Amp cloth design burned into maple
Patterned tele with open neck cover
Narrow flatwork with a wider coil for a natural mid boost.
Amp cloth design burned into maple
Simple elegant design. Searing lead in the bridge. Bell-like clarity in the neck. Steel plate on the bridge adds the meat, while plated brass cover on the neck adds the charm.
My Tele pickups are scatter-wound directly onto hand finished Alnico magnets. These are mounted on laser cut fibreboard flatwork before being potted in wax.
I use period correct cloth covered hookup wire.
Vintage Standard Spec is Copper covered steel baseplate on the bridge and chrome plated, copper neck cover, with Flat bridge poles. See below for other options.
Two purchasing options:
1: Buy models from the shop section below - use drop down menus to customise.
2. For non-standard orders get in touch: Here
Standard Models
Shimmer
Vintage Alnico III
Alnico 3 has the lowest strength in the Alnico family. This resultant low inductance offers a warmer and more mellow tone as well as improving articulation. That being said, the original Tele bridge pickups from the 50s wouldn't described a mellow!
In the neck Alnico 3 is woody, jazzy, sultry and smooth.
In the bridge its a searing tele, but with the top end tamed and more woodier tones in the base. Combine this with the thinner AWG43 wire for Broad tones of the earliest Tele's. My favorite Tele bridge.
Neck 7.3k 2.4H
Bridge 7.2k 3.6H @42 AWG
Bridge 8.5k 3.7H @43 AWG
£90 each Set £175
Clang
Vintage Alnico IV
Unusual in commercial pickups, Alnico 4 offers similar power to the usual Alnico 5 with classic 60s style Twang, but with a subtle trimming of the top end.
The Neck pickups has the bell-like Tele neck tones.
The Bridge comes in two flavours: 50s style in AWG43 has a bright voice, but with a subtle push in the upper mids. The 60's style in AWG42 has most of the 60s Tele twang charm, with a slight bit off the top. Both still uncompromising Tele twang.
Proper Tele voice, perfect if you want That voice, but find your guitar a bit too bright.
Neck 7.3k 2.4H
Bridge 7.2k 3.6H @42 AWG
Bridge 8.5k 3.7H @43 AWG
£90 each Set £175
Ring
Vintage Alnico II
Alnico 2 is moderately powerful. Enough power to push the amp, but tempered enough to retain a thickess in the lower end, resulting in a rich smooth tele tone.
The Neck pickups has a rich smooth woody tone.
The Bridge comes in two flavours: 50s style in AWG43 has a thick chewy voice. The 60's style in AWG42 adds a subtle brightness in comparison. Both still uncompromising Tele twang.
Neck 7.3k 2.4H
Bridge 7.2k 3.6H @42 AWG
Bridge 8.5k 3.7H @43 AWG
£90 each Set £175
Twang
Vintage Alnico V
Alnico 5 has been used in pickups from the latter parts of the 50's to present. If you want that iconic Twang, this is the pickup.
Controllable bass, smooth mids and those ever present highs; accentuated by the steel baseplate of the bridge, and smoothed out by the cover on the neck to give bell-like clarity.
The Bridge comes in two flavours: 50s style in AWG43 adds a touch more body in the mids to the proper 60's style in AWG42 which is all uncompromising Tele twang.
Neck 7.3k 2.4H
Bridge 7.2k 3.6H @42 AWG
Bridge 8.5k 3.7H @43 AWG
£90 each Set £175
Bang!
Modern Alnico V (or II, III, IV)
Basically the same as a vintage Tele but with higher output pickups for a more modern sound.
With more pronounced volume, mids and subtly trimmed highs, these have a more attacking tone while retaining the characteristic Tele Twang. Bridge poles are standard as flat/non-staggered.
Neck 7.8k 2.7H
Bridge 7.8k 3.8H
£90 each Set £175
3x3 Tele
Vintage Alnico II, III, IV or V
Side-by-side, hum-cancelling single coils with Alnico poles. Voiced to sound more like a proper Tele single coil. These retain the bright punchy voice in the bridge and the clear bell-like tones in the neck, with a slight thickness in the mids.
Note: There is a dead spot between the D&G poles on the neck pickup when bending the strings. Works fine for strumming. Bridge pickup is unaffected.
Neck 9.1k 2.4H
Bridge 9.1k 3.5H
From £100
Big Bang!
Modern Alnico V
This is a pickup with more snarl than twang.
Still voiced with that iconic sound but with large magnets and seriously overwound, this is a monster! Huge presence when clean and able to break up a tube amp at will!
Neck 11k 3.8H
Bridge 14.3k 8.8H
£95 each Set £180
ParalleBang!
Modern Alnico V (or Ceramic, II, III, IV)
Tele Bridge sized Humbucker for those looking for a dominant lead tone with thicker, humbucker-esque voice. The addition of steel increases the inductance in the coil, changing the sound of the pickup, adding more Bass & Mid response.
Vintage-hot to Medium output.
Bobbins available in Black & Cream. Rails available in Black, Chrome or Gold
10-15k
£100
Optional Extras
No extra cost
Blended
If you find your unwound strings on the shrill side, consider using a blend of magnets in the bridge pickup. With an Alnico 5 bridge pickup, using Alnico 2 or 3 in the GBE string position will smooth out the tones and add a little more warmth in your solos. Contact me directly to discuss this option.
From £20 each
Laser Face
Laser technology with the ability to create unique/custom pieces. Want your name, logo or band on your pickups? Dragon scale, paisley or stripy patterns your thing? No-limits design. Contact me directly to discuss this option.
No extra cost
Overwound Underwound
Most Vintage wound Pickups can be Overwound to Vintage-Hot wind for more presence and for brighter guitars or just for a bit more grunt and a more modern sound.
All Pickups can be Underwound up to 10% for more clarity or for dark or hollow guitars. Contact me directly to discuss this option.
From +£15 each
Wooden Top
For an extra visual boost, the top flatwork for the bridge & uncovered neck pickup can be constructed from laminated sheets of real-wood veneer or occasionally from solid wood.
Popular woods include: Birdseye Maple, Flame maple, Rosewood, Zebrano & Mahogany. Enquire for choice and availability. Contact me directly to discuss this option.
+£10
Formvar Tele
Not traditionally used in Tele Pickups, Formvar is the type of coating on the insulated coil wire and is thicker than normal Poly insulated coil wire. This results in a fatter coil with more space between the wires in the coil. Resulting in a more open, airy 'vintage' sound.
Only available for Vintage Spec Bridge pickups. (the fat coil won't fit on the neck!)
+£15
Open Neck
For the clearest tone from your covered neck pickup, use an open cover to expose the poles.
More akin to a Strat sound.
+£10
See Through Neck
For a clearer tone from your covered neck pickup, use a Nickel-Silver cover instead of brass.
Nickel-Silver is more sonically 'see-through' than the normal brass & won't trim the top off your tone, while maintaining the traditional look.