JB in Tele Neck. Thoughts?

[ErnieB]

Eh everyone!

New here, and wanted to get some opinions. I have a JB laying around, and a lovely purple Classic Vibe 50’s telecaster I’d like to mod out. I’ve looked all over forums, scoured Youtube, and asked around, and nobody has anything on putting a JB in a tele, let alone the neck position.

what I’m looking to do is create a monster. A one-of-a-kind guitar that has it’s own personality.

1. What are your thoughts on putting a JB in the neck position?

2. What pots/caps would I have to use to keep it from mudding right out?

3. What would be a powerful compliment that wouldn’t be too flimsy in the bridge?

I have an American Pro tele if I need twang and traditional tele sounds. I’m looking to create a beast for punk/pop-punk/metal

Thanks in advance, for any and all contributions!

Here’s a pic. I’m doing all Fender gold hardware, and an aged pearl guard.

 

[Chistopher]

I've seen similar things done. It would be best to wire it in parallel if you do it though.

I've seen JB neck and JB bridge before, so you might want a JB neck and Hot Rails for Tele bridge.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

A Hot Rails in the bridge would keep up with a JB in the neck output-wise no problem.

However, I've done the JB in the neck with a single 500K volume knob, no tone, and I didn't like. Too dark and undefined. Maybe go for 1Meg volume and no-load (if you really need a tone knob).

 

[Mincer]

Welcome to the forum!

A JB and Hot Rail is the way to go. You might want a series/parallel switch for the JB for cleaner tones, or leave it in series for something over the top.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I'd suggest wiring the JB in parallel as Christopher suggested, only with a DPDT tone pot you can pull to get full series, when you want a monster neck tone. Too loose and woofy to run it in series all the time, but you could have a great neck lead tone on tap when you pull the knob up.

Only question is whether the control cavity on your Tele is deep enough.
In believe the CTS ones may be a hair shallower than regular push-pulls.

Definitely 500K pots for both.

 

[jeremy]

if you are game to put a bucker in the bridge, then distortion bridge, jb neck. had that combo in a rhoads years ago and it was awesome! definitely 500k pots and id either use a 5 way super switch or dpdt swtich to get the series/parallel option for the jb in the neck. if you wanna keep the traditional tele bridge then hot rails is a good option

 

[Aceman]

This is a GREAT idea!!! Never did it, but I would.

Neck: JB Humbucker sized
Bridge: Hot Rails

Wiring:

Neck: Series or Parallel
Bridge: Series or Split

Pots 500k all around

RAWK!!!!

The JB + 500k's and the scale length - it will sound awesome.

 

[Artie]

My 2-cents. You might consider 250k pots. I recently installed the Jazz set in a guitar with 250's, and it came out perfect. Silky clean. Sounds like PAF's should sound. YMMV.

 

[jeremy]

if i was putting a jazz set in, id go 250k for sure. jb in the neck with 250k will be pretty damn dark. even with 500k it wont be bright

 

[DCikes88]

Oh damn, I planned pretty much everything for "metal-Esquire-ing" my Affinity Tele with a single hot rails in the bridge, considering final wiring options...
And then you come with this stuff, and make me rethink everything, ugh.

On the plus side, I have all the pots and thingies plus a JB laying around.

On the down side, I'd have to ditch the 24 fret Jackson neck conversion if I want to keep that neck sound. This could easily go on the plus side, too.

Anyway, YAS! Go for it, share the process, post final pics. And I'll keep thinking until then

 

[playas]

I believe it was designed for a tele... albeit in the bridge position.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Only question is whether the control cavity on your Tele is deep enough.

I fit a DiMarzio push pull 500Kinside my 50's CV Esquire. Then again, the actual pot is like one of those tiny EMG mini pots.

 

[orpheo]

I tried it, I hated it. It's not as if a 16K pickup will sound twice as loud as an 8K pickup. The JB in the neck sounds way too fat, too dark, too muffled. There are other pickups that work great in both positions, such as the Jazz Bridge (great, great, great pickup in both spots!), or the Jazz Neck with an Alnico 8 in the bridge, or the Air Norton by Dimarzio. All fine choices. But the JB?! Nop. I'll never, ever recommend that pickup.

If you take a look at Bareknuckle, for example; their 15.8k neck pickup, the Ragnarok, uses a ceramic magnet, to add more tightness and brightness to the tone, but even that pickup is so, so fat to my ears.

 

[ErnieB]

if i was putting a jazz set in, id go 250k for sure. jb in the neck with 250k will be pretty damn dark. even with 500k it wont be bright

The pots and caps are important, because one of my rigs is a Blackstar HT20, and Blackstar amps are pretty dark to begin with.

i guess i just wanted to install Billie Joe Armstrong in the neck, and have the option to go harder in the bridge‍

 

[jeremy]

a jb in the neclk doesnt sound anything like a jb in the bridge. its fat and dark. cool for ripping solos but not all that much else unless you put it in parallel

 

[PFDarkside]

The pots and caps are important, because one of my rigs is a Blackstar HT20, and Blackstar amps are pretty dark to begin with.

i guess i just wanted to install Billie Joe Armstrong in the neck, and have the option to go harder in the bridge‍

Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. That tone is JB in the bridge, and JB in the neck won’t sound like it. Hot Rails in the bridge will be a good alternative though.

 

[ErnieB]

Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. That tone is JB in the bridge, and JB in the neck won’t sound like it. Hot Rails in the bridge will be a good alternative though.

Feeling like it’s probably better to save the JB for one of my strats.

i just want a tele that can do punk, pop-punk ans heavy stuff, and none of the twang… lol. The search continues