Members twotimingpete Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 Been thinking about trying something a bit different in my tele neck. What sort of humbucker goes well in a tele, keeping in mind it needs to balance with a tele sc bridge? any suggestions? was looking at a bgbucker, possibly, the main drawback being the 8 week wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Radar-Love Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I like a PAF ("Gibson") in the neck position, I like a Fender Wide-Range humbucker in the neck position, I even like a Strat pickup in the neck position as well, but my all-time favorite non-Tele pickup in the neck position (matched up with a standard Tele single coil bridge pickup) is a Firebird mini-humbucking pickup. A Firebird mini-humbucking pickup has most of the great characteristics of a single coil pickup -- the nice harmonics, brightness, and clarity -- but no hum and a bit thicker sounding. Also, I like the Firebird pickup better than the mini-humbucker used in the Les Paul Deluxe. Below is a Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Tele that uses a Seymour Duncan Firebird pickup. You can try one of these out at Guitar Center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members captcoolaid Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 Something low wound and tappable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I like a PAF ("Gibson") in the neck position, I like a Fender Wide-Range humbucker in the neck position, I even like a Strat pickup in the neck position as well, but my all-time favorite non-Tele pickup in the neck position (matched up with a standard Tele single coil bridge pickup) is a Firebird mini-humbucking pickup. A Firebird mini-humbucking pickup has most of the great characteristics of a single coil pickup -- the nice harmonics, brightness, and clarity -- but no hum and a bit thicker sounding. Also, I like the Firebird pickup better than the mini-humbucker used in the Les Paul Deluxe. Below is a Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Tele that uses a Seymour Duncan Firebird pickup. You can try one of these out at Guitar Center. I think it's the SM1. Edit: I looked it up and the SM1 is a replica of the Firebird pup. All I can say is that it hooks up very well with the factory bridge pup and it has a nice fat tone to it, no noise and somehow still manages to sound like a Telecaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GilmourD Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 Been thinking about trying something a bit different in my tele neck. What sort of humbucker goes well in a tele, keeping in mind it needs to balance with a tele sc bridge? any suggestions? was looking at a bgbucker, possibly, the main drawback being the 8 week wait! This has an underwound BG bucker in the neck and would well be worth triple that wait. In fact, I think I did wait eight weeks, and I'm happier than a pig in shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamdogg Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I put a Tonerider Rocksong in the neck of my CV tele, blends very well with the stock bridge pickpup. Thats with the original 250k pots. No tap. I did the TDPRI "Fez mod" as well (move the wire on the volume pot to the middle lug) to open up the tone some. I was gonna have Bryan wind me one, but the Tonerider came up in the spam thread for cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 LOVE the tone of that humbucker in a Tele! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintage clubber Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I really like the Kent Armstrong Vintage 12N matched with the BG T-90 in my CV. [video=youtube;30cJPLAolYQ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I know you didn't ask, but... Honestly, never been a fan of neck humbuckers in teles. Single-coil in the neck just sounds right. I'm really digging the twisted tele pickup in my baja tele. Now, in the bridge pos of a tele, I really like the Seymour Duncan hot rails for Tele - great pickup, and sounds great tapped as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cephus Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 If you don't get one that is especially bright for a humbucker, then you'll likely have one that sounds muddy with your amp settings for the bridge. I have an HH strat that requires me to crank up the treble on my amp when I switch from even my p90 guitar. My SSS strat requires me to roll it back a bit. While switching guitars and twidding knobs go hand in hand, switching pickups and having those additional duties bugs me. That is why I quit using my HSS kramer way back when. There was no goldilocks balance between the too-bright singles and the muddy HB. I had one of those tele customs like keth richards plays and I thought it was mostly useless. Why would I want an icepick through the brain bridge pickup and an underwater rhythm pickup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 ^^ Yeah, I'm very attracted by a tele custom, but that is always my concern too - perhaps just a bit too much contrast between teh two settings, which makes eq-ing the amp a bit tricky. I even find that when I use the fourth position on my baja tele - it needs some of the bass cut. However, I would suggest a very low output and trebly voiced neck humbucker would be the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Tele Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 Don Mare (tele PUP making guru)recommends getting a Seth Lover PAF (or any good unpotted low output PAF-style pickup) and having it unwound to around 7K. Zangbucker makes pickups specifcally for Teles that are like 6-7K, and they are cheap like $90, on sale as low as $80. Sounds like BG is doing something similar.... But Im with the others that say neck buckers are overrated. Instead get a 4way and do in series for a pseudo-bucker sound-its like the middle position with balls. Very usefull and you retain the amazing trad neck pickup. I have a Rumpelstiltskin 1950 black rope set which has an overwound (+12K) ballsy broadcatser bridge matched with a really open sounding neck pickup, nickel-silver covers really make a difference-its like removing the cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kit_strong Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I know it's not quite what you asked for but I think a TV Jones classic filtertron would be ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I even find that when I use the fourth position on my baja tele - it needs some of the bass cut. OT, but I do too. I like having the 4-way switch, but I do find the two in series is pretty bassy. I do find the tone control on the baja is really usable through a very wide range (more so then w/other guitars), so I tend set my amp bright, and roll back on the baja tone control, bringing it up to 10 when using the series selection on the 4-way. Also, *love* that out-of-phase tone w/the in-series setting (which isn't that bassy). Anyway, sorry for derailing the thread. Back on-topic, my first tele (which I wish to this day I had back), was a '77 tele custom w/a wide range humbucker in the neck - that pickup was definitely NOT muddy and sounded great. If you can find one of those pickups (or better yet, a whole guitar!), grab it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cephus Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 Back on-topic, my first tele (which I wish to this day I had back), was a '77 tele custom w/a wide range humbucker in the neck - that pickup was definitely NOT muddy and sounded great. If you can find one of those pickups (or better yet, a whole guitar!), grab it. The tele I had was a total turd. 100% of the worst you hear about CBS fenders. Heavy. {censored}ty frets. {censored}ty 3-bolt neck. The bridge pickup sounded like a tele and was usable, but that neck PU was hugely disappointing. I played blues at the time and I couldn't use it for anything. That said, I haven't heard it since about 1989. Maybe my ears would like the sound now. BAck then, it didn't sound good clean, dirty or anywhere in between. But I would love to have it now and sell it for the $2k I see them for. I sold it for $175 to bill crook and he said he quickly sold it for $200 to some other sucker because it was such a piece of {censored}. Probably has a bunch of stickers on it now in some trailer park in the ohio valley and is someone's prized possession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kulardenu Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 Probably has a bunch of stickers on it now in some trailer park in the ohio valley and is someone's prized possession. And now that he/she is famous on the Interwebz I want to hear clips of em! I bet they rock... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarSlim101 Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 Yep, Firebird pickups are my favorite neck pickup for teles. Here's my thinline bastard with a Seymour Duncan Antiquity Firebird pickup: It matches the P-90 perfectly, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twotimingpete Posted May 1, 2011 Author Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I think I mainly just want to experiment. I'm actually thinking right now I'd like to get a duncan sm-1n if I can find a decent deal on one or a used one. [video=youtube;k_v-7km8FrI] doesn't seem out of balance with the bridge pickup to me -- judging from the various video demos, anyway. btw, that 52 hot rod telecaster is drool worthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted May 1, 2011 Members Share Posted May 1, 2011 I think I mainly just want to experiment. I'm actually thinking right now I'd like to get a duncan sm-1n if I can find a decent deal on one or a used one.doesn't seem out of balance with the bridge pickup to me -- judging from the various video demos, anyway.btw, that 52 hot rod telecaster is drool worthy. They feel great to play too. I think Black Hunter has a few demos over at it site where he makes it sounds good too. Although he got rid of his because he didn't like the neck, I love the neck on mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akapuli Posted May 2, 2011 Members Share Posted May 2, 2011 I use a Seth Lover in my thinline, blends perfectly with higher-output single-coils in the bridge position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JimH Posted May 2, 2011 Members Share Posted May 2, 2011 Anyone paired a full sized 59 with a lil 59? The lil 59 is obviously different from a standard tele bridge pup and I need something to match it better. The humbucker I've got in there is stock tex/mex - which is OK but I'd like a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Tele Posted May 2, 2011 Members Share Posted May 2, 2011 the necks are killer on HotRod 52 Teles. I was underwelmed with the neck pickup-it sounded just OK ....he got rid of his because he didn't like the neck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mightysasquatch Posted May 3, 2011 Members Share Posted May 3, 2011 [video=youtube;EcYlBlwsc1A] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akapuli Posted May 4, 2011 Members Share Posted May 4, 2011 Anyone paired a full sized 59 with a lil 59? I think this match would be OK too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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