The Edge's Telecaster SUstainer Pickup

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Rockhound252

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This is a sustainer kit?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/talieu2/19068531465/sizes/k/

k
 
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Nope. I don't see a sustainer pickup.

The guitar is a Fender Deluxe '52 Hot Rod Telecaster with Seymour Duncan vintage mini-humbucker in the neck position.

That the guitar he's been using for 'California' and 'Lucifers Hands'

The small switch below the mail controls may be for coil-tapping the humbucker? (But I don't think it is sustainer related.


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i saw the back of the guitar in a video where edge gives the guitar to dallas and i could see th battery holder like in the fernandes or wowy fender strat


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Except that they haven't played UF since 2010?

And he's never used a sustainer pickup to play UF, he's used a Tele and e-bow.

It'd be interesting to see a picture of the battery compartment you speak of.


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I've built two guitars with sustainers in them, I plan on building two more of them. That is not a sustainer equipped guitar. Also, while the sustainer pcb board has 2 switches you could never hope to fit it between two pots like in that picture.

Also, a sustainer needs a bridge humbucker to be properly driven. Which is why all sustainer equipped guitars have bridge humbuckers. This guitar clearly has a bridge single coil.
 
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I knew that wasn't sustainer as...the front pu has covers, and I feel like, sustainer pups really need to drive the string to get them to vibrate.

I'm sure these switches are for the active circuits inside the tele, and it makes sense that that tele has some tonal options; it did some jobs in Roxy and some surprise appearances (of Lucifer's hands)


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Also, a sustainer needs a bridge humbucker to be properly driven. Which is why all sustainer equipped guitars have bridge humbuckers. This guitar clearly has a bridge single coil.


I feel like that bridge pups can be stacked single coils, like many of the after market high-power pups are nowadays. I know Jeff Beck has custom made stacked pups put into his strats.


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I feel like that bridge pups can be stacked single coils, like many of the after market high-power pups are nowadays. I know Jeff Beck has custom made stacked pups put into his strats.


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Perhaps, although that neck pup is still not a sustainer driver and those switches are not part of a sustainer pcb. Besides, it doesn't fit the Edge's MO. Vintage pickups and sounds are more his thing then modern pickups and sounds.
 
Once again, Bono and The Edge are on the Fender Board of Directors.

This grants them access to he Custom Shop. So some sort of custom option would not surprise me.

And while vintage was he rule for years, 99% new Fender guitars (I think only the '66 Tele for 'Vertigo' being the only vintage Fender) and the AxeFx use have shown that Edge has stepped outside of the vintage-tag.


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Once again, Bono and The Edge are on the Fender Board of Directors.

This grants them access to he Custom Shop. So some sort of custom option would not surprise me.

And while vintage was he rule for years, 99% new Fender guitars (I think only the '66 Tele for 'Vertigo' being the only vintage Fender) and the AxeFx use have shown that Edge has stepped outside of the vintage-tag.


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He did step outside of vintage tag yet i feel like he still prefers vintage tone compared to modern high gain tone which is kinda dominating most of guitar music nowadays.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdYfNelpSR4

Look the end of the song. You can see two compartments. One seems to be for the "circuit" and a smaller maybe for the battery.

My guess, some sort of preamp circuit, maybe some sort of midboost thing? Sustainer? No way! Like I said, you cannot fit a sustainer board in between the two Tele pots. It just will not physically fit. Its big, it needs deep cavity space thanks to its transformer and it has two board mounted switches which means it cannot be squeezed in between other controls.

And that's excluding the fact the sustainer driver looks completely different.

As for Edge having access to the Fender Custom shop, in essence they're specialists in making new guitars sound like old vintage guitars. So perfect for Edge if he wants a new guitar with that vintage sound he prefers. A new guitar with a modern sound, it's possible, the Line 6 guitars proved that. But overall, not really his thing.
 
If this is a preamp or something what you think is exactly and what's the use? I saw edge touching one of the switch in the roxy before california
 
There are lots of preamp and boost circuits out there that you can install into a guitar that could fit the bill. As this one seems to be having two switches and can be placed between two pots it reminds me of this little fella:

"Dual Boost" two switch Onboard Mid Bosst/Frequency Expander

Its probably not that one though as it seems to be quite small and the backplate on that Tele was a lot bigger.
 
This guitar has gotten some more use. Edge used it for the live debut of 'Crystal Ballroom' during CHI 4 (June 29th)


Songs that Edge has used this Telecaster - so far:

'Crystal Ballroom'
'California'
'Lucifer's Hands'.





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This guitar has gotten some more use. Edge used it for the live debut of 'Crystal Ballroom' during CHI 4 (June 29th)


Songs that Edge has used this Telecaster - so far:

'Crystal Ballroom'
'California'
'Lucifer's Hands'.


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Funnily enough, all the songs with that tele are loved by people going to the show (and fans not at the shows)
 
Doesnt that cavity suspiciously look like one of Les Paul? or am i getting this wrong?

Maybe they just routed it for a Les Paul cavity to fit a Les Paul cover?

I'm leaning towards the idea that this is yet another vintage guitar that a previous owner modified and Edge just likes it for its sound, rather then a custom build by the Fender custom shop. Because I don't think they would have used a Les Paul cover.
 
Maybe they just routed it for a Les Paul cavity to fit a Les Paul cover?

I'm leaning towards the idea that this is yet another vintage guitar that a previous owner modified and Edge just likes it for its sound, rather then a custom build by the Fender custom shop. Because I don't think they would have used a Les Paul cover.

Feels like Fender Custom shop could've done better job. somehow
 
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