Happy New Guitar Day—Telecaster Custom!

gball said:
I may actually bite the bullet and buy one of the actual CuNiFe ones that Fender sells. The guitar is good enough to justify a $300 pickup.

You're right about those tuners...they may be the same. I think these guys may fit:

Kluson 6-In-Line Plus Series Tuners - StewMac

Shop Kluson 6-In-Line Plus Series Tuners at StewMac. Easily upgrade your Squier or Epiphone without drilling! Order today with StewMAX FREE Shipping!
www.stewmac.com www.stewmac.com
Click to expand...
What kinda pups does a guy like JOhn 5 use in his Tele's?

Also, any of you guys seen anyone put ACTIVE EMG pickups in a Tele like this?
 
Fiesta Red said:
Active EMGs are a sin against all that is holy and a crime against humanity.

Jim Root should be ashamed about his signature Telecaster…amongst other things.

…in my humble opinion.
Click to expand...
Not picking on ya or damning your opinion, but have you ever tried any EMG pups?

My first experience with them was actually on a Schecter Model T Robert DeLeo Signature bass. No HUM, and performed well.
I was a green bass player when I got it. I had a buddy who is a PRO player check it out one night at his gig. He had never seen or even handled it before. Then he blew my mind. He played MY bass for the entire gig. When the night was over, he gave it rave reviews.

In time, I had to sell it to pay mortgage/ bills etc. Sold on ebay, and after a year or so, I contacted the buyer to see how he liked it. He said that he " just cut an album with it, if that told me anything." They reissued this model without the DeLeo sig to it, but it came either with Duncans or D Designed passive pickups instead. My guess is it was cheaper than one with the Active Pups
 
Fiesta Red said:
Active EMGs are a sin against all that is holy and a crime against humanity.

Jim Root should be ashamed about his signature Telecaster…amongst other things.

…in my humble opinion.
Click to expand...

I can't say as I know Jim Root's work, or even that he had a Tele with EMG's. The reason I asked about if anyone ( us or national endorsed players etc) ever put EMG's in a Tele is total clueless state where I knew of no one. Not saying I was touting the EMG, but as an option other than what gball and you were hashing out about your Humbucker.

Oh and to my knowledge, gball likes a high gain style of music. He may have insight about the EMG and how it might work in a Tele like you guys have.
On a side note. I also have an SG that someone modified and put EMG's in it. When I got it, I had 0 opposition to the sound of the guitar, but I preferred to return it to stock configuration with the original Tarback pickups and Pots, Switch etc.

The difference with this EMG setup was that instead of the often used 81/85 set, it had a single coil H in the bridge, and an 85 in the bridge.
 
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Session 5 said:
Agree i wouldn't put EMGs in any of my guitars. Those things are terrible.
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Have you actually tried an EMG equipped guitar, Norm?

Come to think of it. When Fender's Noiseless pickups came out, I seem to remember that many players poo poo'd their noses at them too.
However, I think their track record has earned a following. Pretty sure the original Eric Clapton sig model had em, and some others I can't remember.

I for one, can't say as I have enough experience to judge if I would like or would dislike any guitar with EMG's. I would need to play a few different guitars through different rigs etc,
 
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Fiesta Red said:
Jim Root should be ashamed about his signature Telecaster…amongst other things.
Click to expand...

When I researched the Jim Root Telecaster, I found some interesting info.

Did you know that it has a Mahogany Body?

  • Mahogany body
  • Flat White satin finish
  • Ebony or maple 12"-radius fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets
  • EMG® 60 (neck) and 81 (bridge) active humbucking pickups
  • Single control knob (volume) and three-way pickup switch
  • Hardtail strings-thru-body bridge
 
Far as I know the John 5 Tele has DiMarzio's in it. I think he has been using different DiMarzio's for a long time, but lately you see him more and more with stock Tele's it seems.

As for EMG's, they have their place. They are tools like anything else, and in the right application there is little else that can do what they do - definitely no passive pickup has the tightness and immediacy in the low end that they do. It also occurs to me that an awful lot of my favorite music was recorded using them.

That Jim Root Tele is cool. I would rock that thing.
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
Not picking on ya or damning your opinion, but have you ever tried any EMG pups?

My first experience with them was actually on a Schecter Model T Robert DeLeo Signature bass. No HUM, and performed well.
I was a green bass player when I got it. I had a buddy who is a PRO player check it out one night at his gig. He had never seen or even handled it before. Then he blew my mind. He played MY bass for the entire gig. When the night was over, he gave it rave reviews.

In time, I had to sell it to pay mortgage/ bills etc. Sold on ebay, and after a year or so, I contacted the buyer to see how he liked it. He said that he " just cut an album with it, if that told me anything." They reissued this model without the DeLeo sig to it, but it came either with Duncans or D Designed passive pickups instead. My guess is it was cheaper than one with the Active Pups
Click to expand...

chilipeppermaniac said:
I can't say as I know Jim Root's work, or even that he had a Tele with EMG's. The reason I asked about if anyone ( us or national endorsed players etc) ever put EMG's in a Tele is total clueless state where I knew of no one. Not saying I was touting the EMG, but as an option other than what gball and you were hashing out about your Humbucker.

Oh and to my knowledge, gball likes a high gain style of music. He may have insight about the EMG and how it might work in a Tele like you guys have.
On a side note. I also have an SG that someone modified and put EMG's in it. When I got it, I had 0 opposition to the sound of the guitar, but I preferred to return it to stock configuration with the original Tarback pickups and Pots, Switch etc.

The difference with this EMG setup was that instead of the often used 81/85 set, it had a single coil H in the bridge, and an 85 in the bridge.
Click to expand...

chilipeppermaniac said:
Have you actually tried an EMG equipped guitar?

Come to think of it. When Fender's Noiseless pickups came out, I seem to remember that many players poo poo'd their noses at them too.
However, I think their track record has earned a following. Pretty sure the original Eric Clapton sig model had em, and some others I can't remember.

I for one, can't say as I have enough experience to judge if I would like or would dislike any guitar with EMG's. I would need to play a few different guitars through different rigs etc,
Click to expand...
@chilipeppermaniac and @gball

Yes, I have played several guitars with EMG’s, both out of curiosity (in a guitar shop and wondered “What the heck are those in that Flying V?”) and necessity (out of state, went to a dude’s house and he was having a jam session, so I borrowed first a Gibson SG styled after Zakk Wylde’s Les Paul and then a Jim Root model Telecaster…both did NOT work with my preferred tones and style…interestingly enough, I was much, much happier playing through a different guy’s cheap Squier Strat that had ceramic single-coils)…

Yes, they are dead silent…and sterile…and have no discernible personality. The tones of the bridge and neck pickups were not very distinguishable—the neck was slightly darker, but that was about it.

IMHO, They are the sonic equivalent of a cheap heavy metal pedal or amp that overwhelms the tone of whatever is plugged into it.

If I were playing high-gain music through high-gain pedals into a high-gain amp, I might have some appreciation for their no buzz/no interference/mo hum “blank slate” tone; as it is, I don’t do any of those things…

I play Texas Blues, Outlaw Country and Classic Rock…I get overdriven and fuzzy and modulated and even a bit distorted sometimes, but I sure as sugar don’t want or seek high gain sounds.

As far as Jim Root:
He is in Slipknot.
He has/had(?) a signature Fender Telecaster and Squier Telecaster and later a Squier Jazzmaster.
While they are good at what they do, I have little to no use or appreciation for Slipknot’s music, image, presentation or performances…
IMHO…they’re the musical equivalent of Liver and Onions…I don’t care how much everyone else loves it or how well the cook prepares it, I’m not enjoying nor partaking of the dish.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT…

If someone likes them (EMG pickups, Jim Root’s guitars, Slipknot the band), that’s great—go seek that stuff out and enjoy it and have a ball…

It’s just not for me.
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
When I researched the Jim Root Telecaster, I found some interesting info.

Did you know that it has a Mahogany Body?

  • Mahogany body
  • Flat White satin finish
  • Ebony or maple 12"-radius fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets
  • EMG® 60 (neck) and 81 (bridge) active humbucking pickups
  • Single control knob (volume) and three-way pickup switch
  • Hardtail strings-thru-body bridge
Click to expand...
Outside of the pickups and the music he makes with it, I have no problem with the Jim Root signature guitar…

The rest of the features are pretty cool. I would probably add a Tone knob and a four way switch… but my sole complaint is those pickups that sound very sterile through a rig like mine.
 
Fiesta Red said:
Outside of the pickups and the music he makes with it, I have no problem with the Jim Root signature guitar…

The rest of the features are pretty cool. I would probably add a Tone knob and a four way switch… but my sole complaint is those pickups that sound very sterile through a rig like mine.
Click to expand...

How you describe your tone/rig, yeah, es no bueno with EMG. They are amazing through a high-gain amp rig though. In fact, I came very close to putting the Zakk Wylde 81/85 set in my Les Paul Custom, but decided not to because I have really started to dial back the gain the last couple of years. I recently even took the 496R/500T set I had in there out and installed a 57/57+ set because I don't need/want the high output any more for what I am currently doing. I am digging the more nuanced tones.
 
Fiesta Red said:
@chilipeppermaniac and @gball

Yes, I have played several guitars with EMG’s, both out of curiosity (in a guitar shop and wondered “What the heck are those in that Flying V?”) and necessity (out of state, went to a dude’s house and he was having a jam session, so I borrowed first a Gibson SG styled after Zakk Wylde’s Les Paul and then a Jim Root model Telecaster…both did NOT work with my preferred tones and style…interestingly enough, I was much, much happier playing through a different guy’s cheap Squier Strat that had ceramic single-coils)…

Yes, they are dead silent…and sterile…and have no discernible personality. The tones of the bridge and neck pickups were not very distinguishable—the neck was slightly darker, but that was about it.

IMHO, They are the sonic equivalent of a cheap heavy metal pedal or amp that overwhelms the tone of whatever is plugged into it.

If I were playing high-gain music through high-gain pedals into a high-gain amp, I might have some appreciation for their no buzz/no interference/mo hum “blank slate” tone; as it is, I don’t do any of those things…

I play Texas Blues, Outlaw Country and Classic Rock…I get overdriven and fuzzy and modulated and even a bit distorted sometimes, but I sure as sugar don’t want or seek high gain sounds.

As far as Jim Root:
He is in Slipknot.
He has/had(?) a signature Fender Telecaster and Squier Telecaster and later a Squier Jazzmaster.
While they are good at what they do, I have little to no use or appreciation for Slipknot’s music, image, presentation or performances…
IMHO…they’re the musical equivalent of Liver and Onions…I don’t care how much everyone else loves it or how well the cook prepares it, I’m not enjoying nor partaking of the dish.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT…

If someone likes them (EMG pickups, Jim Root’s guitars, Slipknot the band), that’s great—go seek that stuff out and enjoy it and have a ball…

It’s just not for me.
Click to expand...
I definitely knew that the strengths of the predominant EMG models would likely not suit your style of music/ your rig or whatever. I have no dog in the fight so to speak.

I wonder if you might alter your perception if you tried some other spec'd EMG's such as the H single coil like the one I have.
This wonder is not any kind of pressing you to fit a round peg into a square hole type thing, but more my curiosity of the variation of sound this pickup might produce in the hands of a player like you, vs a lifetime " beginner" like me.
 
Fiesta Red said:
@gball you may be right about those Klusons…if they’re anything like all the other Kluson (and Kluson-type) tuners, the should fit the bill…

Please reach out to me and let me know—if they’re good, I’ll buy one set for Keef (Custom) and one set for Bevo (Deluxe)
Click to expand...

Those Klusons won't work. The parallelogram shape of the base is reversed from the stock ones.

Looks like its going to be these (which is fine, they are technically better quality model anyway:

Kluson 6-In-Line Revolution Series F-Mount Tuners for Fender Guitars - StewMac

Lightweight diecast tuning machines are designed to directly retrofit the stamped "F" tuning machines that Fender uses on reissues of models from the CBS/Fender era.
www.stewmac.com www.stewmac.com
 
Fiesta Red said:
@chilipeppermaniac and @gball

Yes, I have played several guitars with EMG’s, both out of curiosity (in a guitar shop and wondered “What the heck are those in that Flying V?”) and necessity (out of state, went to a dude’s house and he was having a jam session, so I borrowed first a Gibson SG styled after Zakk Wylde’s Les Paul and then a Jim Root model Telecaster…both did NOT work with my preferred tones and style…interestingly enough, I was much, much happier playing through a different guy’s cheap Squier Strat that had ceramic single-coils)…

Yes, they are dead silent…and sterile…and have no discernible personality. The tones of the bridge and neck pickups were not very distinguishable—the neck was slightly darker, but that was about it.

IMHO, They are the sonic equivalent of a cheap heavy metal pedal or amp that overwhelms the tone of whatever is plugged into it.

If I were playing high-gain music through high-gain pedals into a high-gain amp, I might have some appreciation for their no buzz/no interference/mo hum “blank slate” tone; as it is, I don’t do any of those things…

I play Texas Blues, Outlaw Country and Classic Rock…I get overdriven and fuzzy and modulated and even a bit distorted sometimes, but I sure as sugar don’t want or seek high gain sounds.

As far as Jim Root:
He is in Slipknot.
He has/had(?) a signature Fender Telecaster and Squier Telecaster and later a Squier Jazzmaster.
While they are good at what they do, I have little to no use or appreciation for Slipknot’s music, image, presentation or performances…
IMHO…they’re the musical equivalent of Liver and Onions…I don’t care how much everyone else loves it or how well the cook prepares it, I’m not enjoying nor partaking of the dish.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT…

If someone likes them (EMG pickups, Jim Root’s guitars, Slipknot the band), that’s great—go seek that stuff out and enjoy it and have a ball…

It’s just not for me.
Click to expand...
I couldn't have said it better tried EMG when they first hit the market not my thing what I've found through trial and tribulation is a guitar sounds good
or it doesn't
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
Have you actually tried an equipped guitar, Norm?

Come to think of it. When Fender's Noiseless pickups came out, I seem to remember that many players poo poo'd their noses at them too.
However, I think their track record has earned a following. Pretty sure the original Eric Clapton sig model had em, and some others I can't remember.

I for one, can't say as I have enough experience to judge if I would like or would dislike any guitar with EMG's. I would need to play a few different guitars through different rigs etc,
Click to expand...

Yes i have Chili, that's why i expressed my view. I played a guitar at my local shop that had them in it, they were mushy sounding terrible sounding. No clarity at all, flat sounding. Don't recall the name of the guitar, I remember the body was kinda shaped like a Strat. I wouldn't put them in any of my guitars. But the name EMG was clear on the pickups.
 
Session 5 said:
Yes i have Chili, that's why i expressed my view. I played a guitar at my local shop that had them in it, they were mushy sounding terrible sounding. No clarity at all, flat sounding. Don't recall the name of the guitar, I remember the body was kinda shaped like a Strat. I wouldn't put them in any of my guitars. But the name EMG was clear on the pickups.
Click to expand...

Norm, there is loads of info for me to learn about the EMG's too. My mind is slipping as I age. I forget more now than I ever did. Hell, I was talking to my sis about her daughter and a place to live, her marriage, health etc. I read off some texts of convesations from just yesterday with my niece. Sis tells me I already told her all that.

Uggh.

Having said that, I was right. EMG does make some Passive pickups too.

 
chilipeppermaniac said:
Norm, there is loads of info for me to learn about the EMG's too. My mind is slipping as I age. I forget more now than I ever did. Hell, I was talking to my sis about her daughter and a place to live, her marriage, health etc. I read off some texts of convesations from just yesterday with my niece. Sis tells me I already told her all that.

Uggh.

Having said that, I was right. EMG does make some Passive pickups too.

Click to expand...

Never tried their passives. But I do kind of agree that the actives can be a bit sterile sounding if you are not using a big load of gain. But with a really distorted tone they are massive-sounding and very articulate, with super-tight low end. There's a damn good reason so many metal guys use the things.
 
gball said:
Never tried their passives. But I do kind of agree that the actives can be a bit sterile sounding if you are not using a big load of gain. But with a really distorted tone they are massive-sounding and very articulate, with super-tight low end. There's a damn good reason so many metal guys use the things.
Click to expand...

Yes i agree with that. They would be great for metal guy's, But I definitely would not want them, in any of my Tele's or Strats
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
I can't say as I know Jim Root's work, or even that he had a Tele with EMG's. The reason I asked about if anyone ( us or national endorsed players etc) ever put EMG's in a Tele is total clueless state where I knew of no one. Not saying I was touting the EMG, but as an option other than what gball and you were hashing out about your Humbucker.

Oh and to my knowledge, gball likes a high gain style of music. He may have insight about the EMG and how it might work in a Tele like you guys have.
On a side note. I also have an SG that someone modified and put EMG's in it. When I got it, I had 0 opposition to the sound of the guitar, but I preferred to return it to stock configuration with the original Tarback pickups and Pots, Switch etc.

The difference with this EMG setup was that instead of the often used 81/85 set, it had a single coil H in the bridge, and an 85 in the bridge.
Click to expand...
I would say EMG active hums would sound pretty similar in any guitar as active PUps tend to. . So if you like em, put em in a Tele or whatever you like.
 
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