Guitarists - help getting a Telecaster country twang sound

[mbfrancis]

Hello, hoping one of our great guitarists here can help me. I have a 90s MIA Tele, NAMM floor model that has a humbucker on the bridge pickup. Great sound, but I struggle getting a good country twang sound. I'm interested in both the mid rhythm picking but mostly the low, rich solo tone. The best example I have is actually a part played on a song of mine, solo starts at 1:36 of this track [SoundClick link].

I'm on r8 so have the Softube Amp, as well as Vermillion and Creme. How would you guys go about getting that sound? Which pickup(s), what effects, what amp? Thanks soooo much!

[MannequinRaces]

Ask this dude!

[Scoobyman II]

I enjoyed your song. I agree with the top video as a part of the answer. A lot of what makes the country twang is the popping with the middle and ring finger of the right hand. Next put a Scream distortion ahead of every thing. Turn the boost up. Set to overdrive. Click the equalizer, drop the mid, boost the treble up to about .32, and leave the bass at zero.

[gak]

EDIT, bad post, move along.....

[mbfrancis]

Thanks guys, good tips.

@Gak I don't understand, I already have a MIA telecaster. Do I need single coil to get the sound (bridge pickup is humbucker)?

[eusti]

Maybe this helps?

Some differing opinions about that one in the youtube comment section...

D.

[gak]

Thanks guys, good tips.

@Gak I don't understand, I already have a MIA telecaster. Do I need single coil to get the sound (bridge pickup is humbucker)?

Yep, I obviously didn't pay attention.....I'll delete.

[bpmorton]

shouldn't matter that you don't have a single coil in the bridge. It's mostly in the playing. I agree with the guy in that swetwater video...compressor and super clean twin tone. I'd squash the hell out of it with the compressor but that is my personal taste.

[mbfrancis]

shouldn't matter that you don't have a single coil in the bridge. It's mostly in the playing. I agree with the guy in that swetwater video...compressor and super clean twin tone. I'd squash the hell out of it with the compressor but that is my personal taste.

Yeah, I saw that video, too. Some good pointers. What is the best Reason amp sim for a Fender Twin?

[Last Alternative]

Honestly, the only real way to get that Country twang is a Telecaster with a Fender amp.

[gak]

I have to take exception to the "it doesn't matter what pickup you have the bridge" part.

Regardless of my inability to understand the OP, a maple neck, brass saddles, and a SC pup in the bridge (or between the neck/bridge/etc) is the quintessential "twang" sound.

Maybe I am reading it wrong, but a humbucker (aka/not single coil) is not the desired "twang" tone.

[GeiddE]

If you have a dual-coil humbucker, just turn the volume down halfway or so when in the bridge position

Single coils get that snap they're getting in these videos posted up there

I use Vermillion with my fender-esque single coils ( Some are stacked humbuckers )

The key to twang is a limited magnetic pickup field IMHO
or a lower volume / split coil humbucker ( although that may end up being tooo thin for you )

add a comp and some slapback delay and you're there

[mbfrancis]

Hey guys, thanks so much, these are all incredibly useful.
One thing about my tele, the humbucker has a 3-way switch itself, so I may be able to get closer by twiddling with that. I like the idea of turning it down a bit, that might help (it's got a super ballsy tone), and I guess Vermillion is closest.
I'll let you know how it goes!

[jfrichards]

In my opinion, the basis of the country twang with a Tele is the single coil bridge pickup. You can enhance it with the selector switch in the middle position which adds the neck pickup, which can be single or humbucker (and raising or lowering the neck pickup can have a big effect on tone variation, lowering the neck pickup away from the strings can add more bite). After getting the basic Tele twang from all this, the next main ingredient for tele twang, in my opinion, is the precise picking/muting techniques that add various harmonics to each note, mostly to the attack. Good country twangers are changing the attack constantly to add and subtract harmonics as part of the rhythmic structure, emphasizing downbeats, off-beats, double-note slides, melodies and counterpoint, etc. These complexities take years of daily practice, so I think single coil bridge is a start, but won't get you fully what you want. I personally use my Teles in the opposite way, with the neck pickup only, raised close to the strings, giving me that Led Zeppelin I sound, much closer to Hendrix than Vince Gill. What an amazing guitar!!!!

[GeiddE]

Right on John !
( that should be on a bumper sticker!)

[mbfrancis]

In my opinion, the basis of the country twang with a Tele is the single coil bridge pickup. You can enhance it with the selector switch in the middle position which adds the neck pickup, which can be single or humbucker (and raising or lowering the neck pickup can have a big effect on tone variation, lowering the neck pickup away from the strings can add more bite). After getting the basic Tele twang from all this, the next main ingredient for tele twang, in my opinion, is the precise picking/muting techniques that add various harmonics to each note, mostly to the attack. Good country twangers are changing the attack constantly to add and subtract harmonics as part of the rhythmic structure, emphasizing downbeats, off-beats, double-note slides, melodies and counterpoint, etc. These complexities take years of daily practice, so I think single coil bridge is a start, but won't get you fully what you want. I personally use my Teles in the opposite way, with the neck pickup only, raised close to the strings, giving me that Led Zeppelin I sound, much closer to Hendrix than Vince Gill. What an amazing guitar!!!!

Very cool, thanks for chiming in, John. I messed with the 3-way switch on the humbucker and picking one side or another got me *a lot* closer (main pick-up switch in the middle, using both pick-ups). The big thing for me was getting the low twangy solo sound (almost a Duane Eddy thing), and compression, slapback, and the pick up selection, along with Vermillion on a clean patch with the drive cranked got me pretty close. I'll keep trying.