You can achieve this by adjusting tone knob, but the stock CV pickups cannot go the other way (brighter) Tho I like twisted tele/No caster better than this one
The only thing I’ve found with the stock CV pickups, is that they needed their height adjusted for optimal output, and to balance the levels. They sound wonderful now.
did same thing AFTER I ordered my Lindy Fralins (coming tomorrow)...sure hope it sounds noticeably better. Will do my first solder job...looking forward to it.
@@Baci302 Only burned myself once...then got the bug and started doing other small solder jobs....including speaker swaps. LOL. The Fralin Blues Special on a Tele are amazing....I like the CV50 Squier with these Fralins as much or better than my recently acquired Fender Tele Pro II. I want to try a set of Lollars someday...
Big difference for the better. The reason I like your channel is because you actually play chords when demonstrating rather than endless blues bending which is great for 20 seconds or so but to hear each string ringing clearly is a joy!
Original pickups are good enough. They are honestly good all around. The replacement ones are admittedly better but not without trade offs. Cons: I don't like too much bite, it's just not versatile regardless of how a tele is "supposed to be". Pros: Definitely outweighs the cons. The bridge pickup notes blooms into breakup much better in a more linear fashion. The neck notes are more dynamic between volume changes - cleaning up to a very nice tone as well. I do think the new pickups are installed at least closer to the strings or at least have a stronger output somehow. Overall, I would say these pickups are worth the change, but the original ones will make great music in the right hands.
Honestly, I thought the stock pickups sounded great! At least before the comparison. A pickup swap can totally transform a guitar, so it’s nice to see a comparison. Thanks for the video!
Stock pickups are great in my CV Custom Tele and the stock bridge pickup in the 60's CV Strat is likely the ballsiest I've ever heard in any Strat. Any pickup modification might "change" the tone/output but in my opinion the stock ones are so good it would not be cost efficient, unless of course you are totally flush with cash and time.
Bro I love the classic vibe 60’s pick ups!! I compared these versus a stock player, an american, and a japanese 50s strat and the classic vibe 60’s has this super glassy rich tone that i love for cleans! Any idea why this is or what is specific about this pick up? Do you think a Fender Fat 50’s or Texas specials would have more of this glassy tone or not really ?
I have a 60s thinline CV Tele. Personally, I love the tone out of the pickups. That being said, I’m always interested in your opinion on pickups and guitars. Differences of opinion is good. I don’t like peaty scotch, my buddy does. We both enjoy scotch is the only relevant point.
@Lewis Dunkley mine was an Indonesian made model (2020). Not sure if they’re toneriders but when I took the pickguard off and took a peek, the pots are full size Korean made (didn’t recognize the stamp on them) and the switch is not a PCB. Overall, I’m happy. I did like Dylan’s pickups though. May need to think about those.
I like the stock pups in mine. They actually surprised me! The only work it NEEDS is some fret leveling which is par for the course when it comes to guitars under $500 or even $1000. I’ll probably put a set of Brandonwound 60’s T-styles in it because they’re a local company to me and make fantastic pups at decent prices. But the stock pups DO sound pretty good. The Jack and shielded wiring are definitely crap, must admit. Will be replacing both.
The Classic Vibe pickups in my 60’s strat are legit. Never tried the tele ones, but I expected to need to replace my strat pickups when I first got it , but ended up enjoying them too much to see a need to change them.
Same with me and my Classic Vibe Mustang. Everything about it was perfect other than the little bit of fret end dressing it needed. Otherwise, it is amazing. Tuners too.
I have the 60’s strat as well….I went into it thinking I would change them …I haven’t done it yet..They actually sound good and tone wise there is a huge difference on each setting with the 5 way switch. I run it through a Blackstar studio 10 6L6..They are a great paring.
I think I agree with you. The pickups on my CV 60's (which are supposed to be similar to a Tonerider model) are very good. Perhaps the best stock pickups that I've come across on a Squier. And, even though I will replace them for a Dimarzio Area Set, I'm considering installing the CV pickups on my Variax Standard, because its pickups are completely sterile and lifeless compared to the Squiers....
Amazing improvement indeed. Few weeks ago I installed Custom Shop Texas Special pickups on my Squier Tele Offset and the tone change was impressive like in this video. I also found that the Squier pickups had plastic plates, they were not that bad but the new are awesome.
sorry but I don't think the new bridge pickup made things better.. it sounds horrible. it may be what you like.. but it is not a good sound to my ears (using my in ear monitors) and the bridge is just a little less muddy. Not sure if that is amp EQ or pickups or both.. but I'd not be able to play more than one lick like that
Is there a reason people don't make comparisons re-using the same set of strings through a totally dry amp (no reverb)? Your pickups sound good, I've just long wondered about this common protocol. I hear short details in my own dry playing that gets de-emphasized when the reverb goes on.
I’ve owned and played almost every range or tele and the classics vibe is a steal long as you don’t get stuck on the fact it doesn’t say fender.I’ll say with a good setup and possibly new pups(depending on your preference) you can have a guitar that completes with an American tele easily for about 1K less.I’m really annoyed that the two player series teles I owned had un rounded frets and fretboard to the point it was cutting my fingers.they aren’t bad guitars but for they money you expect something’s to automatically just be taken care of.the squier cv had everything from rounded fretboard and frets to pretty good fret work out the box.The neck was straight , no glue marks or anything unlike more player series I’ve seen and played.I’m not saying any guitar is bad but for 350 (possibly less if pre owned) you have a great looking and feeling guitar that is ready for upgrades if you see fit!
I just did an A-B comparison on the stock vs the new pickups...And in my opinion the originals sound better or more Vintage like...So can be a personal thing...But the airy Vintage Vibe pickups actually made by ToneRider for Squier sound very authentic Vintage Fender..
Great video and very timely. My 50s CV is off to the tech tomorrow for the very same thing. I thought the Squier stock ones were great in a home studio situation at low volume, but I did the first gig with the guitar last week and they sounded shrill, weak and tinny at higher stage volume. With no definition or push when trying to cut through against real drums.
Just ordered this tele and plan on making all these upgrades myself! A little apprehensive since I've only changed strings in my guitars, but since this Squire is so economical, I'm going to go for it. Thanks, Dylan! The difference between pickups was amazing! 🙏😊
NOOOOO, Dylan the pickups on my CV tele and CV 1960s strat are great. To each his own I guess. Great video though. To be honest I would like to find out which pickups squier puts on the teles, so I could put them in my MIM tele.
I just bought a Squier Classic Vibe 50’s Strat. The pickups sound excellent. The newest iteration made In Indonesia has Alnico 5’s in it as does the Tele and they are much better than the ones built in China.
Almost all pickups are usable. I love SD, Lollar, DiMarco and most of the big pickup companies. But consider players like David Lindley... he used guitars like Danelectro BECAUSE they had weaker pickups and coupled with amp like a Silvertone to get a unique, different tone.
I like both pickups- but l’m somewhere in the middle of them concerning gain breakup- one’s too little and one’s too much- for me a real tele sound is more defined by eq than just breakup- it’s the bandwidth presence in relation to point of breakup- l think you interpret gain related breakup as the sound and l think it’s an eq curve that gives more bark than bite- ( it’s a mid high cut and a high bass cut more than distorted edges ) for me…
For a while real wow moment! Nowadays you can’t almost hear difference between pups, pedals etc. but this is something. Thanks for doing this good work!
This was quite interesting to me. I used to have this exact guitar and I actually really liked the sound of the stock pickups when I bought it which sound exactly like they do at the start of this in this video, very smooth and almost Strat like especially in the neck where I do most of my playing. One thing I did notice was that the sound was scooped, lacking in mids, which I perceived as a problem at the time and I changed them for a set of boutique ones (handmade by a uk based company that no longer exists). The new pickups sounded great too and had the midrange definition that I was missing, they sounded more traditionally "tele like". The weird thing is, a few years later I sold the guitar to upgrade to a japanese version of the same model and changed the pickups back to the stock before putting it on the marker and realised that the original pickups were much better than I remembered them being. Just like on a strat, the relatively thin sounding pickups really sing with some pedal mid boost and the resulting sound was something I'd probably choose over the more generic tone I got from the "correct" sounding higher quality pickups.
If your guitar was from before 2019 it will have had different pickups than this one. Fender/Squier moved production from China to Indonesia and made a few changes to the specs with the move, one of them being switching to a different pickup manufacturer.
Is it needed to also change condensators or the pontentialmeters? Some people recommended that. I want to change the stock pickups with Fender 51 Nocaster Pickup Set pickups. I think the stock pickups are not bad for the price of the guitar at all (about 400 €) BUT I feel that the neck pickups sounds a little more muddy compare to my FGN Tele or my MEX tele. If you play not too loud it ok, but with an Marshall and louder enviroment like Band contex they sounding more muddy . The bridge pickup is okay, but compare to a Lollar (which cost much more) PU there is some articulation missing. So it is also a matter of taste, but often cheap PU sounding good at home but not good on stage.
I wonder why Dylans pickups sounded so much different, he was right his pickups have more output punch, clarity, and bite. It was like the tone control as missing the upper range like he said was very interesting.
Your pickups sound awesome. Which, even coming from a YT video is impressive. The question I have is, does the pickup height from factory to custom install have a major factor in the overall sound of the pickups? I'm thinking a factory worker isn't going to tune the height like a professional would.
my strat cv 50s does that, i have really good control over the breakup of the amp just by playing strengh, I have stock pickups. stock electronics, mine is a made in china, not one of the newer ones, which is said to be better than the newer ones, personally i've seen quite a few videos where people change the pups on a 50s cv same as mine and I usually prefer the stock ones. It's my main guitar and i love it.
I tried a 40th anniversary Squier tele. Amazing guitar. These guitars are supposed to be alternate versions of the classic vibes with satin finishes and binding. The pickups, however, were so weak and a bit dark. I knew I’d need to replace those if I bought it. The neck pickup was pretty much unusable.
Don't know.... The original neck pick up sounded clearer to me. I play mostly clean neck and middle: personally I would prefer the stock. Years ago I replaced the pickups on an $89 Amazon Tele with some from one of your competitors. Day and night difference so I agree, quality pickups can be a game changer.
I’m confused. At 7:56 you were talking about the cheap screws used on the bridge plate and how you only ever use a hand screwdriver. Yet at 5:26, you’re clearly using a powered drill.
Yes. I said I used “the same screwdriver I always use” …. The screws were so cheap they stripped. You can’t tell because of the time lapse, but at that point I switched to the power tool to remove the cheap screws. It should be said, with quality hardware, you can use a power tool to disassemble, that’s no issue, but these cheap guitars… be very careful
yep i thought the cv .s sounded better more trad tele . the replacements sounded hotter but lost some tele character . clarity is not usually an issue with teles . you usually have to knock the tone back a tad on the bridge . horses for courses
One thing about good pickups is that they feel different, they make you play differently and pay more attention to the little details of your playing, which is something that doesn't come across through a TH-cam video.
Hi Dylan, Since the Classic Vibe pickups have plastic bobbins, are they or are they not wax potted? I would think not but would like to know what you found and does that account for some of the sonic differences?
Hi Dylan, thanks for your very instructive vids. This one prompted me to unscrew my CV 50s Vintage Blonde Tele and check under the bridge pickup. It's got a heavy, thick copper plated steel plate with no holes in it. The bottom plate is marked "TCA2B(fender)-BT." Maybe my 2011 Blonde (and some other CV variants) shipped with good pickups, other variants of Classic Vibe Teles shipped with the "holy" sub-par pickups you found in the more current 60s model?
Hi Dylan, I own a Parker P-42 with stringer Humbucker pickups, the pole pieces on the pickups are rusted and i want to clean them to give it a new look. I'm thinking of removing the pole pieces and the screws and dipping them in vinegar overnight and cleaning them. That is all okay, but i'm concerned about the reinstallation , could you please elaborate what should i do?
I would’ve just dropped a 500k volume pot and bypassed the tone knob. Then strung up some D’addarios nickelwounds tuned to ‘F’. That’s how I do my telecaster ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
Well if pickup manufacturers would give us the specs of their pickups then people could learn what kind of pickups they like and they would buy the ones they want at the cheapest price. mind you anyone with a $30 inductance meter could get those specs or very close to it, provided they actually have to buy the pickup first. Fender Custom shop Original Vintage Tele Pickups are 2.4 h in the neck and 3.6 h in the bridge (7.2k DCR and 6.6k DCR). My CV Paranormal Offset tele is brighter in the neck pickup at 1.96 h (7.14k DCR), and brighter on the bridge at 2.7h (7.07k DCR). The Tonerider Vintage Plus is similiar to the CV at 1.9 h in the neck but a bit darker than the CV at 3.0 h in the bridge. To say that one pickup is 'better' than another is probably misleading. It simply depends if you want a brighter or darker pickup (to simplify). Brighter pickups are more balanced, and cut through the mix, but may sound fizzy. Darker pickups may make the lower strings more fuzzy and louder although may make the treble strings sound quite smoother and mellower.
FYI The older classic vibes (09-18) had very different pickups. They were rumored to be tonerider made. From experience the construction of them is different then current models and to me of much higher quality. I’m very happy with my 2013 stock telecaster vintage blonde 😁
@@SchmittPhysics I got a used one for $200 (2016 also). Had a few bumps but so what? It plays and sounds great and is one of my favorite guitars to play (out of 18). SOLID Tele!
2014 Butterscotch Blonde Tele here. Alnico 5 pups. I think the stock Toneriders sound good and if nothing else different from my other Fender/Squier style guitars which I like. Want my guitars to all sound different.
got an 2020 70s strat(hss) changed the pickups to tonerider city limits because i wanted sss and sold the hss pickguard. i liked the stock singlecoils much more than the tonerider ones
Looks like you have a post 2018 model. Pre 2018 CVs we're made on the same factory line as ToneRiders and to the same exact specs ( except plastic housing vs cloth and different wire ) I have a 2013 CVC 60s Tele ( the rare black/binding one ) and the pickups are possibly my favorite pups out of any of the 5 telecasters I've ever bought. They are the equivalent of tonerider vintage plus I also have owned ( and sold ) a post 2018 60s tele and it was right, although nowhere close to my 2013 model I'd check out the pre 2018 models. They will quite possibly blow your mind
Also, the Squire catalog even differentiates between the different pups by calling them Custom Vintage Alnico vs after 2018, with Fender designed Alico inside the spec details
I had a similar experience with my mij fender tele. Stock bridge pickup was okay, but I found myself working too hard to make it bite. Neck one was just boring and dull. So very similar. Replaced them with Lollar Vintage set and it took a guitar to a completely new level. Although the set cost me 1/3 of what I paid for the guitar, it's totally worth it.
I was a die hard fan of the cv 60s strat... thought it sounded super good... when I experienced cs pickups in the vintera 50s mod tele I instantly knew how wrong I was.
aquired a chinese cv thinline a few years ago. It sounded too bass and harsh for my pref. Rumoured to have tonerider pups but i changed to tonerider vintage, put brass saddles for sweetness, CRL 5 way which i wired HOOP, and 500k pots. Final mod was changing speaker in my Egnater Tweaker for WGS alnico..Now sounds really great, to my ears anyway. Have been thinking to get a cheap thinline and put in lipstick pups, have you tried these in a thinline, how do you think theyd sound. Chris
Ok kiddies, I would definitely change out the electronics before the pup's on the later CV squire's. If you're not still satisfied, then she'll out on pup's. You may fine you don't need to.
I also got a CV 60s tele, still the early ones, with alder body. I do agree with you, the pickups are quite weak and not clear enough. It was stated an alnico V at that time.
I bought my Classic Vibe Tele about 6 years ago. I bought the Blonde Tele with the Alnico III pickups in it and they sound just fine (BTW - Butterscotch had Alnico V’s in them). I love the Tele so much that I modded it for weight relief. It originally weighed close to 9lbs. I gave it an arm cut, belly carve, and I routed under the pickguard. It took 2lbs off of it. I also refinished it with Purple Leather Dye and it’s a beautiful see thru purple now. It can be seen on my Instagram page under my same name.
They have a nice chime, but lack in mids. A lot of new players hear treble as clarity or sparkle and will be satisfied for awhile, until they notice their tone is a bit thin.
Or here's an idea... You could roll up the mid control on the amp or roll down the tone control on guitar. Adjusting pickup height also shifts eq around and can give statisfactory results in most cases
H Dylan, I have that same Squier model. I like the feel of the neck, the balance and weight of the body, but the pickups sounded kind of dull or stiff. They didn't have the tone I expected from a Telecaster. I bought a set of Fender 60's telecaster pickups to see if they would improve the tonal response from the guitar. I was thinking of replacing the pots if they need it after the pickups are done.
Cool demo. I agree your pickups sound better than the stick ones. What is the difference? Higher windings? Different types of wires/magnets? Edit: never mind! Just checked out your site and you explain it pretty well there. Am definitely interested in trying out a set as I have relatively flat radius necks. Rock!
@@DylanTalksTone No, but the psychology of people is pretty easy to understand. Read the comments and you will see that others think their pickups sound good.
@@DylanTalksTone Well why you dont test the old pickups with new strings (same model and gauge) put the height at the same level with the strings in both ( i see in your pickups was much more close to the strings) and show us the settings in your amp !!! Then maybe i m gonna believe your are honest...
Back then, I had a CV strat 50s, the early release of squier CV series. Which still had an alder body (the recent release doesn't use alder) and one piece maple neck which had a little flame maple grain. I really love the stock pickup, it was specified clearly on the website, an alnico III magnet pickup. Now it's not specified clearly anymore. The tone is very round and balanced.
huge diffrence in tones there! i had a tele built from parts i got on ebay from all over the usa.... the pickups are 52 "re issue" wound by a company called "true custom shop"...i dont think theyre affilliated with fender...i took a chance on these pups not knowing anything about them... after the shop finished i went to pick up my "butterscratch" tele... the guy played it thru i believe it was a blues jr amp and all i can say was wowwwzerz! neck was thick n bluesy/mid was nice n chirpy/and the bridge would make brad paisley proud! the pups you installed in your tele are sweet as well....mine costed 60bux for the set...i gotta watch every dollar and have limited funds for hobbies.... great video and thanx for explaining details about diffrent guitar subjects!
@DylanTalksTone I wasn't sure. I actually thought you used a pair of yours. I had it all planned out to say testing pickups in a low/mid level guitar would sound not as good as pickups from a boutique pickup maker. I guess I just got shot in the foot. Not that it means much to you coming from me, but my respect for what you do just went way up. In a world full of posers, it's nice to run into the real deal. Thank you for all you do to educate goofballs like me.
Dylan I have a Mexican lefty tele from ‘02 my #1 guitar. I pretty much ride on my neck pickup most of the time with the tone rolled down 75% or so. I would love to get a set of yours to put into it but I do like the neck with the tone set darker. I’m scared to go all in on a set to solve having bridge pickup I like. Should I go for just a bridge pickup swap or go for the set? I got this in about ‘07 for $275 locally. Oh the good ole days. lol. Also, I would love a guitar with triple Dylan P90s! That would be so cool!
I have a cv 60s thinline and it is better than my usa tele and japan tele the cv is perfect. Just listened to your demo sorry cv is better all around.😊
I prefer the CV pickups. It sounds warmer as well, perfect for neo soul and jazz
The ice pick is obvious, Those replacement pickups suck. People can't leave well enough alone ( gotta get hotter pickups BS)
You can achieve this by adjusting tone knob, but the stock CV pickups cannot go the other way (brighter)
Tho I like twisted tele/No caster better than this one
Wow Tough Crowd , I’m just Happy Someone’s Manufacturing Something Cool and Quality in the USA , Thanks Dylan !
The only thing I’ve found with the stock CV pickups, is that they needed their height adjusted for optimal output, and to balance the levels. They sound wonderful now.
did same thing AFTER I ordered my Lindy Fralins (coming tomorrow)...sure hope it sounds noticeably better. Will do my first solder job...looking forward to it.
@@lazvt8469 I'm impressed. How'd the solder job go? Sounds better?
@@Baci302 Only burned myself once...then got the bug and started doing other small solder jobs....including speaker swaps. LOL. The Fralin Blues Special on a Tele are amazing....I like the CV50 Squier with these Fralins as much or better than my recently acquired Fender Tele Pro II. I want to try a set of Lollars someday...
can't agree more CV pickups are good
People forget that. You will be surprised what a difference it makes when you set the pickup heights correctly.
Big difference for the better. The reason I like your channel is because you actually play chords when demonstrating rather than endless blues bending which is great for 20 seconds or so but to hear each string ringing clearly is a joy!
Original pickups are good enough. They are honestly good all around. The replacement ones are admittedly better but not without trade offs. Cons: I don't like too much bite, it's just not versatile regardless of how a tele is "supposed to be". Pros: Definitely outweighs the cons. The bridge pickup notes blooms into breakup much better in a more linear fashion. The neck notes are more dynamic between volume changes - cleaning up to a very nice tone as well. I do think the new pickups are installed at least closer to the strings or at least have a stronger output somehow. Overall, I would say these pickups are worth the change, but the original ones will make great music in the right hands.
Makes a huge difference if you set the pickup heights correctly.
Honestly, I thought the stock pickups sounded great! At least before the comparison. A pickup swap can totally transform a guitar, so it’s nice to see a comparison. Thanks for the video!
Stock pickups are great in my CV Custom Tele and the stock bridge pickup in the 60's CV Strat is likely the ballsiest I've ever heard in any Strat. Any pickup modification might "change" the tone/output but in my opinion the stock ones are so good it would not be cost efficient, unless of course you are totally flush with cash and time.
Bro I love the classic vibe 60’s pick ups!!
I compared these versus a stock player, an american, and a japanese 50s strat and the classic vibe 60’s has this super glassy rich tone that i love for cleans!
Any idea why this is or what is specific about this pick up?
Do you think a Fender Fat 50’s or Texas specials would have more of this glassy tone or not really ?
Night and day....sounds great man.
I like that this tele is already routed for a wide range! Endless opportunities!
I mean, if they're just gonna cover the body with a pickguard, they might as well just rout it for everything they'd put in it
Can you put humbuckers in this beauty?
I must be crazy, but I liked the stock pups.
I agree, new pickups are very fuzzy. Not what I look for and not very pleasant sounding, imo.
Stock pickups were better this is a sales pitch.
Both sounds good. New pickups are hotter sounding, but the stock sounded fine.
I didn’t see a “ night and day” difference.
@@moogsmiley4157 Well you see that he puts the new pickups more close to the strings to have the "bite that he wants "" Cannot trust nobody nowdays!"
I have a 60s thinline CV Tele. Personally, I love the tone out of the pickups. That being said, I’m always interested in your opinion on pickups and guitars. Differences of opinion is good. I don’t like peaty scotch, my buddy does. We both enjoy scotch is the only relevant point.
Well said :) I wish more people had an attitude like that. Cheers, mate !
Yeah. Not all recipes call for salted butter!
@Lewis Dunkley mine was an Indonesian made model (2020). Not sure if they’re toneriders but when I took the pickguard off and took a peek, the pots are full size Korean made (didn’t recognize the stamp on them) and the switch is not a PCB. Overall, I’m happy. I did like Dylan’s pickups though. May need to think about those.
@Lewis Dunkley what puts did you get as replacenent?
I like the stock pups in mine. They actually surprised me! The only work it NEEDS is some fret leveling which is par for the course when it comes to guitars under $500 or even $1000. I’ll probably put a set of Brandonwound 60’s T-styles in it because they’re a local company to me and make fantastic pups at decent prices. But the stock pups DO sound pretty good. The Jack and shielded wiring are definitely crap, must admit. Will be replacing both.
The Classic Vibe pickups in my 60’s strat are legit. Never tried the tele ones, but I expected to need to replace my strat pickups when I first got it , but ended up enjoying them too much to see a need to change them.
Same with me and my Classic Vibe Mustang. Everything about it was perfect other than the little bit of fret end dressing it needed. Otherwise, it is amazing. Tuners too.
EVERYTHING is taste, man, your guitar, your music, your taste. You go brother!
I have the 60’s strat as well….I went into it thinking I would change them …I haven’t done it yet..They actually sound good and tone wise there is a huge difference on each setting with the 5 way switch. I run it through a Blackstar studio 10 6L6..They are a great paring.
Ditto...My CV 60'sstrat has Alnico pu's and and Alnico hb in the bridge. I'm beyond impressed.
I think I agree with you. The pickups on my CV 60's (which are supposed to be similar to a Tonerider model) are very good. Perhaps the best stock pickups that I've come across on a Squier. And, even though I will replace them for a Dimarzio Area Set, I'm considering installing the CV pickups on my Variax Standard, because its pickups are completely sterile and lifeless compared to the Squiers....
Love the stock pickups alnico 5 but did change height of them and put compensated brass saddles and that made a big difference to tone for me.
Yes, that's the way to do it. No need to get expensive pups.
Amazing improvement indeed. Few weeks ago I installed Custom Shop Texas Special pickups on my Squier Tele Offset and the tone change was impressive like in this video. I also found that the Squier pickups had plastic plates, they were not that bad but the new are awesome.
sorry but I don't think the new bridge pickup made things better.. it sounds horrible. it may be what you like.. but it is not a good sound to my ears (using my in ear monitors) and the bridge is just a little less muddy. Not sure if that is amp EQ or pickups or both.. but I'd not be able to play more than one lick like that
Is there a reason people don't make comparisons re-using the same set of strings through a totally dry amp (no reverb)? Your pickups sound good, I've just long wondered about this common protocol. I hear short details in my own dry playing that gets de-emphasized when the reverb goes on.
agreed - new strings will be brighter and twangier, so it's not a fair comparison. and reverb colors the sound as well.
I’ve owned and played almost every range or tele and the classics vibe is a steal long as you don’t get stuck on the fact it doesn’t say fender.I’ll say with a good setup and possibly new pups(depending on your preference) you can have a guitar that completes with an American tele easily for about 1K less.I’m really annoyed that the two player series teles I owned had un rounded frets and fretboard to the point it was cutting my fingers.they aren’t bad guitars but for they money you expect something’s to automatically just be taken care of.the squier cv had everything from rounded fretboard and frets to pretty good fret work out the box.The neck was straight , no glue marks or anything unlike more player series I’ve seen and played.I’m not saying any guitar is bad but for 350 (possibly less if pre owned) you have a great looking and feeling guitar that is ready for upgrades if you see fit!
I just did an A-B comparison on the stock vs the new pickups...And in my opinion the originals sound better or more Vintage like...So can be a personal thing...But the airy Vintage Vibe pickups actually made by ToneRider for Squier sound very authentic Vintage Fender..
Great video and very timely. My 50s CV is off to the tech tomorrow for the very same thing. I thought the Squier stock ones were great in a home studio situation at low volume, but I did the first gig with the guitar last week and they sounded shrill, weak and tinny at higher stage volume. With no definition or push when trying to cut through against real drums.
Just ordered this tele and plan on making all these upgrades myself! A little apprehensive since I've only changed strings in my guitars, but since this Squire is so economical, I'm going to go for it. Thanks, Dylan! The difference between pickups was amazing! 🙏😊
NOOOOO, Dylan the pickups on my CV tele and CV 1960s strat are great. To each his own I guess. Great video though. To be honest I would like to find out which pickups squier puts on the teles, so I could put them in my MIM tele.
Chinese CVs had Tonerider pickups in them
I have 4 Squier fsr teles all with changed pups and wiring looms and 2 Fender teles performers they got changed pups too
I just bought a Squier Classic Vibe 50’s Strat. The pickups sound excellent.
The newest iteration made In Indonesia has Alnico 5’s in it as does the Tele and they are much better than the ones built in China.
Almost all pickups are usable. I love SD, Lollar, DiMarco and most of the big pickup companies. But consider players like David Lindley... he used guitars like Danelectro BECAUSE they had weaker pickups and coupled with amp like a Silvertone to get a unique, different tone.
Yup sounds nice and twangy with those new strings😁
Before you replace the pickups put brass saddles on it like the older cvs had it makes a world off difference
yup and topload the strings for good measure ;)
@@pagesegovia2026… with a Bigsby!
I have a squier classic vibe and the pickups are excellent. ❤️🎸.
I like both pickups- but l’m somewhere in the middle of them concerning gain breakup- one’s too little and one’s too much- for me a real tele sound is more defined by eq than just breakup- it’s the bandwidth presence in relation to point of breakup- l think you interpret gain related breakup as the sound and l think it’s an eq curve that gives more bark than bite- ( it’s a mid high cut and a high bass cut more than distorted edges ) for me…
Stock bridge 2:32. New pup bridge 8:00.
Stock middle 3:46. New pup middle 8:33.
Stock neck 4:00. New pup neck 9:07
For a while real wow moment! Nowadays you can’t almost hear difference between pups, pedals etc. but this is something. Thanks for doing this good work!
few years ago they used Tonerider made pickups in CV '50 and '60 strats, very decent pickups
Exactly! (2009-2018) run.
Very different pickups much higher quality, great sound.
This was quite interesting to me. I used to have this exact guitar and I actually really liked the sound of the stock pickups when I bought it which sound exactly like they do at the start of this in this video, very smooth and almost Strat like especially in the neck where I do most of my playing. One thing I did notice was that the sound was scooped, lacking in mids, which I perceived as a problem at the time and I changed them for a set of boutique ones (handmade by a uk based company that no longer exists). The new pickups sounded great too and had the midrange definition that I was missing, they sounded more traditionally "tele like". The weird thing is, a few years later I sold the guitar to upgrade to a japanese version of the same model and changed the pickups back to the stock before putting it on the marker and realised that the original pickups were much better than I remembered them being. Just like on a strat, the relatively thin sounding pickups really sing with some pedal mid boost and the resulting sound was something I'd probably choose over the more generic tone I got from the "correct" sounding higher quality pickups.
If your guitar was from before 2019 it will have had different pickups than this one. Fender/Squier moved production from China to Indonesia and made a few changes to the specs with the move, one of them being switching to a different pickup manufacturer.
@@meadish from Indonesia to China
@@destrosoHi there, Meadish was correct the production moved from China to Indonesia
@@marcotaticchi5343 oh
I thought the stock pups sounded good, but when you played your new ones, the headroom was a significant difference. Nice video.
Is it needed to also change condensators or the pontentialmeters? Some people recommended that. I want to change the stock pickups with Fender 51 Nocaster Pickup Set pickups. I think the stock pickups are not bad for the price of the guitar at all (about 400 €) BUT I feel that the neck pickups sounds a little more muddy compare to my FGN Tele or my MEX tele. If you play not too loud it ok, but with an Marshall and louder enviroment like Band contex they sounding more muddy . The bridge pickup is okay, but compare to a Lollar (which cost much more) PU there is some articulation missing. So it is also a matter of taste, but often cheap PU sounding good at home but not good on stage.
I wonder why Dylans pickups sounded so much different, he was right his pickups have more output punch, clarity, and bite. It was like the tone control as missing the upper range like he said was very interesting.
I would be curious to put a solid plate on the bridge pickup to see the difference on the squier pick up
Your pickups sound awesome. Which, even coming from a YT video is impressive. The question I have is, does the pickup height from factory to custom install have a major factor in the overall sound of the pickups? I'm thinking a factory worker isn't going to tune the height like a professional would.
How do you get the bridge plate mounting screws out if they're round off? Thanks
Everything you said I can hear 👂 exactly that dead-on point.👌
my strat cv 50s does that, i have really good control over the breakup of the amp just by playing strengh, I have stock pickups. stock electronics, mine is a made in china, not one of the newer ones, which is said to be better than the newer ones, personally i've seen quite a few videos where people change the pups on a 50s cv same as mine and I usually prefer the stock ones. It's my main guitar and i love it.
I tried a 40th anniversary Squier tele. Amazing guitar. These guitars are supposed to be alternate versions of the classic vibes with satin finishes and binding. The pickups, however, were so weak and a bit dark. I knew I’d need to replace those if I bought it. The neck pickup was pretty much unusable.
Don't know.... The original neck pick up sounded clearer to me. I play mostly clean neck and middle: personally I would prefer the stock. Years ago I replaced the pickups on an $89 Amazon Tele with some from one of your competitors. Day and night difference so I agree, quality pickups can be a game changer.
Very nice sounding new pickups! Fair play!
I’m confused. At 7:56 you were talking about the cheap screws used on the bridge plate and how you only ever use a hand screwdriver. Yet at 5:26, you’re clearly using a powered drill.
Yes. I said I used “the same screwdriver I always use” …. The screws were so cheap they stripped. You can’t tell because of the time lapse, but at that point I switched to the power tool to remove the cheap screws.
It should be said, with quality hardware, you can use a power tool to disassemble, that’s no issue, but these cheap guitars… be very careful
I did NOT say “I always use a hand screwdriver” ain’t nobody got time for that
@@DylanTalksTone Gotcha, thanks for the clarification. I bought a little battery powered screwdriver with adjustable torque that works really well.
yep i thought the cv .s sounded better more trad tele . the replacements sounded hotter but lost some tele character . clarity is not usually an issue with teles . you usually have to knock the tone back a tad on the bridge . horses for courses
One thing about good pickups is that they feel different, they make you play differently and pay more attention to the little details of your playing, which is something that doesn't come across through a TH-cam video.
What locking tuners drop right onto a Squier 50s Custom Vibe Telecaster?
What do you think about the new thinline classic vibe? Fsr 60's
I was considering getting one
Single coil sound a lot more fender than humbucker
Hi Dylan, Since the Classic Vibe pickups have plastic bobbins, are they or are they not wax potted? I would think not but would like to know what you found and does that account for some of the sonic differences?
I took a 50’s CV tele and re wired for a 50’s tele style & that opened up the tone for sure ! But the CV I believe is in phase & just way too muted
Hi Dylan, thanks for your very instructive vids. This one prompted me to unscrew my CV 50s Vintage Blonde Tele and check under the bridge pickup. It's got a heavy, thick copper plated steel plate with no holes in it. The bottom plate is marked "TCA2B(fender)-BT." Maybe my 2011 Blonde (and some other CV variants) shipped with good pickups, other variants of Classic Vibe Teles shipped with the "holy" sub-par pickups you found in the more current 60s model?
Pre 2019 CVs have Tonerider pickups
Your CV was made in China I suspect? The Chinese versions have different pickups and a full plate below the bridge one particularly.
Hi Dylan, I own a Parker P-42 with stringer Humbucker pickups, the pole pieces on the pickups are rusted and i want to clean them to give it a new look. I'm thinking of removing the pole pieces and the screws and dipping them in vinegar overnight and cleaning them. That is all okay, but i'm concerned about the reinstallation , could you please elaborate what should i do?
Metal polish is all you need
how did you feel about the clarity on those stock pickups? did you feel like there was enough there?
For a beginner totally, which is what the squire line is for.
i bought one these guitars, the tuners are non branded and mine are loose which ill change out and the pups im just not sure which one to go with.
What if you change the base plate on the CV pickup?
I would’ve just dropped a 500k volume pot and bypassed the tone knob. Then strung up some D’addarios nickelwounds tuned to ‘F’. That’s how I do my telecaster ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
Tore the pups ouf of mine and replaced them with Fralin Tele Blues Specials...wow what a difference.
Well if pickup manufacturers would give us the specs of their pickups then people could learn what kind of pickups they like and they would buy the ones they want at the cheapest price.
mind you anyone with a $30 inductance meter could get those specs or very close to it, provided they actually have to buy the pickup first.
Fender Custom shop Original Vintage Tele Pickups are 2.4 h in the neck and 3.6 h in the bridge (7.2k DCR and 6.6k DCR).
My CV Paranormal Offset tele is brighter in the neck pickup at 1.96 h (7.14k DCR), and brighter on the bridge at 2.7h (7.07k DCR).
The Tonerider Vintage Plus is similiar to the CV at 1.9 h in the neck but a bit darker than the CV at 3.0 h in the bridge.
To say that one pickup is 'better' than another is probably misleading. It simply depends if you want a brighter or darker pickup (to simplify). Brighter pickups are more balanced, and cut through the mix, but may sound fizzy. Darker pickups may make the lower strings more fuzzy and louder although may make the treble strings sound quite smoother and mellower.
FYI The older classic vibes (09-18) had very different pickups. They were rumored to be tonerider made. From experience the construction of them is different then current models and to me of much higher quality. I’m very happy with my 2013 stock telecaster vintage blonde 😁
I did change the pickups on my chinese Cv Squier tele and few weeks later I put the originals back in !
@@SchmittPhysics I got a used one for $200 (2016 also). Had a few bumps but so what? It plays and sounds great and is one of my favorite guitars to play (out of 18). SOLID Tele!
Yes, they were toneriders indeed. So had the classic vibe stratocaster.
2014 Butterscotch Blonde Tele here. Alnico 5 pups. I think the stock Toneriders sound good and if nothing else different from my other Fender/Squier style guitars which I like. Want my guitars to all sound different.
got an 2020 70s strat(hss) changed the pickups to tonerider city limits because i wanted sss and sold the hss pickguard. i liked the stock singlecoils much more than the tonerider ones
Looks like you have a post 2018 model. Pre 2018 CVs we're made on the same factory line as ToneRiders and to the same exact specs ( except plastic housing vs cloth and different wire )
I have a 2013 CVC 60s Tele ( the rare black/binding one ) and the pickups are possibly my favorite pups out of any of the 5 telecasters I've ever bought. They are the equivalent of tonerider vintage plus
I also have owned ( and sold ) a post 2018 60s tele and it was right, although nowhere close to my 2013 model
I'd check out the pre 2018 models. They will quite possibly blow your mind
Also, the Squire catalog even differentiates between the different pups by calling them Custom Vintage Alnico vs after 2018, with Fender designed Alico inside the spec details
The sound is a definite change after the pickup install. That's cool 😎😎😎
I had a similar experience with my mij fender tele. Stock bridge pickup was okay, but I found myself working too hard to make it bite. Neck one was just boring and dull. So very similar. Replaced them with Lollar Vintage set and it took a guitar to a completely new level. Although the set cost me 1/3 of what I paid for the guitar, it's totally worth it.
I was a die hard fan of the cv 60s strat... thought it sounded super good... when I experienced cs pickups in the vintera 50s mod tele I instantly knew how wrong I was.
aquired a chinese cv thinline a few years ago. It sounded too bass and harsh for my pref. Rumoured to have tonerider pups but i changed to tonerider vintage, put brass saddles for sweetness, CRL 5 way which i wired HOOP, and 500k pots. Final mod was changing speaker in my Egnater Tweaker for WGS alnico..Now sounds really great, to my ears anyway. Have been thinking to get a cheap thinline and put in lipstick pups, have you tried these in a thinline, how do you think theyd sound.
Chris
Ok kiddies, I would definitely change out the electronics before the pup's on the later CV squire's. If you're not still satisfied, then she'll out on pup's. You may fine you don't need to.
I also got a CV 60s tele, still the early ones, with alder body. I do agree with you, the pickups are quite weak and not clear enough. It was stated an alnico V at that time.
I have a CV 62 tele, I liked the original pickups but did sounded muddy. I replaced them with lambertones blondies and it was s huge difference.
Big difference great sounding pickups man!!!
I bought my Classic Vibe Tele about 6 years ago. I bought the Blonde Tele with the Alnico III pickups in it and they sound just fine (BTW - Butterscotch had Alnico V’s in them). I love the Tele so much that I modded it for weight relief. It originally weighed close to 9lbs. I gave it an arm cut, belly carve, and I routed under the pickguard. It took 2lbs off of it. I also refinished it with Purple Leather Dye and it’s a beautiful see thru purple now. It can be seen on my Instagram page under my same name.
This was great Dylan, thank you for that. The ears don’t lie…mine sounds good but there’s the desire to want better….let the tone chasing continue…
Do you ship your pickups worldwide? I'm in Scotland.
We do yes.
@@DylanTalksTone braw, I plan to get Christmas out of the way first, then I'll focus on treating myself to a nice upgrade.
How do you like the 20H? Just got one!
A good eq pedal would probably do the same thing & more.
I thought the replacement pups were more dynamic with nicer upper mids and more balanced top to bottom. Just better tone overall.
The replacement pickups definitely leveled up the sound.
What kind of / Size strings did you put on that tele???
They have a nice chime, but lack in mids. A lot of new players hear treble as clarity or sparkle and will be satisfied for awhile, until they notice their tone is a bit thin.
Or here's an idea... You could roll up the mid control on the amp or roll down the tone control on guitar. Adjusting pickup height also shifts eq around and can give statisfactory results in most cases
EQ can’t create detail, clarity and overtones that aren’t there in the signal to begin with
@@ilmisxx2 mids are where a guitar shines, the higher end is just for clarity and “sheen”. But a guitar is a mid/upper mid instrument.
@@areyoujelton I do not disagree with that statement
Your pickups sound fantastic. It's like night and day.
H Dylan, I have that same Squier model. I like the feel of the neck, the balance and weight of the body, but the pickups sounded kind of dull or stiff. They didn't have the tone I expected from a Telecaster. I bought a set of Fender 60's telecaster pickups to see if they would improve the tonal response from the guitar. I was thinking of replacing the pots if they need it after the pickups are done.
Excellent pickups.guitar sounds great now.
Cool demo. I agree your pickups sound better than the stick ones. What is the difference? Higher windings? Different types of wires/magnets?
Edit: never mind! Just checked out your site and you explain it pretty well there. Am definitely interested in trying out a set as I have relatively flat radius necks.
Rock!
The pickups sound fine on the Squier, seems like you are trying to convince everyone to buy your pickups. Great sales pitch for the blind!!!
You must be new here.
@@DylanTalksTone No, but the psychology of people is pretty easy to understand. Read the comments and you will see that others think their pickups sound good.
Snake oil.
@@DylanTalksTone Well why you dont test the old pickups with new strings (same model and gauge) put the height at the same level with the strings in both ( i see in your pickups was much more close to the strings) and show us the settings in your amp !!! Then maybe i m gonna believe your are honest...
Thanks Dylan, I really enjoyed that. Great tones!
Question would yoy shield this tele as well?
good demo thanks... 😊
Such a huge difference from stock pickups!!!
Dylan are you in AZ or CA? I wanna try your pick ups on my strat
Remember the old Peavey guitars that had phase switch. The easy fix for the guitar would to flip one of the pick-ups so and use the middle position.
You seem pretty picky about the clarity of the CV pickups but not that picky about intonation. Guitar sounds out of tune.
more powerful though. more important than perfect tuning
Yeah, my pet peeve is out of tune playing.
I had a dylan bridge...good...Toneriders in the early vibes kill!!
I mean, yeah, the $150 pickups are going to sound better than the ones in a $400 guitar made in China. I would damn sure hope so!
Back then, I had a CV strat 50s, the early release of squier CV series. Which still had an alder body (the recent release doesn't use alder) and one piece maple neck which had a little flame maple grain. I really love the stock pickup, it was specified clearly on the website, an alnico III magnet pickup. Now it's not specified clearly anymore. The tone is very round and balanced.
I had read about the 2022 cv having alnico 5 pick ups
They are a5 magnets now.
huge diffrence in tones there!
i had a tele built from parts i got on ebay from all over the usa....
the pickups are 52 "re issue" wound by a company called "true custom shop"...i dont think theyre affilliated with fender...i took a chance on these pups not knowing anything about them...
after the shop finished i went to pick up my "butterscratch" tele...
the guy played it thru i believe it was a blues jr amp and all i can say was wowwwzerz! neck was thick n bluesy/mid was nice n chirpy/and the bridge would make brad paisley proud!
the pups you installed in your tele are sweet as well....mine costed 60bux for the set...i gotta watch every dollar and have limited funds for hobbies....
great video and thanx for explaining details about diffrent guitar subjects!
Those pickups do sound better. Which Seymour Duncan set did you use? I would like to put a set in mine.
Dylantalkstone.com …. That’s what we used.
@DylanTalksTone I wasn't sure. I actually thought you used a pair of yours. I had it all planned out to say testing pickups in a low/mid level guitar would sound not as good as pickups from a boutique pickup maker. I guess I just got shot in the foot. Not that it means much to you coming from me, but my respect for what you do just went way up. In a world full of posers, it's nice to run into the real deal. Thank you for all you do to educate goofballs like me.
Man that is night and day....nice job!!
Cool video. Should do a video on Summers Telecaster, used on early Police records, hits Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon for example.
Dylan I have a Mexican lefty tele from ‘02 my #1 guitar. I pretty much ride on my neck pickup most of the time with the tone rolled down 75% or so. I would love to get a set of yours to put into it but I do like the neck with the tone set darker. I’m scared to go all in on a set to solve having bridge pickup I like. Should I go for just a bridge pickup swap or go for the set? I got this in about ‘07 for $275 locally. Oh the good ole days. lol. Also, I would love a guitar with triple Dylan P90s! That would be so cool!
I have a cv 60s thinline and it is better than my usa tele and japan tele the cv is perfect. Just listened to your demo sorry cv is better all around.😊
I agree. This PU swap was an upgrade!