I have listened with a very good set of tracking headphones and I gotta admit, there is little difference between the MIM and the 2020 Reissue and the vintage. Maybe a slight bassier sound with the Vintera; and I was very impressed with the Squier! I'm getting ready for a WRHB Tele Thinline build and I was going to invest in a set of 2020 CuNiFe, but I think I'm going with the MIMs instead. Thanks for the vid, you just saved me hundreds! :)
I must add, the differences between all of the WRHBs are not so pronounced. Do you think in a mix with drums, bass, keys, etc, this would even be noticeable? And bear in mind, we can alter much of this tone with our amps and pedals, in particular, an EQ pedal. I can understand the differences in P90 vs Humbucker, but this is so close. Thanks for the clear comparison.
Yeah, the “in a mix” argument always stands. However, I and many players practice/write/record by ourselves most of the time, and having the pickup that inspires the most is important.
Been coming back to this video, comparing mainly the MIM 2014 to the 2020 CuNiFe, & i gotta say - both are enjoyable. The differences are slight (at least in terms of listening to them, playing them might yield a different story/feel), but both are clear & open, yet big & full (when it comes to driven tones). The 2020 RI does have a bit more clarity & openness compared to the 2014 MIM, while when compared to the original 70's it's spot on (or at least 99% close). I've just recently got to try out my MIM WRHB neck pickup in my homebuilt 12 string guitar, & it's really doing the trick. It's round, yet clear, the dynamics are nice when picking lightly with overdrive/distortion, to wailing full throttle - it doesn't lose any definition. I'd still like to try a 2020 CuNiFe version & hear/feel the differences, but i'm quite happy with the MIM i had picked up back in June of this year :) Always enjoy your videos Scott; from the comparisons, to the thoughts, to mods & the playing. Thank you!
Just got round to fitting a pair of Fender Cunife wide range reissue pickups that I've had for a couple of years into my 2008 MIM Deluxe. I used 1Meg pots as original. Sounds fantastic everything wide open, the 1Meg pots are only usable between 7-10, they roll off really fast, but I guess that's how the originals were, I'm not changing them!
Hi there, curious what that yellow amp is in the back? Came across your channel and really enjoying it! Thanks for putting in the time and money to create this content.
I just bought a set of 2020 CuNiFe for my 2005 MIM 72 Telecaster Deluxe before finding this video... and doh I actually prefer the MIMs in all situations here! BTW your playing and editing was perfect for a comparison. Really great work.
Excellent comparison. It's funny how not even the '20s cunifes sound like the original vintage ones. I was expecting a much bigger difference between the Squiers and the other ceramic pickups. Thanks for the experiment!
Great video! I'm wondering if you know, prior to Fender rebooting the CuNiFe WRHBs, were all the modern versions made in Mexico? I just picked up a "75 Telecaster Custom" part of the Tele-bration series from 2011. These is an American reissue with a twist mashing a Tele Custom and a 75 Jazz Bass aesthetics. But I'm wondering if the WRHB in the neck would be the same as in the Mexican reissues. Thanks for any info. Keep up the great work!
I'm fairly certain all the WRHB pre CuNiFe are the same ones that are in the MIM guitars. I'm not quite sure all those are actually made in mexico, but I assume so. Good question, I might look more into it.
I see people talking online all the time how the cunife pups are so much better and I just don't get it. The difference between my Classic Series and the Cunife is subtle at best. Hardly worth the price of admission IMO. Same with changing the pots. I just watched another side by side and the difference was minimal. Also, I'm impressed with the Squier ones. They hang with the rest. Thanks for doing this.
The vintera sounds best but they are so close that you cant really hear a difference in a mix and I wouldnt be unsatisfied with the Squier pickup. That leads me to the question, should you really spend double to quadrupple the money for a "better" sound, when the tone gets enhanced by only about 5 - 10 %?
I would argue that we're all guilty of that once you have a well made guitar that stays in tune, and has Alnico pups, regardless of brand. We pay thousands for that final 5-10%.
Just purchased a well used second hand Squier Telecaster Custom with regular humbuckers and wanted to upgrade them. A little research led me into discovering Wide Range pickups (never heard of them before although I'd seen pix of them but never paid them any mind). Now I'm thinking of putting in a set of Hosco Wide Range pickups or some affordable Fender equivalents. All of the pickups here in your demo sound great but the vintage ones have the slightest of edges over the others. So close as to be almost imperceptible. Thank you!
Excellent video! Gotta say, I'm half convinced to get the '20 CUNIFE neck and pop it in a Squier Classic Vibe Deluxe and replace the pots to 1M. The Squier bridge sounds like it really stood up to the others.
agreed, I've honestly thought of putting that squier bridge I have in my deluxe in place of the 2020 cunife. I love the middle position with the 2 cunifes, but the bridge is honestly a little harsh.
Great video my friend! I have a question for you, I recently bought a Vintera 70s custom. I’m about to order the Fender CuNiFe WRHB neck and I want your opinion for what pot values would you recommend (500K or 1mega) and what single coil on bridge would fit for a balanced middle position!
I would go for a 1 meg volume for the best tonal range on the neck, but something pretty high output would be necessary in the bridge I think. I'm not very experienced with what single coils work well with the cunife neck, unfortunately. I'd look for something with plenty of lows and relatively high output.
Hi man, best comparison I found on the tube. Wow very useful. I bought a Tele Deluxe 72 mex 2009 special run, wide range pu's on board of course. What pot value would you put, 500k or 1 Mega? Thanks
Thanks! Assuming they’re already 500k, if they need a little extra brightness go for 1meg. the Bridge is usually bright enough at 500k, Neck can use 1meg often nicely. I like time at 500 regardless.
Is there generally a reason why I see 1meg pots recommended for WRHB when it seems 500k is the standard for HBs? I would have assumed that because WRHBs are brighter, then a 1meg pot would be too much.
I think it’s 2 reasons. The originals I believe were 1 Meg… If that’s true I suspect Fender wanted to get as much sparkle as possible because it was Fender. Also, because on actual wide ranges (not the faux mim), the low end is a little more robust so the highs may need a little more real Estate to balance… especially in the Neck. Bridge is a bit bright with 1meg imo
Glad it was helpful! 1 meg works great for me... I usually roll off the tone if I'm on the bridge, but for middle positions I like the tone all the way up.
Great video. I have the Squier deluxe. The neck pickup was quite woolly but the originals had 1 Meg pots. I do have another widerange from fender Japan which is 11k and uses full sized bobbins and I’ve replaced the poles and bar manner with FeCrCo threaded magnets and it sounds amazing. I was going to do the same with the Squier but I suspect it will sound very shrill being much lower DCR. So I’ve replaced the magnets with alnico 3 in the neck and alnico 2 in the bridge. This makes the pickups much more responsive to height adjustment. I love red the pickups and raised the poles and the result is bright clear fender tones now from both pickups, no muddiness at all. Tonally the neck pickup is close to my FeCrCo converted pickup which has 250k volume and 500k tone - it’s otherwise brighter than CuNiFe but right tonal ball park with the right pots.
Do you know where to find the Vintera pickups on their own? I've found a listing for something called "Fender American Vintage Wide Range Humbucker" but can't tell if it's the same thing or not. I have the Modern Player Starcaster with the MIM ones and really like how bright the Vinteras are in comparison.
That sounds like it’s not a vintera set, since the Vintera line is MIM. I could be wrong, but I’ve been getting ready to sell the set from this video… If you are interested let me know! The covers were removed for a related video and replaced with no issues.
In the middle position they have a fair bit of that Gibson T Top " Chirp' going on .. Particularly the Vintera set... The T Top of course is what Fender would have been competing with in the day( not the PAF) and is often referred to as "A Tele on Steroids tone" . .. Anyone else like to talk about these similarities?
I’ve had a few conversations about the T tops in reference to the wide ranges. I’ve not played them to my knowledge, but very curious about them. I have come around to preferring the middle position on wide ranges over the neck or bridge alone.
@@haskitt Well Scott, you've certainly heard them!! ..All most all Rock heroes from the 70s with a Gibson had T Tops ( unless they were playing a stock 57-60 Les Paul ..) Notable T Top Sounds: Angus Young AC/DC, Jimmy Page Bridge Pickup Post 1972 ( His original PAF died)..Larry Carltons famous 335 (Steely Dan) Mick Ronson (Bowie), Randy Rhoads ( in his 1974 LP Custom) to name a few.. T Top was Gibsons Humbucker from 1968 -1980. Short A5 Roughcast Magnet , 7.5/7.6k Poly 42 gauge wire...Less Bass more mid push ,Chimey and articulate would describe the character. Great " Hollow Chirp" in the middle. .( ACDC Back in Black would be the classic T Top sound)
The Vintera are not CuNiFe. They released the Vintera line a few years before they were able to source the actual CuNiFe magnets. MIM and Squier are buckers with WR covers, as are Vintera. Vintera are just voiced to be brighter than the previous fender/Squier WRHB reissues.
Great video! I think the best sounding ones are the 2020 CuNiFes’ followed by the vintage CuNiFes’. My least favorite were the Vinteras’ as they lack the “Wide Range” characteristics.
The low wound one sounds the most like the original as far as tone, but lacks the presence. Is that the right term? The 2020 Fender one sounds awesome though. Definitely my favorite overall, outside of the 70s one.
You mean the Vintera sounds most like the original to you? Interesting if so... because I think we agree about that presence thing. And yeah, there's a bit of mid/high mid punch in the transient of the 2020 that the vintera lacks. I feel like the 2020 has more of that presence than the original.
@@haskitt whoops, I meant to comment on your other vid 😁 I was referring to the low wound Lollar that lacks presence, but sounds great otherwise. The Vintera one sounds really good too, but I think I prefer the 2020 Fender one out of the after market ones. Sounds really clear and has a little punch to it. Thanks for doing this! I can’t imagine how long it took to switch out all of those pickups!
I like Ace Frehley just play in the bridge and there is no doubt the Fender Cunife sounds better than the other 2 pickups. Thanks for the review otherwise I was going to by the Fender wide range pickups made in Mexico.
From what I’ve learned since making this video, you can’t thread rods made from Alnico of any kind. Only Cunife or FeCrCo (I mistakenly thought Lollar were alnico but they’re fecrco).
Given that the Pole Pieces are offset, does that affect how loud "harmonics" are on the same fret, considering that 3 are picked up by Magnets, and the other 3 are picked up by Slugs?
I’ve always wondered that, how it would sound if you could adjust all 12 pole pieces… And furthermore, it seems like having them opposite how they are would sound better, being able to bring up the low E pole piece on a higher harmonic and the High E Pole Piece on a lower harmonic. I think that would sound more balanced. They are all made of the same material I would think (poles/slugs), but I’m not sure. The Creamery makes a wide range that has 12 adjustable pole pieces.
@@haskitt In a related way, I moved the single coil Neck Pickup on my Strat because the open string Harmonic on the 7th fret was on a Node, so was inaudible. Moving that Pickup towards the bridge worked. I also tried "slanting" the pickup as a test, and it was then that I first noticed a difference in Harmonic volumes. Slanting the Bridge Pickup doesn't appear to have this problem.
I doubt it, and you should too. Without looking and by the first clips I judged it to be the same pickup, only partially different in the upper mids by the positioning of the playing hand. Only by watching the clip I learned of the swap. Taking both samples sending em thru the spectrometer, analysis showed a very discrete mid hump in the newer model.
The others all sounded quite similar between themselves (by slight degrees of eqing), but really different from the CuNiFe ones in attack response and eq (both brighter and hollower). Very nice video!
I'm currently building a Crafted in Indonesia Squier Telecaster Custom 72, just got done fitting a Seymour Duncan bridge pickup, the neck pickup is the stock Squier wide range humbucker, the bridge and middle position sounds soooo good, I wired the bridge pickup to pair better with the neck and it's done wonders for the middle, just not too happy with the neck on its own, it's really muddy/muffled, for lead playing with gain it shreds! But for rhythm it doesn't do alot for me, going to install a Fender CuNiFe and hope it sounds the way I want it to!
I have the same thinline. The pots are 250k and small. If your changing pickups it’s probably worth swapping out the pots at the same time. I also added a treble bleed. The pick ups are ok wide open but get dark very quick when you roll off the volume.
Update, got it all done about a month back, installed some Seymour Duncan 500k's for the neck, stuck with the 250's for the bridge as it's a very bright pickup anyway. The mid position is soooo good now, neck has plenty of bit, is a tad dark when volume is rolled off but you can compensate by blending both pickups in the mid position to get a perfect blend of both. Very happy with it, the bridge is the perfect Tele bridge setup for me.
The CUNIFE pickups were created by Seth Lover and used those magnets because he needed a way to make a pickup that wouldn't violate the Gibson patent. This is why the ahtermarket pickup industry didn't exist untile the 70's as far as humbucking pickups go. I'm thinking about buying a set of GFS Wide Range pickups which are $48 each and have AlNiCo or ceramic magnets.(they make two versions and I asume they are made in Korea.
Interesting - I couldn't find whether or not they use bar magnets or pole piece magnets. I assume bar because it seems most who makes pole piece magnets actually uses FeCrCo.
@@haskitt MoJoTone uses some kind of drilled magnat but not CuNiFe. I have a set of GFS Vintage Split humbucker sized PUPS that I put in a Godin Radiator. They are very punchy but the Radiator has a Maple body so who knows? Where did you get taht Snalke Head neck?
@@jameskrys5286 yeah I think fender is the only one making the cunife now. I thought Lollar used alnico, but apparently they use FeCrCo, as does brandon (althought I think they do a combo of fecrco and a3, maybe the a3 are just slugs, not threaded... seems alnico is too brittle machine into threaded poles). The neck is a warmoth snake head, vintage construction with 7.25 radius, boatneck profile that i reshaped to a C. I got them to make it with a rosewood board (they only offer 1 piece usually,, or at least they did), which they had to check to see if they were able but thankfully said yes!
Yeah, that squier bridge especially... It actually sounds pretty nice to me. The neck was a mud monster and was really tough to play, but yeah - though they're all so different but I was impressed overall.
@@haskitt me too. I’m in Canada and they seem to be hard to get up here. The last expected eta was March but as the month marches on it looks like I’ll be needing a new estimate!
@@haskitt I feel like they probably sound a lot more different to one another in person, but the 2 rounds of video compression (from raw to mp4 etc, and the compression from RU-vid itself) make them sound a slight less different
@@cynicalart7686 I can really hear a difference in these clips. Quite a lot more than many of my other comparisons! Also, the render from raw audio to video on my end is lossless... 48k WAV, and RU-vid compression these days is pretty negligible. I did a video on it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-smTItnyBCA0.html - cheers!
Right?! The weirdest thing is, the closer you get the pickups to the strings the brighter they got… Usually the lows get bigger when you bring them close. really interesting pickups.
Having watched this video and its predecessor I did the following to my Squier CV 70ies Custom Tele: swapped the bridge pickup to a better one and swapped the volume and tone pot for the original Squier Wide Range humbucker. Now it's 500 k volume and tone with a .22 cap for the humbucker and 250 k volume and tone with a .47 cap for the single coil. Before the changes there was a significant volume drop from neck to bridge, now it's the other way round. Where's my mistake, any idea?
Seems odd… what Bridge Pickup did you swap to? Unless there’s a wiring issue a single coil Tele Bridge shouldn’t be louder than a wide range in the Neck.
@@michaelheinz3954 you hopefully figured this out already. But I looked up that bridge pickup and it’s rated 10k ohms which is fairly hot. Your best bet is to try adjusting it down and your neck up to even then out more, or otherwise look for something with less output for the bridge.
@@karenmcspadden7240 Thank you so much for taking time to answer. In fact I solved the problem with the output level the way you describe it by evening out the pickup heights. Now there's a new problem: the middle position sounds like Peter Greens out-of-phase-tone plus it sounds a bit weak. To be honest, I'm a bit lost with electronics, I once read a post where someone said that the Wide Range Humbucker has reverse polarity. Have you ever heard of that?
@@michaelheinz3954 hey, so probably the pickups are different polarity since they're made by different makers. The easiest DIY fix I would try is on your single coil bridge, switch the hot (usually white) and ground (black) so they are opposite, and see if that fixes it. Seymour Duncan has some nice articles about pickups being out of phase you might be able to look up.
Do you think a 2020 CuNiFe in the neck would match well with a MiM in the bridge? Right now I have two stock MiM with 1Meg pots in my Deluxe. ( I always close the tone down to 8 on the bridge so I should probably go back to 500k there...)
there does not seem to be much difference between the different versions...CuniFE or bar magnet /MIM or USA made. much was made of the 'tonal ' qualities of CuNiFe but in the end it's just a magnet...
I hear a significant difference in the thickness, compression EQ character of the transient between bar mag and pole mag. I agree that there's a very subtle difference between CuNiFe pole and Alnico pole magnets (like between CuNiFe 2020 and Lollar).
@@vincentl.9469 If I only had 1 guitar, I'd have a pole mag in the neck and a bar mag in the bridge. But since I have a Bar mag bucker in the bridge of another guitar, I'm keeping pole mags in both positions on my deluxe! Options... how about you?
Awesome stuff. I snagged a single vintera neck pickup blind recently (since it was priced well) and I'm pretty sure it's going to be perfect after watching this. I'm not chasing any specific original tone so if the worst case is me ending up with a brightly voiced paf... Great :) I have a parts jazzmaster that's exceptionally bright and snappy naturally with a really hot, almost p90 like tele bridge pickup loaded in the pickguard with no slant. I've had a regular single coil in that neck that's just been way too bright. I think the vintera should work super well with a 250k volume paired with the hot tele bridge. I kind of like a stark contrast between the two pups anyways. Makes for a better middle position.
It might depend on which squire! My 72 Squier thinline currently gets more playing time than my USA single coil tele because the neck on the squier is just so nice, especially after a proper fret dress.
Your opinion clearly shows a lack of in depth knowledge regarding pickups. DC resistance is of course a factor but only tells a part of the overall story. Pole spacing, pickup height, magnet type, guage material and wind all matter as much as DC resistance and in some ways even more so.
@@steves12strings Sure, but DC Resistance can be helpful without the pickups in hands. Though, you'll need to kno the H-value too otherwise resistance doesn't mean anything.
