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I just got this Fender MIJ TL52 blackguard tele (wonderful instrument) and it's the first time i try flats (D'addario chrome flats 11-50) on it and a wound G with pickups without adjustable pole pieces.
Well, it's all fine, except that the 3rd string is really weak, even on the bridge pu with staggered pole pieces ...
To the point that if i strum an open E chord it's hard to tell whether it's major or minor: the g is drowned by the other strings. I already have the bass side of both pus lowered, btw.
The problem is less obvious in real life with delicate fingerstyle and single notes, but still, it's bothering me and now that i pay attention, i find that the G string is a bit weak in my voicings.
I checked with my D.A.W. : it's not just me, it's between 3 and 6 dB lower that the other strings.
I really appreciate the ease of intonation of a wound G, but on this guitar i am considering sticking to the plain .018 G i just put instead of the .022 wound one : i now have to tame it slightly (gosh, is this guy ever satisfied ? ) but i feel i am gaining clarity.
Could it be that the D'addario have a specially thin core on the G ? Should i try JS112 Thomastiks ?
How is your string balance with flats and a wound G, tele owners ( with regular tele pus) ?
Do you live with it without wishing you had adjustable pole pieces ?
I am very curious how you guys solved the problem, if there ever was any.
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04-15-2015 02:50 PM
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Wow...I've never had that problem with my tele. Weird. What kind of pickup?
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CS Texas Specials, fairly lowered.
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The wound G on my Tele is a bit weak, but only slightly. Mine is a MIJ 62 Telecaster Custom reissue.
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Ok, thanks, guys.
Since i never strum strong open chords with the bass turned all the way up on the amp, play mostly fingerstyle, i guess i will be fine.
It IS indeed weak whatever i do but not to the point i would return to intonation problems at the lower frets with a plain G.
I guess my ear and hand just have to adapt a little and it'll be fine, chord melody and single notes.
Oh, the joy of voicings sliding on the neck with no squeak whatsoever !
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If you find the problem too annoying, the Bill Lawrence Microcoil tele pickups have adjustable poles. I'm tempted to get a set at some point, I'm always loved Bill Lawrence pickups.
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Good to know, thanks entresz.
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Xuoham, do the strings intonate properly on a Tele bridge for you? It bugged the hell out of me!
I found lots of options for intonated saddles for the brass barreled type Tele saddles.
I have these, you can flip the D&G saddle for either wound or unwound 3rd. the saddles all slant slightly.
Harmonic Bridge Saddles für Tellie | Zubehör für Fender-Style Brücken | Hardware | Göldo Music Guitar Parts
D'Addario flatwound 12's. I cannot detect any weakness for the 3rd but then again I have a VV CCrider pickup in the neck and spend all my time there.
I did try the Wilkinson compensated saddles but needed two sets for the wound 3rd. I found a wierd overtone for D# on the 3rd string with these so I ditched them.
I found these but never tried as the Goldo's work perfectly.
Instructions on fitting and setting up | T-Tune Guitar Replacement Parts for Tele®
I hope this helps.
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Yes, never had a problem. Tanks for the tip though !
Originally Posted by jazzbow
On my first and previous tele, an SX partcaster that was absolutely great but the neck 14" was definitely too flat for me (always wanted a 7.25" neck !), i had those slanted brass barrels stock on this Wilkinson bridge i upgraded the guitar to and it worked just great.
On my new tele baby, i have a stock bigsby (more for pre-bridge bending than vibrato) so the bridge is a mustang/jaguar style and it intonates great, wound or unwound G. Btw, the intonation thing was about how sharp the g string sounds on the first frets when it's plain steel.
Regarding the wound G weakness and pickups, i always wondered how CC or Barden blade pickup guys were doing.
Are the poles underneath staggered ?
The thing is, those Custom shop Texas specials really work great for me, slightly less twang and more windings than broadcaster pups, but positioned on the lower half they really deliver, imo.Last edited by xuoham; 04-16-2015 at 11:01 AM.
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Ok.. back to the pickups. Just to be clear, it is both pickups that have a weak g ?
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Yep, both bridge and neck. Surprisingly, not much difference between the staggered pole pieces of the bridge and the (as i understood it is) flat pole pieces of the neck.
Anyway, as i said, i just have to adapt but i am still wondering how the other flat wound Gs behave (try TInfeld JS112 next) and how CC and Barden style Blade pickups (Danny Gatton played with a wound G, iirc) deal with string balance.
Or ... could it be i have a defective 3rd string in this chromes set ? hmmmm ...
But, again, most likely this post is me thinking aloud and i will just get (or not) used to it.
The problem is just me, lol, and my inexperience with flatwounds.
Merci, Messieurs
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Mate, the blade is the pole piece. If anything this style of pickup the 2nd string is loudest of all 6! Originally Posted by xuoham
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Lol, i see !
Unbelievable ! What can be the advantage of such a design, besides no volume loss when bending ?
I really thought the blade was sanded or trimmed underneath or something ... gonna check it out.Last edited by xuoham; 04-16-2015 at 10:59 AM.
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Check out the later Charlie Christian p/u's, they were all notched
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Thanks Jazzbow !
Knowledge, ... little ... by little ...
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You could try a plain G string, but a heavier gauge than the .018
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If at some point you think you need more fine grained control on the string balance and still want to keep single coils:
Fralin Steel Pole Tele Pickups
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Y'know, Jazzbow's brain has eventually engaged and it reminded itself of G&L MFD pickups with adjustable pole pieces...
Pickup - ASAT Classic MFD Bridge - G&L Online Store
One day Jazzbow will buy one of these for that adjustability of the 3rd string!
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Oh ! Affordable as well !
OK, so far Fralin, Bill Lawrence, and G&L have adjustable tele pups.
I wouldn't be surprised the G&L is a real winner.
Have to check some reviews.
Thanks !
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But nothing beats round headed screws for pole pieces, imo.
Anything else (like the hex screws on my archtop's Kent Armstrong 12 pole humbucker) is just a pita to play fingerstyle and hooks the nails if not low enough.
I never was smart enough to think hex pole pieces could easily be replaced by some roundheads, but i guess it's just a piece of cake.
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Ok.. so this is odd.. and it kinda bugs me.
1) If you can change the G string for another string of the same type and gauge (but see 2) below )This isnt one of those know issues like the dead spot on the B of a fender bass. Cheapest answer first? Maybe a bad string. Long shot but if it work great, if not, you are out 5$
2)Related to 1) Unplugged is the volume reasonably well balanced? If yes, disregard one, if no see 1) If you have tried 1) just doublecheck everything between the nut and the bridge on that string.. is it well seated in the saddle.. are both screws secure against the base plate.. etc etc
3) Ok.. I HATE HATE HATE suggesting this.. I got into it once with RandyC over this.
you CAN (and by CAN I am not saying SHOULD) adjust the poles.
if the pickup is not valuable or irreplaceable you can gently push the poles up or down. I actually use a drill press with a drill bit chucked upside down. Do NOT tap the slug into place. This is not something you want to do on a regular basis, on a vintage or valuable pickup, or on either of the E strings.
If it were just one pickup I would actually check the magnet strength (my A string on the middle pickup of my RW strat was almost completely dead .. I had to recharge it). Since you say both pickups have the problem then that is why I say look at the saddles or some other physical problem with the guitar.
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Thanks for the suggestions ! I knew about gently pushing the poles and how risky it can be, according to the pu design.
But like i said, it's also a matter of getting used to it, as i got used to a prominent plain G before trying this flatwound set.
It's actually manageable, my play adapts, my ears too.
What really got me puzzled in the first place is that a when stroking a big open E chord, i just couldn't hear the G.
I could feel it, feel whether it's major or minor, but not "hear" it, no string separation.
But if i substract the perfectionist in me from the equation, it's fine.
I barely play big open E chords, fingerstyle on the guitar sounds nice and i still can do precise balancing of the volume with the fingers.
And anyway i often use the mag pu along with the transducer sound, which doesn't have this string balance problem.
But for sure, though i pretty much dig those Fender Custom Shop Texas Special, slightly fat and dark, as soon as i get the funds and time, i will try an adjustable tele pup. I'm just too used to the ease of adjusting with humbuckers.
(Yes, i discovered Teles - and single coils- a bit more than a year ago. I always thought i was a Gibson type guy, but i really discovered the joys of a good tele. From Hugh Cornwell, Andy Partridge to Ted Greene and Tim Lerch, great examples are galore)
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I use
11-50 with a plain 19 for the G (standard tuning)
or 12-54 with a plain 20 for the G (Standard or tuned down 1/2 step for solo guitar)
or 14-60 with a plain 22 for the G (tuned down a whole step solo guitar and working with singers)
The wound G will most certainly have a lower output. With plain G i have a good balance.
all the best
Tim
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Nice name check there mate. Englands most underated songwriter. Dare I say better than Ray Davies....!!! Originally Posted by xuoham
No Tele on this
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Thank you Tim. Originally Posted by TLerch
I guess the relatively fat plain G compensates for the intonation problem at the lower frets. Doesn't it ?
Do you do this too on (if you still have one) a tele with regular tele pickups ?
I guess also that on most of your teles the pickups are not staggered or are humbuckers, CC pickups, Lollar Imperial and the rest.
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