Hot Classics

So I got some Alnico Classic 2 PAF humbuckers for my gorgeously beautiful Epiphone 58 Korina V and they turned out to be the best thing I ever got (see review over there).

So instead of going crazy and putting them in all my humbucker wielding axes I wanted to try something different and turn my 158€ HB Tele clone into something fancy. While it took some time to decide what bridge, tuners etc... to get I had no hesitation concerning pickups. It would have to be Toneriders, but which? As an Alnico 2 afficionado the Alnico 2 Blues caught my eye but I decided against it to go with something classic. Something hot and classic perhaps?

I was not disappointed. Next week my fellow bandmate will be bringing his Made in US Tele, while I will bring my Tonerider endowed TE62DB in Lake Placid Blue. I tried his, so I already know which will win.

The neck is just perfect. I almost get a more authentic Yngwie tone than on my YJM Strat. I love that fluid, Plexi pushed by one or two ODs glassy yet super high gain tone. Like SRV but way more gain. So Malmsteen basically. It sings like a flute. Evwn giving the AC2 a run for their money.

The bridge is fantastic. It took me some time to find the right spot. In all dimensions. As a Flying V man I did not realise a modern 6 saddle bridge will not fit a vintage bridge equipped Tele, which this one is. So I spent a while figuring out where to place the bridge. It ended up too far up and I wasn't quite satisfied, I missed the brightness of the stock Roswell bridge pup (they are quite good). So I ended up moving it down, so the saddles could come as close as possible to the pup for maximum brightness. I couldn't go as far as I wanted since I had already extended the pickup cavity but I just managed to fit it with half a mm overlap to hide the cavity and it ended up perfect. I can just about intonate the high with the screw at the absolute maximum extension. Longer screws may have been a simpler solution but part of the joy of being broke is coming up with free or cheap solutions. Which was moving the entire bridge several times.

And finally because it's so hot, practically a 50s PAF in resistance, I could move it quite far away. I ended up having it at about 4 mm with the neck at 5 mm or so and voila. More or less equal volume which at nuclear levels of gain doesn't matter too much and the tone is perfect.

And for the first time the middle position sounds good. Before the Tele sounded good with either pickup but not both. Now it's wonderful, I use it quite often. Real nice humbucker sound.

I polished the frets, rolled the fretboard, set it up and changed all the hardware including pots, leaving ibly the control plate and pickguard original. Took the occasion to refinish the neck too, super high gloss on the headstock and high gloss sanded back to satin with 5k-1k sandpaper and finally coated in mineral oil and then wiped clean. It now has a satin feel but glossy look. Staibed it too for a nice caramelised look and the fretboard too, to make some of the details pop out. It now looks, feels and especially sounds like a million bucks. I couldn't be happier. I'd say I wouldn't trade it against a Fender but I would, to sell it and buy three more of these and try out several Tele pickups. I will stil get the Alnico 2 Blues which is now my excuse for buying a second TE62DB. It's too good a deal. And I went through the back redoing the string through holes so now I have an excuse to get another Lake Placid Blue. I almost had to settle for Candy Apple Red so as not to worry anyone with my obsession for blue Telecasters but now I can put the A2B in another LPB and save CAR for another set, which I still haven't decided.

Love the vintage insulation too, so convenient to just pull it back to expose exactly the needed amount of wire. Good length too, easy to solder with the control plate far enough from the guitar to avoid making an excuse for a 4th Tele...

I like the new packaging as well. Feels premium and I love the sticker. I already have it on my amp in case anyone wonders why my tone is so fantastic. I've been telling everyone so maybe send a free set my way? :)

Keep doing what you do, Tonerider, I am a customer for life. I already sold my Duncans to pay for this and I will be selling more. Even if money was no issue, they are superior. The AC2 to me are way closer to proper PAFs than SD59. Not a Tele guy so I can't speak with authority on those but perhaps I should stop saying I'm not a Tele guy because that's all I've been playing since they arrived.

Great choice, very good pick ups

Installed these in a nitro tele with rosewood board. They nail the 60s tele sound which was what I was expecting from the product videos.

Very pleased with this set

I purchased the TR Hot Classic Neck pickup because it matches up well with a Fender RI 52 bridge pickup. I love TR pickups because the price is right, and they sound great. If you are looking affordable great sounding pups. I highly recommend ToneRider pickups be your next choice. I've purchased sets of TRs Phatt Cat P90s, Soapbar P90s, and Tele Vintage Plus pups. They have never let me down, and I think a lot of players feel the same way I do.