TM3 pickup help requested

[stevem7]

Hello all,

I'll be ordering a Hollow T Drop Top soon and had a question about pickups. I have a Strat at home with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucker in the bridge, which I LOVE. I'm eyeing the TM3 pickup for the bridge in the new Hollow T and was wondering if anybody can comment about it relative to the Hot Rails, as far as tone or output.

Also, I want this to be a 3 pickup Hollow T, so what would be a nice set of single coil pickups for the neck and middle to complement the TM3 in the bridge? Would the TD-Series do the trick?

Thanks...

[Ray K.]

Hey Steve,

Early congratulations on the HTDT!

I just got a Hollow T Classic. If you haven't seen my post already about replacement pickups (TM3), take a look and see if some of the info there would be useful to your application: http://andersonforum.com/board/showthread.php?t=6831

Someone else will be along soon that can answer your questions more direct.

Ray K.

[stevem7]

Thanks Ray! Just what I was looking for. This forum isn't conducive to doing searches on terms like "TM3" (too short of a phrase) so it's a little hard to do research on these pickups. I guess there's a lot I don't know on these pickups. For example, how different in tone is a TM2 vs. a TM3? And what exactly are the differences between the TF1 vs. the TD1-?

Thanks for the link.

[tom]

the tm2 still has great top end, think great rock tele tones. the tm3 is fat enough in the middle that it drifts away from what you would think might be a tele.
the tf and sf series are meant to run hum cancelling all the time. they have a very similar top end to vintage pickups. not as much as the sa and td split but more than the sa and td in humcancelling mode.

[Ray K.]

Steve,

Your welcome! Trust me, I understand about the search limitations. I was trying to do the same thing very recently.

Anyway, Tom is on the scene and hopefully has given you the info that you need. I'll be following this thread as well.

Good luck,
Ray K.

[stevem7]

Tom/Ray:

Thanks again for your replies. After reading this I think I'll have a TM2 in the bridge instead of the TM3, with TF1 in the neck (I don't think I'll miss being able to split the neck pickup). That is, provided that the stronger output of the TM2 will match already with the lower output of the TF1.

Question still remains, though, what would Tom recommend for a middle pickup in a hollow drop top T with maple/basswood body? I'm thinking of having the middle p'up on a simple on/off switch to be added whenever I wanted, and I wouldn't need splitting on that either.

Also, what are your thoughts on splitting the TM2?

I plan to call Roy over at the shop to go over all this beforehand anyways, but I just wanted to have all my ducks in order. Thanks again folks.

-Steve

[tom]

sf1 for the middle. the tm2 is not meant to split.

[Ray K.]

the tm2 is not meant to split.
Tom, Not that I don't believe you...but Robberns has his '05 T Classic with a TD1 and TM2 for sale: http://andersonforum.com/board/showthread.php?t=6797

His ad says the following:
"The Tone control can be pulled to make both pickups standard single-coil (vs. hum-canceling)"

How is this possible? Could it be someone is using the wrong terminology?

Just curious. :)

Thanks,
Ray K.

[tom]

you could do it, i just don't think you'd like the sound. it would be pretty small sounding, and i'm not sure you'd get both E strings with good volume.

[Ray K.]

Ah, so that's what you meant when you said they're not "meant" to be split. Got it!

Thanks,
Ray K.