Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

[dedwood12]

Hi all,
I was in a shop yesterday and I played a Standard Fat Tele, I loved it. But if I go to a different shop, I can get 40% off due to a mates dad.
So my plan is to buy a Standard Tele and put a new pickup (humbucker) on the neck position to emulate the fat Tele I played in the shop.
What are your suggestions?
Cheers

 

[Artie]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I love the Stag Mag in the neck of a Tele. (My #1.) It's a little cleaner than many humbuckers and , of course, has one of the best split tones. Standard Tele 3-way with a push/pull pot, or a DPDT switch yields a lot of cool tones.

 

[dedwood12]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

Sorry I'm not to good with guitar lingo, so what did you just say actually mean?

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I can attest that the Dimarzio VV HOT T is a great fat TELE sounding TELE bridge model.

ANY LIL 59 for TELE users care to chime in?

 

[Artie]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

Sorry I'm not to good with guitar lingo, so what did you just say actually mean?

No prob.

The Stag Mag is a Seymour Duncan humbucker thats actually made from two singles built on a 'bucker baseplate. It has a nice "clean" sound when used as a humbucker. If you utilize some sort of switch to "split" it, you get classic Strat-type single coil tone. Since a Strat single sounds great in the neck of a Tele, you get the best of both worlds.

Mind you, there are many Duncan humbuckers that sound good split. Its just that the Stag Mag is one of my favorites. Definitely wait for other opinions though.

Artie

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

In my Thinline tele I like the Pearly Gates in the neck and the Hot Tele Lead (with a tap) at the bridge. Combined with a standard 5 way switch and a push/pull pot, I can get any sound I need for rock, blues, jazz, country, pop, or funk out of this guitar.

 

[saladin]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I use a 59n in mine and love the tone although I'm thinking of trying a PGn to see if that is better.

 

[Dills]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I have a fat tele, with maple neck originally it a humbucker in it which was fat sounding but not bright enough for me, so I really recommend the Phat Cat which is actually a P90 pickup (fat sounding single coil) but it fits into a humbucker size pickup slot. A few people on here have them in the neck of there tele's and theylove the tone. I too really like the tone its, fat but is nice and clear and has enough dynamics to get a nice bounce in the midrange since its a single coil. Highly recommended.

Dills

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I have a Phat Cat in the neck of a Tele, and it sounds great, as does the stock Fender alnico 2 Atomic II HB in the neck of my '03 HS Tele. A couple of weeks ago I played a Custom Shop Fender 52 tele with a 59 in the neck, and it sounded superb. In all of these cases, however, you'll need a very stout Tele lead pickup or you'll have to live with a drop in output when you switch to the bridge pickup. Now, it may be possible to balance any given pair of pickups, but that doesn't mean either one will be close to its sweet spot.

One of the SM series Firebird-style mini-HB's (SM-1 or SM-3 in particular) will work well with most Tele lead pickups and still deliver a nice humbuckerish/single-coilish tone. I also like Artie's concept of using the Stagmag, but I've never heard one.

 

[sufferinrewind]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I also like Artie's concept of using the Stagmag, but I've never heard one.

I remember I spoke with Artie on this a while back. He said that the Stag Mag sounds close to the SSL-1 when split, because even though only one of the coils are working, all 12 of the magnets are still working. Basically what he was saying was that the 12 A2 magnets working together created a tone more like 6 A5 magnets.

 

[Artie]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I remember I spoke with Artie on this a while back. He said that the Stag Mag sounds close to the SSL-1 when split, because even though only one of the coils are working, all 12 of the magnets are still working. Basically what he was saying was that the 12 A2 magnets working together created a tone more like 6 A5 magnets.

I said that? Must've been a Saturday night.

But to go along with what kelsey said, my #2 guitar, another Tele, has a 59 in the neck. Its a tough call as to which one is better. Both great tones.

Artie

 

[sufferinrewind]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I said that? Must've been a Saturday night.

But to go along with what kelsey said, my #2 guitar, another Tele, has a 59 in the neck. Its a tough call as to which one is better. Both great tones.

Artie

That's what you told me.

Then you took a long nap on the couch.

 

[dedwood12]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

Thanks for the tips,
I am thinking about maybe putting a STK-T1n vintage stack in the neck? How would that go? Would there be much of a change in output when I switch to the bridge pickup?
Cheers

 

[teleblooz]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

For a great sounding, cost effective neck humbucker do yourself a flavor and contact our own Zhangligun. I did.....and I'm happy I did!!i

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I'm pondering putting my underwound Phat Cat in the neck of my Tele, but might make another "Teleblooz-bucker" for it in the end. (The traditional Tele neck is a such a scrawny thing, don't know how anyone can stand it...)

Gotta rout the body and get a 'bucker pickguard for it first though...Lew?

 

[dedwood12]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

Could I get away with keeping the Bridge pup and putting a SM-1 or SM-3 in the neck?
cheers

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I think so, but you should try to get a 4-conductor version of the SM pickup (standard with the SM-3, special order with the SM-1) to allow easy re-wiring if the 2 pickups turn out to be out of phase.

 

[david kornblatt]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I Would Just Put An Alnico2paf In The Neck Of A Tele And Be Done With It And Get An Ampeg Svt/retrorocket And You Will Have Classic Exile On Main St Sound

 

[dedwood12]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

Thanks for everyones help, I just have one more question.
I will buy a new pickguard, but do the Standard American Teles have room for a full sized humbucker at the neck? Even a mini bucker?
cheers

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Best pickups for Fat Tele like Tele?

I know the American Series Teles are pre-routed for a neck HB, as are the MiM Standard models AFAIK. I'm not sure about the earlier American Standards, but I suspect they are routed for a HB, too. Just pop off the pickguard to check. A mini-HB will fit in a HB route, but a P90 will not -- there's always the Phat Cat in that case.