Samarium cobalt or Vintage Noiseless tele pickups?

[Duffy]

I want to buy a set of noiseless pickups for a telecaster.

Fender has the Samarium Cobalt ones for 90 a set and the Vintage Noiseless for about 110, my price at a local place.

I have zero knowledge of the Samarium Cobalt pickups and have only played one strat with Vintage Noiseless that I can remember. The strat was an American Deluxe with Ash body and maple fretboard with V neck and sounded and played GREAT.

This, however, doesn't speak for the telecaster Vintage Noiseless pickups and how they sound. Does anyone know?

Also, as to the Samarium Cobalt tele pickups - does anyone have any experience with them and do they have characteristics than the Vintage Noiseless? Do they sound different?

I'm wondering if these are decent noiseless pickups for a tele and which would have the most improved characteristic design?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

[FrankenFretter***]

I'll be watching this thread with interest, since I'd like my Tele clone to be less noisy. On the other hand, as my friend Heywood said, maybe the noise is part of the Tele sound, and I should just learn to love it.

[Eric***]

I'll be watching this thread with interest, since I'd like my Tele clone to be less noisy. On the other hand, as my friend Heywood said, maybe the noise is part of the Tele sound, and I should just learn to love it.

I'm with you -- I fricking hate guitar buzz. If that's what single coils have to offer, count me out.

For now. You know these things change...

[FrankenFretter***]

I'm with you -- I fricking hate guitar buzz. If that's what single coils have to offer, count me out.

For now. You know these things change...

Yeah, like you Eric, I also find most single coil experiences somewhat pale in comparison the the LP experience. I try to keep an open mind though, and I really do like the sound of the White Bridge Tele, but it does feed back when gain is applied (or at least some types of gain. It seems to like the Washburn Soloist pedal for some reason. Not sure why that one doesn't feed back as much), and using either the neck or bridge separately does sound a bit buzzy. It's still fun to play, though. More of a variety thing for me, I guess.

Sorry, Duffy...not trying to derail the thread!

[Duffy]

I am going to leave at least one of my good teles with the stock noisy pickups because they sound so good, however, I am going to try some noiseless in my Squier Standard and see how I like them.

Just wondering if anyone has played the two versions of these pickups on the American Deluxe teles or something else, and their impressions. Fender now uses a N3, which is probably like the GFS Neomydium set.

Thanks for the feedback and maybe we can get some actual feedback from people who have first hand knowledge of these noiseless tele pickups.

[Duffy]

I talked today to a real good guitar tech and professional player I know regarding the tele noiseless pickups and he without hesitation said that in his opinion the Vintage Noiseless sound significantly better to him than the Samarium Cobalt.

This may be why the Samarium Cobalt are 80 US and the Vintage Noiseless are 120 US. Value reflected in the price demanded. More simply, the better ones cost more. Then again there could be a huge supply of Samarium Cobalt and not so many Vintage Noiseless in the inventory. Plus, are they even still manufacturing these pickup sets? These could be NOS they are selling off because of the new N3, which I think must be neomydium magnets or alloys of it.

I bought a set of Vintage Noiseless today and will install them. Next I might get a set of Seymour Duncan noiseless tele pickups and compare them to the Fender Vintage Noiseless.

Apparently the Vintage Noiseless sound real good. I have only played them in the strat version in a beautiful American Deluxe Ash V neck strat and they indeed sounded real good.