Gibson Classic '57 in Tele - Paul Kirk's experience?

**blackcat** · 05-30-2013, 07:32 AM

I am thinking of finally getting around to putting a Classic '57 or Seth Lover in the neck position of my Tele and seem to remember that Paul Kirk who used to post at rmmgj did the same. Am wondering if he was pleased with the result and if he ( Hi Paul!) decided to change the pots to 500k - at least for that pickup? Or anyone else?

**SamBooka** · 05-30-2013, 10:07 AM

Dont know about the pickups in a tele (I have a classic plus.. seth.. and a 72 Pat No. ) but have only tried the Pat# in a Tele
For all those pickups I use 500k pots although I have used 1 Megs with the Tele and found it usable. The bridge pickup on the tele didnt like the 1M so even there .. 500K is a nice balance for both (but the bridge pickup was replaced with a lollar special T which doesnt have the same high end as the stock 74 tele pickup.)

**jazzbow** · 05-30-2013, 01:59 PM

How about this for your consideration.

Tone shapers, ToneShaper for Tele, Neck Humbucker

These are a solder less system using capacitors and resistors to change the volume pot from 250k to 500k with a strat five way switch. The beauty of it is that you have these little levers that can mix the whole system, change cap values for the tone control etcetera.

I have only seen you tube clips and read up on the web site but they seem to work well.

**pkirk** · 05-30-2013, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by blackcat

I am thinking of finally getting around to putting a Classic '57 or Seth Lover in the neck position of my Tele and seem to remember that Paul Kirk who used to post at rmmgj did the same. Am wondering if he was pleased with the result and if he ( Hi Paul!) decided to change the pots to 500k - at least for that pickup? Or anyone else?

Hey Blackcat, how's it going. I do like the gibson 57 classic in the tele. I don't remember what pots/capacitors are in it, but I know I didnt change them: My tele was a mexi-tele called a "telecaster special" which was built with a HB in the neck, so that I wasn't switching from a single coil.

But to be honest, I'm not a tone freak, so many things affect the sound, I'm just happy when I get close.

I've posted a bunch of clips with the tele: here's a recent one through a superego/neunaber wet/GK amp/RE, I dig in a bit so you hear the "twang" occasionally.

and here's one recorded FX unit/computer with a backing track, this gives you a pretty accurate take on the pickup, when I pick softly.

SoundClick artist: Paul Kirk - page with MP3 music downloads

PS: I'll be near Clermont-Ferrand and then Toulouse next month. email me, maybe we can play.

**teleman3726** · 05-30-2013, 03:14 PM

I just got my Nocaster back with a 57' bucker in it.
Sounds good. Do it

**Gertrude Moser** · 05-30-2013, 03:20 PM

[QUOTE=pkirk;332004]Hey Blackcat, how's it going. I do like the gibson 57 classic in the tele. I don't remember what pots/capacitors are in it, but I know I didnt change them: My tele was a mexi-tele called a "telecaster special" which was built with a HB in the neck, so that I wasn't switching from a single coil.

But to be honest, I'm not a tone freak, so many things affect the sound, I'm just happy when I get close.

I've posted a bunch of clips with the tele: here's a recent one through a superego/neunaber wet/GK amp/RE, I dig in a bit so you hear the "twang" occasionally.

Any chance you're a Metheny fan?

**pkirk** · 05-30-2013, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by Gertrude Moser

Any chance you're a Metheny fan?

Metheny, Wes, Martino, Raney, Rogers, Bernstein, Benson, Hall, Django, Halvorsen, Christian, Kreisberg, Barnes, Morris, Bickert, Monder and that's just getting started, and dont get me started on non-guitarists.....

But seriously, I love Metheny, but have never seriously tried to cop any of his stuff (and doubt I could if I tried). I do have about 5 or 6 of his tunes in my repertoire.

**blackcat** · 05-31-2013, 05:08 AM

Paul,

Thanks for that and love the clip(s). Not sure my playing is up to your standard but will get back to you - next month is vacation time including time in the UK so may not work this time around.

B.Katt

**charlesq** · 04-13-2015, 08:03 AM

That's cool, what do you use on the bridge as I had a 57 classic too on my Tele but the centre position sounds terrible with the stock single coil. Any advice?

**charlesq** · 04-13-2015, 08:07 AM

What do you use on the bridge pickup? Is a single coil on bridge works well with a neck pickup?

**SamBooka** · 04-13-2015, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by charlesq

What do you use on the bridge pickup? Is a single coil on bridge works well with a neck pickup?

Zombie thread.

When I put my TTop in my tele I loved it. The original 74 Tele bridge pickup was way too bright. Emailed Jason at Lollar and he suggested the Special T pickup. With the 500K pots (bright) and the brass saddles (mellow) that pickup sounds great and plays nice with the older gibson pickup I have.

**jzucker** · 04-13-2015, 11:08 AM

I've tried it and it sounds good. One thing I've discovered fairly recently is that the potted pickups (at least in a hollowbody) don't retain much acoustic tone of the instrument. If you check a clip I have on my youtube of Days of Wine and Roses, you can hear the sound of an unpotted pickup. Almost everyone who heard this clip thought I had mic'd the guitar but it's a direct recording. The unpotted pickups capture the acoustic vibe of the instrument unlike the newer pickups.

I've heard the diff on a solidbody too so you might consider seth lovers as an alternative.

**charlesq** · 04-13-2015, 11:33 AM

I just put a 57 classic on my Tele and I love it but the stock single coil on the bridge is not very nice when combine with the HB in the middle position. Does anyone had any experience combining a single coil or a HB on the bridge with the neck HB?

**kris** · 04-13-2015, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by charlesq

I just put a 57 classic on my Tele and I love it but the stock single coil on the bridge is not very nice when combine with the HB in the middle position. Does anyone had any experience combining a single coil or a HB on the bridge with the neck HB?

Good question...:-)
I do not use middle position.The sound is very different but this is a nature of Telecaster.

**jzucker** · 04-13-2015, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by charlesq

I just put a 57 classic on my Tele and I love it but the stock single coil on the bridge is not very nice when combine with the HB in the middle position. Does anyone had any experience combining a single coil or a HB on the bridge with the neck HB?

The easiest thing to do is lower the humbucker as far as you can. This will increase the dynamic range, make for better intonation and better balance with the bridge pickup.

Another possibility is to use 4 conductor wiring and a special switch to allow you to use only one coil out of the humbucker along with the bridge pickup.

And a 3rd possibility is to get a more humbucker like bridge pickup such as the duncan cool rails

**SamBooka** · 04-13-2015, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

The easiest thing to do is lower the humbucker as far as you can. This will increase the dynamic range, make for better intonation and better balance with the bridge pickup.

Yeah.. but if he has the HB dialed in where he likes it that may go out the window.

I am getting usable middle position tones with my setup for just about everything but hard rock.

**jazzbow** · 04-13-2015, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by charlesq

I just put a 57 classic on my Tele and I love it but the stock single coil on the bridge is not very nice when combine with the HB in the middle position. Does anyone had any experience combining a single coil or a HB on the bridge with the neck HB?

Check out mi' post #3

**Encinitastubes** · 04-13-2015, 11:27 PM

I have an ASAT Bluesboy that came stock with a Seth Lover in the neck and a Stock MFD in the bridge. It also came stock with 250k pots. As a poster above said, the Humbucker is screwed real low. The middle position is one of my faves. I set the amp based on the humbucker at 6-7 and the tone all the way up. Then I adjust the tone when I switch to the single coil. To me it sounds like Bill Frissell.

**charlesq** · 04-16-2015, 10:39 PM

Thanks for all your inputs, been blessed by your knowledge, sharings and experiences. Finally I got my Classic 57 humbucker working with my stock bridge single coil. When the Classic 57 was initially placed on the neck, there was this out of phase tone and bridge pickup was not responding and communicating with the HB as it was in reverse phase according to my tech. He reversed it and at same time brought up the bridge PU closer to the strings, it works!! Just to feedback and thought this will help others who may decide to put a HB on neck. Go for it and by the way, I use it mainly for jazz and blues, its beautiful!!!