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Thread: Alternative bridge pick up? US Highway 1 Tele

  1. #1
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    Default Alternative bridge pick up? US Highway 1 Tele

    First off I really love my Tele!

    Playing it through a Fender blues junior 3 amp, I find the neck pickup awesome but the bridge pick up I find too "sharp". It seems to boost treble and be a bit too "jangly" and "abrasive" for the bluesy/slower rock stuff I normally play. If I use the bridge pickup I normally have to roll the tone off a fair bit or play it at a lower volume.

    Not a huge problem but I was wondering if anyone has tried replacing their bridge pickup with an alternative? I'd like to see if its possible to get an even better tone!

    It would need to be a pickup the same size as standard really as I don't want to have to cut away at the body to fit it, just one I could solder in as a direct replacement would be an interesting test.

    I'm totally new to this, so any direction or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

  2. #2
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    That can be a problem with some of the Tele bridge pickups out there. If you want to stick to a Fender made pickup, the Texas Special's sound really nice.

    I have a set of Bare Knuckle pickups ("The Boss") in my T style and absolutely love them. They have the classic Tele twang, but without the ice pick shrill, and can still rock. They have several models to choose from. "The Boss" has a fuller bass than usual.

    Each pickup has several sound clips to listen to.
    https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/mai....php?cat=teles
    Guitar: Gibson SG Standard Natural Burst, Squier CV 50's Tele, Hell Guitars No. 2, Squier CV 50's Strat, Reverend Club King 290, Taylor 522e 12-Fret mahogany,
    Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass Short Scale
    Amp: Fender Super Champ X2 Head, Egnater Tweaker 15, Fender Mustang I, Acoustic B20 1x12 bass amp
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  3. #3
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    I've always been partial to Seymour Duncan pickups, but Bare Knuckle pickups just flat out sound incredible! You can't go wrong with either company.

    BTW, you will find that, even in the Tele world, there is an alternative pickup out there that will meet your needs. They wind that bridge pickup for every possible sound these days.

    On a budget? Look at GFS pickups at www.guitarfetish.com. Toneriders sound great, too! www.tonerider.com

    The choices can get a bit crazy these days. Every major manufacturer of Tele pickups, (i.e. Fender, Duncan, DiMarzio) will make a pickup that doesn't sound as shrill as the one in your Tele.

    Have fun with the search!

  4. #4
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    Thanks, I'll try and find some samples online


    In terms of fitting, is it just a case of soldering 2 wires and screwing the new one in place?

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