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Post subject: Tele Pickups Replacement?
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 4:59 am
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I have a Tele with a Zebra Double HB bridge pickup and a lipstick neck pickup, USA Pro model with an S Switch to split the HB's. I want to know if there are better pickups to replace both these with deeper less edgy sound? I like chunky, and somewhat warm tones, the neck pickup is ok and probably should keep it as is, but the zebra is harsh and brash and is hard to dial in.
I turn down the treble and it sounds hollow with the middle position in the cleans but sounds great when driven and higher volumes. Mostly looking for a better lower volume bridge pickup. Does it even exist?

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Martin D-18 E Retro, Martin GPCPA4-Nat.
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Post subject: Re: Tele Pickups Replacement?
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:12 pm
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have you tried to adjust the pup height at all?

the harsh/brash tone is common wen the pips are too close to the strings,

so it can be tamed a bit by just lowering them, (either by a little, or more than a little)


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Post subject: Re: Tele Pickups Replacement?
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 5:00 am
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KidBlast wrote:
have you tried to adjust the pup height at all?

the harsh/brash tone is common wen the pips are too close to the strings,

so it can be tamed a bit by just lowering them, (either by a little, or more than a little)



I'll have a tech look at it and tell him what you said and have it adjusted if necessary.

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My Equipment:
Fender USA Pro Telecaster HS
Fender Super Champ X2 15W tube combo.


Martin D-18 E Retro, Martin GPCPA4-Nat.
Fishman Loudbox Artist acoustic amp.


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Post subject: Re: Tele Pickups Replacement?
Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:20 am
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KidBlast wrote:
have you tried to adjust the pup height at all?

the harsh/brash tone is common wen the pips are too close to the strings,

so it can be tamed a bit by just lowering them, (either by a little, or more than a little)



How do you adjust the height of the pick-up, is there adjustment screws, and where?

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My Equipment:
Fender USA Pro Telecaster HS
Fender Super Champ X2 15W tube combo.


Martin D-18 E Retro, Martin GPCPA4-Nat.
Fishman Loudbox Artist acoustic amp.


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Post subject: Re: Tele Pickups Replacement?
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:54 pm
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Hi pfflyer55

There are the silver screws in the black pickup housing of the Zebra humbucker. If you look at the guitar from front on, neck pointing up to the ceiling, you'll have 2 silver screws on the left side and 1 silver screw on the right. need to loosen these screws by a couple of turns (not too many) and you'll see the pickup drop on that side. do the same on the other side and you'll be good to go. Can be done at home, is really simple, and doesn't require a tech. Turn the screws the other way to bring back up.

Kind Regards,

Dan

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Post subject: Re: Tele Pickups Replacement?
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 3:51 am
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Impulse7 wrote:
Hi pfflyer55

There are the silver screws in the black pickup housing of the Zebra humbucker. If you look at the guitar from front on, neck pointing up to the ceiling, you'll have 2 silver screws on the left side and 1 silver screw on the right. need to loosen these screws by a couple of turns (not too many) and you'll see the pickup drop on that side. do the same on the other side and you'll be good to go. Can be done at home, is really simple, and doesn't require a tech. Turn the screws the other way to bring back up.

Kind Regards,

Dan


I saw those screws and wondered what they were, thanks for the advice. I may try it soon, should the treble side be farther from the strings than the base?

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My Equipment:
Fender USA Pro Telecaster HS
Fender Super Champ X2 15W tube combo.


Martin D-18 E Retro, Martin GPCPA4-Nat.
Fishman Loudbox Artist acoustic amp.


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Profile
Post subject: Re: Tele Pickups Replacement?
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:51 am
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It's entirely subjective. Fender has "recommended heights" (google it, you can find the measurements) but as youve pointed out, that doesnt work for you.

As a previous poster mentioned, pickup closer to the strings on a humbucker can result on a cleanish amp as harsher tones (accented midrange, larger output driving the Preamp) and lowering that pickup takes the most active range in the magnetic field out of the strings path, which will roll off output as well as a overall perceived highs and lows, mellowing it out a little.

If you want your higher strings to ring out a little more, be a little more present, raise that side of the pickup, if its too shrill, drop it or angle the bass side of the pickup higher. However, you may find that it might provide muddier tones that way and you have to reset it.

This really is the best kind of problem though, as pickup height is one of the few things you can alter while the guitar is in your lap, and you can control the degrees of turn to really test out each position, while the guitar is plugged in.

My advice is this: take a measurement either side of the pickup face to the string, so you can always return it to the original placement. Based on your original description of the current tone, I would drop your whole pickup by 50mm and try that first. Again if you lose high end clarity, raise the treble side, but its up to you. Keep switching back and forth between your neck pickup as well because you want a balanced sound, where neck and lead complement each other.

Only word of advice, don't lower the pickup face below the black pickup surround, as you could unwind the pickup off the height adjustment svrews. It's not the end of the world, if it happens, take the strings off, unscrew the black pickup mount, reach in, reattach the pickup to the pickup mount, then screw the mount back in, new strings. But rule of thumb, don't drop the face of the pickup below the pickup housing.

Last but not least, have a pencil and paper next to you to record your results, what you think works, and a beer or two always helps ;)

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Post subject: Re: Tele Pickups Replacement?
Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 8:38 am
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I lowered the treble side to a tic above the housing, about a 1/32 of an inch and about 1/16t on the base side and it warmed it up a bit. Not muddy or any loss of treble response. I do have to bring up the volume a bit on the guitar. I am going to play with it more and raise it back to it's original height and do it all over again till I get it tuned to my ear!

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My Equipment:
Fender USA Pro Telecaster HS
Fender Super Champ X2 15W tube combo.


Martin D-18 E Retro, Martin GPCPA4-Nat.
Fishman Loudbox Artist acoustic amp.


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Profile
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