Silver Sky SE vs Telecaster tone.

[k.darwin]

How close does the neck pickup of the SS SE sound to a Tele? I feel like the SS SE is a bit fuller / darker sounding than a Strat and, therefore, probably closer to a Tele but I don't have either for any direct comparisons.

Anyone swap the bridge PU for a TwangBanger? How much of a change did you hear?

My overall goal is to transform the SS SE into more of a Nashville Tele with a strat-style body and I'm wondering how far I have to go with PU changes to get in the ball park.

 

[dogrocketp]

Any opinion will not be yours. The best thing to do is get the guitar, live with it for 30 days, and then have at it.

 

[k.darwin]

And I have considered buying a Tele just to get to know it and compare it with the SS SE. It isn't totally off the table but not at all likely to happen.

So my question is for those who have done the comparisons / mods. Their experience may not be the same as mine, but it is valuable info just the same.

My inclination right now is to replace the bridge PU with the TwangBanger and raise the other pickups to get them as fat sounding as I can. And call it good enough.

 

[SinSir]

The seSS are all over the used market and pop up for cheap cheap here and there. Especially on craigslist and marketplace. I'd pick one up and swap away til you get where you want. Amps and settings are going to factor in too. I've had some strats or hell other guitars I've been able to get pretty chicken twangy. Still a tele is a tele and the only solution for me was a tele.

 

[k.darwin]

I guess my OP wasn't that clear. I have a Silver Sky SE that I am considering modifying to be more tele-like (i.e. building a Nashville Tele)

So I'm looking for other people's experiences comparing the stock SS SE to a tele, and swapping the bridge pickup with a Twang Banger.

 

[SinSir]

Makes more sense now.. rereading your OP, you meant you don't have a tele to do a direct comparison.

The issue I've found trying something similar is that I'm of the school of thought the tele bridge plate adds to the tele tone. Like the Vela can get close to tele and I feel it's the bridge plate and saddles that help it get there. That said.. I'd contact Rob at Cavalier pickups and tell him what you're trying to achieve and I'd bet he could get you close or have some solid advice.

 

[k.darwin]

There is a YouTube video of a rather good player playing the SS Core against a Tele and to my ears, the neck pickup sound between the two were very close. Bridge pickup favored the Tele.

I've also watched videos where the Twang Banger in a Strat made the Strat sound fairly close to a Tele. Not the same, but close enough for live music.

Which has me thinking, put a Twang Banger in the bridge and a push/pull pot and I can build the SS SE into a respectable version of a PRS Nashville Tele.

But I can't be the first in the history of the SS SE to think about trying this.

 

[deathworlder]

Makes more sense now.. rereading your OP, you meant you don't have a tele to do a direct comparison.

The issue I've found trying something similar is that I'm of the school of thought the tele bridge plate adds to the tele tone. Like the Vela can get close to tele and I feel it's the bridge plate and saddles that help it get there. That said.. I'd contact Rob at Cavalier pickups and tell him what you're trying to achieve and I'd bet he could get you close or have some solid advice.

My experience as well...
Full-size humbuckers, single coil-size humbuckers, P-90s...still sounds like a Tele.

 

[SinSir]

There is a YouTube video of a rather good player playing the SS Core against a Tele and to my ears, the neck pickup sound between the two were very close. Bridge pickup favored the Tele.

I've also watched videos where the Twang Banger in a Strat made the Strat sound fairly close to a Tele. Not the same, but close enough for live music.

Which has me thinking, put a Twang Banger in the bridge and a push/pull pot and I can build the SS SE into a respectable version of a PRS Nashville Tele.

But I can't be the first in the history of the SS SE to think about trying this.

Swap and see. That's the only way for me. YT means very little to me vs real world in my hands. Swapping pickups is about as easy and affordable as it gets.

The SSse is just another S style guitar. If you've heard strats that sound close to you the SSse is gonna be in the same ballpark.