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I was inspired by the TK Smith equipped Rutters tele that was recently sold on the forum. I didn’t buy it bc I already have a TK tele, and I’ve been playing it a lot more since I saw that one. Stringwinger I hope you’ll grace us with your review soon until then enjoy this clip and pic of mine. So hard to beat this pickup, perfect balance of clarity and warmth.
Some of you might remember this guitar from way back in 2017 when I first put it together. It used to have a snakehead neck that I swapped out for a regular tele with some nice Birdseye maple.
Last edited by omphalopsychos; 01-25-2025 at 11:36 AM.
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01-25-2025 01:27 AM
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Oh and before dawgbone inevitably asks: the amp is my 64 vibrolux reverb. I hardly ever plug into any other amp at home. To anyone who says a 35w 2x10 tube amp is overkill for home practice, I say: try it. Vol on the amp is on 2, no pedals.
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I have done 3 gigs with the Rutters Tele and I LOVE the TK Smith CC Pickup (mine has the adjustable pole pieces). In due time, I will review the Rutters guitar. I am not sure about providing sound samples, as this forum will not allow me to upload video directly from my computer. I do not have any accounts with Youtube or the like, nor do I want one. The only online places I frequent are Facebook (rarely) and this site (and at some point, I may withdraw from online participation altogether as I see privacy violations as a big issue). That said, your guitar and playing sound great!
Stay tuned.
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Agree to agree, Juan. I've said this on other threads as well, but I went through a LOT of neck pickups looking for the best Tele jazz tone (including many of the usual suspects when it comes to CC pickups). My search ended with the TK Smith CCII. It's all that and a bag of chips.
I just recently got TK's bridge pickup to match. (I like the middle position more now, but still don't love the bridge-only tone, but any bridge pickup on this guitar is mostly ornamental, anyway.)
Here's a gratuitous photo (along with an amp that I know you'll appreciate; my '66 Vibrolux Reverb):
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Oh man that is the perfect rig!
You might notice i have a seymour duncan humbucker in the bridge position on mine. I originally had the curtis novak pickup that TK sells. You're right the middle position sounds great which is also what TK told me he liked about it, but it's a very bright pickup, especially with the 500k pots that you need for this neck pickup. The SD lil 59 sounds like absolute garbage on paper but it is very cool for this guitar.
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Nice tone and playing as always Juan, congrats.
Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
Original speakers?
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No it's got a pair of Jupiter 10" midnight ceramics. More efficient, wider frequency response.
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Thinking about a 2x10 lately...nice option.
And now thinking in a tele with the TK Smith CC pickup...
Thanks.
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I just noticed TK also recently put up a vid of his tele with the pole piece version of his pickup. He's the man.
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Where'd you find the ivory Gibson style knobs? Awesome looking guitar
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TK makes them. Originally Posted by olejason
Acme Gibson-Style Volume/Tone Knobs | TK Smith
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Great sounding pickups for a tele jazz sound, so old fashioned!
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Bumping up an old thread hoping someone can help me
I have a 1957 spec Telecaster, that's with the 'dark' circuit in pos 1. I only play the guitar this way, I don't like the sound of the neck pickup by itself, just too bright and thin and wimpy when compared to my PAF guitars. Otherwise it's an amazingly resonant, clear and articulate instrument. There is just some loss of clarity from using a fixed capacitor to roll off the tone in the 'dark' circuit.
I want to replace the stock neck pickup with a TK Smith. hard time to decide between the blade CC and the CAR.
OP I think you have tried both, maybe you can help me? I am fortunate to also have a 1964 Vibrolux Reverb
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The number one pickup from TK is the open top CAR. I think the CAR is an amazing design but it's very dark. I think the standard CAR sounds great with an archtop but prefer the open top for semihollow and solid bodies. The open top is a bit bright and has all that richness. The CC pickup is similar to the CAR in construction but is smaller and has fewer metal components. It also sounds great. You can't go wrong but if I could only have one guitar with TK's pickups it would be the one with the open top CAR.
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appreciate that feedback! What’s the deal with the open top CAR, I don’t see it listed on his site? Is that an off-menu item? Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
any other Tele neck replacements you think are worth considering?
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I guess it's off menu. Shoot him an email! if he doesn't respond, email him again! he's a one man shop, which ensures top quality but sometimes his backlog gets pretty long.
"any other Tele neck replacements you think are worth considering?"
There are plenty of good tele neck pickups but the sound of TK's pickups is like nothing else. if this is the sound you're looking for go for it.
oh btw, one thing if you get the CC pickup, get the pole piece one. I got the blade one to try it out, but I like the pole one a bit more.
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I have been wanting to try the TK Smith CC Blade. I have a Bacchus Tele with a P90 Soapbar. Does it install cleanly into a P90 Soapbar rout?
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Alot of that is the EH-185 amplifier. You could plug a shred guitar into that thing and it'll sound "old fashioned"! Originally Posted by Alter
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