Tele vs. Strat Bridge Position

ICBM

prlgmnr said:

What did both coils together sound like?

Like a spikier normal humbucker - hard to find an exact comparison, but probably a bit like a hotter Wide Range Humbucker. It doesn't sound like a Gibson-type humbucker because it's still basically two Fender-type coils with direct magnets.

Since @AuldReekie doesn't use his tone control normally, I wired it as a 'spin-a-split' with the push-pull to select which coil, so you've essentially got a continuous range from from fully one coil to fully the other, via the series humbucker.

OilCityPickups

ICBM said:

prlgmnr said:

What did both coils together sound like?

Like a spikier normal humbucker - hard to find an exact comparison, but probably a bit like a hotter Wide Range Humbucker. It doesn't sound like a Gibson-type humbucker because it's still basically two Fender-type coils with direct magnets.

Since @AuldReekie doesn't use his tone control normally, I wired it as a 'spin-a-split' with the push-pull to select which coil, so you've essentially got a continuous range from from fully one coil to fully the other, via the series humbucker.

The Brass Knuckle was designed with splitting options in mind ... so in addition to individual magnets per bobbin/per string, it  uses much taller bobbins than a standard humbucker, so the coil aspect ratio is the same as a normal Fender single coil. 

Simon_M

I’ve been thinking about getting a Tele for a while but I’ve been put off by the fact that usually I gravitate towards humbucker sounds and almost always the bridge. What you’ve all been saying however suggest I might like the bridge position. Any recommendations for a bridge pickup which might bring some humbucker heaviness (sorry for the buzz word)? I’ve got Iron Gear Rolling Mills in one guitar and the USA Standards in my Gibson SG 2017 (not sure what they would be called) and I like both.

OilCityPickups

Simon_M said:

I’ve been thinking about getting a Tele for a while but I’ve been put off by the fact that usually I gravitate towards humbucker sounds and almost always the bridge. What you’ve all been saying however suggest I might like the bridge position. Any recommendations for a bridge pickup which might bring some humbucker heaviness (sorry for the buzz word)? I’ve got Iron Gear Rolling Mills in one guitar and the USA Standards in my Gibson SG 2017 (not sure what they would be called) and I like both.

There are tons of good Tele pickups for the heaver side: The Duncan Quarter Pounder, my own Liquidator, pretty much all companies do a heavier take on the Tele bridge unit. Don't under estimate what you can do with a 'Broadcaster style' pickup however: they are the fattest of the 'standard' Tele variants, and are really very versatile. 

Simon_M

OilCityPickups said:

Simon_M said:

I’ve been thinking about getting a Tele for a while but I’ve been put off by the fact that usually I gravitate towards humbucker sounds and almost always the bridge. What you’ve all been saying however suggest I might like the bridge position. Any recommendations for a bridge pickup which might bring some humbucker heaviness (sorry for the buzz word)? I’ve got Iron Gear Rolling Mills in one guitar and the USA Standards in my Gibson SG 2017 (not sure what they would be called) and I like both.

There are tons of good Tele pickups for the heaver side: The Duncan Quarter Pounder, my own Liquidator, pretty much all companies do a heavier take on the Tele bridge unit. Don't under estimate what you can do with a 'Broadcaster style' pickup however: they are the fattest of the 'standard' Tele variants, and are really very versatile. 

Thanks! I’ve just added a few T types to my eBay watch list.

thegummy

I just recorded a wee ditty on the bridge pickup of a Strat then played it again through a transient designer set to increase the attack.

Does it sound more like a Tele with the increased attack?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL4_VDwALyc

CasperCaster

guitarmangler said:

I hadn’t realised that the strat and tele bridge pickups were in different positions until now. Does anyone know if you can buy a strat pickguard with the bridge pickup in the same position as a tele? 

The low E pole piece of a Tele bridge pickup is in much the same place as the low E pole piece of a Strat pickup. But given that a Tele pickup is on more of a slant, the high e is actually closer to the bridge on a Tele compared to a Strat. This makes duplicating the Tele's bridge pickup position on a trem equipped Strat very difficult. If one were to try and install a Tele bridge pickup in a Strat in the correct relative position one would have to rout the bridge pickup cavity, and, particularly on the treble side the rout would be very very close to the bridge mounting screws. So a bad idea on a trem equipped Strat. 

It MIGHT be possible to position a Strat bridge pickup in the correct relative position to that of a Tele, since the Strat pickup itself is smaller (overall length, but also the baseplate area beneath), and some Strat pickups are also available without the flange (e.g. Duncan SSL5/SSL6) which might also help. Some routing would be required, but perhaps not quite as close to the bridge mounting screws as for a Tele bridge pickup. Of course, if you did do this it is likely that the string alignment over the pickups would be poor, since a Tele bridge pickup, being designed specifically for its position and slant, has pole pieces spaced approx 56mm centre to centre E to e - wider than a Strat. Maybe get away with it on a 52.5mm spaced Strat bridge? 

I think a Tele bridge pickup sound has more going on in the low mids, and this gives the pickup more authority - it just sounds more solid somehow. Whilst I think the bridge itself has an effect, I don't think that's everything (I prefer vintage three saddle bridges, but the Gotoh GTC 201 is an excellent sounding bridge; flat plate/ six saddle/ all brass construction i.e. a long way from the vintage design). The fact a Tele has a fixed bridge IS important - a trem makes it near impossible for a Strat to sound like a Tele in my opinion, and that is down to the delivery of the note/ dynamics which will always be different regardless of the frequency response of the pickup. The closest I've heard to a Tele from a Stratesque design was a fixed bridge MusicMan Albert Lee SSS. I suspect the fixed bridge plus baseplate under the pickup (Duncan Twangbanger in the MM AL) were important factors. 

OilCityPickups

ICBM said:

prlgmnr said:

What did both coils together sound like?

Like a spikier normal humbucker - hard to find an exact comparison, but probably a bit like a hotter Wide Range Humbucker. It doesn't sound like a Gibson-type humbucker because it's still basically two Fender-type coils with direct magnets.

Since @AuldReekie doesn't use his tone control normally, I wired it as a 'spin-a-split' with the push-pull to select which coil, so you've essentially got a continuous range from from fully one coil to fully the other, via the series humbucker.

For those who are interested ... the Brass Knuckle is back.

ChuckManual

The main, chief and most important difference between a Tele bridge pickup and a Strat bridge pickup is; I like a Tele bridge pickup.

ICBM

OilCityPickups said:

For those who are interested ... the Brass Knuckle is back.

I can say this without any association with Oil City whatsoever ... the Brass Knuckle is the best solution for a humbucker Strat or Tele if you need better single-coil tones and aren't as bothered by having an exact 'Gibson' humbucker sound that I've come across. I haven't tried it in other types of guitars yet.

AuldReekie

ICBM said:

OilCityPickups said:

For those who are interested ... the Brass Knuckle is back.

I can say this without any association with Oil City whatsoever ... the Brass Knuckle is the best solution for a humbucker Strat or Tele if you need better single-coil tones and aren't as bothered by having an exact 'Gibson' humbucker sound that I've come across. I haven't tried it in other types of guitars yet.

+1 as well as the original Levinson Blade H/B, I had at least 3 SD p/ups in the Bridge position of my Blade RH4 (Custom, Jazz, Stag Mag) all of which worked to varying degrees but. One good enough to stop me looking for alternatives. The Oil City Brass Knuckle is excellent and the search stopped immediately after I tried it @OilCityPickups is superb