telecaster

The Telecaster isn't just one of Fender's most popular models, it's also one of the most well-known guitars ever created, period. It's signature body style has been mimicked the world over and while there are some admittedly impressive clones out there, there's no replacing a true Telecaster. The same goes with its famous tone, a sound that can be heard throughout rock and roll history. But what if you want something a little different? Or maybe a set that delivers a vintage sound with some modern features? Today, we're taking a look at some of our favorite Telecaster replacement pickups that retain the classic Tele twang while adding unique twist on the famous tone. Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_2235" align="alignright" width="300"] SEYMOUR DUNCAN SHPR-1s P-Rails - Neck and Bridge Pickup Set - White[/caption] Hard rock seems to get most of the attention when it comes to shredding solos and being the atypical music star, but that doesn’t mean blues guitarists can’t melt faces with the best of them! Today, we're selecting our top five picks for that good ol’ American sound. It does come to mind that pickups aren’t made to fit on all guitars, so we’ll do our best to get a little variety in there as far as featured guitar bodies go. Well then, read on and check out our list for the top pickups for blues!     Blues Pickups for Stratocaster and Stratocaster-styled Guitars One of the most popular guitar bodies ever produced is that of the Fender Stratocaster. There are innumerable clones of varying quality and even a diverse model assortment of the real thing, and while certain aspects may be different from one to the other, one thing that you can always count on is the uniformity of the pickup slot sizes, letting your Fernandes Strat don the pickups of the real thing. The Stratocaster and their clones use three single-coiled pickups with only very few exceptions in the case of special models, but for all intents and purposes, these are for your standard Strat pickup configuration.   Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_3134" align="alignright" width="300"] The bridge pickup on a Tele (right) is mounted on the steel bridge assembly, as opposed to a Strat's pickups which are all mounted on the pickguard.[/caption] Q: "Why do Telecasters Sound Brighter than Stratocasters?" A: Since there are a decent number of models for both the Stratocaster and the Telecaster, we’ll be referring to their stock, standard incarnations. While it is true that many players associate the Tele as sounding brighter than a Strat, it’s not 100 percent cut and dry – but there is definitely a lot of truth behind this idea. Continue reading →

Seymour Duncan SH-PG1 Bridge Humbucker Zebra @ $94.95 Q: "I recently bought a new Seymour Duncan SH-PG1 bridge humbucker for my HSS Stratocaster and even though it fits perfectly, I noticed that the poles aren’t lining up right with the strings. Did I do something wrong? Aren’t all humbuckers the same size?" A: Even if they might look similar...

[caption id="attachment_2596" align="alignright" width="300"] Bi-Flex truss rods are currently offered in many American Standard, American Deluxe, Fender Select and Special Edition Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars, such at the American Deluxe Strat shown above.[/caption] You might have come across the term "Bi-Flex Truss Rod" when searching for select Fender electric guitars. If you're not quite sure what to make of it, how they differ from traditional truss rods or if they might be right for you, let our friends at Fender tell you all about their Bi-Flex truss rod system: There seems to be some confusion online and out there in the real world regarding the Bi-Flex truss rod—what it does and how it works—so in this Tech Talk feature, we’ll take these questions one at a time, and hopefully that’ll straighten everything out. Continue reading →