Joe Barden Danny Gatton Tele Set

Pretty straight up. Noiseless hi ouput. These pups are passive but with a great deal of drive.

I installed the barden's into a custom shop tele. Great instrument! I replaced th cs pickups. They are actually nice tele sound but I wanted something different.

The output is insane. They still have a crystal bell like sound. They have a tele sound but its over the top.

overall great but see if you can play a guitar that has them. I think most compliants stem from people buying them sight unsee. I took a gamble and I love them. The output and tone are easily adjusted with the knobs on the tele.

HUMBUCKERS IN A SINGLE COIL SIZE FOR TELE

ALL PARTS SWAMP ASH TELE BODY
US CUSTOM MADE TELE FLAME MAPLE NECK WITH ROSEWOOD FREETBOARD
GOTOH, FENDER AND STEWARD MCDONALD'S VARIOUS PARTS AND HARDWARE.
NO CHANGING PUS JUST TRYING TO MAKE A DANNY GATTON CLONE GUITAR

MY MAIN HOME SET IS A GIBSON GA-5 LES PAUL JUNIOR AMP ALL TUBE 5 WATTS AND NO EFFECTS

AT THE STUDIO I USE FENDER 65 DLX REVERB VINTAGE AMP AND ANALOG EFFECTS
KEELEY'S, TREXs, VOX CLYDE McCOY WAH.
HIGH OUTPUT CLEAN, NO HUM AT ALL, I WOULD SAY A TELE WITH A"TURBO" ENGINE!!! WITH TYPICAL TELE AMPLIFIED SOUND. 10+++ FOR THE BASS AND 10+++ FOR THE CLEAN WARM TREBLE.

FOR BLUES. FUNK ROCK SOUNDS IS THE HOLY GRAIL

I LIKE ALL POSITIONS BUT MAINLY NECK IS A+++++

THE ONLY COMPARISON I DID WAS WITH MY OTHER FENDER 52 VINTAGE TELE AN DI AM ONE HAPPY GUITARIST THAT HAS NO WORRY WHICH GUITAR TO PLAY OR WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ONE OF THEM GOES FOR SERVICE.
I DIDN'T CHOOSE BARDENS BECAUSE I FEEL BARDENS CHOOSE ME!!

You can read all about it elsewhere

This is my 2nd review with for these pickups, I've had them for over a year now and have played them everyday. This is my veteran opinion of them now... By the way, I put both pickups in a 2006 American Standard tele, replaced stock.

DISCLAIMER: The review I'm about to give is going to compare these pickups to TYPICAL sounds, if I say it's not a great rock sound, that means it's not a typical rock sound that everyone is familiar with, or if it's not as good at jazz as a 335, it's because it's not as typical sounding as a 335 for jazz. Of course, you may very well love the pickups for things I say it's not ideal for, but nobody benefits if I say, "it sounds different, but awesome!" That is not descriptive and nobody really learns anything from that. I will be comparing them to sounds of styles that everyone can relate to. Also, words I may use like "strong" to describe the pickups does not mean "good", it means "strong" as in thick and loud and aggressive (which may or may not be good).

The output of these pickups is significantly more than stock or vintage tele pickups, but other humbuckers are still louder. I have mine at a decent height and still a les paul or 335 is more output, but that's ok - just for those who are curious.

I've used it with several tube amps - which obviously react the best with them - and lately many ho-hum solid state amps. While they still sound very good with typical line 6 type solid state amps, and still retain their character, the bridge pickup especially really goes well with tubes. I play mostly out of a Fender blues reissue, and while the amp itself is a bit harsh with any guitar, the bridge pickup pushes a tube amp very very nicely, and has a very intense, vocal quality that actually can give you shivers (check out Danny Gatton's tone for his sleepwalk solo on Youtube to hear what I mean). That being said, the bridge pickup does break up pretty easily and is actually not perfectly suited for some country stuff that you want to stay crystal clear on the bridge. Also, the bridge is a bit too aggressive for proper rock rhythm playing, it's sort of too rich a sound for typical rock rhythm, but for crying rock solos it is maybe the best pickup I've ever heard (just not when I'm playing it)

The neck pickup is very nice, but not as unique as the bridge pickups sound. The neck is a little more typical sounding but still thicker than single coil. However, the neck pickups with the tone rolled off get's EASILY the best jazz sound from a tele around. I've let a lot of jazz guys try it and they are all shocked to hear such a fat, warm tone from a telecaster. It's still not as strong for jazz as a 335, but it is very, very good. Like I said, I really think it's the best tele pickup for jazz.

The middle position now... Well, I actually haven't found that much use for the middle position. It surprises me that a position that combines two really great pickups can not be outstanding, but the middle position has never jumped out at me. It is ok sounding - nothing special.

If I had to summarize the sound of these pickups I would say that they are still similar to a tele, but definitely different, they get further away from a strat sound that stock tele PUs, the neck is a lot more like a typical les paul humbucker, and the bridge is a very strong, aggressive and completely unique sound.

Also, I should mention that the pickups are honestly COMPLETELY quiet and I've never had a problem with them, just problems with my amateur soldering.

After having these for almost 2 years, of they somehow disappeared from my guitar I'd be confused and pissed because they are the most expensive pickups I've ever seen for a tele. I would try something new, just for change sake, but I'm sure there would be many things I'd miss about their sound and would probably come back to them after enjoying a change for a while.

I've been playing for 8 years, and playing professionally for 3. I'm playing on a cruise ship right now and that's why I wanted to write a review analyzing the pickups from many stylistic points of view since I have to play all kinds of styles over here.

The only thing I actively miss with these pickups is that super groovy vintage tele sound, but I'll just have to get another tele for that.

Hope this was helpful.

High Fidelity High Output Modern sounding.

Installed on a new Custom Made Telecaster.

Output level was over the top.

Played Through a Dr Z Prescription Jr. Amp

Tone was Knife edge, Straight up sound and sort of Vintage Sounding.
Lacked the Warmth I needed to express myself.
For Straight Bridge Lead picking it was fat and strong, But for Rhythm playing it was just ridiculous. Open chords sounded cropped and subdued,and bar chords only sounded good with a controlled palm. The neck pickup was almost a copy of the Bridge.The fact is the Magnets are at least twice as strong as a stock pickup and I this Magnetic pull just kills the String Sustain.(yes I played with the height as well) I never owned a Tele before and I even considered the fact that I didn't like the Tele Sound. I ended up replacing the pickups after six months on the guitar with a custom hand wound set,and it was a very satisfying moment(almost like playing a miked acoustic, but with plenty of attack and EQ for days, and sweet Vintage tele tone)
If you like Danny Gatton and who doesn't,you will get his sound.
But they probably sound best cranked up on a vintage amp.
I would sum up the sound as one Dimensional,loud and in your face.

I bought these because of all the hype. I love Danny Gatton and thought these were the way to go.
These will turn your Tele into a one purpose Axe, Slashing and cutting everything in it's way.
I have been playing over twenty years and I just couldn't feel it with this setup.

Had the Danndy Gatton set in an American Series telecaster. I was looking for the "holy grail" tele tone, with no 60-cycle hum.

The output was pretty strong. I play teles through a '59 Bassman Ltd. Overall, these are the best noiseless tele pickups I have ever played, BY FAR. The Fender SCNs? Don't even compare them. The Bardens are like a Mercedes-benz and the SCNs are like a Hyundai. These Bardens sound almost like real tele pups. They are much, much closer to real tele sound than any noiseless pups I have played. Unfortunately, they still are not real tele sound. They still have a "fake" noiseless verneer over their tone, that prevents them from being the answer. The bottom line is that I like the sound I get from stock Fender American Series/Standard telecaster "delta tone" pickups more than the Bardens. The stock tele pups are REAL alnico single coils. If you must have noiseless, get these, but don't kid yourself: if tone is what you are after, you MUST have single coils.

I am done with the noiseless seach. Bardens are the best, but still not good enough. I will only use single coils, and deal with the hum.

Noise cancelling "rail style"telecaster replacement pickups.

Fender American Standard Telecaster.Both neck and bridge pickups.Replacing DiMarzio Virtual Vintage pickups.(Which are great sounding pickups,as well!)Many artists are using these Barden Gatton pickups,and I can see why.Too many to be listed.I was looking for a larger,more up front sound,for my Tele.I've tried other Telecaster guitars,with these pickups,and was impressed with the huge,clean sound.

Output is stronger than most stock pickups.However,because the output is stronger,the tone is very clean and straight ahead rather than distorted,and broken up.It makes you notes stand out and be heard.These pickups are very well balancd,in all positions.Tons of twang on the bridge,and a super sweetness in the neck.I prefer the neck pickup,but I prefer this position no matter what pickups I use.If you play country,these are your babies!!!Used with a clean amp(Fender,Dr Z. ect...)add some slap echo,and you won't want to put your guitar down!!!That nice!!I play R&B,Soul,Funk,Jazz,and Blues.These pickups will provide for all of these styles.Your chops will make a serious statement.I'm not sure if these are the pickups for heavy metal,or hard rock.However,if you overdrive your amp,you will experience a sweet, audible sound.Not fuzzy,or unpleasant.You will hear all of your notes,and the tone will be great!

Thse are some expensive pickups!!But the sound is worth it,so I think I would replace them if damaged,or stolen.They really add a kick to your playing.They make you think about your notes,because everyone will hear what your puttin' down!!!Strong and powerful!I have been playing guitar for over 45 years,and have gone through all the "fads",so to say.From Fender to Vox,to Marshall,to Boogie...you know the drill!!!(ha-ha!!!)And after all of that...right back where I started.Fender Twin Reverb,and Deluxe Reverb Amps,along with Fender Strat,and Tele guitars,as well as Gibson Les Paul,Flying V,PRS,Taylor,and Ovation guitars.If you love "Fender Twang,and tone"you will love these Barden pickups.Get some..put 'em in..and go listen to some"Don Rich"tunes!!!They'll get 'ya inspired.YEA!!!

Humbucking Tele pickups.

50's style Tele (swamp ash body @2.9 lbs), one piece maple neck w/ thick "59"profile (neck and body are Warmoth, finished in nitro lacquer and relic-ed to match a 1955 Tele belonging to a friend...and thanks for the loan!), Callaham hardware, vintage small frets, vintage tuners, bakelite pickplate.

This is going to be to the point. These are the best sounding, quietest (hum-wise) pickups on the market. They have all the highs, lows, output and balance you could ask for. Contrary to what I've read in so many reviews, they are NOT sterile, harsh, "too clear" or any of that other nonsense. They make the sound JUMP out of the amplifier.

If you're a pro player, I can only see two reasons you'd pass on these: either you just want a totally different tone (subjective but totally valid) or you've got an endorsement deal with someone else.

The sound isn't EXACTLY vintage single coil Tele, but it sure ain't Les Paul humbucker! There is obviously a bit of difference, but the difference is all to the good in my opinion. The highs are huge but not thin. The neck pickup sounds authentic, yet its HUGE in fullness and lush low-mids and bass. Great jazz tone if desired! The bridge p.u. twang is all there, but not the "ice pick in the forehead", and due to it's output, it covers bases you didn't even know existed. The tone is all Tele and very flexible (the vol and tone controls actually DO something now).

By the way, the idea that they only get the "Danny Gatton" screaming treble distort-o thing he went for, forget it. They do whatever you ask them to: jazzy, country, twangy, rock...you name it. They speak precisely even when using distortion, so that may be where the "they make my mistakes sound loud" thing comes from. These are meant to let you play and be heard and are not for kids or note-mashers who just want noise.

Last and NOT least, they are as dead quiet as a pickup can be.

In a good guitar, I just cannot see how these can be beat. If you have a certain sound in your head that just absolutely requires that clicky thinness of a sixties Tele, these may not quite get it (though with a little thoughtful EQ, I wouldn't bet on that). But if you want the ultimate in power, tone, fullness, "breathiness" and hum rejection ALL WHILE SOUNDING LIKE THE TELE YOU ALWAYS WISHED FOR, then forget the nay-sayers and plunk down the $300 and don't cringe. It is more worth it than you can imagine.

I would put these in every Tele I ever own. The exception would be a vintage instrument that I wanted to leave alone for collectible reasons. Other than that, these are the most exciting pickups I've heard in a long time...maybe ever, and CERTAINLY for a Telecaster. THE best.

Pickup features: Humbucker in a single coil stylie
Impedence or other specs: whats that

Model of guitar or bass: Grubisa Tele
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: came with guitar
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Neck (Seth Lover)
Artists using this pickup: Where do I start
You musical style(s): many
Reason for pickup change: Came in Guitar

Perceived output level: good
Tone: trebly but control it with the tone
Sonic evaluation: Fender all the way baby!!!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock and blues is there any others

Comments: I wish I could put em on all my teles but there so bloody expensive

Pickup features: Passive humbucking but not in the classic muddy sense. These are glorified single coils!
Impedence or other specs: Um, yeah, couldn't tell ya....

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Rosewood Telecaster Reissue (this one has the MAPLE neck with rosewood fretboard);& a solid body 1 piece Mahogany body Tele with a maple neck w/ THREE Barden pups, Nashville Style; & another homemade Tele; AND I have a Start w/ Barden STRAT pups.
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Fender pups (they were probably some of Fenders BEST pups I've heard actually!)
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Danny Gatton (RIP), Nils Lofgrin, Coco Montoya, ME, Bruce Springsteen, Hellecasters,
You musical style(s): Rock, gospel, country, blues, latin
Reason for pickup change: Why else would you upgrade your Carvin sound system for a Bose system?

Perceived output level: MUCH hotter, BALANCED.........
Tone: yes, they can be BRIGHT but thats what the TONE KNOB IS FOR!!!!!! You have the brightness if you NEED it! The key is you CAN cut the bright-punchy sound, but it?s THERE if you need it! You can?t say that about other pups. You can?t add punch later with coloring too much! BALANCED is the key word.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using my Rosewood Tele into either a Carr Rambler, Carr Mercury, Fender Bassman LTD (new lacquered tweed 50 watt reissue), Framus Ruby Riot, Fender amp can & Fender Cyber Twin. Pedals, when I use em: Dunlop Wah-Jacques Tube Blower-Barber DD-Trex Dr Swamp-Keeley Comp-Carl Martin Chorus-Boss DD20 Delay-Demeter Tremulator-Guyatone Flange-Ernie Ball Volume Pedal (with a Boss TU2 Tuner off of the Volume pedal which is OUT of the signal path.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play rock, blues, latin fusion and gospel with a country/classical "all fingers being used" style (more on that below). I've used these pups with Boogie, Marshall and Crate amps with LOTS of distortion as well as classic rock overdrive and these pups REALLY can handle it all!

Comments: Ok, BALANCED, TONE KNOB, HANDLE IT ALL and MY PLAYING STYLE. Barden pickups are the BEST best pickups on the planet. I have had Tele pups by Fralin, Kinmann, Fender, Lace Sensors. As far as versatility, NO noise, clarity, punch and response to tone changes, honestly, I don't see why EVERYONE doesnt like Bardens!
Ok, your favorite ol' Tele has single coils (SC's) and you LOVE how they've always responded to your playing. You LOVE the idiosyncrosis (spelling) and how they behave. I know that their are traditionalists that you can NEVER convert but consider people's opinions. There are MANY levels of player/playing and experience out there! There are many SETTINGS as a player as well. The bedroom/practice world; the studio player and the live player including all the MANY venues of live playing (300 people, churches, clubs, STADIUMS!). I myself have done ALL the above and I can testify that Bardens DELIVER everytime out! SC's can and HAVE served the music world for decades so why buy these $500+ pups!??!?! If you want a step up above the rest then THATS the reason; MANY steps above!
Barden pups' clarity is beyond ANY other pup! People that HATE these pups hate that they are TOO hi-fi and TOO perfect. Okaaaaay! Now I understand wanting to have the classical SC (single coil, remember) FEEL. Do the Bardens have this? YES!!!!!!!!
Roll back the volume on your Bardens and the is EXACTLY LIKE a SC! Yes, try it! If you roll back the tone of a Tele pup, you'll get MUD and and LESS clarity. Some players like that. You can get that "good mud" with Barden with an adjustment of the tone knobs. Bardens WILL do this! So the point, the Bardens can do EVERYTHING a SC can do (with no noise AT ALL as well!), but can a single coil match the Barden's tone versatility and clarity? NO! I have gotten rid of ALL my Tele SCs! If you can afford em/find em, GET EM! Every Jockey needs a winning horse; every open-heart-surgeon needs the BEST equipment to do their job, BAR NONE! You can't afford NOT to get Bardens folks! Go on eBay and camp out on a set, you'll pay dearly, but is it worth it?
Case in point: you have a $350 Rode microphone and a $2,500 Neumann microphone. Can you tell the difference in the sound? YES! Will the Rode mic get you through the job? Sure. In the long run, are those small (and large) incriments of sound quality going to add up? YES! Listen to an album recorded with a Neumann mic and another with a cheaper ($150-400) mic, the difference is night and day! Even your favorite LO-FI albums were recorded with TOP OF THE LINE Neumann mics (and probably $3,000 Avalon tube preamps of course).
Don't buy into the philosophy that says, "Well my favs from the past got through with...." or "These pickups let me hear my notes too good/too hi-fi....". Come on! All your favs had a guitar tech that tweaked all of their guitars to get them noise-cancelling, sheileded, fatter tone, etc. Get some Bardens you WON'T need your guitar to be tweaked. Again, use your volume and tone knobs!
Lastly, playing with a bigger group (like I do many times) and playing through a pedal board.....Playing through a pedal board often times makes your guitar's signal suffer with HBer's AND SC's. With Barden, NO LOSS OF SIGNAL OR CLARITY! They cut through! And playing with bigger groups, ei drums, bass, multiple keys, horn section, multi vocals, and percussions. The Bardens' clarity punch through (in a GOOD WAY) like no other pickup! Bottom line, the BEST in the planet! Hunt em down on eBay, buy em, install em, play em, love em, and be heard! Rock on!

Pickup features: Passive humbucking but not in the classic muddy sense. These are glorified single coils!
Impedence or other specs: Um, yeah, couldn't tell ya....

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Rosewood Telecaster Reissue (this one has the MAPLE neck with rosewood fretboard)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Fender pups (they
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: