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
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
Not commonly seen on commercial pickups, Alnico 3 offers a warmer and more mellow vintage sound. With low string pull these will sustain beautifully. Great for mellow clean jazz tones and sultry country. Original Tele bridge was made with thinner AWG 43 wire, for a more focused punchy tone.
Neck 7.3k 2.4H
Bridge 7.2k 3.6H @42 AWG
Bridge 8.5k 3.7H @43 AWG
£80 each Set £150
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.
Neck 7.3k 2.4H
Bridge 7.2k 3.6H
£80 each Set £150
Ring
Vintage Alnico II
Thin wire on both neck and bridge gives a punchy, quick sound, while the Alnico 2 poles give the warmth and smoothness. Not as over powered as it appears, these are well in classic vintage twang territory, with smoother treble response and warm lows. Also available with standard thickness of wire on the bridge, to give a fuller, warmer Tele tone.
Neck 7.3k 2.4H
Bridge 8.5k 3.7H
£80 each Set £150
Clang
Vintage Alnico IV
Unusual in commercial pickups, Alnico 4 offers similar power to the usual Alnico 5, but with a bit less of the highs. A slightly warmer vibe, giving better string to string balance, or perfect for the classic twang from an overly bright body.
Neck 7.3k 2.4H
Bridge 7.2k 3.6H
£80 each Set £150
Bang!
Modern Alnico V (or II, III, IV)
Higher output pickups for a more modern sound.
With more pronounced mids and trimmed highs, these have a more attacking tone while retaining the characteristic Tele Twang. B
ridge poles are recommended as flat/non-staggered.
Neck 7.8k 2.7H
Bridge 7.8k 3.8H
£80 each Set £150
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
£85 each Set £160
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.
Vintage-hot to Medium output, wound to taste.
Bobbins available in Black & Cream. Rails available in Black, Chrome or Gold
10-15k
£90
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.
+£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!)
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.
+£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.
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.
+£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.
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.