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I've always associated much of the signature tele tone with the pickup being mounted in a steel bridge plate. This is more of a guitar question, than pickup question, so I posted it here. How different is a strat pickup from a tele pickup, because it seems that a strat pickup gets it's tone from a plastic guard, while the tele gets it's bright snap from having it's pickup mounted in metal, attached to the bridge saddles.

Suppose you put a tele pickup in a Strat w/strat pickguard? Still a tele tone?
Suppose you put a tele pickup in a Tele body with a pickguard and strat bridge?
Suppose you put a strat pickup in a Tele body with pickguard and strat bridge?

I'm interested in hearing from Tele players that have used different configurations, and what percentage of a tele tone is Bridge/Pickup/Body Shape?

Imho, it mainly the bridge/pickup thing. The hardtail bridge really makes the Tele feel quot;tighterquot; than a Strat and adds that quot;edginessquot;. I have also read somewhere that the bridge plate affect the magnetic field of the pickup in some way. I'm not sure whether that it true though...

Don't forget the string-thru hardtail bridge. I think that is a big component of the Tele tone as well.

All that stuff, but I also reckon the significantly smaller routed areas, especially the pickup channel, is a major part of it.

Just to quot;muddy the watersquot; even more, I have read that the more severe angle of the pickup also contributes to the tone.

It's the string through design, pickup attached to the bridge, the steel bassplate waxed on the bottem of the bridge pickup and a slightly hotter bridge pickup with a wider bobbin that makes a Tele sound like a Tele, IMO. Lew

You can get all kinds of different pickups, vintagey, hot railsy, ballsy, firebreathingly ballsy, but they all sound like a tele. It's that big ol' baseplate and the saddles being mounted to and resting on the same sound condusive material that the pickup is mounted to.


Originally Posted by MarinbluesI have also read somewhere that the bridge plate affect the magnetic field of the pickup in some way. I'm not sure whether that it true though...

It's true. Seymour told us this at User Group Day. The bridge spreads the magnetic field around more so it picks up more of the longer wavelengths (low mid and bass) which gives a Tele the gutsy bridge tone that you wouldn't otherwise expect from a bridge single coil. The steel plate on the bottom of the pickup helps with this too.

The Twangbanger is a Tele-style (except for mounting) pickup with a steel plate on the bottom made for Strats. I've never tried one but folks in here say it gets a more Tele-like tone though not quite. You'd need the Tele bridge set-up to close the deal.


Originally Posted by ZhangliqunIt's true. Seymour told us this at User Group Day. The bridge spreads the magnetic field around more so it picks up more of the longer wavelengths (low mid and bass) which gives a Tele the gutsy bridge tone that you wouldn't otherwise expect from a bridge single coil. The steel plate on the bottom of the pickup helps with this too.

The Twangbanger is a Tele-style (except for mounting) pickup with a steel plate on the bottom made for Strats. I've never tried one but folks in here say it gets a more Tele-like tone though not quite. You'd need the Tele bridge set-up to close the deal.

That's right. I have a Twangbanger in a Strat and also a Custom ShopTapped Tele Hot in a Strat. Both sound like a Strat... ...not a Tele. You gotta have the string through body and the bridge pickup mounted in the bridge plate so it's picking up all those harmonic vibrations and microphonics from the strings actual physical vibrations... as well as what the pickup's magnetic field is picking up to get the Tele tone.


Originally Posted by Hot _GritsAll that stuff, but I also reckon the significantly smaller routed areas, especially the pickup channel, is a major part of it.

Possibly. All I can add to this discussion is that my cheap Peavey Genny, with presswood/chipwood body and swimming pool route, still captures that classic Tele tone with the Jerry Donahue in it.

(Which reminds me . . . gotta change my sig. Just took that out.)

Artie

The bridge plate doesn't have to be steel -- lots of great Tele players use brass bridge plates. The pickup doesn't necessarily need a base plate -- lots of Tele pickups come without them, but you wouldn't mistake them for a Strat -- and as already noted, putting a base plate on a Strat pickup doesn't make it sound like a Tele. I also doubt that a hardtail Strat sounds like a Tele, so the string through business doesn't clinch it either (not to mention toploader Teles).

To me, that leaves the bobbin geometry (shape and size) and the rigid mounting to the bridge plate as the key features in Tele lead tone. However, I suspect that many people have a particular Tele tone in their heads, rather than how a Tele sounds different from a Strat, when they cite things like steel bridges, brass saddles, pickup base plate, etc.

My Music Man Albert Lee guitar's bridge pickup sounded like a fantastic bridge pickup to me. It was basically an APS-2 with a metal plate underneath. it was mounted a vinyl pickguard and it was string-through-body. In fact, it sounded better than both my 50's Tele and Nashville B-Bender Tele... There you see it in my avatar...

Nice guitar Butch! I love that color with the maple neck.

Lew, I was wondering about your strat with the tele/strat/strat setup. So, you're saying it's basically tele/strat looking, but sounds like pure strat, huh?