In case anybody was wondering what a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Tele neck pickup sounds like. The Tele in question is a 20th anniversary model Squier Affinity, made in 2002. Alder body, top loader, wonderful petite neck with a maple fretboard (no skunk stripe).
I don't know what is loaded in the bridge position, though it is not the stock ceramic pickup, it has some balls, and it has good tone as well.
And yes, I do find that cats are especially attracted to Teles. Maybe it's the ice picky thing, something about the frequencies being similar to rodent squeaks.
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 10:19 am
by tlarson58
Nice. What is the rig?
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 10:34 am
by toomanycats
tlarson58 wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 10:19 am
Nice. What is the rig?
My usual go to recording amp, the 65 Amps London. No pedals, straight into the amp. The front end of a Bluesbreaker type amp sounds so good when pushed by hot pickups.
A Shure SM57 was in front of a Celestion Vintage 30.
Golden Age Pre-73 (Neve 1073 clone)
Apogee Duet
Some compression, eq, and reverb applied in Logic.
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 8:27 pm
by tonebender
Neck pup on the solo licks?
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 8:05 am
by toomanycats
tonebender wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 8:27 pm
Neck pup on the solo licks?
Yes, neck pickup on the tapped harmonics at the beginning, as well as on all the lead guitar.
I only used the bridge pickup for the rhythm arts.
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 8:37 am
by tonebender
I knew it! I use the neck pup a lot. I used to use it exclusively but now I find a need for the bridge some. The SG Jr only has a bridge pup and that has been a different thing for me. I am getting used to it and I have another single bridge pup guitar in route. Funny how we change over time.
I was a Strat man starting out. I had an SG Standard briefly in the late 70's but it felt awkward so I went back to the Strat type. After about 15 years of that I suddenly decided I like a Tele better and traded my Strat even for a Tele. I was a Tele man and nothing else but during that period. I did discover that I liked a semi-hollow. Then about 12 years in I picked up an Agile LP with P90's and BAM! I became a Les Paul and a P90 fanatic. I still have the love for a good semi-hollow but I do not think I will ever take the stage without a P90 pup there. Through it all though I was a neck pup guy. I will not abandon the neck pup but I am trending towards using a bridge pup much more. To me it almost requires a tweaking of the EQ on the amp.
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 1:49 pm
by toomanycats
tonebender wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 8:37 am
I knew it! I use the neck pup a lot. I used to use it exclusively but now I find a need for the bridge some. The SG Jr only has a bridge pup and that has been a different thing for me. I am getting used to it and I have another single bridge pup guitar in route. Funny how we change over time.
I was a Strat man starting out. I had an SG Standard briefly in the late 70's but it felt awkward so I went back to the Strat type. After about 15 years of that I suddenly decided I like a Tele better and traded my Strat even for a Tele. I was a Tele man and nothing else but during that period. I did discover that I liked a semi-hollow. Then about 12 years in I picked up an Agile LP with P90's and BAM! I became a Les Paul and a P90 fanatic. I still have the love for a good semi-hollow but I do not think I will ever take the stage without a P90 pup there. Through it all though I was a neck pup guy. I will not abandon the neck pup but I am trending towards using a bridge pup much more. To me it almost requires a tweaking of the EQ on the amp.
Due to the massive influence of Van Halen my initial approach to guitar was the opposite from yours. All I cared about was a hot bridge humbucker and a single volume knob. Actually, that's not entirely true, as I really didn't have much use for a volume knob other than as an on/off switch.
It took me several years to recognize the beautiful tones available out of a neck humbucker, and even more than that to cultivate an appreciation for single coil neck tones.
What I really like about a hot Tele Neck pickup is that it almost begins to overlap Gibson PAF, Burstbucker type 1 territory. It's got that extra push and fullness, yet is also articulate and biting.
I do like a P90 in the neck position of a Les Paul, and as a matter of fact,my first guitar outfitted like that was an Agile AL.
The best of both worlds from what you're saying would be a semi hollow with P90s. I have exactly that in my Douglas Gravity, which is a semi hollow Tele with two P90s. Plays like a Tele, but lighter, and sounds similar to a 335.
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 3:03 pm
by tonebender
Cats love a Les Paul too. Miss Purrl approves of the Goldtop with P90's.
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 3:30 pm
by tonebender
I think Jimmy Page used a Tele early on where a lot of folks assume he was using a Les Paul.
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 6:34 am
by toomanycats
tonebender wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 3:30 pm
I think Jimmy Page used a Tele early on where a lot of folks assume he was using a Les Paul.
Yes, this is true. A Tele and a little combo amp created riffs so massive riffs they persist like monuments carved in granite. Jimmy subsequently became so associated with a low slung Les Paul that I suppose it was natural for people to assume that's what he used on the early records.
Fun fact: The guitar solo on "Stairway to Heaven" was played on a Tele through a little Supro amp.
Re: Cats Love Teles
Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 6:46 pm
by Narsh
Oooh I love that pickup!!! I have one in my Tele as well!!!
