More twangy alternative to Seth Lover neck?

[Supernautilus]

I have a Telecaster Custom with a Jerry Donahue in the bridge and a Seth Lover in the neck. I heard that was a good combo so I tried it out. The JD is amazing so that's not going anywhere lol. But I find myself unsatisfied with the SL. It's a very sweet sounding pickup. Almost "too" sweet in a way. I wish it was a bit brighter and twangier. I briefly tried a Phat Cat I took from another guitar just to try it out, but it was WAY too loud and it overpowered the JD.

So I guess I'm looking for a fairly bright and twangy neck humbucker that matches well with the JD, both in tone and volume. Oh and something that sounds decent when when split or in parallel would be a bonus. Would something like the Alnico 2 Pro or Pearly Gates work or would they be too loud? Any advice would be great. Thanks.

 

[Clint 55]

The only thing twangier than the Seth is the Ant with the aged cover. It makes it a little spikier. You might want to go with a mini tho. Mag swaps could also add twang. My go to mags for max spike in the neck are UOA5 and A9. The A2P or PG would be about the same smoothness as the Seth.

 

[Supernautilus]

The only thing twangier than the Seth is the Ant with the aged cover. It makes it a little spikier.

What about the unaged Ant option? Would that still be twangier than the Seth? I only ask because I'm not really into the "aged" look to be honest.

You might want to go with a mini tho.

I've thought about that in the past. I'd need to get a new pickguard though haha. Maybe someday but I'm sticking with the HB format for now though.

Mag swaps could also add twang. My go to mags for max spike in the neck are UOA5 and A9.

I considered this but I'm a little scared to try and take the cover off the Seth. I've tried to remove covers before and it didn't go well.

The A2P or PG would be about the same smoothness as the Seth.

That's interesting because in my searches I found people mostly saying the PG is brighter and edgier than the Seth, which is making me lean in that direction. Is that not the case though?

 

[Clint 55]

You might get some more edge out of the PG than the Seth. It didn't seem overly edgy to me tho. Ime, you really have to do some doctoring to get edge out of a neck humbucker. I think the aged cover of the Ant adds some edgy clank.

 

[Securb]

I went with a TV Jones in the neck of one of my Teles. I am using a Classic Plus Bridge for my application which will probably be too hot for your tastes. But the TV Jones Classic Neck would fit the bill for you.

 

[Supernautilus]

I went with a TV Jones in the neck of one of my Teles. I am using a Classic Plus Bridge for my application which will probably be too hot for your tastes. But the TV Jones Classic Neck would fit the bill for you.

Those are Filtertrons right? I’ve heard good things about those. They aren’t the same size as humbuckers though, right?

 

[Securb]

Yes, it is a Filtertron in the black Tele, it is closer to the size of a mini-humbucker. TV Jones does make a traditional humbucker size also. I use it to get a kind of a Malcolm Young type of rhythm vibe.

 

[GuitarDoc]

The PG is a fairly bright pup with an A2 magnet. An A4 or A5 would make it brighter and "twangier". But the TV Jones may be a great alternative. You can get humbucker mounting rings that fit minis or Filtertrons.

 

[GuitarDoc]

You say the Phat Cat was "WAY too loud and it overpowered the JD"...did you try lowering it more into the body?

 

[Supernautilus]

You say the Phat Cat was "WAY too loud and it overpowered the JD"...did you try lowering it more into the body?

It’s been a while but I assume I did. I just didn’t like it in my Tele overall. It was too clangy, in a bad way. But I have a set of PCs in another guitar, an SG style. They sound great in that. Not so much in the Tele. That’s just the way it goes I guess, right?

 

[Supernautilus]

You say the Phat Cat was "WAY too loud and it overpowered the JD"...did you try lowering it more into the body?

It just occurred to me this was several years ago and I think I had a different bridge pickup then. Not as hot as the JD. That’s probably why I remember it as being so loud.

 

[Mr. B]

How about the Saturday Night Special Neck? That is one I have never tried, but the description does seem to fit the bill. If it were me, I would try the Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell Neck, but you may be wanting to stick with Seymour Duncans.

 

[ICTGoober]

Lindy Fralin makes the TwangMaster...

Fralin Twangmaster Guitar Pickups: Single Coil Tone, Humbucker Size. (fralinpickups.com)

 

[jeremy]

if you want a bright neck humbucker, you want a jazz. the fralin is a great pup, but for that price you can get a duncan custom shop pup and have whatever you want.

if it was me, id start with a mag swap to a4 or a5 but you said that doesnt appeal to you. ill second switching to a mini humbucker in the neck, the sm1n is a good option. i use an antiquity ii firebird neck pup in my black tele and i absolutely love it

 

[Mincer]

I'd repeat what was said here. Either a Jazz or a Pearly Gates will get you there. Just decide which EQ you want.

 

[Securb]

I'd repeat what was said here. Either a Jazz or a Pearly Gates will get you there. Just decide which EQ you want.

I have both neck pickups. I will say they both split very well, but the PGn sounds Stratier than any other split humbucker I have ever heard.

 

[alex1fly]

Tele neck single coil is pretty twangy. I’d imagine the hb route would work, just use a regular tele pickguard. If you need noiseless the Duncan Vintage Stack is righteous and can do all kinds of sounds.

problem as noted is that neck humbuckers generally aren’t very twangy. The ones that are, are voiced more like a single coil.

 

[alex1fly]

I’ve had success de-smoothing a neck humbucker by raising the polepieces a ton and lowering the pickup. Works though I’ve never kept this as a permanent solution.

 

[Supernautilus]

Ok I just got two A4 bars in the mail from Philly Luthier. I ordered them for another pickup. (See my Jazz A4 thread)

I think I’ll use the extra to try and swap it out in the Seth Lover. Little nervous but I’ll give it a shot. If I screw it up then I’ll explore another option based on your recommendations.

 

[Clint 55]

^ I'm sure that will be a large step in the right direction.

Lindy Fralin makes the TwangMaster...

Fralin Twangmaster Guitar Pickups: Single Coil Tone, Humbucker Size. (fralinpickups.com)

That sounds incredible and extremely twangy for a humbucker. Fralin is insane. I was going to recommend Fralin but didn't because of the price.