Looking for a good tele neck pickup to go with a Custom/'59 hybrid

[orpheo]

Re: Looking for a good tele neck pickup to go with a Custom/'59 hybrid

Interesting. And are those pickups good for metal as well?

Also, so the Zephyrs would simply make the pickups more audible, you're saying.

My idea was to take whatever SD pickups I buy and custom order them so that SD does the same stuff to them that they do to Zephyrs. Not that I was going to order Zephyrs themselves. Although now that I've looked at the custom pickup making process on SD'w website, it looks like they wouldn't do that for me anyway. If they did though, you're saying it would make the pickups worse? Fair enough.

I have always been curious about the lipstick neck pickups. I suppose that as long as it balances well with the C/59, has lots of versatility and can be used for metal, I should really look at that as well. So many great recommendations here! Thank you everybody!

Yes, the zephyrs are great for practically everything because they don't squash the tone, don't compress it in an odd way. it's just very, very clean.

the zephyr treatments can be chosen if so desired but I don't recommend the zephyrs at all for those who have a fairly small guitarcollection because they utterly destroy the tonal options you once loved in all the rest. I have a collection of 80+ guitars so I have put the pickups in a duet of super-rare and unique guitars I won't pick up for my daily musical needs.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Looking for a good tele neck pickup to go with a Custom/'59 hybrid

oh. lipstick.

imagine a stratty jangle. a tele woodyness to the tone. the power of a p90.


Now you're in the right ballpark. I don't know what it is perse but the tones of a lipstick just work. A strat, tele and LP take those pickups really well. I can highly recommend them if you desire a versatile setup.

 

[NateGrimm]

Re: Looking for a good tele neck pickup to go with a Custom/'59 hybrid

GODDAMN I've been getting some awesome responses from you guys! And yeah, I think what I meant when I said "The Zephyr treatment" was to "Zephyrize them" in the way Orpheo mentioned.

So It looks like the options I'm looking at are:
C/59 hybrid on the bridge, classic stack in the middle
and on the neck--

The Surfer, the Vintage Hotstack, The Classic Stack Plus, the Lindy Fralin Blues Special, the Alnico II Pro or the Lipstick.


Wow! Looks like a lot of different pickups to really delve into! Thank you guys so much for the advice and the useful information! I'm definitely learning more about pickups from all of these. I'll check them all oout although it's beginning to look like I'll go with either the Vintage Hotstack, the Fralin Blues Special or the Lipstick. Probably the lipstick as it sounds like it's got a lot goin' on for it! I wonder if the Vintage Hotstack or the Blues Special can do metal? Cause it sounds like the Lipstick definitely can! I think I might be leaning lipstick on this one, but I'm fo sure checking them all out! Thanks again, guys!

Which of these pickups listed will make chords ring out the best? I get the impression that the Lipstick, the STK- S7 and the Blues special all do that well...

 

[Mincer]

Re: Looking for a good tele neck pickup to go with a Custom/'59 hybrid

If you want a smooth single try the Alnico II pro Tele neck. Have one in the neck of both my teles. Alnico II Pro full set in my Mutt and a Alnico II Pro tele Alnico II strat middle and 59 Custom Hybrid bridge in my Modern player. I love the smooth top end of that pickup in the neck of a Tele!.

This was gonna be my choice. Smooth, but still Tele-like and it doesn't sound like it is under a mitten. It is a great blend with the Hybrid.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Looking for a good tele neck pickup to go with a Custom/'59 hybrid

oh. lipstick.

imagine a stratty jangle. a tele woodyness to the tone. the power of a p90.


Now you're in the right ballpark. I don't know what it is perse but the tones of a lipstick just work. A strat, tele and LP take those pickups really well. I can highly recommend them if you desire a versatile setup.

Really? The lipstick? I am surprised - I would have expected them to be really low output, but if they are in the P90 range then I will be looking into that as well.
(Sorry to hijack.)

 

[NateGrimm]

Re: Looking for a good tele neck pickup to go with a Custom/'59 hybrid

This was gonna be my choice. Smooth, but still Tele-like and it doesn't sound like it is under a mitten. It is a great blend with the Hybrid.

That's one vote for the Alnico 2 pro then! Such serious contenders here... what I might have to do is just save up for multiple pickups and see what I like best. Since this'll be going on one of my "Workhorse" guitars and I'm willing to shell out money for something that'll really make the guitar nice. I might also just get the Alnico 2 pro and replace the magnets with unoriented alnico 5's so it's a little better for metal but keeps it's warmth and smoothness. That might be a good idea.

Really? The lipstick? I am surprised - I would have expected them to be really low output, but if they are in the P90 range then I will be looking into that as well.
(Sorry to hijack.)

Naw, don't be sorry! I'm glad this thread is proving useful for others as well!