Tele Brige & Humbucker Neck Combo

[ManFromNapa]

I was gifted a Tele body. It's routed for a Tele Single coil in the bridge and a humbucker in the neck position. I'm thinking about getting the Pearly Gates Tele for the bridge. What does everyone recommend for the neck position? Would a Pearly Gates humbucker be the best choice? The body is Alder, and I play hard rock / classic rock.

[jeremy]

welcome to the forum!

the pgn is a fine choice for the neck, the jazz neck is another good option. the tele pg is a cool pup, but youll probably have to set the neck pup low to get good balance since even a low output neck bucker has a decent amount of volume. if you play hard rock/classic rock the lil 59 is another good choice if you want to stick with single coil size humbuckers. if you might consider a single coil then the hot tele lead or qp tele lead would suit those styles. both are great pups!

[Mincer]

What do you like in a neck pickup? Do you like it to be clean and clear, or do you want warmth? I am guessing you are not after a traditional Tele sound with the PG in the bridge.

[ManFromNapa]

Thanks guys. Not going to a traditional tele sound. For this I'm thinking more clean and clear for the neck, but not too brittle. If that makes sense. I have a little 59 in another tele that sounds great! That's why I'm thinking a PG for this one. Something different.

[Mincer]

A PG in the neck will have a more enhanced high end (some might call it brittle). Also, look at the 59, Antiquity, and Seth Lover. For a warmer neck sound, look at the Alnico II Pro.

[jeremy]

are you planning on using 250k or 500k pots?

[Clint 55]

I'd recommend a mini humbucker.

[ManFromNapa]

are you planning on using 250k or 500k pots?

With Humbuckers I'll go 500K. That's what is recommended, right?

[Mincer]

With Humbuckers I'll go 500K. That's what is recommended, right?

Yes, although I think the PG for Tele was designed to drop right in a stock tele without changing anything. It might be a little brighter with 500ks.

[GuitarDoc]

Clint's suggestion of a minihum is great for "clean and clear" neck sounds. A full-sized Jazz would also be great. Nothing wrong with a full-sized Pearly in the neck, I've got a couple guitars with Pearly necks and they sound very good (especially the Pearly bridge model in the neck).

[Synapsys]

On the ESP LTD TE-212 I used to own (alder body / maple neck and fretboard) my main concern was matching output. So, I went with different outlooks for each position, ending with a STK-T2b (Hot Lead Stack) for the bridge and an APH-1n (Alnico II Pro) for the neck, a Les Paul three-way position switch, and individual switches for each pickup for Series / Parallel / Split wiring. Some magic on the pots too, allowing to select between 500k or 250k, depending whether in series or split, to try and catch some classic tones.
The Hot Lead Stack still gives a Tele character, although a modern one. No hum, handles high gain very well. A2Pro is a dream on the neck, liquid solos just pour out, and parallel and split gives very usable tones, mainly in clean/ breakup. No volume mismatch between pups.

[jeremy]

id love to see that wiring diagram! i think it could be useful to many of us

[Synapsys]

id love to see that wiring diagram! i think it could be useful to many of us

Let me talk to my tech, if he is still around. I moved to another country, and when I left he was having serious health issues.

Unfortunately I'm useless when it comes to electronics and soldering, I just came up with the ideas for a superversatile but modern-sounding SH Tele, and he was up for the challenge...