Best neck pickup options for tele's?

[soma89]

Just wondering what you guy's think is a good neck pickup for a tele (other than the stock ones of course). I'm thinking like a gretsch filtertron or a Danelectro lipstick. Experiences, anyone?

[John Mayes]

TV Jones P-tron

Lollar P90 50's wind

Lollar Mini-bucker

[Kelsey]

SD Phat Cat or SM-1n or SM3n or 59n.
Fender CS Nocaster neck pickup.
A good Strat neck pickup.
Not necessarily in that order.

[Kingbeegtrs]

second that:

I started using a Lollar Special Strat pickup in the neck position on my Tele. Love it.

[Jet Age Eric]

G&l mfd -e

[studiodunn]

the Fender CS Twisted is a fantastic sounding pup.

[paddywhack]

...i have a Harmonic Design mini-strat neck pup in my #1 Tele....i love it....its got the snarl....

[Gris]

Many great options. Either a relatively mild Strat or a mini-Strat for (drum roll) Strat tones. A low output covered PU (like Fralin true vintage, etc.) for trad Tele tone & look. An uncovered medium-low output Tele pickup for a slightly blues-ier sound (Fralin vintage hot no cover, etc.). A Lollar Charlie Christian for a whole different sound. Stay away from overwound Tele PUs in the neck. The safest option for someone who is not a traditional Tele player is probably a med-low output Strat PU, like a Lollar tweed or VZ vintage plus.

[guitarmook]

I've owned or played teles with just about every kind of pickup in the neck position.

In *my* opinion, humbuckers rarely work. they're typically too dark and wooly to combine well with the bridge pickup. For my tastes, anyway - I know lots of other people who'd disagree.

I like fat, thick strat pickups in the neck, Vintage Vibe's charlie-christian style p-90s pickups, mini-humbuckers, or just a good overwound tele pickup like a rio grande muy grande or a GFS fatbody.

I've never tried a dano lipstick, but I don't think the impedances would match-up very well. They're typically wound even lower than a stock tele neck pickup. If you could get one wound up at around 8 - 9K, that might sound interesting.

[Peppy]

the Fender CS Twisted is a fantastic sounding pup.

Agreed.

[RockStarNick]

If you like the FEnder CS Twisted Tele, you'll also love the Dimarzio Twang King. Just as much clarity and tone for only $50.

[Kingbeegtrs]

A P90 or a Humbucker would be cool if you wire it up so that the guitar has two voulmes and no tone pot - then you can use a 500K for the neck and a 250K for the bridge...I'm tellin' you this makes a dynamic rig.

[Scafeets]

Joe Barden. If you can't afford 'em (like me) get the GFS knock-offs.

[elkym]

+1 to the T.V. Jones

I have one in mine that's supposedly a clone of one of the TV Jones, it sounds fantastic!

[todd richman]

Don Mare S-Telly

[Kingbeegtrs]

I'll tell you one pickup not to try:

the Lollar Charlie Christian

I put one in my tele to see if I liked it...sounded like a bass guitar.

I literally took it out within an hour.

[Gris]

A P90 or a Humbucker would be cool if you wire it up so that the guitar has two voulmes and no tone pot - then you can use a 500K for the neck and a 250K for the bridge...I'm tellin' you this makes a dynamic rig.

That is a GREAT idea! wonder why i didn't think of it...

[Kingbeegtrs]

Unless a customer says otherwise...that is how I wire all of the teles I build.

[Gris]

I'll tell you one pickup not to try:

the Lollar Charlie Christian

I put one in my tele to see if I liked it...sounded like a bass guitar.

I literally took it out within an hour.Probably had it loaded onto 250k pots. When we put that kind of pickup or a mini-bucker, etc., we always go with a no-load pots to take them out of the circuit when using the 'darker' neck pickup. I once bought a 'terrible' dark, old '74 Fender Wide-range bucker from a guy who had been using it with 250k pots... :-)

[valcotone]

I just got a covered Don Mare S-Telly pickup which is supposed to be a Strat neck pickup in Tele clothing... I haven't installed it yet, but you might want to investigate that one.

[Kingbeegtrs]

Probably had it loaded onto 250k pots. When we put that kind of pickup or a mini-bucker, etc., we always go with a no-load pots to take them out of the circuit when using the 'darker' neck pickup. I once bought a 'terrible' dark, old '74 Fender Wide-range bucker from a guy who had been using it with 250k pots... :-)

I wired it with two volumes...no tone. 500K in the neck, 250K for the bridge. It was just too dark for my taste.

[gkoelling]

Don Mare S-Telly

Yep!

[Andre357]

If you can get your hands on a Fender Twisted Tele neck pickup you'll love it.

It sounds like a great woody, hollow strat neck pickup if that makes sense......Great tele tones, texas blues, even jazz tones are all there depending on vol/tone settings on the guitar....

The ones out of the Custom Shop are fantastic

[Sparky6string]

If you have a strat-like neck PU in a Tele what does the middle position sound like? Is it seriously affected? I don't want to change my middle position sound.

[operanonverba]

Gibby 57 Classic in the neck. Good stuff.

[gtraddict]

Duncan '59 Humbucker or a Seth Lover a la G&L

[guitarmook]

If you have a strat-like neck PU in a Tele what does the middle position sound like? Is it seriously affected? I don't want to change my middle position sound.

I think the strat pickup has more definition, and more presence, so it makes the middle position sound better, but doesn't change the core tone. I bet you'll love it.

[tacorivers]

Joe Barden. Hands down the best there is IMHO.

[MSS]

I've shown this pic before with my partscaster and the Lollar Imperial Humbucker in the neck position.......best humbucker tone I have heard............

http://theteahaus.netfirms.com/DRebelPix/nfpicturepro/albums/userpics/10001/PoeTele.jpg

[leofenderbender]

Don Mare makes excellent pickups, but he doesn’t have time to service what he sells. If you want customer service at all, look elsewhere.