Tele Pickup Comparisons | Lollar | Murray | Fender | Mojotone

[@PsionicAudio]

I forgot to mention in the video that all four “Teles” are ash bodied partscasters from MJT, All Parts, and MusicKraft. Three have Fender bridges - the white one has a Rutters bridge. Three have Rutters brass saddles - the red one has Callaham brass saddles. Mine has NY XL 10s, the red one has EB 9.5s, and the other two have Webstrings 9s (and lower action than mine and the red one).

[@cheapthrillsboston]

I'd really like to get a bridge milled like your guitar (I have a G&L that's not compatible with replacement bridges I've seen online). Who would do something like that? It seems more like blacksmith work than a guitar repair job...

[@cowabungaw9958]

can a detailed guitar build be provided for each?

[@texanleons]

All sound nice. Lots of pluck.

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

Thankyou for the review and the fantastic audio Lyle, its a real pleasure to hear my work in this context, and kudos to Steve and Hal for some fantastic playing.

[@plantpotpeople]

Loved the sound of your pickups.Best overall for me.

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

@@plantpotpeople Thankyou, the Lollar bridge pickup seems to be rated highly in the comments too, I think I will take note and tweak my EQ accordingly, plenty of clarity in the upper mids

[@richclayton5785]

Well, for my money and old ears I would choose either Jason’s or Murray’s! .❤

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Good work, mate! And guess what I'm building next? Michelle's Tele! I'll be in touch.

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

​@@BradsGuitarGaragelooking forward to it champion

[@YeatzeeGuitar]

I know first hand how time consuming and difficult these type of videos are, bravo to you sir well done.

[@kjneese]

Lollar overall, withe the Murray set a very close second. Each have their qualities. All are VERY Tele and have great tone. But the Fenders are thin, to brittle sounding (especially the Mojotone's are very bright and shrill). This was a great shootout and comparison! Thx for making this!

[@pjotrmaster9424]

That's it !

[@douggarrett5288]

Same here, Lollar then the Murray. Good ear brother !

[@joelshields8807]

Same. Those Lollar tele bridge pickups in particular are magnificent (I have a set of 52Ts in mine), There's a special kind of bite to 'em.

[@aragon18k]

Ditto. IMO back n forth between Lollar and Murray. Both superb. Fenders were meh to shite. Great comparisons. Thx.

[@BkBk-gy6vr]

Easy Nocasters are the winner.

[@Total_DaveB]

The Fender Yosemite is what I'd expect the ideal tone to be in an off the shelf tele. That said, the Murray set really sung to me. And you could tell these players really responded to them. Truthfully, each set was really nice.

[@Espjr215]

Those Murray pickups are outstanding, I may have to pick up a set. Thanks for the wonderful comparison.

[@guillermoazul220]

Good comparison. I simply love Lollars and use their 52's in my tele and their '64's in my strat. And think my bias got me, I like the Special T pickups best in your demo. Thank you!

[@GearBoxTy]

The Lollar Special T neck won for me. The Lollar and Murray bridge pickups were a toss-up but clearly fuller and better than the others.

[@themusicshopct]

Murray and Lollar all day. Great video comparison with some fantastic playing

[@murph1017]

Those Murray pickups sound absolutely killer. There's a natural clarity to them and they're unmistakably nailing that tele tone. Might have to check those out.

[@edgeofeternity101]

I've had four sets of handwound tele pickups, and The ones that had a really good tone and "musical" quality to them clean were what I liked. Of course a distorted sound is another thing. What I had were Twang Kings, Lollar 52's, Antiquities, and Fender CS Nocasters. I liked the Lollars best, then Nocasers, then Twang Kings, then the Antiquities. Videos like this help us to make that decision of how to spend our hard earned money, so thanks to you guys for sharing the experience.

[@milanberic9212]

Can’t lose with any of these choices. Just boils down to personal taste. For me Fender, Lollar, Murray, Mojotone in that order. Thanks again for the video

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Through my hearing aids the Noiseless pickup sounded muddy. The Murray’s sounded the best to my old deaf ears. Thanks to the players for a nice video.

[@Henni63]

Very well done, thank you for the time and effort. For me, it's the Murray in the neck and the Lollar in the bridge position. I think the Fenders just lack some output compared to the others and the bridge was a tad too thin for my liking. The Mojos are still ok and i'd consider that set for a touring guitar. But he's been right about the strat characteristics. Thank you for that comparison again.

[@snwbrdr65]

Great video review! I have been on a Tele pickup tone quest for 30+ years! I've tried 9 different sets some priced high and some low, and gone full circle back to my favorites. None of the pickups I've tried, including my favorites were reviewed in your video! My favorites sound most like the Lollar Special T's, but 1/3 the cost. Thank you for going down the rabbit hole so I don't have to! Love the Tele chops and your videos.

[@raimondspadaro8211]

Pray tell what these pickups are that sound like the Lollars at a third the cost?

[@user-ok2ju4lw4u]

AWESOME! Thanks for letting me be a part! PS---Teles rule.

[@DDE_ADDICT]

They are all good, but the Murry's are an all day everyday choice.

[@thatampguy]

Great work, L. I quit pickup swapping when a set of Lollar Blondes went into my partscaster.

[@TheMoodyLoners]

This comparison was very well thought out and assembled.

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

I love Steve's work in The Hold Steady, such a great exciting band!

[@michaelbutler2312]

shocker!!! the fender sounded the best to me. i certainly didn't expect that as i've not been a fan of the noiseless pickups! and, thanks for the info on saddles, strings and woods. those do make a difference.

[@PsionicAudio]

The Fenders aren’t noiseless.

[@michaelbutler2312]

i thought you indicated they were? seems i heard the word, noiseless somewhere in the video. well, then i'm even more impressed.

[@jimholloway9949]

I wanted to hate them, but the Fender pickups surprised me.

[@BryanClark-gk6ie]

You should do one of those 'I wanted to hate them videos.

[@matthewtorossi8909]

Thanks for sharing. Would’ve loved to see some frailin pickups in there which I have in a couple guitars. P 90’s in an sg and a les Paul special. Just got a tele. I actually preferred the Yosemite pickups. Thanks again. Great playing.

[@TheOdditee]

Small tip: when we pay for something we are generally MORE biased because we then have a stake. When we are given them, we have no stake or interest, so the reviews can actually be LESS biased when we don’t have our own financial investment involved. It’s about you and your honesty not how you got the pickups.

[@aintgottime2bleed78]

Honestly it’s amazing how great they all sound. We’re in a new golden age.

[@Kanthon]

Lollar Special T is my favorite neck pickup. I have one paired with a Lollar Gold Foil in the bridge. Good stuff.

[@richclayton5785]

Nice work Lyle! AND timely too; I have a one piece ash body and one piece maple squire neck on my work bench trying to assemble the hardware list.

[@TeleCaster66]

The Lollar Tele pickups I have are too polite for my taste. Nothing I've tried have beat my Ron Ellis set, same for my Strat, the Ron Ellis set won.

[@Walks-With-Pride]

I think they all sounded good. However, the Yosemite pickups would probably be my first preference if I was forced to pick just one. They sounded a bit clearer and pronounced. But then, what do I know?

[@tonedriverss8629]

Fender Yosemite #1 . They really have that proper Tele open clear sound . Its how a proper Tele should sound , for me anyway . I have Fender Tex-Mex set in my Tele and they are great . Great cleans and glorious growl in overdrive with amazing touch response . I'm good with those .

[@Walks-With-Pride]

You got my vote!@@tonedriverss8629

[@Deneteus]

I need context. Also this is funny you posted this when I was talking to my friend about the pickups in my Teles.

[@debhart4302]

I like the Murray's. They sound like how a Tele should sound.

[@brucemunro7499]

Thanks. That lollar bridge is the one for me.

[@MatthewRomero-jy1uc]

Great video as always. I’m sure you’ll get 100’s of recommendations or “what about..” but the Cavalier pick ups have always been my favorite! But those Murray’s sound awesome!

[@mikedwiles]

Thanks for the video Lyle. You can really hear the differences. I love Lolar Vintage Ts. They sound they way I like a tele to sound. The Fenders leaned into the brighter side of things. The Murrays sounded a little more modern if that makes sense. I liked the sound of the Mojotone neck pickup for its clarity. But I'm going to have to get another set of those Vintage Ts since I let that other set get away in a 1985 Japan Squier Tele that I had for a while. I appreciate your use of the Super Reverb. Great reference point.

[@nickymakesmusic]

Murray neck and Lollar bridge 💯

[@joemeyer6876]

Love the Murray, definitely the winner in my ears. Lollars #2, Fender #3, Poor ole mojotone mud.

[@shadowminister4090]

G'day Joe, Yeah, I also thought the Murray's were killer.

[@spudwashington3880]

I’m just glad you keep making videos about gear , love being able to see inside stuff that I’m to afraid to open up also lol

[@SoloSi2024]

Nice Andy Summers quote. Lollars first, Fenders second. Sadly impossible to compare on different guitars. All need to be done on the same guitar, but all the soldering could be rather messy.

[@GiantPinhead]

Very, very interesting. Re: context, it's hard for me to know what I'm "hearing" when I prefer one or another. Is it the pickups? Or is it the guitar being built "better" or resonating more sympathetically with a particular playing style or pickups? I never really thought about it through various Teles until I finally found a good one where the sum is greater than the parts. Anyway, I'm biased toward the Lollar sound. They sound like they are pushing the amp harder than the others, which is a relatively good thing with a Tele. Ride the volume pot to happiness. The Murrays sound really good, especially so with the second player. Each position sounded good... full and musical, with great balance among the positions. I was surprised that the Mojos sounded pretty good, especially when plucked or finger picked. Plectrum attack wasn't as pleasant, chich is the same objection I have to other noiseless pickups. The Fenders did not impress me, lacking bottom end and "warmth", and sounding just sort of generic. They remind me why so many "decent" Teles eventually bore me. Give me some meat on those bones. Otherwise, give me a Strat or Jazzmaster. Good video. I like the change of pace!

[@kkjhn41]

For me it's the Murray and the Fenders that have that Tele sound. The Lollar's sound like a blanket has been thrown over them and the Monotone's are too quiet and tame. The Murray's are best overall but I wouldn't be unhappy with the Fender Yosemitie's.

[@MariJu1ce]

Fender best to me

[@IamMusicNerd]

My favorite way to setup a Tele bridge pickup is to reverse the angle, so the low E string pickup is closer to the bridge and the high E string pickup is further from the bridge.

[@johnbriggs3916]

Like Jimi Hendrix on his Stratocaster?

[@alexdeleon7135]

This answered many concerns I had regarding tele replacement sets. I am inclined to agree that the Murray's were the most musical of the test subjects. The Lollar's had more bite, and a controlled, howling midrange. The Mojotone set had great articulation for hum-cancelling tele sized set. They possessed good balance and great touch sensitivity. They all made the Fender entrant sound anemic, and syrupy; which is okay for legato lines, but lacks note separation during double stops. Thanks for posting, Lyle.

[@gobeco]

I like the Lollar Special T for punch and Fender Yosemite for strict bright 50s tones

[@Cheguebuddha]

Nothing beats the Lollar Special Ts! :D I love mine! But I like those Murrey too!

[@seannore9387]

This is very timely as I’m trying to figure out which pickups to buy for my new tele build.

[@missioncontrol6037]

I like the lollar neck and the Murray bridge the best. Lovely

[@phishfan]

Would be interesting to hear them compared to the Kinmans that I've seen on here before- I have a set in a Tele and they're pretty great.

[@DJBuglip]

I don't think I'd ever heard Murray before, but those sound killer. Thanks.

[@davidshepack2484]

I liked the Yosemite....TBH...I have never even heard of them before. Dunno what came in my Mexican Vintera Tele.

[@KleyDeJong]

Nice comparison Lyle! The Murray and Lollar pickups sounded best to my ear. The Fenders were pretty bright and got overly stingy at times. Mojotone were good, kinda in the middle to me.

[@27cancega]

The Murray are more open sounding and most likely slightly lower DC Resistance value. I like the Murray and Lollars.

[@timbascom2468]

Lollars for the win…hands down. 😊

[@Nolind]

The Murrays are best for me followed by Lollar, and Fender . The Mojos were way too thin.

[@maxwhitten8376]

Nice to witness integrity. Thanks Lyle.

[@daveschaller9259]

Those Lollars are unbelievable! They sound like a Tele should. The Mojotones are really flat to my ear.

[@thomasminarchickjr.7355]

Steve Selvidge played in Bash n Pop with Tommy Stinson (check out Anything Could Happen). He’s a great player and his dad Sid was someone special too. Check out his music too

[@davidhart2836]

I have the same Pho Binh shirt Selvidge is wearing. RIP, Pho Binh! (Memphis people know).

[@briand7381]

Fun video. Lollar neck and Murray Bridge for me. :)

[@thesjkexperience]

Thought the Murray was the best balance between warmth and clarity. The Fenders were cold and exactly what I expected from them. I seem to like A3 a bit over wound in the bridge. Most of the time I use Esquires with modified Eldred wiring.

[@travismccartney]

That's some great playing you captured Lyle. I liked all the pickups, I was most surprised that the Yosemites held their own in this demonstration. If I were just listening without seeing what the labels were, I could obviously tell a difference, but I don't think I would consistently pick a 'best' set.

[@trev3971]

Preferred the Lollar neck and Murray bridge. Nice playing.

[@setheverhart]

I’m listening on my iPhone while cooking so, yada yada, but I think the players were the biggest variable. I liked the Yosemites the most with the first player and the least with the second player. Going to listen again with cans later. Thanks for the video.

[@seanmckenna228]

Lollars and the Murrays have everything you'd want from a Tele..

[@baabaabaa-yp2jh]

Great review Lyle, lot of editing went into that, so thankyou!! All were good, but ld go for Murray's (that neck pickup!).. or Lollar's (lve got a great underwound p90)... And... Ben, Ill be in touch when time/money permit for a set of buckers for my Custom mate..its only been 3yrs (kids!).

[@robertduvall7392]

I like the Lollar bridge and the Murray neck. I have a set of Lollars for a guitar I haven't built yet. Thinking about the Murray neck... It has clarity. But the rosewood fingerboard on the Lollar model really, really alters the sound compared to the maple. Hard to really know. If the Lollar bridge were on a maple neck/board it would be a lot twangier, bright with attack compared to the rosewood. Rosewood really mellows the sound, especially on a Tele.

[@picturemaker1000]

Great shootout and I appreciate the attention to detail making the playing field as level as possible. As with all pickup choices, some will work better depending on the "chemistry" of the all the parts of the guitar itself but your choices made it easy to recognize what each set of pickups was doing. Both the Lollars and the Murrays had a shine and clarity that was missing in the Fenders and Mojotones. I felt the Fender neck was a little thinner than the others with the Murray edging out all of them. It just had a nice full tone with clarity in the highs that beat the rest. Both the Fender and Mojotone bridge pickups seem to have a veil over the highs. They just didn't sparkle like the Lollars or the Murrays. Given that the Lollars were in a guitar with a rosewood neck vs. the Murrays with a maple, I think either one would be ideal choices. I would love to hear them reversed (in the opposite guitar) but I realize that isn't likely to happen. Nevertheless, they both sound amazing. Lastly, the middle position with both pickups on was interesting. I thought the Fender set sounded pretty good. Perhaps Fender was going for a matched set more than trying to build one or the other to stand out on its own. However, I thought the Murray's actually took the prize. Very much what I expect to hear from a black guard tele in the middle position. The Lollars were nice but with the rosewood, it is a different middle sound in general, being a little less chimey and more mellow and sweet sounding. Overall winner was the Murray set. Thanks for the link to his website. Great video as always! Very much appreciate your insights and professionalism!!!

[@micwiz78]

12 years with Special T Lollar on my Tele. Crazy pu.

[@rjake61]

The Murray sounds great to me.

[@KyleLaulo]

Thanks for posting this. I like the Murray's and the Fender's. They are different in good ways. Guess I would just need two Tele's!

[@maxvockner]

Murray then everything else.

[@1mihayes]

I liked the mojotones best. While not as hot as the others, I felt that they made up for it in clarity. The Murray’s were really good. I would pick them second. The lawyer sounded the muddiest to me. The fenders were probably be third, but they sounded pretty good, even better than I thought.

[@fiddlix]

The Murray pickups sound fantastic. I hear the unpleasant artifacts you were talking about Lyle. I think you are on the right track on solving it too. If it were my tele I would go with the Murray’s and never look back.

[@mysticmusic6045]

Well done, I have Lollars in my 82 Tele. And it might be my best sounding guitar.

[@lordgraga]

There's some meat on the Lollar and the Murray necks that just isn't there on the fender or Quiet Coil. The Quiet Coil has a bit of a weird top end. Maybe your intro biased me, but the Murray really sounds full and balanced and very good. The bridge pickups sounded pretty similar, except the Quiet coil. Preffered the slightly higher gain of the Lollar, which may come down to pickup height. I think Lollar is the winner for me, if I was a teleplayer I would probably never think of switching them. And yeah, there's something really audibly weird about that amp, speaker or otherwise...

[@TheBurdenOfHope]

I loved the Yosemite neck pickup but middle and bridge let them down. Lollar Special Ts are, well, just that. Special.

[@lazvt8469]

The Lollars in the neck were a bit too woofy...I have those pups...GREAT... but I disconnected the neck from the tone pup to improve clarity and output. Lollar Special T's are perhaps the best production Tele pups...I prefer them over Fenders (all of them), Fralin, MFD's, McNelly, and Suhrs Classic Ts. Those Murray's are impressive.

[@robjgolde3221]

Those Murrays are incredible. That is the sound of a tried and true Tele.

[@prophetsofpraise5206]

there is just so much to take in here! I'm going to be listening to this video over and over. Is Hal playing with just fingers? So Awesome. At first I was in awe over the murray pickups but as the video progressed It really depended on how they played as to what kind of pickup to use. Interesting stuff. Thanks

[@49VinCom]

Great review, fantastic playing.

[@David.S.]

Murray pickups win, hands down.

[@BuddyLee63]

I think I like the Murray's the most.

[@eriksantana7249]

The Murray’s slay it. Definitely has the sweetest tone. The lollars have a cool chirp to them but the rest are a bit sterile and pointy.

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

Thankyou, you're too kind

[@eriksantana7249]

@@murrayguitarpickups9545 they immediately sounded more musical. More complex. Something I’ve noticed with good handwound stuff in general.

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

@@eriksantana7249 yeah I feel the same way, the wind pattern is quite complex, I try to make the coil quite varied so that its sensitive to a range of frequencies but avoids the harsh ones.

[@eriksantana7249]

@@murrayguitarpickups9545 yeah, single coils particularly can have some really annoying frequencies and your pickups seemed to just round off at all the annoying spots and sounded sweet. Still had percussion too but spikey clacky sounds

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

@@eriksantana7249 thanks mate, I'm making another set as we speak

[@chipsterb4946]

Thank you Lyle! I listened to this on my iPad first - just don’t. Then listened 3 or 4 times on a speaker. I think that you could alternate between the Lollard and the Murray’s and get exactly what you want with a little bit of EQ tweaking. I liked the Lollars a little more with the first player but preferred the Murray’s with the second. Is it pick vs. fingers? I don’t know. The Fenders sounded OK with fingers but too thin with the pick. Put a couple of pedals between the guitar and the amp and I’m not sure it matters that much. Kudos to all 3 of you for the work that went into this. Oh and that amp is glorious!

[@YTPartyTonight]

Cool. I love Musikraft necks. It kind of blows me away that Musikraft isn't more popular or well-known. I've got a few basses, 2 PBs and 1 JB, built with those and MJT bodies. One of the bodies though was an ultrlight ash PB I bought unfinished from MJT that I did the lacquer trans blond finish on.

[@unhookedunhooked3219]

Lollars sounded great but that may be because of the rosewood neck. Murray’s are amazing as well.

[@breathtimebreath4934]

Killer video Lyle!!!! Thank you 🙏

[@jefflynchguitar11]

Murray's sound very smooth and in my opinion the overall best. The Lollars, are pleasant but with more bite, probably more like a telecaster should sound. The other two just sound small to me.

[@Pnanasnoic]

Not sure which I like best but I thought the Fender bridge pup sounded brittle and too bright. Too many bubbles popping at the surface.

[@essboo]

For me, I think that Murray neck pickup is my favorite. The bridge…might be the Lollar. It sounds the most different of the four to me. It seems richer and less treble centric (which I realize some people really like). I read somewhere that your aural memory - how long you can remember what something sounds like - is really short. These videos really hit that home.

[@1man1guitarletsgo]

The Lollars appear much hotter than the others. The Murray pickups have a very well-balanced sound, while the Fenders seem a little brighter. I have a pair of Tonerider Hot Classics in my Tele, and try not to worry about whether there's something "better" available. I can usually dial in a satisfactory tone, although sometimes it takes several songs during a gig before I get there. I expect this would be the same no matter how many different pickups I tried!

[@matthewf1979]

Excellent video. Tele sets aren’t easy to build, being that they’re significantly different from each other. Murray built the most balanced set of the bunch.

[@user-uc5sn4tp3f]

The Murray Neck indeed is a stand out . Among the rest of the single coils none were bad . The Special T bridge would be closer to my druthers with the twang . But thats subjective , and the amp settings could of course be fine tuned for any of them. The Mojotines exceeded expectations for noiseless Tele p8ckups .

[@funkybioped]

Wow, the Murray are very nice. At least through KZbin and headphones.

[@siriusamplification]

Best pickups overall are Ben Murray's. You can even hear the difference in this video

[@PsionicAudio]

I would be hard pressed to choose between Lollars and Murrays. I think it would come down to the individual guitar as to what the final voice needs to be. But these Murrays aren’t leaving my Tele.

[@siriusamplification]

@@PsionicAudio definitely, but you can hear a difference especially with the neck pickup where the lollar have a bit of a slight cut in the top end... still great sounds from both though, but Murray's has a bit more of that "vintage mojo" Great video Lyle!

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

Thanks Alex! My pups and your amps are a match made in heaven....loving my new amp!...seriously

[@bluesbondsman]

The Fender Yosemite were nice

[@oldasrocks9121]

Ryan's Bootstrap Pickups in Ohio and Adam's Tone Hatch in Nebraska. Ryan has resisted inflationary price increases and has kept the accolades for most affordable US handwounds. Ordering his humbuckers is a bit of a sport but all the rest is easy. Prices make the 6-8 week lead time easy to bear. Adam focuses on "era" winds and sounds with a few one offs like A2/A5 single coil sets. There are a good bunch of YT demo videos. More spendy than Ryan's.

[@cuinoz3569]

As others have said. lollars, Murray, mojo then fender. Personally speaking I would have liked to see fralin in lieu of the fender pickups. Creamery pickups would be another option. Great presentation and I enjoyed the video. Awesome pickers too. Thanks.

[@PhilthyCasual]

Nice video. I’m enjoying the Analogman Big T’s.

[@JohnGraybosch]

I really like the Lollar special T’s . I have them in a 2013 American telly. It’s the closest thing to my 1955 Telly .