Squier 40th Anniversary Tele upgrade idea, with questions and opinions..

[Jermo3178]

So I bought another guitar... that I absolutely didn't need...

A "Mocha Brown" Squier 40th Anniversary Telecaster.

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I was completely blown away by how well this thing plays, I just couldn't walk away. With that said, the pickups are "ehh" to say the least.
But for the price I paid, an upgrade is absolutely worth it. I'll be doing the usual.. new pots, caps, switch and jack... cuz why not, since it'll be open anyway.

So I had an idea...
I'm thinking about the Seymourized Mini Humbucker in the neck and the Lil '59 in the bridge.
Or maybe the mini humbucker neck and Red Devil...
I've been looking for the combo on the uTube and throughout the web for a couple days, and not finding much of anything.

So why not ask my fellow mental patients here.. Opinions? Experience? What say ye?
or any other ideas you wanna throw in there.
Hum canceling is a must though. I supposed the Vintage Stack neck could be an option. I just don't dig singles.

Oh and Btw...
I don't care about the "tele twang" anymore than I care about the "strat quack". I just wanna make this thing sound better, possibly unique, and of my own.

 

[Teleplayer]

Is it a Tele or a Strat?

 

[magillver]

I'm a big fan of the DiMarzio DP188, which they call the Pro Track, in the neck position, very smooth, even and rich sounding... I've put them in a couple of Squier upgrades with great success...

 

[Jermo3178]

Is it a Tele or a Strat?

my bad, Tele

 

[Jermo3178]

I'm a big fan of the DiMarzio DP188, which they call the Pro Track, in the neck position, very smooth, even and rich sounding... I've put them in a couple of Squier upgrades with great success...

Just checked this out... not bad at all, but not exactly what I'm looking for I don't think.

It did lead me into the PG-13 (DP242) Neck. That may very well be an option.

 

[Chistopher]

I've been thinking about making a "restomod" Tele for a while. Make it accurate to an early Tele, but with a JB Jr and a Lil 59

 

[Jermo3178]

I've been thinking about making a "restomod" Tele for a while. Make it accurate to an early Tele, but with a JB Jr and a Lil 59

That sounds interesting.

 

[Mincer]

Teles are great to customize. If I had one, it would be all wrecked up, like Steve Morse's.

 

[Jermo3178]

That is dead sexy.
I have another Tele. It's a Squier J5. I swapped the factory pickups for a JB/Jazz set many years ago. It's a monster.

 

[GuitarStv]

Put a firebird pickup in the neck with a hot stack in the bridge. It'll still sound like a telecaster, but with more balls and output - and be noiseless.

 

[jeremy]

i love the antiquity ii firebird pup in the neck of my black tele

 

[marcello252]

... I'd stick to a good standard tele set, this thing is a beauty, I'd keep the original look as much as possible, but matter of taste

 

[Artie]

I'm thinking about the Seymourized Mini Humbucker in the neck . . .

It's my favorite Tele neck pup. Sweet Tele, BTW.

 

[Jermo3178]

Put a firebird pickup in the neck with a hot stack in the bridge. It'll still sound like a telecaster, but with more balls and output - and be noiseless.

You have experience with the hot stack?

 

[Jermo3178]

i love the antiquity ii firebird pup in the neck of my black tele

I expected you to chime in with something. If you don't care, what does it do that other you've tried haven't?
And what did you pair it with?

 

[Jermo3178]

... I'd stick to a good standard tele set, this thing is a beauty, I'd keep the original look as much as possible, but matter of taste

I've considered it. But my experience with stacked singles hasn't been that great. I have been looking into maybe the vintage or hot stack neck with maybe the BG1400. But the reviews I've read are all over the place for those... so... yeah I don't know.

 

[Jermo3178]

It's my favorite Tele neck pup. Sweet Tele, BTW.

Sweet... give me some pros and cons? And what do you have it paired with?

 

[Artie]

Sweet... give me some pros and cons? And what do you have it paired with?

It just has it's own character. I find Tele neck pups to be weak and uninspiring. The mini has girth, without being overpowering or muddy as a full-sized humbucker might be.

I first "discovered" it when I installed one in a customers Tele. I immediately ordered one for myself. It's going into a Brent Mason-ish 3 pickup Tele. I'll be using a Jerry Donahue in the bridge. I'm still not sure what I'm putting in the middle. I have the pickguard and control plate. I just need to route for the middle pup.

 

[jeremy]

I expected you to chime in with something. If you don't care, what does it do that other you've tried haven't?
And what did you pair it with?

its paired with a flat pole 7.5k a5 tele bridge pup i wound with 42 pe, cant remember what insulation build or magnet height off the top of my head. a typical vintage tele would be like 6.5k, so its a bit overwound but not a lot.

the guitar is a mid/late 80s mia alder body, maple/rw neck. has a nice glendale bridge. stock 250k pots, no treble bleed, and a 4 way switch.

i dont care for traditional tele neck pups. they sound narrow, muted, weak, and sometimes dull to my ears. some people obviously love them though. the antiquity ii firebird neck pup sounds like a great old firebird pup. clear with similar attack to a strat pup in some ways but thicker and not as peaky. with the tone up its full but bright, with the tone rolled back a bit it sounds nice and fat, but cleaner than a typical humbucker. you could match it with a lil 59 or red devil if you wanted more of a humbucker tone in the bridge.

 

[GuitarStv]

You have experience with the hot stack?

Not much . . . the little that I did play one though, it seemed telecaster-y, just with a little more oomph than the traditional single.