@@stewarttomkinson3356 wow im really glad you posted this i thought it was only me lol, i have guitars with upgraded pick ups and i have the same thing ,i suppose its me but some days i just cant get a decent sound ,and other days they are gold
@@watto59 yeah I was playing my Harley Benton SG which I put Pro buckers in and it sounded like mud but the last time I played it it sounded great this time. It was crap it was me.
I’m impressed with the squire ones still. Yeah the vintage ones are better and more authentic and natural sounding but the squire ones are pretty dang good!
The Squier pickups are no less good than the "52s, they sound different. It all depends on the sound you're looking for. You're all obsessed with the Fender stamp on the packaging. For example, the Custom Shop stamped pickups are a deception. If it's you really want to change the stock pickups, Vintera are also good and cheaper. Tonerider pickups also very good and used in some Fender guitars.
For me, I actually prefer the sound of the originals in most positions.....you just saved me the $50 I was going to spend on a used '52 neck pickup-----think I'll keep looking.
I went back to the ceramic pups because they have nicer attack, sound stronger, are a little less dynamic so they are easyer to play and always there in a band sound. They have that nice ringing, both together sound a bit Gretschy and when you roll of the treble a litte bit the bridge pu almost sounds like a paf. To me they make it easier to play.
The Affinity Pickups are Hotter and sound great for what they are! The Fender Originals are going to make you work harder to back the sound you started at!
I just got my squier tele and these pick ups are on the way. I also got some locking machine heads, a new nut. I got some work to do before I can play.gonna dress the frets while I’m at it. Thanks for the vid
Check the neck joint. My affinity Tele had tiny soft plastic shims to set the neck angle so I matched the thickness with layers of thin brass from a hobby shop. I modded the bridge at the same time (made it string thru body with ferrules from stewmac) so I can’t say how much difference it made but it had to help having that joint more solid. I think even a couple popsicle sticks would make an improvement over the tiny soft plastic chips in there from the factory. Maybe yours isn’t shimed either. Worth checking though.
@@billnu Stewmac .O5 or .25° maple shims work well for the neck joint to get sweet action. Might as well get the 3 shim deal if you can afford it. A little pricey but then you are guaranteed to find the right size to work and you will have a couple extras for other projects. The half a degree shim was perfect in my case. But it a gamble just buying one . And shipping and all, it's just easier to get the 3 pack of different sizes to play with. Mine came priority mail, if It's remember correctly. And quick . Just thought I would put this out there for anyone that might be reading.
Sounds great, much warmer to my ears. I have a similar age affinity Tele and am choosing new pickups right now. The originals always sounded harsh. I replaced the tuners long ago, my high E would barely stay in tune. These pickups seem like a no brainer upgrade. $100 and it should make it much more usable instrument. Thanks for the review.
Great Video Justin, thanks for showing and sharing! I must say though, I like the stock pickups sound. It actually sounds very similar to Keef's sound on Give me Shelter playing in the background🙂
You forget that not only does a stock butterscotch Affinity Tele look great but it doesn't sound half bad. The replacements definately have a crisper tone. I just paid $200 to upgrade mine with hotter Fender Deluxe Drive pups as I'm a chicken and letting GC install them. I hope my results are as good as yours.
IMO, the 52's have an amount of grit I am not a fan of for the type of music I tend to play. I think the ceramic pickups actually sound pretty good as clean pickups, and just need some tonal adjustment on the amp or pedals to bring them into shape.
You are correct. I fell in love with a Tele affinity I tried in store a few years ago, now that I know a little more about electric guitars I'm sure the great sound I heard came From those modest ceramic pups and the Amp to which the guitar was plugged. I'm sure the amp was those with tubes.
Uh oh..my comment must be on another vid..Rats.... Well yeah I can hear a difference especially up the neck, I use an old axiom, the originals are more 'bukkerish, more muffled, I don't use "muddy", down around 12 and below on the upgraded are brighter with a twang in there louder crisper with a twang in there (thought it deserved mentioning again it isa Tele) Yep it was worth it! But, I gotta tell ya I love/want your Tele, Justin, even before upgraded! Mustard BLONDE with a BLACKGUARD.....heavenly! Gorgeous! I played a basic white, ya know basic Fender Blonde(?) with a, aggghhh, white pick guard some in '67. I LOVE TELES!!! Maybe my pea brain can handle master tone and volume better. I'm a moron. Yep yours is sweet. Was it Springsteen and Prince played em? Ah gorgeous.... Thanks for the tip again.
I appreciate the demo and there’s some nice playing but I never knew for sure what pick-up you were on so it would have been cool if you’d had the on the screen. I have an affinity like yours and the stock pups are decent but the 52s sound richer and more balanced, as you said
I have no problem with anybody changing out stock pickups. Just be careful when you say it’s an upgrade. It’s very subjective, You can EQ and pedal your way to get the most out of a set of pickups unless you’re changing from single coils to something completely different. I thought the stock bridge pickup sounded light years better than the 52 with the crunch you added.
If you can change everything with a pedal no one would buy different models of guitars would they? Its not as simple as that. Pickups are an upgrade if better than factory as you buying a budget guitar. Everything that costs over $50 is an upgrade.
Estoy intentando hacer lo mismo, pero las pastillas no entran en el puente. El hueco del puente es muy pequeño. Alguien sabe si esto pasa? Que hacen en estos casos?
The Squier pickups are no less good than the "52s, they sound different. It all depends on the sound you're looking for. You're all obsessed with the Fender stamp on the packaging. For example, the Custom Shop stamped pickups are a deception. If it's you really want to change the stock pickups, Vintera are also good and cheaper. Tonerider pickups also very good and used in some Fender guitars.
I have a bridge Yosemite I took of my Performer Tele. I want to put it in the affinity Telecaster! Do you think there will be a problem if I leave the stock Affinity neck pickup in it! Yosemite in the bridge Stock Affinity ceramic in the neck?
Probably a lot! I had a Player and didn’t care for the rock sound of the Alnico 5 pickups. They are wound very hot for my taste. I tried the Fralin Blues Special and didn’t care for those either. These have a much more balanced Tele tone
I don’t like the Yosemite pickups in my new American Performer tele. It seems like fender puts pickups in their telecasters that make them sound less “ tele” 🤷🏼♂️. I’m definitely changing to vintage fender or Seymour Duncan vintage 54 pickups 👍🏻🤷🏼♂️ PS…they sound ok with some drive. It’s the clean classic country sound the Yosemite doesn’t do well.
I have a performer and did not like the Yosemite pickups at all either. Which set have you swapped to? I went with Seymour Duncan La Brea and they are fantastic, and will never leave my guitar!
Yosemite pickups in Am Performers kinda suck IMO. IDK what it is, they just miss and fall flat in every direction. The VMod pickups in the Am Pro Strats and Teles are a different story. Wow! The first time I fell in love with a Tele was one of those. It just nails what I was expecting a Tele to sound like.
@@alafenetre81 Yes, very happy with them. Also, I was in a guitar shop (Detroit Guitars) a few years back and a guy was looking at Teles for the first time. At the time, I had only been a Tele fan myself for a couple years. I told him to start with the AmPro because when I tried one, it was like "the most Tele sounding Tele I'd ever heard. Like THAT'S IT." The guitar shop worker who was middle aged and been working there for several years said, "I totally agree with him. I got the same feeling first time I played one." There may be better Tele pickups out there for this or that sound for some people but those V-Mod I and II pickups are just excellent. They used every trick, including mixing AlNiCo II and V magnets. What more could you want? I literally have no desire to change them. I have other Tele builds waiting for me with pickups by Almalfitano and a couple other hand winders but I'm in no hurry to finish them. Too busy playing my AmPro. LOL. Mine is an 2017 AmPro I. The II's came out in 2020. My Strat is an AmPro 2, same story. Great pickups. There are other pickups I'm still curious about but for additional guitar builds, not as a replacements for my AmPro guitars. Good luck with your choice. So many great builders out there it's hard to go wrong anymore. Check out STRATosphere on eBay for "used" pickups for less. They part out brand new guitars and sell the parts.
I'm also looking to change out the neck for a regular fender neck. Everyone says I should do it. Would it be a good idea? I'm sure there's a neck out there that would work.
Im not going to lie, when i get rid of the wiring, the caps and the pots, the pickups sound good. Good parts matrer. My friends Mexican stratocaster sounded better than his player he said after i dif juat that.
I think it’s string buzz. I recently got a Seymour Duncan antiquity. Don’t know if it’s any cheaper in Canada, but I love it too. Great vintage bite to it.
Also, I installed these for a friend. Great budget sound. LAMSAM Combos of Prewired Electric Guitar Control Plate System, Grooved Vintage Brass Saddles Bridge Plate Loaded Alnico V Single Coil Neck Bridge Pickups Set, Chrome-13 a.co/d/89vQsGY
nice upgrade. I think I might use these pickups in my indigo dlx pls tele. It came with Wilkinsen m series pickups. they sound nice but doesn't sound like a telecaster.
I did. Mine sounds INCREDIBLE. Even if it does weigh 10 lbs! 🤣 They blow away the stock Wilkinsons. I even tried alnico Wilkinson M+series before going for the Fenders. These sound tons better than both the ceramic and alnico M-series pickups. 🤣 The guitar in my avatar is a 66 DLX Plus and I have a Goldtop 66 DLX Plus, also.
They get dang close to the original too…Did you see my video where I got to play a real 1951 and compared it to my Classic Vibe? Does a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster sound like a real 50s Tele? ua-cam.com/video/nl50pBcrKOo/v-deo.html
I think that unless you are a pro musician and making good money, you have such a well trained ear or you are a collectionists...you dont really need an expensive fender. I mean for the price of an american stratocaster I can have a decent Strato+Tele+Jaguar Squier
Huge improvement in tone! this really makes me want to put together a partcaster
It’s making me wonder if I’d see a big difference in a Strat too... might have to pick up a used Squier and try this experiment again!
I made a parts caster put vintage alnico 2 Gibson pick ups some days it’s the bomb other I just won’t to hit a tree plus I play left handed
@@stewarttomkinson3356 wow im really glad you posted this i thought it was only me lol, i have guitars with upgraded pick ups and i have the same thing ,i suppose its me but some days i just cant get a decent sound ,and other days they are gold
@@watto59 yeah I was playing my Harley Benton SG which I put Pro buckers in and it sounded like mud but the last time I played it it sounded great this time. It was crap it was me.
I’m impressed with the squire ones still. Yeah the vintage ones are better and more authentic and natural sounding but the squire ones are pretty dang good!
The Affinity’s are impressive these days. I played an HSS Affinity strat the other day…WAY better than the guitars I had growing up!
I'm with you!
Get yourself a classic vibe 50s tele.... then work it out.
The Squier pickups are no less good than the "52s, they sound different. It all depends on the sound you're looking for. You're all obsessed with the Fender stamp on the packaging. For example, the Custom Shop stamped pickups are a deception. If it's you really want to change the stock pickups, Vintera are also good and cheaper. Tonerider pickups also very good and used in some Fender guitars.
There is virtually no difference between the pickups. He made the mistake of having them at different heights.
I build guitars. :)
Christ they sound good. Stocks clean actually sounds great
I put those pick ups in my squire years ago. I love it.
The 52s have of that definition, that chime, that twang, that bass. It’s all there.
Definitely an improvement. I got a set of these pickups to put in a 2001 Standard Telecaster. The difference was night and day.
To me ,they are both good enough for the people I hang around with.
Ceramics sound rounder and fuller to my ears. I love ceramic tele pickups
For me, I actually prefer the sound of the originals in most positions.....you just saved me the $50 I was going to spend on a used '52 neck pickup-----think I'll keep looking.
Oof
I went back to the ceramic pups because they have nicer attack, sound stronger, are a little less dynamic so they are easyer to play and always there in a band sound. They have that nice ringing, both together sound a bit Gretschy and when you roll of the treble a litte bit the bridge pu almost sounds like a paf. To me they make it easier to play.
I like Tonerider telecaster pickups.I thinks they are the best I’ve ever heard.
Very affordable too.
The replacement pickups have such a warmer sound!!
The Affinity Pickups are Hotter and sound great for what they are! The Fender Originals are going to make you work harder to back the sound you started at!
That's the point. That means the pickups are much more versatile.
I just got my squier tele and these pick ups are on the way. I also got some locking machine heads, a new nut. I got some work to do before I can play.gonna dress the frets while I’m at it. Thanks for the vid
Check the neck joint. My affinity Tele had tiny soft plastic shims to set the neck angle so I matched the thickness with layers of thin brass from a hobby shop. I modded the bridge at the same time (made it string thru body with ferrules from stewmac) so I can’t say how much difference it made but it had to help having that joint more solid. I think even a couple popsicle sticks would make an improvement over the tiny soft plastic chips in there from the factory. Maybe yours isn’t shimed either. Worth checking though.
@@billnu Stewmac .O5 or .25° maple shims work well for the neck joint to get sweet action. Might as well get the 3 shim deal if you can afford it. A little pricey but then you are guaranteed to find the right size to work and you will have a couple extras for other projects. The half a degree shim was perfect in my case. But it a gamble just buying one . And shipping and all, it's just easier to get the 3 pack of different sizes to play with. Mine came priority mail, if It's remember correctly. And quick . Just thought I would put this out there for anyone that might be reading.
@@sunnyray7819 of course stew MAC would have a solution! I’m a machinist so I went with what I knew.
@@billnu I don't blame you there, One really only needs a shim, doesn't have to be a 20 dollar or so investment..
Sounds great, much warmer to my ears. I have a similar age affinity Tele and am choosing new pickups right now. The originals always sounded harsh. I replaced the tuners long ago, my high E would barely stay in tune. These pickups seem like a no brainer upgrade. $100 and it should make it much more usable instrument. Thanks for the review.
Great Video Justin, thanks for showing and sharing! I must say though, I like the stock pickups sound. It actually sounds very similar to Keef's sound on Give me Shelter playing in the background🙂
I made that track with the stock pickups! Good ear. 🫡
Thanks for this, I've been thinking of upgrading my Squier 50s Classic Vibe
DO NOT UPGRADE A CV!!!!! they already have alnico 5's.
The new pickups sound a little better. Your playing is very nice, great job.
You forget that not only does a stock butterscotch Affinity Tele look great but it doesn't sound half bad. The replacements definately have a crisper tone. I just paid $200 to upgrade mine with hotter Fender Deluxe Drive pups as I'm a chicken and letting GC install them. I hope my results are as good as yours.
You can do work on guitars with a $10 soldering iron. I know because that's exactly what I use. It's never too late to learn.
10 min and a solder iron
These pickups rule. I threw them in my partscaster and it sounds so good
Not a day and night difference, Wont bother doing it, was going to but not that big a change in sound for me thanks for the video.
That sounds beautiful. I will go for my new pickups!
Good comparison. I watched and listened with interest. Good vid.
Thanks! I think it was worth it, and it’s so far kept me from shelling out $$$ for an American Tele.
Really the whole thing comes down to, do you like alnico pickups or are you happy with ceramic.
If you are happy with the tones or the playability after any mod, then it was worth it. 🙂
I put the 52s in my afinity the only stock parts on the guitar is the body and neck ....
Worth it, need a set for my Squier. Nice video and great playing.
IMO, the 52's have an amount of grit I am not a fan of for the type of music I tend to play. I think the ceramic pickups actually sound pretty good as clean pickups, and just need some tonal adjustment on the amp or pedals to bring them into shape.
You have a good point... tonal adjustments can make a big difference on any rig.
You are correct. I fell in love with a Tele affinity I tried in store a few years ago, now that I know a little more about electric guitars I'm sure the great sound I heard came From those modest ceramic pups and the Amp to which the guitar was plugged. I'm sure the amp was those with tubes.
Stock Affinity pickups are complete garbage. Most use foil instead of wire. Don’t kid yourself
@@twenty3electronics maybe , but my affinity strat pups almost as good as my Tex Mex
@@twenty3electronics foil...? Lol...ok. Ceramics are cheaper because ceramic is cheaper. That's all.
Uh oh..my comment must be on another vid..Rats.... Well yeah I can hear a difference especially up the neck, I use an old axiom, the originals are more 'bukkerish, more muffled, I don't use "muddy", down around 12 and below on the upgraded are brighter with a twang in there louder crisper with a twang in there (thought it deserved mentioning again it isa Tele) Yep it was worth it! But, I gotta tell ya I love/want your Tele, Justin, even before upgraded! Mustard BLONDE with a BLACKGUARD.....heavenly! Gorgeous! I played a basic white, ya know basic Fender Blonde(?) with a, aggghhh, white pick guard some in '67. I LOVE TELES!!! Maybe my pea brain can handle master tone and volume better. I'm a moron. Yep yours is sweet. Was it Springsteen and Prince played em? Ah gorgeous.... Thanks for the tip again.
good demo, thanks for not shredding👍
Very nice! Thank you!
I appreciate the demo and there’s some nice playing but I never knew for sure what pick-up you were on so it would have been cool if you’d had the on the screen. I have an affinity like yours and the stock pups are decent but the 52s sound richer and more balanced, as you said
Sustainability is way better and the sounds is waaay better,I think you did the right thing,MY TURN,lol,ty😅
I have a partscaster with these set wired 50s gibson style. The neck pickup is something else.
I have no problem with anybody changing out stock pickups. Just be careful when you say it’s an upgrade. It’s very subjective,
You can EQ and pedal your way to get the most out of a set of pickups unless you’re changing from single coils to something completely different.
I thought the stock bridge pickup sounded light years better than the 52 with the crunch you added.
I hear you. I think I am defining “upgrade” as something that costs more, but you are definitely right…It’s very subjective!
If you can change everything with a pedal no one would buy different models of guitars would they? Its not as simple as that. Pickups are an upgrade if better than factory as you buying a budget guitar. Everything that costs over $50 is an upgrade.
Can you please tell me what is the resistor value in the volume control potentiometer?
Estoy intentando hacer lo mismo, pero las pastillas no entran en el puente. El hueco del puente es muy pequeño. Alguien sabe si esto pasa? Que hacen en estos casos?
The Squier pickups are no less good than the "52s, they sound different. It all depends on the sound you're looking for. You're all obsessed with the Fender stamp on the packaging. For example, the Custom Shop stamped pickups are a deception. If it's you really want to change the stock pickups, Vintera are also good and cheaper. Tonerider pickups also very good and used in some Fender guitars.
Really dug that timelapse man
The new Fender pickups have a better tone, but the stock Squiers are not bad at all.
I have a bridge Yosemite I took of my Performer Tele. I want to put it in the affinity Telecaster! Do you think there will be a problem if I leave the stock Affinity neck pickup in it! Yosemite in the bridge Stock Affinity ceramic in the neck?
No you should be fine!
Depends on how much they were really, I like the upgrade though.
I wouldn't call the sound an upgrade. I'll just call it a different sound because the original pickups did sound good!!!
Wow! They sound amazing. Ive got a player series Tele and I wonder how much it'd improve on that?
Check to see if you have Alnico or ceramic pickups. If they’re Alnico, it probably wouldn’t change a whole lot.
Wow! Huge improvement! I have a player series Tele and I wonder now how much those would improve on those stock pickups?
Probably a lot! I had a Player and didn’t care for the rock sound of the Alnico 5 pickups. They are wound very hot for my taste.
I tried the Fralin Blues Special and didn’t care for those either. These have a much more balanced Tele tone
I don’t like the Yosemite pickups in my new American Performer tele. It seems like fender puts pickups in their telecasters that make them sound less “ tele” 🤷🏼♂️. I’m definitely changing to vintage fender or Seymour Duncan vintage 54 pickups 👍🏻🤷🏼♂️
PS…they sound ok with some drive. It’s the clean classic country sound the Yosemite doesn’t do well.
I have a performer and did not like the Yosemite pickups at all either. Which set have you swapped to? I went with Seymour Duncan La Brea and they are fantastic, and will never leave my guitar!
Yosemite pickups in Am Performers kinda suck IMO. IDK what it is, they just miss and fall flat in every direction. The VMod pickups in the Am Pro Strats and Teles are a different story. Wow! The first time I fell in love with a Tele was one of those. It just nails what I was expecting a Tele to sound like.
@@Florida_Boi_333 Looking to upgrade my Tele. Are you still happy with the La Brea PUs?
@@SparkyGoldsmith Looking to upgrade my Tele. Are you still happy with the VMod PUs?
@@alafenetre81 Yes, very happy with them. Also, I was in a guitar shop (Detroit Guitars) a few years back and a guy was looking at Teles for the first time. At the time, I had only been a Tele fan myself for a couple years. I told him to start with the AmPro because when I tried one, it was like "the most Tele sounding Tele I'd ever heard. Like THAT'S IT." The guitar shop worker who was middle aged and been working there for several years said, "I totally agree with him. I got the same feeling first time I played one." There may be better Tele pickups out there for this or that sound for some people but those V-Mod I and II pickups are just excellent. They used every trick, including mixing AlNiCo II and V magnets. What more could you want? I literally have no desire to change them. I have other Tele builds waiting for me with pickups by Almalfitano and a couple other hand winders but I'm in no hurry to finish them. Too busy playing my AmPro. LOL. Mine is an 2017 AmPro I. The II's came out in 2020. My Strat is an AmPro 2, same story. Great pickups. There are other pickups I'm still curious about but for additional guitar builds, not as a replacements for my AmPro guitars. Good luck with your choice. So many great builders out there it's hard to go wrong anymore. Check out STRATosphere on eBay for "used" pickups for less. They part out brand new guitars and sell the parts.
I'm also looking to change out the neck for a regular fender neck. Everyone says I should do it. Would it be a good idea? I'm sure there's a neck out there that would work.
I liked the stock on Gimme Shelter but then the 2nd lick I liked the upgrade.
Im not going to lie, when i get rid of the wiring, the caps and the pots, the pickups sound good. Good parts matrer. My friends Mexican stratocaster sounded better than his player he said after i dif juat that.
Heard the subtle differences, they both sounded great though. Would be nice to compare the DCR of the ceramics vs Alnico 3's.
I thought it was worth it! Sounds great
P.S Thought it was Bart from MercyMe for a quick second
Is that string buzz or a rattle I was hearing at the start? Nice pickups but expensive in Canada like everything else now.
I think it’s string buzz. I recently got a Seymour Duncan antiquity. Don’t know if it’s any cheaper in Canada, but I love it too. Great vintage bite to it.
Also, I installed these for a friend. Great budget sound. LAMSAM Combos of Prewired Electric Guitar Control Plate System, Grooved Vintage Brass Saddles Bridge Plate Loaded Alnico V Single Coil Neck Bridge Pickups Set, Chrome-13 a.co/d/89vQsGY
Hey man how you doing love your content and have always wanted a teley but I have a strat and still hopping I win the contest
Thanks! I’ll do the drawing tomorrow. Good luck!
nice upgrade. I think I might use these pickups in my indigo dlx pls tele. It came with Wilkinsen m series pickups. they sound nice but doesn't sound like a telecaster.
I did. Mine sounds INCREDIBLE. Even if it does weigh 10 lbs! 🤣 They blow away the stock Wilkinsons. I even tried alnico Wilkinson M+series before going for the Fenders. These sound tons better than both the ceramic and alnico M-series pickups. 🤣 The guitar in my avatar is a 66 DLX Plus and I have a Goldtop 66 DLX Plus, also.
Good vid! Thanx! :D
Wow.... Sweet
Do they stop the buzz? ( of guitar)
No, still get the 60-cycle hum. You’d have to get the “noiseless “ one for that.
Is that the original neck? I had one of these and the neck was satin and color was lighter. I sold it to a buddy of mine for $75.
Yes it’s original and satin.
Yes,yes,yes
Squire classic vibe 50 comes with those pick ups
They get dang close to the original too…Did you see my video where I got to play a real 1951 and compared it to my Classic Vibe? Does a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster sound like a real 50s Tele?
ua-cam.com/video/nl50pBcrKOo/v-deo.html
Tone tip: always tune up before making a demo, then we can hear more of the harmonic content with how the in tune strings interact with the new pups.
I need them !!!
P.s,I see them upgrades u got and there not much I'm going for it,I got alnico v in mine and I like them better
CERTAINLY WORTH THE COST & TROUBLE .. THANKS ...
I think that unless you are a pro musician and making good money, you have such a well trained ear or you are a collectionists...you dont really need an expensive fender. I mean for the price of an american stratocaster I can have a decent Strato+Tele+Jaguar Squier
Should have changed the pots also.
I don’t know what to get in that department. Any recommendations
put some 10 s on it it will sound better
Big improve
normally (ok 99.99999% of the time) I say LEAVE PICKUPS ALONE!!!!!!! But wow, hello yes BIGGGGG diff!
Difference 2-5%... I think is dont worth.