Hello! I am brand new to building guitars. I’ve got the pit bull Telecaster kit. I’m wondering what pickups I should consider buying for my telecaster kit. I’ve been looking at the Fender Custom Shop '51 Nocaster Telecaster Pickups. I love the sound of those, but would love to hear what pickups others have used!
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Last edited by bkirk00; 18-05-2023 at 08:13 AM. Reason: Clarification of what kit I have
It really depends on the tone you want or the budget and the availability in your region. Every pickup maker has tele pickups, which could be their faithful creation of a Vintage one or their own Modern ones.Originally Posted by bkirk00
So the best way to go about it is to.
1. Decide what music you play and what sort of tone you want (usual criterias are
A. 50s, 60s and 70s or modern, Nashville, Texas tone ( This depends on EQ)
B. Low/ Medium/ High output ( Depends on music you play for example Jazz and blues would be a low output, Metal would be a high output)
C. With Base plate or without. Tele bridge PU usually has Base plate but there are manufacturers who also do neck ones with baseplate)
2. Then go to the makers website and listen to the sound samples and zero in on the sound
3. Decide on the budget on how much do you want to spend
Budget - Guitarfetish, Iron gear, Toneriders
Moderate - Seymour duncan, Bare knuckles, DI Mario, Lollar, Fralin
Boutique - Custom shops, Kinman, Zexcoils, Righteous, Radioshop, Elysian, Lace sensors
Then there are also active ones like EMG, Fishmans which might need a battery which would also require a battery rout in tele body
If you want to go the other way there are single coil shaped humbuckers too available in market. You can also use a p90 or Humbucker if you can route a cavity
People here have used all sorts of pickups on their build. It really depends on your taste and Vitamin M
Here is a list of pickup manufacturers all around the world
https://modcheapguitars.com/list-of-...manufacturers/
You can have a look and check out their websites
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Last edited by Drashkum; 18-05-2023 at 09:19 AM.
Good advice from Drashkum. Listening to a lot of them, particularly in the style that you want to play is great advice.
I am more of a bass player and only have one electric guitar (at least so far ;-) ). It has a set of GFS Lil' Punchers (modern vintage). I was looking for versatile since it's my only electric. I like them a lot. I have heard it said that in humbucking mode they sound like a PAF. I think they are more like a P90 or mini-humbucker, but I do like the sound. They sound like a Tele in single coil mode to my ear. I have them set up to do single coil, double coil, and have a switch to make the single coil "both on" setting either traditional or humbucking. They sound good and score high on versatile.
That list from Drashkum should be on a sticky. What a great resource! There are lots of great pup makers, and some of the handmade pickups are not too incredibly expensive, particularly if the shop is not that well known. But it's great to know which ones are near you since at least you don't have to deal with huge shipping costs. I got my favorite set of P-bass pickups from an outfit in Michigan called Epic Custom Shop. I am building a Strat for my daughter that will use their pickups as well...but unfortunately no Tele Pickups. Too bad because if you are in the US they are an awesome value.
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