Members Glenn F Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Hi there, Just want to improve the sounds of two of my lower end guitars. I put Texas Specials in my MIM Strat this year, and was very impressed by the difference from the stock p'ups. For the Tele, I am also thinking Texas Specials, but want a vintage twang. Dunno if the TSs will give me that; For the Artcore AF-75 hollowbody, I am thinking Gibson Classic '57s, but they are a bit pricey. With installation, the mod will cost almost as much as the guitar. Open to suggestions! Thanks, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zuzuman Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 For a cheap alternative for the AF-75, I put GFS Dream 180s in mine. They suited that guitar very well. They kept the same general character as the stock pickups, only they sounded more "alive" if that makes any sense. I think PAFs or PAF clones, would also sound good in that guitar. It just depends on the sound you are going for. Rockfield SWVs are a good PAF clone, likely to be cheaper than the Gibsons. I have them in my DOT, and they are a huge improvement over the stock Epi pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted October 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thanks for the suggestions! Anyone else? Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 I really like 57 Classics and Seth Lovers. You'll rarely go wrong with those. At a lower price point, I like the GFS Alnico IIs. For the Tele... I haven't done much tele pickup swapping, but I'd avoid the Texas Specials for vintage twang. My favorite tele pickups ever are the GFS Fatbody neck and the Fender Nocaster bridge. Those two pickups with a 4 way switch... I'd think that would be a pretty damn sweet sounding tele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xStonr Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Keep an eye open in the Deals thread as there is an ebay dealer that sells a set of the Gibson 57's at bargain pricing for that pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted October 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Again, thanks. A question I have to ask myself is: is it worth it to put Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 You might put some alnico types in the Tele. If you are going for some classic Tele bridge tones then you should check out a pickup that has a steel bottom plate. Changing out the stock saddles to steel will also bring up the twang factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Sure... my #1 HB guitar (and probably #2 guitar overall) is a 1998-ish Korean Ibanez AX120 rthat I paid $60 for. The guitar itself felt great and I bonded almost instantly. I like it more than my Parker P42, more than my 80s Ibanez guitars, more than most LTDs I've owned... It's just a great guitar.I replaced the pickups with Gibson 57 Classics, replaced the complete wiring harness with a nice harness out of an Edwards, Fender type saddles, Grover locking tuners, new nut, new knobs... I probably have $280 in it and almost everything was bought used (other than the nut and the knobs) and I've rarely played a guitar I enjoy as much for anything close to that price. But... I had completely bonded with the guitar before the upgrades. If you aren't sure on the guitar itself, then I wait it out for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Tele Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 there are many great Tele pickups but the best ones Ive tried are Fred Stuart Blackguards and Nocasters. Either will give you Blackguard Tele twang goodness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KidEh Posted October 21, 2009 Members Share Posted October 21, 2009 Will Nocasters sound good with distortion too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Tele Posted October 22, 2009 Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 Will Nocasters sound good with distortion too? yeah why wouldn't they [YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintage clubber Posted October 22, 2009 Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 for the Artcore: Gibson '57 Classics (or something modeled after that) HB Size P-90's GFS Retrotrons For the Tele: Kent Armstrong Hot Tele set - I have these in two of my teles and they are great Fender Original Vintage Tele Wilde Pickups Keystone set GFS Duncan Dimarzio BG Fralin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Norcal_GIT_r Posted October 22, 2009 Members Share Posted October 22, 2009 My BG Buckers or PUF sets would be a great choice for your Artcore and I can custom wind what you need for your tele. Clips and info on my pickups can be found at www.bg-pups.com If you find any thing interesting shoot me a pm for more info and a forum member discounted cost. Thanks, Bryan Gunsher BG Pups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crashclc Posted October 24, 2009 Members Share Posted October 24, 2009 I like the stock Ibanez Super 58s on the Artcore Customs. Here in the US you can call the importer and get any parts you want. They are pretty good. I imagine you can get them the same way where ever you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted October 24, 2009 Members Share Posted October 24, 2009 Hi there, Just want to improve the sounds of two of my lower end guitars. I put Texas Specials in my MIM Strat this year, and was very impressed by the difference from the stock p'ups. For the Tele, I am also thinking Texas Specials, but want a vintage twang. Dunno if the TSs will give me that; For the Artcore AF-75 hollowbody, I am thinking Gibson Classic '57s, but they are a bit pricey. With installation, the mod will cost almost as much as the guitar.Open to suggestions! Thanks, Glenn For the Artcore, BG Pure 90s and install them yourself. BG offers a forum member discount.Yes, it will be a pain in the butt but you can do it with a bit of patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted October 24, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 24, 2009 Hi, Again, thanks for everyone's input. As I live in Germany, it would be a bit of a hassle getting something from the US (import/VAT charges), as well as paying. We do not use credit cards or Paypal, and the banking system here works somewhat differently than it does in the US/Canada. Transferring funds within the E.U. is cheap, but transferring outside the E.U. isn't. I am thinking about Seymour Duncan Phat Cat Humbucker-sized P90s. I have nowhere enough experience to install these myself, so my luthier will do it. As for the Tele, I still have to make up my mind. I'll be able to manage installing new p'ups on this guitar, though. Thanks, and cheers! Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted October 24, 2009 Members Share Posted October 24, 2009 Hi, Again, thanks for everyone's input. As I live in Germany, it would be a bit of a hassle getting something from the US (import/VAT charges), as well as paying. We do not use credit cards or Paypal, and the banking system here works somewhat differently than it does in the US/Canada. Transferring funds within the E.U. is cheap, but transferring outside the E.U. isn't. I am thinking about Seymour Duncan Phat Cat Humbucker-sized P90s. I have nowhere enough experience to install these myself, so my luthier will do it. As for the Tele, I still have to make up my mind. I'll be able to manage installing new p'ups on this guitar, though. Thanks, and cheers! Glenn Cool.Duncan makes some nice Tele pups as well so you might consider going all Duncan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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