Best Humbuckers for neck on a vintage Tele

[kilgoretrout321]

I'd like to get a vintage-style bridge because I love all the old Jeff Beck/Yardbirds stuff and pretty much any old guitar record from the rock n roll era and beyond.

I'd also like a neck humbucker because of Keith Richards. I don't even know when he uses it and all that jazz yet, but I'm determined.

So, if I get it all in one trip, what are some ideal combos of Duncan neck 'buckers and vintage Tele bridges?

I've heard the Pearly Gates is good, so I'm wondering what would go well with that.

I can't tell the difference between all the vintage Tele bridges. I just want the best tone, and I've heard that low output is the best way to go about that, so no high-output pickups for me. I also love that skreeching sound that old Teles and Esquires have from the period when treble and not mids was the way to get heard in a mix.

Any clarifying questions are welcome and thanks for any tips and explanations!

 

[LRS]

A Pearly Gates is a good pickup by itself. However, keep the entire guitar in mind. PG is quite powerful, and may overpower the tele bridge pickup. So if you put your money on the PG, be also prepared to upgrade the bridge pickup for a higher output one. If I were you, I’d go for a lower output PAF like pickup in your tele neck position. e.g. SD Seth Lover, Gibson Burstbucker I, those kinda pickups. Think Alnico II pickups around 7.5kOhm…

 

[piblock]

What LRS said about balancing is good advice, although most humbuckers (even vintage/PAF) will overpower typical vintage Tele bridge pickups. I think PG is a safe choice, but decide two things:

* how important is balanced output level to you? * If it's critical, do you want to start with the neck or bridge? and then pick the other position's pickup based on that one...

 

[uOpt]

A Pearly Gates is a good pickup by itself. However, keep the entire guitar in mind. PG is quite powerful, and may overpower the tele bridge pickup. So if you put your money on the PG, be also prepared to upgrade the bridge pickup for a higher output one. If I were you, I’d go for a lower output PAF like pickup in your tele neck position. e.g. SD Seth Lover, Gibson Burstbucker I, those kinda pickups. Think Alnico II pickups around 7.5kOhm…

Yeah. The PG goes well with long scale, but it can be boomy in a hardtail. I also recommend trying an APH-1, especially since you say you want a brighter sound.

 

[Securb]

If I were trying to catch this Tele vibe I would probably lean towards a 59. Though all of the pickups mentioned would be great choices.

 

[Tubes]

I would definitely go with an unpotted pickup. I'm thinking of making a very similar 50s blackguard tele and I'll be putting a seth lover or antiquity neck in it. If you're going for vintage I would stick to the low output unpotted pickups like those.

 

[Tubes]

This is the fender custom shop 52 tele with seth lover neck that I'm basing mine on:

https://youtu.be/pMT_v6Z0xSQ

 

[Tubes]

Oh and I'd go with the antiquity tele bridge pickup too... I think that with the seth or ant neck is hard to beat.

 

[Mincer]

59s sound great in the neck of a Tele. For a little more vintage vibe, look at the Antiquity.

 

[jeremy]

i think a broadcaster bridge and 59n would be a great setup

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Are you sold on full size? Mini hum is great at the neck on a Tele; it's skinnier sounding.

If full sized is a must, I might go for a 59N but with an A3 magnet to thin it and lower the output a bit.
Unpotted Antiquity is good rec too.

A few makers offer underwound neck humbuckers specifically designed to pair with a vintage output Tele bridge.
The SD Custom Shop would make you one of those too...

 

[Synapsys]

I also suggest trying an A2Pn.

 

[chadd]

Seth would be great and the full, shred neck is surprisingly good in the neck