Wilde L48TL, Headstock mass

EdGrip · June 2015

After reading @ICBM 's comments on the extra mass of 70's Strat headstocks and tone, and remembering the "Fat Finger" product that used to be marketed, I thought I'd experiment - given how tiny a Tele headstock is!

It definitely does something. It's definitely not my imagination that this eliminates the 9th-ish fret dead spot on the 3rd string. It could be my imagination that it makes the guitar louder and more responsive - you seem to get more output from the same input; it's keener to guitar.

This is rather drastic - it adds probably a kilo or so to the headstock, and makes the guitar a bit uncomfortable and neck-dive-y. It was just testing the concept, really. What I think I'll do is get a nice heavy block of steel, Hammerite it, and screw it to the back of the headstock.

Another thing I thought I'd mention is how I'm getting on with the Wilde (proper Bill Lawrence) twin-blade Tele pickup.

In short, I really like it. I bought two pickups from Wilde - this and their L200TL, which is supposed to be a more traditional-sounding, 6-Alnico-slug noiseless pickup. The idea was I'd try both and then keep whichever one I liked best.

The thing is, I like this one so much that I'm going to have trouble summoning the gumption to take it out and put the other one in for experimental purposes. I've had 4 bridge pickups in this guitar so far - a Tonerider Hot Classic, which I disapproved of. Then one of Mojo pickups' Broadcaster replicas. Then a Bareknuckle Yardbird. Then this.

This is my favourite of the lot.

I think part of the reason for this is that in my guitar, the bridge pickup is in the non-magnetic steel scratchplate rather than in a magnetic-steel bridgeplate like a normal Tele. With a traditional Tele bridge pickup, the bridge plate modifies the magnetic field of the pickup and so contributes to the twangy Tele sound. This pickup, and the L200TL, have no interest in the magnetic qualities of the plate they are mounted in - they do all their own twang.

Consequently, this pickup sounds most like the Tele sound in my head of everything I've tried. It's also very clear, crisp, and full. I think from what I'd read about Wilde pickups, I was worried that it wouldn't be full - that it might be sort of bright and flat. It's not. It goes deep. It rings, more than the traditional pickups I tried. It's silent.

The twin-blades are described as having a smoother/softer attack than a true single-coil. That's true, but it's only a slight difference, not a drastic one. To the extent that I notice it at all, I find it to be an advantage rather than a problem, for the stuff I like to play. (Clean melodic reverb-y XX-esque stuff, rockabilly stuff and filthy Big Muffy stuff)

Frankly, even including import charges, these are a real bargain. I'll let you all know how I get on with the L200 one day.

Neck pickup is still a string-covered Oil City Triple Blues Strat pickup. It's still ace.