Telecaster Vintage Guitar Pickups Alnico V & III

(33 customer reviews)

£28.95£48.95

Telecaster Pickups Summary:

“..just fitted the pick-ups and they are great, I just turned a £100 Tele’ into a £400 Tele’ in 20 minutes”
 
 
 
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As with all of the range, the Ironstone Telecaster pickups are based on Alnico magnet pole pieces to guarantee vintage tone. Unusually, the Bridge features Alnico V and Alnico 3 for the neck because different magnet grades perform better for different string positions and frequencies.
Aimed at the early 50’s and 60’s Tele tones, these feature the original specification of 42AWG windings for the bridge and 43AWG neck. They are available as individual bridge, neck or a set. 
The tone is not so much an artist as an era! Think classic 50’s &  60’s, everything from rock to blues, jazz to country.
 
 
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Please note: The prices above and below are the UK total price including standard Royal Mail postage. Non UK customers will be advised of an additional small postal charge during the checkout process (see Shop page for current charges).
 
EU customers; regretfully, following the EU import VAT regulation changes of July 2021, we are unable to support direct website sales to EU countries (EU countries will not be accepted at the checkout stage). 
 

Description

Telecaster Vintage Guitar Pickups Alnico V & III

The Ironstone Telecaster vintage guitar pickups feature vintage correct Alnico V & III magnets for a set full of twang and Tele depth. In detail;

Telecaster Bridge Pickup


Vintage specification 7.2K Ohm Telecaster / Tele bridge pickup, featuring Alnico V magnet pole pieces and a rose copper baseplate. These combine to give an unrivalled warm, mellow tone palette. So along with retaining plenty of output, these pickups deliver the classic ‘twang’ of the early Telecasters.  The base plate has a ground connection, key to reducing unwanted single coil electrical noise.
This pickup has lightly beveled poles at a 54mm pole spacing, with raised bridge D & G poles. Magnet polarity is ‘North Up i.e. attracts a compass South needle end. Complete with all mounting hardware.

*Left hand players please note:  The Tele bridge (and neck) pickups have symmetrical pole stagger allowing right or left hand usage.

Telecaster Neck Pickup


A Classic Telecaster neck using finer 43AWG wire (as the original specification) to make them really sing! Unusually equipped with Alnico III magnets (as the hugely respected Tonerider Tele hot Classics – renowned for their clarity), which give a tighter bass and stunning open sound and string definition. The controlled 7.2K Ohm configuration gives a real Fender 50’s / 60’s  warm, full, yet clean bass tone palette. The classic Nickel-Silver finish grounded cover (vintage correct flat top and tight edge radii) surrounds a 50mm pole piece spacing. Magnet polarity is ‘South Up i.e. attracts a compass North needle end (so a RWRP pair with the bridge). Supplied complete with mounting screws and springs. 



Individually and as a set, these pickups deliver Classic warm vintage tone, together with the renowned Tele ‘Twang’.  Suitable for a wide range of musical styles, these pickups are also featured as part of the Ironstone Telecaster control plate set (see link below). This adds two more switching options ( series and quasi ‘out of phase’) to the normal 3 way Tele configuration to completely exploit all the possibilities these pickups offer.

Both the bridge and neck pickups have solid wire links from the base plate /  cover to the signal negative wires, so they are easy to modify for series or phase change switching.

Telecaster related links:

See Wiring Diagram I See Guitar Pickup Adjustment  I See Sound Clips
For all things Telecaster check out TDPRI , the world’s No.1 authority!
Finally, for all things Fender, check out The Fender Forum

33 reviews for Telecaster Vintage Guitar Pickups Alnico V & III

  1. Alan Woodhouse (verified owner)

    Just recently bought the Telecaster Vintage pickups as replacements for the “ceramic” ones in my SX VTG series thinline Telecaster. I did a good bit of shopping around online as I had replaced Fender pickups with Wilkinson pickups on a previous Fender Telecaster. I got rid of that Tele as I just couldn’t get the sounds I wanted. I had use Ironstone pickups in my Fender Strat so I was aware of the quality………………..However with these new Ironstone pickups in my Tele are the business. The clean sound from the neck and neck+bridge settings are super, the bridge pickup is very twangy clean and with a decent amount of overdrive all pickup combinations sound great.

  2. Craig Dove (verified owner)

    Just replaced the stock pups in my Squier Classic Vibe 60 Custom Tele which were ok but a bit meh.. Wow what a difference – open, full and lovely – hooray !
    Excellent and personal service from Tony – novel these days but very welcome – Thankyou !

    • Anthony Partridge

      Customer service has always been a big part of Ironstone Craig. Enjoy the ‘new’ Tele!

  3. Andrew (verified owner)

    Fitted my telecaster pickups yesterday, what a difference it is night and day, the tele was my 3rd favourite guitar to play it has now become my number one go to guitar. Thank you tony and all your team for making such fantastic pickups available at a price that everyone can afford, super quality and sound, i love them.

    • Anthony Partridge

      Great tone, great quality, and great value is what we are all about Andrew. Enjoy! Cheers, Tony

  4. Steve Evans

    Hi Tony, I am so pleased with the Ironstone Telecaster pickups that I wanted to let you know and give you some background information. I have 16 guitars, half of which are post-2000 USA Fender Telecasters. All my guitars are in excellent condition so I wasn’t sure if a relic guitar would just be a passing fancy. I’d been impressed with the Vintage brand guitars and bought a new Icon Series V62 Telecaster as a surplus stock item direct from JHS for less than £200. It had a blond, machine relic’d finish but the guitar played very well and I had bought it as an experimental relic project. I stripped, re-finished in Fiesta Red nitro and custom relic’d it. I upgraded all the electrics but the pick-ups weren’t delivering the sound that I thought the guitar now deserved. I had read-up about the Ironstone Tele pickups. They had good reviews and the spec sounded ideal for my 60s blues/light rock style. So I bought a set of the Ironstone Tele pickups that were on offer as “relic” (minor cosmetic blemishes), fitted them, tried them and loved them. They are just the sound that I was after. The best thing about them are the three distinct voices of the two individual pickups and then the pairing of them together. They were easy to set up to be well balanced. The tone is strong and can sing, croak or quack with control adjustments. I fitted a new orange drop .033 capacitor, as you recommend for your Tele pickups (replacing the more usual .047 capacitor). Combinations of the subtle, graduated volume and tone controls give such a wide variety of sounds from the 3 different pickup switch settings. So the guitar is now the best of what was there originally (alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, aged hardware and great playability); the look and feel I had in mind of a medium relic’d Fiesta Red and aged mint green pickguard; and the sound I wanted to hear of sweet singing vintage, slightly dirty blues and a great range of tones and colours. Thanks for the pick-ups, they are high quality and great value. I definitely recommend them to others and they will be first choice for my own future projects.

  5. Martin Ebdon

    Hi Tony,

    Just thought you might like an update on the classic Tele pickups .
    Been installed about three weeks now and they have properly settled now along with the bespoke wiring i put into this build.
    The sound of this guitar is now very difficult to describe because with the various set-ups i have it is continually surprising me.
    Definitely no “One Trick Pony”. The depth of sound is incredible.

    Love them, absolutely love them.

    • Anthony Partridge

      Tone is such a personal thing Martin, we all respond and describe it differently. But I think ‘depth of sound’ is a very precise and accurate way of talking about the Ironstone Teles. Enjoy!

  6. Martin Ebdon (verified owner)

    Subject: Classic Telecaster Pickups

    Hi Tony,

    As promised my review of the classic Telecaster pickups:

    Ordering was typically easy and delivery was typically expedient, which I have come to expect from Ironstone. Tony is consistently adept at communication, which makes you, as a buyer, feel instantly valued.
    I have a set of Ironstone Strat Silvers in my oldest guitar (35 years old) and some Platinum’s in my Gilmour Black Strat Homage, so I had great expectations of the Classic Telecaster pickups.

    Just for reference: the subject guitar is a Voodoo basswood body with Flame Maple top and rosewood fingerboard. This combination is pre-disposed to sounding bright and up-front. My other Telecaster is the classic Alder/maple neck recipe, with Tonerider TRT2 in the bridge and Fender USA Classic pickup in the neck. This offers a good yard stick for comparison.
    The Ironstones are slightly down on output by comparison but, when the balance is redressed by a lift in gain, they offer up something of a revelation:
    The neck pickup is crystal clear and warm when played clean but adds a bluesy roundness when overdriven.
    Combining neck and bridge brings an almost acoustic feel when clean and a classic 70’s rock rhythm guitar flavour with some overdrive.
    The bridge pickup clean is a little bright but when the dirt is applied, this translated to a stonking 80’s AOR sound. Plenty of spank and growl when firing off power chords and soaring highs for soloing.
    Against my other Tele, these pickups seem to offer a very clear and honest take on what a Tele should sound like.
    Obviously, every guitar is unique so results will vary but I am extremely impressed with them, especially considering the the set cost as much as the bridge Tonerider in my other Tele,
    All in all, for the money, you would have to spend considerably more to better them. Yet another fantastic sounding product from Ironstone that won’t cripple your wallet.

    Top marks again.


    This e-mail was sent from the Contact Us form on the Ironstone Pickups website

    • Anthony Partridge

      Thanks very much for your comments Martin. In particular, highlighting the softer issues of what it feels like to be an Ironstone customer, which is something that was always at the heart of the business model. The AOR tone is not one I get asked about often, but is a great example of the variety of classic tones the Ironstone Tele’s can deliver.

  7. Jim Scadding (verified owner)

    Like many other people during the pandemic I have spent some time building a guitar from a Thomann kit. I was really impressed with the Telecaster kit quality…particularly the neck. I fitted some locking Wilkinson tuners, brass bridge saddles and Ironstone Vintage pickups. The guitar is now one of my favourites…creamy neck sound and bright choppy bridge sounds…together they make the perfect combination. Many thanks Tony..please keep up the good work.

    • Anthony Partridge

      You are not the only one to have used the lock-down to carry out that ‘always wanted to’ guitar project, I can assure you. My questions and queries mail box has never been so busy. So its great to hear that you have got such a fantastic result from the project!

  8. Stephen Upton (verified owner)

    https://youtu.be/JFntWQK8lFg
    this is my telecaster build with your pickups in check it out

    • Anthony Partridge

      Great follow up video to your earlier comments. Nice to see an all hand build job too.
      And your own logoing on the pickups too?

  9. Stephen Upton

    Just purchased these pickups and man, what a transformation, budget project turned out fantastic, the sound is awesome, I’m a helix user and don’t matter if you play clean of stack effects the pickups deliver, the drives are great and the bluesy tones on the neck pickup is great, thank you for a great service and great price, this won’t be the last time I buy from here,

    • Anthony Partridge

      Thanks Stephen! Transformation is a word I love to hear in terms of an upgrade with Ironstones’. I have always maintained that a decent set of pickups is the easiest and cheapest way of turning a stock budget guitar into a stunner. Enjoy!

  10. Julian Lerway (verified owner)

    These pickups are fantastic value for money – a no-brainer upgrade for a Squier Telecaster with stock ceramic pups. The neck pick up in particular is sublime in conjunction with my AC30. A cheap guitar I could take or leave is re-born!

  11. Ad Kooij (verified owner)

    This was my fourth set of pick-ups that I bought from Tony. After a three Strat sets: Gold, Hybrid and HSH, This time I wanted to upgrade my recently bought Tele clone. As with the previous sets, this time also it was a great improvement. Very nice sounds as well from the neck as from the bridge pick-up. And as always fast delivery. Thanks Tony!! Best regards, Ad Kooij

    • Anthony Partridge

      Service always as important as great sounding pups here at Ironstone Ad!

  12. Dan Wright (verified owner)

    Amazing value and tone. The vintage telecaster pickups are superb. Cannot recommend them highly enough. Also great customer support from Tony. Brilliant! I’ll be back.

    • Anthony Partridge

      Great tone and customer service is what Ironstone’s all about Dan. Cheers!

  13. David Wilkins (verified owner)

    It is indisputable that, despite being the original relatively easy and cheap to build electric guitar designed over 60 years, the Telecaster remains,with good reason, the best selling guitar design in the world. The bonus for would be owners on a budget is that, as a result of modern computer based building techniques, there are some excellent well made Telecaster type guitars imported from the Far East available at very affordable prices . I recently purchased a beautiful ash boded example which I am very happy with. Although the stock Chinese made ceramic pick ups were passable ,the sound improvement after installing a set of Ironstones was nothing short of amazing . As well as having a distinctive Tele tone they are very versatile and are excellent with both valves and digital amps and overdrive.

    When it comes to after market Telecaster pick ups, buyers are spoilt for choice of product with prices ranging up to well over £200 for a set. Do not be put off by the absolute bargain price of these. These seriously rock and are as good as any and better than most of the much higher priced competition.

    I can also highly recommend the helpfulness of the designer and owner. He had no hesitation in slightly amending the neck pick up wiring to suit my needs and make series wiring easier.

    • Anthony Partridge

      As you know David, we always do our best to help and accommodate requests where its viable. The Tele is indeed a rather underestimated instrument in some circles, being only 2 pickup. But with a bit of clever switching, its amazing what tones are possible (especially if you are a pro player!).

  14. Lee Ruscoe (verified owner)

    Bloody Hell What A Difference?

    Before I fitted the Ironstone pick-ups, I’d already changed the electrics in my Tele with a Suntan Mylar Tone Capacitor .022µf and replaced the pots with CTS 250k pots.
    They improved to sound with the original pick ups but they still sounded too trebly and too fierce for my liking.
    Once the pickups arrived, I took out the old ones, installed the new and what a difference!
    Talk about night and day?
    Depending on where the tone control is, the bass pickup can sound P90 like.
    If you’re after the sound of, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, by Queen, Another Brick In the Wall, Have A Cigar, by Pink Floyd and Paul Wellers, You Do Something To Me, this is it!
    If it’s a Peter Green, Garry Moore you’re after:
    Add an Overdrive, followed by a Compressor, as that’s the way I like to place them. An old black Marshall Gov’nor and an even older MXR Dyna Com, and it’s Les Paul, ‘Still Got The Blues’ sounding. Turn the Compressor up full and the notes hang on for ever.
    All that is on the bass pickup!
    The Treble pickup still as the treble you’ll ever need but a lot ‘sweeter’ sounding. Turn down the tone and it thickens up nicely into a humbucker like sound, with loads of sustain.
    Beautiful sounds by the lorry load!
    Who needs a Les Paul?

    • Anthony Partridge

      Telecaster vs. Les Paul…..interesting tone battle!

  15. Dean Suminski (verified owner)

    Bought a second set of Tele pickups. A real musician was giving lessons to a friend of mine. Saw the guitar and asked to play it. He just had to have it saying the sounds were incredible! I told him where I got the pickups. All the way from England! So, like most who build things, there are things that they would like to change or do. The second one is done and the sounds are great! Just like the first one.

    • Anthony Partridge

      International acclaim Dean, Excellent!

  16. John Smith

    I am absolutely blown away with these pickups, the clarity is amazing, my tech often swaps pups out for me, (typical “are these better”), I have tried pups from many companies but always they seemed to fall short in some ways, my tech called round today after fitting Ironstones to one of my Teles. Plugged in, instant WOW, everything I was looking for was there, I can’t find a tone I don’t like, not put it down for the last 3 hours, I’ve been back in the 50s for the afternoon. The balance is perfect, so perfect that I have listed my MIM Tele on a few sale sites, this one is a keeper, I have been following Ironstone for a while and I’m so pleased with these that I will recommend them to all my buddy’s.. Thank you Tony for some amazing pickups, you have converted me. Cheers, John.

    • Anthony Partridge

      Thanks John. New converts (and their buddy’s!) always very welcome.

  17. Dean Suminski (verified owner)

    Bought Tele pickups. Finally finished the guitar. Installed the pickups. Plugged in the power cord and…SILENCE! It was wonderful. Strummed the guitar in the center switch position. Wonderful! Strummed the guitar in the neck and then the bridge. Wonderful! That Tele sound was great!

  18. Graham Horsham (verified owner)

    Hi, fitted these pickups to a new thinline tele and once again am delighted with the results, purchased these having installed a set of silver and a set of platinums in strats recently and cant see past this companies products.This is the first telecaster pups bought from ironstone and they are great , I think the neck pickup in particular sounds fantastic with the bridge one backing it up perfectly,well done once again ironstone. cheers.

  19. Iain Marshall (verified owner)

    Bought a set of telecaster pickups for a Squier Affinity. They were easy to fit and really improve the sound of this guitar.
    Tony is great to deal with and is happy to help if you have questions. The pups look well made and arrived very quickly after ordering.
    At their current price, they are a no brainer for a budget upgrade and I like to support UK companies that do things right.

    • Tony Partridge

      Thanks for the compliments of course, and yes, customer service is a very big part of what I do here at Ironstone.

  20. Vasco M.

    I bought a Ironstone bridge and a strat silver neck pickups which I combined with a 4way switch, and added a trebble bleed.
    I’m amazed with these pickups. Powerful and at the same time clear. Very warm and full sound neck, very crisp bridge. In séries their great.
    Have to thank all the advice and suggestioneds Tony gave me.
    I’m very pleased. Extraordinary value for the price.

    • Tony Partridge

      Thanks for the comments Vasco and always happy to help and advise customers. Cheers, Tony

  21. John Maurice

    These pups have breathed new life into my ailing and ageing Squier Strat. Can’t believe such great service and kit for the price. It’s now a pleasure, once again to pick it up and play. A great deal of trouble was taken to supply what I wanted as opposed to what somebody wanted to sell me. A truly refreshing experience, if you are looking for new pups you won’t go wrong with these guys.
    Thank you once again

  22. Ben (verified owner)

    Bought a bridge pickup as a replacement for mine that had broken. Sounds excellent. Just the sound I was looking for. Would reccomend this to anyone.

  23. Jon Higgs

    Don’t be put off by the price. There’s a difference between a value pickup and a pick that’s great value. These pickups are great value. They are beautifully balanced, with great attention to detail. (The extended D & G magnets on the bridge make a massive difference). Early eighties Japanese Tele, great to play but rather lacking any tone. I fitted the V and III onto a baja switch and turned this guitar into a smooth, warm dream that at a flick of a switch quacks, bites, growls or roars. They’re that versatile, absolutely delighted to have resurrected my beautiful guitar into a jack of all trades – master of all.

  24. Tony Partridge

    “Just finished a Tele build with pickups from yourselves and gave it its first proper play today. Really pleased with the result, strong and spanky neck pickup and broad, rich tones from the bridge. My favorite setting is right in the middle of the two. Thanks for an amazing set of pickups, they’ve exceeded my expectations.”

  25. ChrisAdmin (verified owner)

    “..just fitted the pick-ups and they are great, I just turned a £100 Tele’ into a £400 Tele’
    in 20 minutes…..I have’nt stopped smiling since I put the soldering iron away and plugged
    the ‘Ironstoned’ guitar in!!! all the best and thanks.”

  26. ChrisAdmin (verified owner)

    “Don’t be fooled by the (low) price. Top quality, great sound”

  27. ChrisAdmin (verified owner)

    “Thanks for the prompt delivery, fitted them today, one word fantastic,
    would highly recommend these pickups to anyone.”

  28. ChrisAdmin (verified owner)

    “micro d’excellente qualité , envoi rapide , merci”
    “es lo que esperaba”

  29. ChrisAdmin (verified owner)

    I fitted the Tele bridge pickup you sent me today and i’ve got to say it sounds fantastic
    and just the sound I was after….well done mate!! I know where to come next time i need pickups….keep it up”

  30. ChrisAdmin (verified owner)

    “this is the best Telecaster Neckpickup I ever used ! At the Moment I can compare with Fender/Squier/Duncan Design
    and 1 from France; but this one sounds the best. A warm harmonic voice !”

  31. ChrisAdmin (verified owner)

    ” The tone is truly incandescent and the dynamics are vibrant and as lively as one would hope without any semblance
    of undue brashness or sting……..The IronStone pickups have to take most of the credit for the new (old?) tonal signature of the guitar……. Like the true Tele pups of the 1950s, these use the same Alnico magnets, wire gauge, and have the same DC resistance: the Bridge
    model even has the same extended magnet pole piece beneath the D and G strings.
    I am also highly pleased that this exercise of chasing improved vintage tone was accomplished without any major expense.
    In fact the whole exercise cost very little thanks to the immodestly low retail cost of the excellent Ironstone pickups…….. “

  32. ChrisAdmin (verified owner)

    “I’ve fitted them (Ironstone Tele set) in a Tele thinline,now it sounds like a thinline !!!!! It had Duncan’s in it when I bought it !!!!!
    Why try and make a Tele sound like a Gibson ?????? The pickups are just what I wanted ,vintage sounds with a little umph !!!!!
    They are pretty well balanced in volume, the bridge being sparkling and bright without being harsh , a real problem with the duncan !!!!
    The neck is mellow, but not muddy, but you can still hear the woody tones !!!!
    For the price, I would recommend them to anyone wanting a Tele to sound like a Tele !!!! Along time ago I owned a 57 Tele, but the thinline now sounds like I remember the old Tele sounded. Once again thanks for the help”

  33. Tony Partridge

    Some comments from eBay customers:

    “es lo que esperaba”
    “Thanks for the prompt delivery, fitted them today, one word fantastic,
    would highly recommend these pickups to anyone.”
    “Don’t be fooled by the (low) price. Top quality, great sound”
    “incredible pickups, at an incredible price. incredible!”
    “Fender tele pups well made sounds like the real quackers”
    bonne transaction bon vendeur!”
    “venditore affidabile, tutto ok!”
    “fast service, great pickup (Bridge), nice and blusey,thanks”
    “Super sounding pickups and great guy to deal with”
    “brilliant gear & service A++++++”
    “Fast shipping. Fantastic item. AAA+++ seller”
    “Fast delivery. Great pickup upgrade for my telecaster. Excellent seller. Thanks!”
    “Great pickups & fast delivery . thanks. A +++++”
    “Top seller , a pleasure to deal with , exceeded expectations.”
    “V good prompt well packaged better than description sound great thank you”

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