Squier vintage modified telecaster special pick up swap

[Doub51]

Hi, like title says, I have one of these, I think it's just a great solid feeling tele. Love the look, the feel of the neck, solid quality instrument.
I love the sound of the bridge duncan designed pickup, louder prettier sounding than a MIM I had.

The neck pickup is duncan designed jazzmasterish pick up. Some days it's great, but I think more and more it's not the tone I'm looking for. It's great when playing clean, but distorted it's in my ears rather muddy if more than mild distortion is added.

Does it need to be height adjusted? Or replaced?

What would fit in there?

Ideally, a P-90 is what I would love, I don't want to reroute and mod this guitar, just swap out the pick up. I'm not opposed to a more humbucker in there, not an invader metal type.

I play blues, classic rock alt stuff, not Pantara, Metallica, more Stones, Kinks, Cracker.

Please note I am not trying to make a cheap Keef clone.

Any ideas appreciated.

First time poster BTW

 

[jimijames]

Re: Squier vintage modified telecaster special pick up swap

Welcome

Seymour makes a humbucker-sized p-90 so if you really wanted a P-90 in there without routing maybe look at the phat cat

For clarity, there's not much that beats the jazz

The stuff you mentioned is done with mostly a bridge pickup, so I don't really know what to say for a neck humbucker. If you want to split it and get useable single coil sounds out of it, maybe a George Lynch screamin' demon, but then it would be waaay more powerful than the bridge pickup and you'd have balance problems.

My personal favorites are the pearly gates and the seth lover neck, and those would work for what you want (stones, kinks, cracker, etc.). IMO they sound better than the jazz but they don't have the definition. I think they'd work better for the music you play though.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Squier vintage modified telecaster special pick up swap

What are the dimensions of the pickup rout? What is the spacing/spread of the polepiece holes in the DuncDes JM pickup cover?

It might be possible to persuade a Stratocaster pickup in there, under the JM plastic cover. This would retain the standard appearance. There is an argument for a Filter'Tron style pickup. If you are content with the stock bridge position pickup, you could always rewire the controls à la Fender Esquire.

 

[Doub51]

Re: Squier vintage modified telecaster special pick up swap

Thank you Funk and Jimi.

I did not think about pole piece spread and didn't measure, just eyeballed the JM pick up vs. a humbucker. JM looks like a more stretched out than a humbucker.
At any rate, that's some great opinions you've given me.
I will let you know what happens to the tele spank plank down the road.

Thank you