Changing pickups for squier john 5 telecaster

[zyang]

Hi !

I've been wanting to change my pickups for my squier john 5 telecaster.
I've been asking around and people always told me that it's not worth it since it's a squier model.
Even though it's a squier model , i really love this guitar a lot and it has the solid weight which i like.
It has an alder body and maple neck.

i already have some pickups in mind so please do give me some advice whether i should change pickups or get a better guitar .

Thanks !!
cheers !

 

[craplah]

Hmm, do consider these questions first:

1. What amplifier am I using? (Amps play a hell big part in guitar tone, really!)

2. What genre am I dealing with (Rock, Blues, Funk, Metal....)?

You would need to provide more details so that the experienced forumers out there can understand your situation.

But let's just say if I push these factors away for the moment, I would advise you to keep the guitar. If you feel good about it, I don't see why it'll stop you from playing...

 

[subversion]

if you are not happy with the tone, it might not be a pickup issue. the worthiness of a certain part-replacement is only deemed worthy by the owner. if you think swapping pickups would do you good, go with your hear

 

[zyang]

Hmm, do consider these questions first:

1. What amplifier am I using? (Amps play a hell big part in guitar tone, really!)

2. What genre am I dealing with (Rock, Blues, Funk, Metal....)?

You would need to provide more details so that the experienced forumers out there can understand your situation.

But let's just say if I push these factors away for the moment, I would advise you to keep the guitar. If you feel good about it, I don't see why it'll stop you from playing...

I'm using a normal marshall 15 watts amp. That amp isn't that good but i find no point in changing it , cause im always going to the jamming studio.
Im playing it through a gt-8. But recently i prefer running it straight to the amp. Putting the gain as high as possible and the volume low.

Im playing mostly on rock. Mostly on GnR and Bon Jovi era type of music.
The stock pickup is good , but then i still prefer the tone to go more towards those type of music.

Oh im still using that guitar very frequently. But really want to give it a new tone change.

Thanks a lot for your help and sorry that im bad with my words.

 

[zyang]

if you are not happy with the tone, it might not be a pickup issue. the worthiness of a certain part-replacement is only deemed worthy by the owner. if you think swapping pickups would do you good, go with your hear

Thanks a lot for your advice ! That's why im confused in whether to change pickups or changing to a whole new guitar. Its a squier model though but i love it damn much.

I've read a lot on your blog that you always change your pickups and hardly stay on stock pickup.
Is it because you have a specific tone preference ? And do you have any recommendation on pickups more towards the GnR and Bon jovi kind of tone ?

Thanks a lot for your time and continue posting on your blog. Those stuff are wonderful !

Oh and btw , are you still doing restringing ? cause i need to restring badly. And need someone to look at my guitar and give me some tips. Thanks you once again

 

[craplah]

I'm using a normal marshall 15 watts amp. That amp isn't that good but i find no point in changing it , cause im always going to the jamming studio.

The stock pickup is good , but then i still prefer the tone to go more towards those type of music.

Oh im still using that guitar very frequently. But really want to give it a new tone change.
Im playing mostly on rock. Mostly on GnR and Bon Jovi era type of music.

Haha, I'm no guitar pro, but what I know as a musician is, you got to be comfortable with your instrument. In my honest opinion, struggling to adapt to a new guitar that you don't like is much worse than struggling to find a good tone.

I bought a new guitar on impulse before (Swee Lee was slashing off prices crazily, couldn't help it)and I didn't really like it, the feel was too different from my Les Paul, even though it had better access to the upper frets. It's just....not the same. You already have no problems with the feel of the guitar, so I don't see why you should get a so-called "better" one!

As for changing pickups, I can't really help you with experience, because I've never changed any before =/

But based on what I hear, you may want to give Tesla Pickups a listen, they're rather the value for money.

 

[zyang]

Haha, I'm no guitar pro, but what I know as a musician is, you got to be comfortable with your instrument. In my honest opinion, struggling to adapt to a new guitar that you don't like is much worse than struggling to find a good tone.

I bought a new guitar on impulse before (Swee Lee was slashing off prices crazily, couldn't help it)and I didn't really like it, the feel was too different from my Les Paul, even though it had better access to the upper frets. It's just....not the same. You already have no problems with the feel of the guitar, so I don't see why you should get a so-called "better" one!

As for changing pickups, I can't really help you with experience, because I've never changed any before =/

But based on what I hear, you may want to give Tesla Pickups a listen, they're rather the value for money.

Yeah i agree with your point about struggling with a new guitar. i dont really want to get a new guitar but a lot of people said that its not worth to upgrade on a squier model. IMO i think that not all squier model are inferior. Some of them are better compared to an Fender guitar. For my case i once had an fender guitar but sold it away because i felt that my squier model is way better in terms of the feel and tone.

I tried tesla pickups before but its not really of my taste. I'm not sure if its that particular pickup i dislike or what.
But i will give tesla a try.
Thanks a lot for you time though

 

[VidaK]

In terms of changing your tone, most of the sound depends on the amp. If the amp is set to clean, then the tone depends primarily on your gt-8.

Changing pickups only affect a tiny bit of your tone! Assuming you go to a studio with a marshall dsl 100, you are still going to sound more or less the same after changing pickups.

Since you prefer GnR and Bon Jovi tone, your stock pickups should already be quite suitable.

 

[zyang]

In terms of changing your tone, most of the sound depends on the amp. If the amp is set to clean, then the tone depends primarily on your gt-8.

Changing pickups only affect a tiny bit of your tone! Assuming you go to a studio with a marshall dsl 100, you are still going to sound more or less the same after changing pickups.

Since you prefer GnR and Bon Jovi tone, your stock pickups should already be quite suitable.

hmmm i agree with your point.
Maybe i should try to adjust the EQ a bit and see whats the changes.
However i felt that the stock pickup goes more towards metal. And the clean sounds doesn't really sound great.
That's why i have the idea of changing pickups. Anyway thanks you very much for your comment