Seymour Duncan Telecaster Hot Rails

Pickup features: Passive single-coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs: About 14K or something? I dunno

Model of guitar or bass: Aria Pro II Legend Telecaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Fender Red Lace Sensor in neck
Artists using this pickup: Probably quite a few
You musical style(s): Alternative rock, classic rock, German Metal, yeah...
Reason for pickup change: Sold all but this guitar, needed PUNCH.

Perceived output level: Very loud indeed, this sucker just wants to go
Tone: Lots of mid and bass, could use a little more treble but this can be improved with coil-tap
Sonic evaluation: I'm going through a long-winded transition and it's been a long time since I've owned a decent amp. I tried it out briefly on a lovely Marshall combo in a store, but otherwise at home it goes through a cabinet simulator. Either way, it sounds great (in the latter case, as great as it gets anyway, playing direct to a 4-track portastudio...).
The guy who sold this pickup to me very kindly provided a push-pull pot, so I wired this pickup for coil tap. In humbucker mode it is very fat and heavy, and fantastic for distortions and effects. Pull the pot for coil tap and it's really sweet and melodic, perfect for clean rhythm sounds.
Like I said, in humbucking mode it doesn't have as much treble as many people would like, which would annoy me if I didn't have the coil-tap feature.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup works for my style because it's loud and heavy. It drives enough for hard rock and, with coil tap, has enough tone for ballads.

Comments: I would cry real tears if it was taken. I would probably consider trying a Lace Sensor Dually - maybe Red/Silver - but in all liklihood I'd probably go for this one again because I like not having to cut out a big section of my guitar's body to get a humbucker sound.
Been playing for just over 11 years, have owned a few guitar, only one decent amp, and many, many effects. I love that, because of this pickup, I finally have a guitar I can be really proud of, I just need an amp that will do it justice. That Marshall combo would have been sweet...note to add, I had this thing on volume 2 and getting it to feed back was effortless!
Since I'm poor I didn't get to compare it with other pups, but it sure beats the living crap out of the stock pickup! For the third time, it could use a little more treble in humbucking mode, but treble can be added at the amp. :) Also, single coil mode doesn't have this problem.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: Here is a tip I've found to make this pickup sound extremely awesome... Connect the white coil tap wire to the empty lug
on the tone knob. At 10 it is suppose to be a single coil and from
9 down...humbucking. The single coil sound is truely unbelievable...
Very rich, bright, and in my opinion a very balanced sound...much better than the std hot rail setup. It is also much more responsive.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments:

Pickup features: single coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Mexican Telecaster
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan 59 Humbucker at the neck
Artists using this pickup: the fellow from Another Engine
You musical style(s): loud sexy art pop
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: louder than most
Tone: an audible sonic thunk can be heard when played very loud
Sonic evaluation: Mexican Telecaster into a Mesa/Boogie Heartbreaker in the lust channel in hi gain mode....no need for that tin-foil recto sound. Just keep the gain at half and let your hands do the work. this pickup will not let you down.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: the guitar cost $300 bucks....the pickup was free. i would replace it in a heartbeat. playing 10 years and one thing i've learned is that your sound mostly comes from your hands, seen guys with vintage les pauls, marshalls, and these terrible amp modeling contraptions sound god-awful. just get a pickup that let's your hands do their thing, whatever that may be. this one does it for me, for now. If you are spending alot of time looking for "that sound", you should probably just practice more.

Pickup features: Twin pole peices, humbucker? Passive
Impedence or other specs: really hot

Model of guitar or bass: Mexican Fender tele
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Vintage stack + stock neck
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Country, blues, jazz, shred, polka
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a pickup that could just destroy all other pickups when distorted. Youd never kow it was a tele pumpin out that full metal shred

Perceived output level: Way to hot to play clean, it will kill your amp, and its way to trebely, the only thing it shoud be used for is for overdrive, and distortion
Tone: Very full sounding when over driven, like 3 super distortion in a row, but when ya turn off your pedal, look out, its gunna be very annoying loud, and trebley,
Sonic evaluation: tele running into a bunck of effects, but mainly a danelectro fab tone, and boss metal zone...then to either a Vox-AC15, original 65 delux reverb, or a valvestate 80...like i say, dont leave the volume wide open when you turn off you stomp box, the level need to balance the distorted sounf from clean is extremely out in space....

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Use this pickup only for lots and lots of distortion, and it squelas. but noithing will give a tele this much full fat distortion

Comments: if it were stolen, i hope they at least play it and like it, but id also have to by another guitar...people steal guitars...not pickups. Benn playin gor 5 years, also own an EPI LP, and an EPI Casino. I love the full thick distortion it gives, but thats about it...if and when you buy it tell the guy putting it in you want a seperate volume control for it, i wish i would have done that. Great for shreding, on a tele, you'd never know...teles are known to be pussies when it comes to thick distortion.... pop in some hot rail...see ya...

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Tele
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: stock neck
Artists using this pickup: Hell, I don't know..... me.
You musical style(s): Rock, blues, anything LOUD!
Reason for pickup change: THe stock just didn't cut it for the rock sound I was looking for... but then when has a stock pickup ever been what you were looking for?

Perceived output level: Holy power surge, batman! This thing is L-O-U-D!!!!
Tone: Very bottom heavy. Acutally, I have a HotRails in my strat that I like much better. It seems less muddy. I think they sacrificed some top end clarity with this one... but that may just be mine..?
Sonic evaluation: I have a Tele (SD in the bridge) running to a ProCo Rat to a Vox AC-30. I had to adjust my settings a bit to sound like me again. The hot rails has a tad more bass than I actually need. But this may just be with my setup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, blues, modern country.

Comments: If lost or stolen I would most likely get a 'lil 59 instead. I like this pickup, but it would be nice to have a tad more high end definition.

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender U.S Telecaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: This is an update of a previous submission I made back in june 1999. Since then, I replaced the stock neck pickup with a Fender blue Lace Sensor and I added a on-on-on miniswitch by drilling a hole in the steel plate between the volume and the tone knobs. I still own the Fender stage 112e but now plug the POD 2.0 in high gain input, use the Boss EQ as a volume boost and I still have my trusty crybaby.
So now, I have the possibility to choose from the 2 coils of the Hotrails in series, split (pickup north *towards neck*) or in parrallel. The series is the standard humbucker sound. I already gave my opininon on that in my 1st review. To me, the split sounds like the series but with less output. The tone will be quite the same, but without the power, so your tone cleans up, less drive, with my settings anyways and I'm pretty sure with everybody's settings too. Now, since its the north pickup of the humbucker, it sounds a bit more bassy. There is a way to get the south *bridge* pickup instead. Check out guitar sites such as guitarelectronics.com who suggest pickup wiring diagrams. I guess the split mode would sound a little brighter that way. About the parrallel. The hum is still cancelled, it sounds brighter, less full than series and it adds punch but has a little less output than the series mode. I would say it's like percussive. Lets say you play a one string riff ala roadhouse blues, you can almost hear a *gonk* coming out of your amp, since it's brigther. But power chords don't sound quite as rich and full. It reminds me more of a single coil pickup than the split mode. I like the parrallel mode more for direct recording with the POD. Live, it cuts through the mix for solos, so it could be usuful for that.
Bottom line, it gives more versatility to your tele. How you wanna use it is up to you. I almost regret buying a on-on-on switch. I should have bought a on-on switch since I don't really like the split mode.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments:

Pickup features: Humbucker in a single coil size
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Telecaster (mexican)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender stock
Other pickups on guitar: stock neck (soon to be replaced)
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Hard/indie rock, blues, some punk and metal
Reason for pickup change: The factory pickups were way too thin-sounding and frail. They were also very noisy. Just wanted a little more meat to my chords.

Perceived output level: This pickup is damn loud. Seriously. Blows the stock away by a long shot.
Tone: Quite bassy, heavy on the mids. Thick and chunky is a good way to describe the sound.
Sonic evaluation: Fender Tele through a Marshall Valvestate 8080. I really need a new amp, but I have to say I've never heard such meaty sounds coming from my amplifier before. Forget trying to get a crystal clean bridge sound though, although you can come close. Either way, it suits my playing style very well. My tele is a bad ass now.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great match for all forms of hard rock. Wouldn't try it for jazz or country really, but then again I'm not an expert in either of those styles.

Comments: If it were stolen or got damaged, I would definitely buy another, although for the hell of it I might try to find another high-output bridge pickup like this just to compare. I'd probably miss this one though. I've been playing for about 11 years, purely as a hobby and messing around in bands from time to time. My other gear probably isn't even worth mentioning, since I've always had a pretty simple setup. This is one of the best musical purchases I've ever made, hands down. I've never really switched pickups before, so I don't have much to compare it to, but damn I'm impressed. If there was *anything* I could change... I wish it wasn't quite as bassy. If it had the same ballsy distortion capabilities, but was a little clearer-sounding it would be perfect.

Pickup features: Single Coil with humbucking output
Impedence or other specs: Fuck Knows

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Mexican Standard Telecaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan APTR-1 Alnico-2
Artists using this pickup: ME
You musical style(s): Alternative/Punk/Rock/Metal/NU Metal(KORN ETC.)/Blues...anything(not Jazz)
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were weak and they buzzed to much. Also the fact that I always wanted to change pickups on a guitar

Perceived output level: I've not compared it to any other humbuckers etc, but what i can tell u is that when used with a stock pickup in the neck...it blows the STOCK AWAY!!!
Tone: I dunno.....probably Trebly/Middy....good clean and overdriven
Sonic evaluation: I use this through a Marshall JCM900 1x12" 100watt combo(it's getting fixed now though) and Boss DS-1...so i tried it through my friends Marshall....It rocks.....sounds like "Blink 182"

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i was going to get one for the neck but decided on a more bluesy pickup instead

Comments: I'd definately get this pickup again.....sounds how i want it to sound.
If you have a wide variety of musical taste..get this pickup
definately full marks

Pickup features: humbucker in single coil size
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Squier Tele
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Tele stock
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan jazz in neck position
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): country to jazz
Reason for pickup change: poor quality from original

Perceived output level: Extremely hot pickup.
Tone: Very middy with a touch of distortion.
Sonic evaluation: I am using my Tele thru Fender Princton chorus.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: One of the reviews for this pickup said that it was terrible for country. I disagree. While it doesn't necessarily sound like the original Fender bridge pickup, it does have some twang and a lot of highs. I use the guitar exclusively for country and I'm very satisfied with it.

Comments: This bridge pickup is a lot hotter than the jazz humbucker in the neck position, almost too overbearing. But with the tele setup it is easy to knock back the volume. I've used Seymour pickups for many years because they are, quite simply, the best. I've played guitar for 30 years and they outdo all of them in every aspect.

Pickup features: Four conductor cable, passive single coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: American standard telecaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender stock
Other pickups on guitar: Fender stock (neck)
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): blues, hard rock
Reason for pickup change: I needed something that sounded fuller on distortion with the equipement I own.

Perceived output level: Amazingly hot.... outpowers the fender stock pickups... It's the hottest Duncan pickup I think!!!
Tone: definitly boosting the mids....
Sonic evaluation: Here it goes... I put a Korg Classic OD before a Boss EQ, and run them through the loop of a Boss NS-2 Noise Reduction..... and then I have a Dunlop wah and a Morley volume plugged in the output of the NS-2.... in the high gain input of a Fender Stage 112se.
The sound can get pretty heavy and there is a lot more sustain compared to the Fender stock. I wouldn't say it's the perfect pickup for blues, though it can get the job done very well, but I'd say it's definitly the one for me as far as hard rock goes... Power chords sound richer and fuller than with the Fender stock. Doing leads with this pickup is not a problem ans notes do sustain pretty long. This pickup is just too loud... I'd go as far as saying that you could use it as a lead boost, if you put it close to the strings and enjoy the sound of a bridge pickup for leads and always use neck pickup for rythm. But I don't do that. I think the volume on this thing goes beyond 10. (c:)
But its downfall is on clean sounds. This thing sounds a bit too muddy for me and is way too hot. It distorts the amp too easily... you'd have to roll off the volume knob a bit to get a cleaner sound... that can be a little pain in the ass sometimes...
In the band I'm in, we play mostly 60-70's rock... (Led Zep, Doors, The Who, Black Sabbath, 70's Aerosmith.... among others) and I'm satisfied with it... I wouldn't say I'm getting the same tones as the original artists, but I don't care about that and it sounds pretty good to me, since I'm not the pickiest of the picky... I bought it because I wanted to have a humburcker sound in the bridge position without having to buy another guitar, and I think I'm getting what I paid for.... and the EQ really does a big difference on your overall sound and espacially on the distortion.... it's amazing how you can hear the difference. I recommend everyone of you guys that don't own an EQ to run buy one... it really sharpens the sound... so cool!!!!

By the way, you can forget playing country with this baby on... It definitly wasn't made for that.... I kinda miss my Fender stock for those moments, but since they don't happen too often, fuck that...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's all been said in the sonic evaluation... (c:)

Comments: I don't think someone just steals a pickup on a guitar like that... but NO, I don't think I would buy it again. Why not??? Because of the clean sound... I don't like it that much, so I end up using the Fender stock neck pickup instead. But the thing is that sometimes, I need a clean bridge sound and I can't get it... I'll admit that I don't use a lot of clean sounds but still... For that, I'd try to find something else that gives the same quality for distortion, but with better clean... if it's possible!!!!!!