AprioriMark
Hero Member
- Messages
- 1,710
First of all, Ken comes through again. My sonic blue tele was saved by a set of his pickups, my Bass VI sounds amazing with his P-90s, and I can't tell you how many friends and acquaintances are fans of his work. So, yes, I'm predisposed to appreciating his 'pups.
I've been searching for a bridge position Tele pickup that will work with the Gibson neck humbucker I have in my red Tele. It's Palowina with a Goncalo/Bubinga neck. Every traditional Tele pickup has just sounded... thin and dull. The Gibson 'bucker started out with Alnico II magnets and was swapped to Alnico V, then settled on Alnico III. It's warm, hotter than average, but still in the vintage range. I need a bridge pickup that is aggressive and clear without being "modern" in its output/voicing.
Ken (TroubledTreble here) wound me a T-90, which is an amalgamation of a Tele pickup and a P-90-esque coil. I am, no BS, shocked at how it's retained the pleasing qualities of both. It's clear and brass-y without being an icepick to the ear. That's not to say that it's muddied in the high end. It's surprisingly clear and shimmery in all the ways I want a single coil to be. It also has that wonderful P-90 "bark" that draws me to P-90s in the first place.
So, if you're looking for something in a Tele bridge pickup that's clear but throaty and not your typical "icepick," consider these seriously. I can't sing their praises enough; I played this one last night with an eclectic group, and I found myself *using* the bridge position on a Tele. It cut through, sounded full and clear, and was very musical. Not only did I give away the business card that came with the pickup, but a couple people copied the Roadhouse web address after hearing it in action for a couple hours.
Thanks again, Ken.
-Mark
I've been searching for a bridge position Tele pickup that will work with the Gibson neck humbucker I have in my red Tele. It's Palowina with a Goncalo/Bubinga neck. Every traditional Tele pickup has just sounded... thin and dull. The Gibson 'bucker started out with Alnico II magnets and was swapped to Alnico V, then settled on Alnico III. It's warm, hotter than average, but still in the vintage range. I need a bridge pickup that is aggressive and clear without being "modern" in its output/voicing.
Ken (TroubledTreble here) wound me a T-90, which is an amalgamation of a Tele pickup and a P-90-esque coil. I am, no BS, shocked at how it's retained the pleasing qualities of both. It's clear and brass-y without being an icepick to the ear. That's not to say that it's muddied in the high end. It's surprisingly clear and shimmery in all the ways I want a single coil to be. It also has that wonderful P-90 "bark" that draws me to P-90s in the first place.
So, if you're looking for something in a Tele bridge pickup that's clear but throaty and not your typical "icepick," consider these seriously. I can't sing their praises enough; I played this one last night with an eclectic group, and I found myself *using* the bridge position on a Tele. It cut through, sounded full and clear, and was very musical. Not only did I give away the business card that came with the pickup, but a couple people copied the Roadhouse web address after hearing it in action for a couple hours.
Thanks again, Ken.
-Mark
