Seymour Duncans for Tele Humbucker build - Opinions please!

[Harpo]

Warmoth tele, here's the body (thinline, 2 1/2 lbs!) and neck:

http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseItem.aspx?Body=2&Type=3&hollow=178&sort=weight&i=T3867

http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseNeck.aspx?Body=1&Shape=4&Type=4&Path=Tele,Vintage%20Modern&nWood=999&nutWidth=5&nOrientation=1&i=VMT5758

1 11/16 nut, but using Fender American Standard trem (2 1/16 spacing).

Intended as a light weight, versatile guitar.  Mainly clean channel, country (Chet, etc.), folk, light rock, but want tele twang also, so split switch for bridge.  My style is mainly fingerpicking (with thumb & finger picks), lots of bass and don't like shrill treble.

I'm thinking Antiquity Humbucker or Seth Lover at the neck and Blues Saraceno Parallel Axis at the bridge.

Any input would be appreciated!

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

For clean and country, perhaps a pair of Lollartrons would complement that nicely.

 

[Kostas]

... Mainly clean channel, country (Chet, etc.), folk, light rock, but want tele twang also, so split switch for bridge.  My style is mainly fingerpicking (with thumb & finger picks), lots of bass and don't like shrill treble.

I'm thinking Antiquity Humbucker or Seth Lover at the neck and Blues Saraceno Parallel Axis at the bridge.

Any input would be appreciated!

You will not get tele twang from a humbucker, splitted or not. Personally I wouldn't use these pickups if I wanted a good clean sound. I wouldn't use humbuckers at all but it's your guitar so...

I'll recommend Lollar El Rayo HB's http://youtu.be/VFDF5CTwnBg and a pair of TV Jones Classic Plus/Classic. I believe both of these pairs will fit your style of playing.

 

[Harpo]

You will not get tele twang from a humbucker, splitted or not. Personally I wouldn't use these pickups if I wanted a good clean sound. I wouldn't use humbuckers at all but it's your guitar so...

I'll recommend Lollar El Rayo HB's http://youtu.be/VFDF5CTwnBg and a pair of TV Jones Classic Plus/Classic. I believe both of these pairs will fit your style of playing.

Not really understanding your logic here, as PAF style humbuckers are the standard for my style of music, and both pickups you mention are in fact humbuckers.

I'll admit to having no experience with splitting, but since it involves using only one coil of a humbucker, I am thinking the effect would be the same as having a single coil in that location...?

 

[DaveT]

I like the Seymour Duncan P-rails in my Tele copy.
They do a really good P90 sound with a decent fender single coil sound and a decent humbucker sound.

Whatever you choose, make sure you get the 4 position Tele pickup switch to put the pickups in series!

 

[Kostas]

Not really understanding your logic here, as PAF style humbuckers are the standard for my style of music, and both pickups you mention are in fact humbuckers.

I'll admit to having no experience with splitting, but since it involves using only one coil of a humbucker, I am thinking the effect would be the same as having a single coil in that location...?

I associate clean sound more with single coils and less with humbuckers. I suggested these pickups because you asked for humbuckers.

A splitted humbucker has one coil working but the sound is not the same as a single coil. Depending how good is the pickup it can simulate a single coil sound.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Seymour Duncan Jazz for the neck.
Rio Grande Twangbucker for the bridge.

 

[Cagey]

I'll admit to having no experience with splitting, but since it involves using only one coil of a humbucker, I am thinking the effect would be the same as having a single coil in that location...?

Not really. Humbuckers have two coils wired in series, so the output is additive. Because of that, the coils usually don't have as many winds on them, so if you split the thing and only use one coil, it can be kinda weak. It'll sound like a single coil, but you'll need to crank something up to compensate. Then, you get a LOT more noise out of the deal.

A good compromise is one of the "rail" style pickups. They have narrower but taller coils. At full-tilt boogie, they romp like a humbucker (which they are), but if you back the volume off a tad, they clean right up. Since they have the narrow form factor of a single coil, there's very little comb filter effect, so you don't lose frequency response.

 

[Harpo]

Thanks much, Cagey - that's good to know.  If I will have to bump the amp up when switching to split at the bridge, there's really no advantage to me.  I was thinking I could just pull the pot and get the twang!

 

[Cagey]

Well, a lotta guys do it anyway. If you've got the discipline for it, you set up your amp/sfx so things sound right with the guitar's volume/tone backed off a little to start with. That way, when you need some more balls, you have somewhere to go right at the instrument.

The discipline part comes in where you put it back after you've cranked it. For me, that never happens after a few minutes of playing. Everything goes to 11 and stays there <grin>

The other thing you can do is channel switch your amp, or kick on some sort of booster stomp box. MXR makes a little 6 band graphic EQ that functions quite nicely as a booster and gives you some nice tone control at the same time.

Damn thing eats batteries like they're free, though, so if you go that route be sure to get a power supply for it.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Or a P-Rails for the bridge?