Keef's Tele neck hummer

S

Sabe

New member
does anyone know what kind of humbucker is in the neck of Kieth Richard's tele?

and then, what SD model would be the closest match?

I'm talking about the tele with 5 strings, if that's any help of a reference.

And what's the deal with the 5 strings? I need my tele for other things besides Stones tunes, so I won't have the luxury of dedicating it exclusively as a 5 string axe... but I'm curious as to what the story and motive is behind him pulling the 6th string anyway. I assume the remaining 5 are in nonstandard tuning, but that's just a hunch...anyone know what he does there?

thanks in advance for any help you can offer
-sabe
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

if you mean the 70's Teles he used like the Black one i'm sure they were Stock Fender humbuckers in the neck of his Tele Customs....

He has a few 50's looking teles with humbuckers in them and i'm sure they are PAF's or copies of some sort
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

I believe that guitar was tuned to open G and he took off the lowest string because it was in the way.
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

as far as the 5 strings..... he takes the 6th E string off.... he tunes his 5 strings from high to low.... D,B,G,D,A this way when he bar chords one finger accros all 5 strings it is a complete chord.. then he can add his other fingers to add notes to those bar chords... Brown Sugar and Start Me Up are played this way
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=3859

In addition to being the poster child for rockers with attitude, Keith Richards is one of the greatest rhythm guitarists ever to strap on a 6-string. Or more accurately, a 5-string. Richards crafts many of his most memorable riffs using a modified open-G tuning, which involves removing his sixth string and tuning strings 5-1 to G, D, G, B, D.

“The whole idea of getting rid of the sixth string in the open tuning was having the root on the bottom,” he told GP’s Tom Wheeler in 1983. “You can get a drone going, so you have the effect of two chords playing against each other. One hangs on because you’ve just got to move one finger—or two at the most—to change the chord, so you’ve still got the other strings ringing. It’s a big sound.”
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

>>>if you mean the 70's Teles he used like the Black one i'm sure they were Stock Fender humbuckers in the neck of his Tele Customs....

The one I am referring to is a light shade (butterscotch?) and has a regular tele pup in the bridge, and hummer in the neck. I thought "customs" had 2 hummers.

so if its in fact a stock fender hb, what is the SD match? I've already got a gibson 490 in my tele neck. its ok but I'm sure I can do better.

Whofan, thanks for the string tuning details...
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

Brown Sugar and Start me up are both in open G. D, G, D, G, B, D. Just minus the low string as seen in my post above.
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

Sabe said:
The one I am referring to is a light shade (butterscotch?) and has a regular tele pup in the bridge, and hummer in the neck. I thought "customs" had 2 hummers.

so if its in fact a stock fender hb, what is the SD match? I've already got a gibson 490 in my tele neck. its ok but I'm sure I can do better.

Whofan, thanks for the string tuning details...
Click to expand...

The one you're thinking of is named "Micawber."

The neck pickup I believe is a 59'...like....an actual 59' humbucker. I could be wrong though.

The guitar is a 52' Telecaster.
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

The humbuckers that Fender put in Teles were designed by Seth Lover, so I'm going to say try a Duncan Seth. Having said that, I don't know if Keef's were stock or not. And the tuning, low to high, is G,D,G,B,D.
Of course it doesn't matter--none of us will have the funk that he's got. So throw a Seth in there, down a couple of bottles of wine, and lay back with a pocket and a groove that's as deep as the ocean. That's a start.
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

Keith's 70's Tele's have a stock pickup in the neck.

His modified vintage (ie 52) have an original PAF in the neck of most of them.

Cheers
Bman
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

Awesome insight guys (and eric-cool link with lots of answers to questions I hadn't even asked yet!)

I'm definitely set in the right direction on what I want to do next (however, all 6 strings will remain on my tele...although the next time I change the strings I may leave one off for a day or 2 just to mess around keefstyle).
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

There is a lot of incorrect information here. The Tele that is being referred to has some sort of Gibson PAF style humbucker in it, not the Seth designed Fender 3+3 pole pickups. I think, but I am unsure, that the guitar has a '59 style humbucker in it (a5 humbucker). Therefore the closest Duncan to that would be the '59 model. I think the bridge pickup is wound hot -- in the 10k Broadcaster range. So I would advise a Duncan Broadcaster and '59 neck.
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

well, he's got enough tele's... I guess that's where the confusion arises.

Thanks gripweed for the clarification and yet another cool link to drop into "my favorites" bookmarks.
 
Re: Keef's Tele neck hummer

ericmeyer4 said:
Doesnt Fender Make a 3+3 replacement pup? I know the SD Custom Shop does.
Click to expand...

Just a side note on this 70's 3x3 Fender humbuckers... Warmoth carries these pickups in stock.....

I'd try a 59 in the neck and slightly hotter output tele/broadcaster pickup for the Keith stuff....

I know it does not have the look but the Duncan Firebird/Deluxe Mini Humbucker is one of the nicest neck pickups i have tried....
 
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