I like the stock one on the bridge, it's FATTER. RE one was just brighter, less ballsy but clearer. Just preference. I think Dan knows his stuff. He gave birth to that Tele and put his soul into it.
I like the how the original pick ups have fuller body when playing single notes. Somehow I feel that the original pick up is closer to the tone in Julian Lage Live in Los Angeles. Rounded full body low string and smooth high.
Since the 90's I've had Van Zantz, Lollor, Fralin, Don Mare, and Ron Ellis pickups in a Strat and a Telecaster, for me the Ron Ellis pickups win. All were good, don't get me wrong, but I prefer the Ron Ellis sets and I'm done modifying my guitars, after the Ellis sets I consider them as good as they're going to get.
I’m in the middle of a Strat pickup swap myself. The Ron Ellis pickups in this guitar were really impressive. I agree, they might be the best out there
I think it’s fair to say Ellis pickups are the best, but I will say listening to the before/after actually leads me to think that an eq pedal could produce the same change in tone. Just by dipping some of the “flubby” frequencies would clear things up in the stock pickups and arrive pretty darn close to the end result of the Ellis pickups.
I don't like all of Ron's pickups, but his Tele pickups are fantastic if you're after classic Tele tones. And yes, you could mimic the sound of Ron's pickups with an EQ pedal, but it's not the same to me. When you start with a good foundation when it comes to the pure tone of an electric guitar, it helps everything else fall into place, in my opinion. That doesn't mean you need $600+ Ellis pickups... just pickups that work for you.
Many would consider Peter Florance Voodoo TE50s as holy grail pickups. On top of that, Dan Strain carefully matches pickups to each guitar he builds (see his interview with Ask Zac), so he thought the TE50s were the best pickups for this guitar (though maybe Ron Ellis pickups were not available when this guitar was made). Bottom line: I would not expect a dramatic improvement going from TE50s to Ron Ellis pickups, in fact, I'm not sure I heard any improvement at all. I would add, lastly, that to call Peter Florance pickups "factory" pickups belittles his memory.
I agree! I had a TE50 in a Tele before. One of the best pick up builders. I have Budz Danocaster pickups in my Tele now and really like them but if I didn't, I'd be looking for a used TE50 or similar Peter Florance pickup. With his passing, I know they're getting harder to find and more expensive.
I liked the Ron swap on the bridge. But much preferred the danostock on the neck. Drastically more full and classic neck sounds. ❤great vid
I think it make a bit of difference with the RE pickups. Sounded fairly good with the stock pickups too. But it was an improvement.
I like the stock one on the bridge, it's FATTER. RE one was just brighter, less ballsy but clearer. Just preference. I think Dan knows his stuff. He gave birth to that Tele and put his soul into it.
I like the how the original pick ups have fuller body when playing single notes. Somehow I feel that the original pick up is closer to the tone in Julian Lage Live in Los Angeles. Rounded full body low string and smooth high.
Since the 90's I've had Van Zantz, Lollor, Fralin, Don Mare, and Ron Ellis pickups in a Strat and a Telecaster, for me the Ron Ellis pickups win. All were good, don't get me wrong, but I prefer the Ron Ellis sets and I'm done modifying my guitars, after the Ellis sets I consider them as good as they're going to get.
I’m in the middle of a Strat pickup swap myself. The Ron Ellis pickups in this guitar were really impressive. I agree, they might be the best out there
I think it’s fair to say Ellis pickups are the best, but I will say listening to the before/after actually leads me to think that an eq pedal could produce the same change in tone. Just by dipping some of the “flubby” frequencies would clear things up in the stock pickups and arrive pretty darn close to the end result of the Ellis pickups.
I don't like all of Ron's pickups, but his Tele pickups are fantastic if you're after classic Tele tones. And yes, you could mimic the sound of Ron's pickups with an EQ pedal, but it's not the same to me. When you start with a good foundation when it comes to the pure tone of an electric guitar, it helps everything else fall into place, in my opinion. That doesn't mean you need $600+ Ellis pickups... just pickups that work for you.
A very good and reasonable opinion!
Many would consider Peter Florance Voodoo TE50s as holy grail pickups. On top of that, Dan Strain carefully matches pickups to each guitar he builds (see his interview with Ask Zac), so he thought the TE50s were the best pickups for this guitar (though maybe Ron Ellis pickups were not available when this guitar was made). Bottom line: I would not expect a dramatic improvement going from TE50s to Ron Ellis pickups, in fact, I'm not sure I heard any improvement at all. I would add, lastly, that to call Peter Florance pickups "factory" pickups belittles his memory.
I agree! I had a TE50 in a Tele before. One of the best pick up builders. I have Budz Danocaster pickups in my Tele now and really like them but if I didn't, I'd be looking for a used TE50 or similar Peter Florance pickup. With his passing, I know they're getting harder to find and more expensive.
Still sounds like a normal Tele.
And you still cant play your licks in "time" !😅