Put Fender Custom Shop Texas Special in bridge

[Duff]

Put a Fender Custom Shop Texas Special in the bridge of my '07 walnut stain Squire Standard Tele.

Initial impression is great! The custom shop Texas special is 10K and hot. It is clear and has that real nice tele tone that is much superior to the stock bridge pickup and a lot hotter but, unexpectedly, it blends really well with the stock neck pickup and the middle position is great.

It has single coil noise but with the hot bridge pup you have to expect that.

The cavity of the Squire Standard tele was well painted with shielding paint and grounded well. The wiring was very well done. My wiring was also done well, using no flux this time. Cleaning all the contacts.

I want to play some of my strats but I'm going to play the Squire tele for a while to get to know that pickup and try to get the best I can out of the sound, learn some new territory.

I will A/B it to my G&L Tribute ASAT semi hollow classic tele with the swamp ash top and American MFD pups. I think the ASAT will win, but we will see.

I got the custom shop Texas Special for 35 dollars and putting a GFS 'lil Puncher in a guy's MIM Fender tele that had already had the Texas Special modded into it, very very sloppily I may add. I put the rail in there really nicely and it is completely quiet.

I'd put a 'lil Puncher set in a tele any day. Might do it to one of mine.

Hope someone finds this informative and interesting.

Duffy

[marnold]

When I was planning on modding my old Charvel Model 7, I was debating between the Fender Texas Specials and Rio Grande Muy Grandes. I had decided to go with the latter, mainly because the Texas Special price doubled while I was debating. Turns out I just sold the guitar.

[Duff]

Played myself to sleep with that baby last night. Really made an nice sounding instrument out of the '07 Squire Standard Tele.

Played it thru my RP 350 on the Soldux model. Don't know what that is. Should get the manual out. Maybe Soldano. It sounded really chimey and strong with all the extras of that model. That is a nice model.

I'd say the Fender CS Texas Special bridge pup for the tele is a very nice pup, but you have to be able to stand the noise because it is high gain, 10.x Kohms and that increases the noise some. But the tone compared to the cheap Squire Standard pups is way different. I think a replacement set of Squire Standard Tele pups go for 15 dollars on MF or somewhere I saw.

I still would like to put a set of the GFS 'lil Punchers in a tele just to see if I liked it.

Duffy

35 paid for the Texas Special wasn't bad I don't think. If you are on top of things like a lot of us are you can definitely find deals and learn what a deal is and also, what a deal isn't. There is just something that gives me a bummed out feeling when I see people trying to sell guitar stuff for more than it originally cost, if you include shipping and similar deals where there is very very little savings, if any and you are getting an older used item that isn't a collector's item or anything. Sometimes you could go on rondomusic.com, no affilliation, and get the same thing or better for less, brand new.

I thought the 35 was an outstanding price. Wish I could have gotten the neck one too.

Duffy

[marnold]

I thought the 35 was an outstanding price. Wish I could have gotten the neck one too.
There are more than a few people who feel that the Texas Tele neck pickup is the best pickup Fender makes.

[WindyCity100]

Just picked up a set of Texas Specials and gonna put them in my MIM Strat (AFTER I get all the damn buffing compound out of the route areas!) and get some shielding in there. I debated for a long time about the swap and glad to hear positive things about them.

[oldguy]

Just picked up a set of Texas Specials and gonna put them in my MIM Strat (AFTER I get all the damn buffing compound out of the route areas!) and get some shielding in there. I debated for a long time about the swap and glad to hear positive things about them.

WC100,
I think you will really like those pickups.:AOK: I was lucky enough to pick up a used Roadhouse USA Strat, not once, but twice in the last few months, for under $600 each, and both of them have the Texas Specials. Here's a pic of the "twins" as my wife calls them........
http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/thum_115494bdc0aa0b9e.jpg (http://www.thefret.net/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=851)http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/thum_115494d52895c740.jpg (http://www.thefret.net/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=862)

The Texas Special pickups in these guitars are hot enough to grind when you crank them, yet clean up nicely when you roll them back a bit, or play through the clean side of a good medium wattage amph.
The longer I play them, the more I notice the difference between these and the stock pickups in my MIM Strat, the tone and clarity of the Texas Specials are more to my liking. I bet you'll like them as well.
You can read reviews w/ descriptive adjectives and adverbs..........
(chimey, punchy, sparkling, bell tone, round, gritty, sizzling, snap, gutsy, piercing, sharp, smooth, warm, etc.) but once you hear them, you'll know.;)

[Jimi75]

I had CS 69 in one guitar and Texas Spec. in the other guitar. Now both guitars are equipped with TX Specials. I totally love the sound of them, no matter if we are talking 'bout the Strat or Tele version of this pu.

[mrmudcat]

Agreed ive got mary jane (american fender) set up with T.S. and a star ground wiring mod copper sheilded etc.:beer:

[WindyCity100]

Got the TS pups in the Strat and they are GREAT!! What a difference vs the stock ones. New bridge from GuitarFetish to follow in a couple weeks (when I have a little more disposable coin of the realm).