MJT Telecaster (Lollars, Fralin, Mare or Lundgrens? )

sprada

sprada

Inspired
So I'm building an MJT Tele.
It's a gourgeous Alder body in light Relic Olimpic White.

Neck is an All Parts Maple /Rosewood.
Still not sure what pickups to choose.

I'm googling Lollars, Lindy Fralin, Don Mare and Lundgrens.
I would probably go with Don Mare if they were available locally. Since they don't work with dealers I would have to pay for shipping and taxes (and there's also the waiting time).

I'm wondering if you guys have any experience with some of these pickups?
I'm looking mostly for a classic vintage and balanced Tele sound.
Don't really care for high output pickups. I have an Axe-FX. Gain is limitless
Cheers.

Here's some pics from the MJT site of the actual body. It's nicer in person:
 

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Fralin, Porter, or Lollar IMO... not necessarily in that order (can't go wrong with any of them).
Only Lunds I've heard were HBs and pretty hot. No experience with Mare.
Are you doing a 4 or 5 way switch? If you want a little more chime out of the neck, maybe see if you can find a Pasadena '66 from Thorn.
 
My signature guitar was built by WG Bristol Guitars. I have Lollars in it. Excellent tone, great punch when cranked, and clean up very well. I am very happy with them. Of course choice of pups is a personal and subjective thing. The Lollars work well for me.
 
I have Lollars in my telecaster, and Fralins in my stratocaster. Both are fantastic pickups. I've been especially pleased with the tone of the Lollars in the tele. I'd recommend using a four-way switch so you can add the series option for the pickups.
 
mogvinda said:
I don't think I've ever heard a bad sounding Tele before.
Click to expand...
I kinda agree, although I would say there's still a pretty wide spectrum of build quality. Same goes for OEM pups vs a nice set from a reputable builder.

On a tele, from my experience, you decide if you want the snap of maple or the warmth of rosewood on the neck & board, find a profile you like, then it's all about hardware & electronics. OP seems to be on the right path. Only "wrong" thing you can really do to a tele is to set the action too low... fret buzz =/= twang or chime.

What's the old joke? You can get a MIM Tele for $400 bucks from Mexico made by Mexicans, or you can get a custom shop Tele for $4000 made in America... by Mexicans.
 
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Rotti said:
I kinda agree, although I would say there's still a pretty wide spectrum of build quality. Same goes for OEM pups vs a nice set from a reputable builder.

On a tele, from my experience, you decide if you want the snap of maple or the warmth of rosewood on the neck & board, find a profile you like, then it's all about hardware & electronics. OP seems to be on the right path. Only "wrong" thing you can really do to a tele is to set the action too low... fret buzz =/= twang or chime.

What's the old joke? You can get a MIM Tele for $400 bucks from Mexico made by Mexicans, or you can get a custom shop Tele for $4000 made in America... by Mexicans.
Click to expand...

Haha! Very good.

I once owned an American Standard maple Tele. Any amp i put it into on the afx it immediately sounded like a Tele and sounded great most of the time. I miss it. It was a complete vanity buy though, I'd just plug it in and be amazed for 10 minutes about how good it sounded. There wasn't much music I actually wanted to play on it. My Strat has that covered.

If I had more space I'd happily have another one though.

Here's a pic - in loving memory of a great guitar :cry

riptele.jpg
 
In addition to the 4-way switch and the Lollar pickups, some other things I'd strongly recommend for a tele are
(1) the Joe Barden bridge that includes the Danny Gatton scoop. This aftermarket bridge has a modification on the treble side that makes hybrid picking (and fingerpicking) a lot more comfortable.
(2) string the guitar through the body
(3) use a compensated (tilted) 3 saddle setup rather than a 6 saddle setup
(4) install an Electrosocket jack mount

My tele isn't anything super collectible or rare, but those mods sure brought out the snap and twang.
 
I like Lollars and have had good luck w/ some stock Fender tele pickups as well (CS Nocaster bridge pickups). Ron Ellis pickups seem to be pretty popular these days, although I've not tried them myself.
 
I have used the Fralins in my Teles, and they are consistently superb. The stock versions and the Blues Specials are my favorites, sounding more like Tele or Broadcaster pickups from the golden era.

It's not in your list, but the Jerry Donahue Tele Bridge pickup from Duncan has a slightly higher output but not in the nasty way most boosted Tele pickups sound, it is really nice and responds to the volume knob extremely well. He says it was made to match his '52 Tele... can't argue with that tone. In the guitar I have this pickup in, it is paired with a Duncan mini-humbucker in the neck position and sounds incredible through the Axe Fx.

No experience with the other brands! I have a buddy that swears by his Lollars, but I can't speak to it personally.
 
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