Antiquity Firebird, a Tele pickup could afford to be 9 to 10k with weaker magnets or 8k with Alnico 5.
    Be seeing you.
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  • TeyeplayerTeyeplayer Frets: 3135
    Cats whisker broadcaster tele bridge pickup paired with a firebird neck is truly something else. Highly recommended. 
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  • lovestrat74lovestrat74 Frets: 2489
    In the process of installing a Mojo Esquire pup, so we'll see how that goes..
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14324
    If the pickups are out of phase with each other, this would have to be corrected. 

    EITHER re-Gauss the Mojo single coil to the opposite magnetic polarity
    OR reconfigure its output cabling to two conductor + baseplate ground.
    Be seeing you.
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  • lovestrat74lovestrat74 Frets: 2489
    If the pickups are out of phase with each other, this would have to be corrected. 

    EITHER re-Gauss the Mojo single coil to the opposite magnetic polarity
    OR reconfigure its output cabling to two conductor + baseplate ground.
    I asked Marc to reverse his normal wind as I was originally going to pair this with an OX4 humbucker so It should be ok 
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