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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2018 10:11:58 GMT
That IronGear set costs 58 pounds the price you showed above is for one pickup only.
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608 posts
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Post by oghkhood on Jan 6, 2018 10:24:25 GMT
good point : edited 58£ makes it always a bit cheaper than the toneriders but even better than any wilkinson pups I know
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Post by lickosaurus on Jan 6, 2018 23:12:01 GMT
and the rather Ho-hum pickups, and that plastic nut and dreary pots that need more highs.. BUT yeah.. its a beautiful looking guitar.. once you strip it anything metallic and replace them with quality stuff.. she'd be a go-to piece. I'll get there .. eventually with it. have you tried changing strings?
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Post by sctrotts on Jan 9, 2018 17:12:53 GMT
strings qualify as anything metallic so yes.. those were the first things to go.
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Post by lickosaurus on Jan 12, 2018 17:32:27 GMT
strings qualify as anything metallic so yes.. those were the first things to go. ok, I rewired mine with the 50ties mod (tone pot on the output of the volume pot instead of the input), removed the cover of the neck pick up and adjusted the pickup height. It is certainly bright enough. Might be something for you to try out.
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Post by lickosaurus on Jan 12, 2018 17:37:28 GMT
And to answer the OP question, I bought a TE30 because it was in stock and I was in a hurry to get something to strip, stain and mod, otherwise I would probably have gotten the TE-52. The TE-30 is quite spartan when it comes to setup and quality of the hardware, but judging from my research it seems quite common for people to change out most of the hardware on the TE-52 as well.
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153 posts
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Post by r3v3nt0n on Jan 12, 2018 19:12:36 GMT
And to answer the OP question, I bought a TE30 because it was in stock and I was in a hurry to get something to strip, stain and mod, otherwise I would probably have gotten the TE-52. The TE-30 is quite spartan when it comes to setup and quality of the hardware, but judging from my research it seems quite common for people to change out most of the hardware on the TE-52 as well. It's not that stock TE 52 is bad (it is what it is, for the price), but that guitar deserves better. Nut, saddles, bridge, tuners, better pickups and a proper setup, it can turn into a fine instrument. It's one of those 'jewel' guitars everybody will miss if the disscontinue the production.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2018 20:28:12 GMT
It's one of those 'jewel' guitars everybody will miss if the disscontinue the production. Hm, ... maybe I should buy that TE-52 again and hope this time they send me one without issues? Being a "Jewel" and all that
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Post by lickosaurus on Jan 12, 2018 21:31:59 GMT
And to answer the OP question, I bought a TE30 because it was in stock and I was in a hurry to get something to strip, stain and mod, otherwise I would probably have gotten the TE-52. The TE-30 is quite spartan when it comes to setup and quality of the hardware, but judging from my research it seems quite common for people to change out most of the hardware on the TE-52 as well. It's not that stock TE 52 is bad (it is what it is, for the price), but that guitar deserves better. Nut, saddles, bridge, tuners, better pickups and a proper setup, it can turn into a fine instrument. It's one of those 'jewel' guitars everybody will miss if the disscontinue the production. Exactly, I assumed that the outcome would be quite similar if you would start with a TE-30
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19 posts
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Post by fretnoise on Jan 12, 2018 22:29:59 GMT
TE-52 comes with Roswell pickups now as well. My TE-30 recently purchased weighs 4.4kg. My TE-52 weighs 3.7kg, bought used, but only a few months old. The TE-52 feels better, especially the neck.
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2 posts
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Post by clarry on Jan 18, 2018 12:44:25 GMT
I bought a TE-30 to modify with Sitar saddles. Before I placed them on the guitar, I was pleasantly surprised by the sturdiness of the build I particularly like the “silky” feel of the neck.
I was very impressed by the playability of the guitar straight out of the box. If I was to play it as a guitar I would get it setup, but when you’re about to whack on some sitar saddles there’s little point as it’s all about the rattly effect! Crikey, the saddles need some tweaking, but when you get there, it is great fun.
I’ve decided to go full-on Jason King (RIP today) and add a gaudy paisley pick-guard. Whilst removing the original (very nice) pearloid guard to make a template to send away, I noticed an odd thing that must have missed QA. The springs from the neck pick-up retaining screws were just sat there magnetically attached to the pick-up. What a strange thing to do. Someone must have given up during construction!
Pictures will follow of gaudy pick-guard when it arrives.
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34 posts
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Post by mitchmacblues on Apr 5, 2018 10:27:58 GMT
I own a TE52 with Roswells and have played a TE30. I really like the sound of the TE52, very vintage and quite clean, I was frankly surprised. The bridge pickup is very Tele and the neck pickup is good too, sounds also better than I expected. Tuning stability was initially problematic only on the 3rd string, but just by putting pencil graphite in the nut below the string now tuning stability has been in the last 6 months just as solid as on my American Fenders (!) -and that means: really good. I might have been lucky but I think the guitar is fantastic for the price, and the contrast with the TE30 that I have played is quite big especially in terms of tuning stability. To my ears the pickups in the TE30 are also less clear and sound more tin-ish. The only real flaw I have in my TE52 is a moderate fret buzz in two frets of the 1st string (fret buzz in the TE30 was also there) -as well as I had to do a thorough fret polishing. I understand that's the price you pay for such good prices. So I would clearly go for the TE52.
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Post by micoli on Apr 5, 2018 13:59:57 GMT
I own a TE52 with Roswells and have played a TE30. I really like the sound of the TE52, very vintage and quite clean, I was frankly surprised. The bridge pickup is very Tele and the neck pickup is good too, sounds also better than I expected. Tuning stability was initially problematic only on the 3rd string, but just by putting pencil graphite in the nut below the string now tuning stability has been in the last 6 months just as solid as on my American Fenders (!) -and that means: really good. I might have been lucky but I think the guitar is fantastic for the price, and the contrast with the TE30 that I have played is quite big especially in terms of tuning stability. To my ears the pickups in the TE30 are also less clear and sound more tin-ish. The only real flaw I have in my TE52 is a moderate fret buzz in two frets of the 1st string (fret buzz in the TE30 was also there) -as well as I had to do a thorough fret polishing. I understand that's the price you pay for such good prices. So I would clearly go for the TE52. I had fret buzz on my TE52 on just 2 frets as well. I sorted it out with a beam sander, a fret polish, set the truss rod, a new bone nut, and a Wilkinson bridge with brass compensated saddles and now it plays like a dream. I was playing it last night and noticed the strings were 1mm on the high E and below 1.5 on the low E, which I now intend to raise to 1.5mm and 2mm, (I must have set it low as some sort of experiment). I was thinking of replacing the Roswell pickups so if anyone has any ideas on which ones I should try, please reply. PS. They would have to be a cheapish set as I'm on a budget!
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608 posts
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Post by oghkhood on Apr 11, 2018 5:48:31 GMT
There are several solutions for good sounding budget pups.
My favourite are Tonerider pups, they a range of set, and I chose the AC2, that fit perfect for vintage tones Irongear too as nice sets to offer If you are American, you may check GFS ( Guitarfetish ) site
the tree are selling cheaper than renown brands, but the sound quality is equivalent
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Post by micoli on Apr 11, 2018 10:51:46 GMT
There are several solutions for good sounding budget pups. My favourite are Tonerider pups, they a range of set, and I chose the AC2, that fit perfect for vintage tones Irongear too as nice sets to offer If you are American, you may check GFS ( Guitarfetish ) site the tree are selling cheaper than renown brands, but the sound quality is equivalent Thanks for your input. I just found this comparison video on YouTube.So, for the TE-52, Toneriders it is!The AC2 would suit the LP SC-550 I bought some months ago. It's currently fitted with the stock Wilkinsons, which I really do not like, and this has put me off playing the guitar. I usually use Vanson or Warman pickups as they are cheap and pretty good for the price, but I always have presumed they are Chinese pickups but just higher quality than the generic Chinese pickups. But they are normally OK for me as I'm just a 'home' hobbyist guitarist.
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