adding a 3rd pickup to a tele

[mike anderson]

I have an '89 MIK squire telecaster. I have put seymour duncan ST59-1 on the bridge and vintage STR-1 on the neck. Getting great sounds but I am wanting to add a third (middle) pickup like the telecaster nashville model. Using a 7-position switch. Has anyone done this? I want a humbucker for the middle pickup. thinking of either seymour duncan antiquity 11014-05 or a 11014-01 or a SH-55n. Leaning toward the SH-55n. Any thoughts, suggestions or lookouts would be appreciated.

equipt.
Telecaster, gretsch electromatic , 1972 fender acoustic 12 string, presonus 16.02 board, studio one DAW. Rockit 8 monitors, shure mics, voicelive touch, digitech 500 effects processor, fender sidekick switcher amp and behringer 12' powered pa speakers, presonus blutube preamps,

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: adding a 3rd pickup to a tele

Welcome to the forum.

Adding a centre pickup to a Telecaster? Yes. Adding a humbucker in that position on a Telecaster? No, sir.

In my opinion, you are not going to hear sufficient sonic differences between your bridge and centre humbuckers to justify routing a cavity. (Certainly, nothing that could not be achieved with the volume pot and subtle playing techniques.)

My recollection of late Eighties MIK Fender/Squier (I've seen them badged as either) Teles is that the necks profiles were more Wide Shallow "Ibanez" than any vintage style Tele. Some people really liked them because of this. There is an argument for leaving your guitar as a two pickup HS shred machine.

With a twelve contact, two pole Superswitch or one of the Schaller Megaswitches, you could obtain numerous tones from just your existing three pickup coils.

 

[mike anderson]

Re: adding a 3rd pickup to a tele

Welcome to the forum.

Adding a centre pickup to a Telecaster? Yes. Adding a humbucker in that position on a Telecaster? No, sir.

In my opinion, you are not going to hear sufficient sonic differences between your bridge and centre humbuckers to justify routing a cavity. (Certainly, nothing that could not be achieved with the volume pot and subtle playing techniques.)

My recollection of late Eighties MIK Fender/Squier (I've seen them badged as either) Teles is that the necks profiles were more Wide Shallow "Ibanez" than any vintage style Tele. Some people really liked them because of this. There is an argument for leaving your guitar as a two pickup HS shred machine.

With a twelve contact, two pole Superswitch or one of the Schaller Megaswitches, you could obtain numerous tones from just your existing three pickup coils.

I really appreciate your reply. Trying to decide how to finish this project guitar. I played a fender custom shop relic (road worn) tele in a shop a few weeks ago. It has a seymour duncan '59 humbucker in the middle position that sounded really hot. You don't think I'll get enough tonal difference with the humbucker. What would you recommend for a third position pu?

 

[rumblebox]

Re: adding a 3rd pickup to a tele

on a tele project i'm working on right now, i'm moving the neck pup to the middle position and installing an SM-1 mini-humbucker in the neck slot with a 5 way.

so it will be

Bridge: dimarzio area T bridge
Middle: dimarzio area T neck
Neck: duncan vintage mini-hum

warmoth sells custom pickguards to accommodate this.

also, i'm a HUGE fan of teles with neck humbuckers, but having a humbucker in the middle along with traditional tele neck and bridge pickups i would not recommend.