Explain the reasoning behind the Tele Custom to me

[james...]

The whole humbuggy in the neck thing never seemed practical to me. Maybe I need to play one? What is the idea here? Stock Tele rhythm sounds in the bridge with throaty lead sounds from the neck?

 

[nmiller]

The original wide-range pickups don't sound like conventional humbuckers. They were designed to be closer to a traditional Fender sound - not identical, but certainly brighter and thinner than a PAF.

 

[supersoldier71]

The whole humbuggy in the neck thing never seemed practical to me. Maybe I need to play one? What is the idea here? Stock Tele rhythm sounds in the bridge with throaty lead sounds from the neck?

Play one. If it works for you, that's the reason for it.

I don't much care for the stock Telecaster neck sounds. I don't hate them, but they're not my favorites, so I prefer just about every other common swap over the stock Telecaster neck: Strat, P90, humbucker, mini-hum.

Try it.

 

[Jim85IROC]

The dark sound of a neck humbucker combined with that bright, biting Tele bridge pickup not only provides some impressive versatility, but also makes for a great middle position sound.

 

[67blackcherry]

“It worked for Keith Richards” is all the explanation you need.

 

[Guitarworks]

...still trying to decipher what the term "throaty" is supposed to mean....gargling?

 

[Benz2112]

Rock/blues guys in the 70's that couldn't drive a non master volume amp with a tele neck pickup.

 

[SAVEStheDAY]

Plenty of people use them, so they fill a need, but they're not for me. I prefer the Deluxe with 2 humbuckers.

 

[jwguitar]

The whole humbuggy in the neck thing never seemed practical to me. Maybe I need to play one? What is the idea here? Stock Tele rhythm sounds in the bridge with throaty lead sounds from the neck?

I prefer a standard humbucker in the neck if I had a choice. But to be honest single coil neck pickups on telecasters are very underrated. They are great for jazz guitar in my opinion:

 

[devnulljp]

“It worked for Keith Richards” is all the explanation you need.

So did heroin though, so I'm not entirely convinced that's the greatest argument

 

[Sampler]

For Fender at the time (ca. 1972), the reasoning was that people were already doing it.....as noted above the neck pickup on a Tele leaves much to be desired for some...I personally like a good Tele neck pickup but in the late 60s many vintage Teles got routed and buckered. There is something very unique about the combination of a WRHB and a single coil....the high end is there and it’s mids are super present...the original ones have 1 Meg volume and tone pots so the rear pickup on its own has been known to kill small animals with the tone knob on 10. One of Fenders better models from the 70s if you ask me...unique in its own way. Try one, you might like it.

 

[Digidog]

But.... If it is like everybody says, the modern wide range humbers are not of the same construction as the original ones, why should people today buy a replica of a guitar that isn't a replica in anything more than the looks? Why doesn't Fender do a better reconstruction of the old humbuckers?

Anybody can put a humbucker in a Tele, but if the wide range buckers were so unique - and seemingly well liked - it's astonishing to me that they are not more thoroughly and exactly replicated.

 

[coldengray]

But.... If it is like everybody says, the modern wide range humbers are not of the same construction as the original ones, why should people today buy a replica of a guitar that isn't a replica in anything more than the looks? Why doesn't Fender do a better reconstruction of the old humbuckers?

Anybody can put a humbucker in a Tele, but if the wide range buckers were so unique - and seemingly well liked - it's astonishing to me that they are not more thoroughly and exactly replicated.

It may be astonishing to you, but the reason they don't make the wide range humbuckers like they used to is that CuNiFe magnets aren't available anymore. At the time, Fender and Seth Lover had to create a humbucker that didn't infringe on Gibson's patent so they did things differently for a reason. Now they don't have to, plus CuNiFe isn't available to use anymore. Here's a great article on the subject:

https://reverb.com/news/dont-fence-me-in-the-fender-wide-range-humbucker-family

 

[dconeill]

“It worked for Keith Richards” is all the explanation you need.

For me, while Keith Richards is all very well, "It worked for Ed Bickert" is all the explanation I needed.

And for the OP, "humbuggy" is a silly word.

 

[Ron Kirn]

here's how it works... we make the Telecaster... we sell a boat load of 'em... but eventually the market softens.. so the Suits get together and ask, "What can we do to get sales up on the telecaster".. someone from Marketing with a Masters in BS, says, "lets call it the Telecaster Deluxe, and change 15 cents worth of electronics... " and he got promoted...

and that's the way it is.. in large manufacturing, things either are increasing or slipping away, there is no status quo..

rk

 

[d-rock]

But.... If it is like everybody says, the modern wide range humbers are not of the same construction as the original ones, why should people today buy a replica of a guitar that isn't a replica in anything more than the looks? Why doesn't Fender do a better reconstruction of the old humbuckers?

Anybody can put a humbucker in a Tele, but if the wide range buckers were so unique - and seemingly well liked - it's astonishing to me that they are not more thoroughly and exactly replicated.

Maybe people like the sound of the new wide range humbuckers

Does Fender build all their pickups in reissue guitars to vintage specs?

 

[stratotastic]

Answer: It sounds good.

 

[sleeperaxe]

Regardless of the neck pickup, I am a big fan of having dedicated volume and tone controls for both the neck and bridge.

 

[amstrtatnut]

...still trying to decipher what the term "throaty" is supposed to mean....gargling?

He means deep throaty, but didnt wanna say it in public.

 

[neastguy]

...still trying to decipher what the term "throaty" is supposed to mean....gargling?

I pictured my wife before we got married... I dunno