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hey guys i got a mex tele for graduation from my parents. i play in a hardcore/metalcore band so to get the guitar to the tone i want i need to get a humbucker in the bridge. i have a MIJ Strat that i put a emg-81 in there but it wasn't exaclty what i hoped for (too brassy and no bass). i want to make it as warm as possible and sound good with lots of distortion. i want a les paul sound as much as possible with good bass response. what seymour should i go with?

IMO, you might consider going for a A5 Tele Hot or a A2 Jerry Donahue or a A5 Fralin Blues Special (all single coils) and then get a Boss DS-1 or maybe a Duncan Pickup Booster. Plug that into a smallish tube amp with great tone (like a 5E3 tweed Fender Deluxe or a clone of one or something similar) crank it up, and you should be able to do Jimmy Page's trick of making his Tele sound like a Les Paul...as on the first Led Zep album.

Getting your Tele to sound more like a Les Paul can be done without installing a humbucker.

Well using a Tele for hardcore/metalcore is like using a butter knife to cut down a redwood. I would suggest a different guitar for the task. Celebrate the tele for what it is.

The strat would be a better candidate than the tele for modification. Most metalcore players have seven strings or even baritones. What have you done to modify the strat other than the emg81?

Snowdog

You could also use a Tele Hot Rails bridge, it works great for heavy music. I prefer a 2 humbucker Tele, the perfect quot;do-it-allquot; guitar. I play all kinds of music and it's nice to be able to use just 1 guitar. I use a set of 59's on my Tele, I think it is the perfect guitar sound foe me. I've owned several Tele's and LP's and though I love a good LP, I always miss the feel of a Tele. Having a dual humbucker Tele is the best of both worlds and yes you can play metal on a tele!


Originally Posted by idsnowdogWell using a Tele for hardcore/metalcore is like using a butter knife to cut down a redwood. I would suggest a different guitar for the task. Celebrate the tele for what it is.

The strat would be a better candidate than the tele for modification. Most metalcore players have seven strings or even baritones. What have you done to modify the strat other than the emg81?

Snowdog

I disagree with this post. You aren't going to get this guitar to sound like a Les Paul because it doesn't have the scale length or set neck or amount of wood. You can, however, get a Tele sounding really really heavy with the right amp. If you get a humbucker, a Distortion or JB would do great for metalcore. A hot rails lead for tele would also get you a very heavy sound.

Most metalcore players in bands that i'm familiar do not use 7s. Some use Baritones, but the most common metalcore tuning is drop C, which doesn't require a baritone.

Don't listen to them, plenty of hardcore bands use Tele's with Hotrails. Let's see what I can remember (been more on my poppy phase lately), Poison The Well, Boys Night Out, I believe Sum 41 (not sure if it's a hot rails though). And honestly many others, Teles can do anything.

A Tele can get an LP vibe with the right pickups, EQ, and OD combination, as Lew says. If you want a strong bass response, then I'd steer away from the Jerry Donahue in favor of the STL-2 Hot Tele lead (I haven't tried the Fralin). I suspect that the QP Tele lead will work, too, and there's always the Lil 59 and Hot Rails if you need hum-reduction.


Originally Posted by KelseyA Tele can get an LP vibe with the right pickups, EQ, and OD combination, as Lew says. If you want a strong bass response, then I'd steer away from the Jerry Donahue in favor of the STL-2 Hot Tele lead (I haven't tried the Fralin). I suspect that the QP Tele lead will work, too, and there's always the Lil 59 and Hot Rails if you need hum-reduction.

That's true about the Jerry Donahue...it's an alnico 2 pickup. Alnico 5 Tele pickups will have more bass...alnico 2 will have less bass but more mids. I've done my best Les Paul impression using a Tele with slightly overwound Alnico 5 Fralin Blues Special pickups through a smallish amp that's cranked up and overdriven with a Boss DS-1. Jimmy Page did it with a '59 Tele with stock alnico 5 pickups (not overwound) through a cranked 50's Supro Thinderbolt amp with a 15quot; speaker...don't know if he had a pedal for overdrive or not. But as Kelsey says, you can get the vibe of a Les Paul with the right pickups, right amp and right EQ and overdrive.

The Tele Hot Rails or Quater Pounders might be a good call too...but I think the right overdrive pedal, one that you can leave on all the time and lower the volume of your guitar to 1/2 to clean up for rythym, would be the ticket. The Duncan Pickup Booster and Boss DS-1 do that trick better than any other pedals I own.

Lew

im definetly getting a humbucker. write now my set up is a mij strat with a emg-81 at the bridge. the only other mods are cosmetic mods. its very edgy with little bass and no warmth. it works ok but its harsh on the cleans. it kinda sucks b/c a tele is the quot;inquot; thing in the scene now: underoath, the bled, thrice, a kiss for jersey......

You could replace the EMG with a Duncan Invader. Or Dimarzio X2N, Super Distortion, Megadrive or the Kent Armstrong Mega Distortion. These all have a lot of bass and handle distortion well. For metalcore my choice would be the Kent Armstrong Mega Distortion.

Snowdog

from what ive heard,alot a people who dont apreciate the emg 81 favor the tom anderson h2 and h3 humbuckers.
trust me on this one,if bass is what you need,they give em in spades.
they sell one of their top of the line guitars tele style THE COBRA with the h2 buckers and sounds like no other les paul would.many prefer them to pauls.
i woudn´t put aN invader as it is way too bassy and could take away the inherent qualities of a tele and a LP for that matter.
suit yourself

I would leave the Tele alone. There are no lack of cheap high quality LP style guitars out there.

Snowdog

alot of heavier players use teles. john 5 comes to mind with his wierd fender tele creation.

I'm surprised that noone has mentioned the Lil '59.

which would be better the h2 or the h2 's. same for the h3's? what would it mean most for tone? also what about PRS humbuckers, are they any good? gibson?

bump


Originally Posted by gripweedI'm surprised that noone has mentioned the Lil '59.

The lil 59 would probably be too thin sounding.

I have 2 Teles set up for metal, one has an EMG 81/85 combo anf the other uses dual Hotrails. I'll put either one up against a Paul any day. Tons of chunk and great clarity too.

I vote HotRails. No guitar mods and killer sound.


Originally Posted by erm87hey guys i got a mex tele for graduation from my parents. i play in a hardcore/metalcore band so to get the guitar to the tone i want i need to get a humbucker in the bridge. i have a MIJ Strat that i put a emg-81 in there but it wasn't exaclty what i hoped for (too brassy and no bass). i want to make it as warm as possible and sound good with lots of distortion. i want a les paul sound as much as possible with good bass response. what seymour should i go with?

Why not just invest in a Les Paul?


Originally Posted by gripweedI'm surprised that noone has mentioned the Lil '59.

I was thinking of the JB JR...but Duncan doesn't make one for Teles. The Lil 59 would be similar but not quite as thick. Another good pickup though...that and the Hot Rails. Since he's into metal, the Hot Rails might be a better choice than the Lil 59...but it sound slike he's set on a full size bridge humbucker anyway. The JB would be a great choice in a full size humbucker, IMO, and split or in parallel it sounds alot like a stock Tele bridge pickup too. And we know it sounds it great in a Tele because both Jeff Beck and Seymour have made great recordings using it in a Tele. Lew

Absolutely, Little 59 Bridge.. This is the thing which turns a Tele into a Les Paul sounding insturment..

Neck pup is always problem with tele. I would go with a STR-2 (hot rhytm)

Another possibility is ; Buying a Hot Rails Tele and putting a Strat Hot Rails neck (it fits !! and because of the rails there is no pole problem) and modifying the Pickguard.. And putting a 5 way Mega Switch would make this tele (everything axe)..