Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

[The Dali]

The '59 in my Tele is just too muddy and too thick. I changed pots to 500k but it made my JD bridge pickup to harsh and brittle. Since I have a number of humbucker guitars I've decided to update the tele to single coils. That allows me to use 250k pots and I'll probably throw in a 4-way.

I was thinking of using a strat pickup in the neck instead of the Tele neck pickup. I know there are some decent "Tele" neck pickups, but I want something that will match the output and muscle of the JD bridge pickup, so I was thinking of a Strat pickup instead.

Any experience out there? What is your preference?

Also, has anyone tried the G&L pickups? Do they fit into a Tele pickguard (cut for strat size)?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

the g&l pups will fit in the rout of most teles but just like a strat pup youll have to modify the pickuguard. i always use either a strat pup or firebird pup in the neck of my tele's, unless its my esquire.

 

[jambs]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I took the Dimarzio 36th Anniversary PAF out of the neck of my Tele for the same reasons you described and threw in a RWRP SSL-2. With a little fine-tuning of height, it matches the JD in my bridge very well. It's a nice improvement over both the stock Tele neck pickup and the DMZ bucker.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

Depends on what you want. Many people swear by the Tele neck pickup. I find myself rarely using it when playing a Tele, unless at pretty low volumes (which is rare at this time). As such, I prefer Esquires, with their three tone presets on one snappy bridge pickup.

But I think a Strat pickup in the neck slot of a Tele would be a great thing. I'd definitely use the neck position a lot more if a Strat pickup was there.

 

[formula73]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

Yessiree. I know it's not the traditional Tele, but I have a Charvel Legend/Model 7 that has a Tele bridge/Strat neck setup and I really dig it. It's got that cool, snarly, spanky bridge tone with a little dirt and then that girthy, biting neck tone when clean.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I like the Klein S-7 neck pickup I use in my strat, I think it'd be great in a tele because it's a slightly warmer strat pickup, and it's slightly weaker magnets let you bring it closer to the strings than a lot of other strat pickups, if you need to do that to balance a slightly fatter or overwound bridge pickup.

 

[marcello252]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I don't know what kind of wood you have but a SD SSL1 is always a great and good priced pickup.
If you don't want to change the pick guard you could consider a gfs Mean 90 too for a true P90 sound, I have one and it's killer.

 

[symptom]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I don't know what kind of wood you have but a SD SSL1 is always a great and good priced pickup.
If you don't want to change the pick guard you could consider a gfs Mean 90 too for a true P90 sound, I have one and it's killer.

I have a GFS Mean 90 in the neck of my Tele, paired with a Jerry Donahue Bridge. Both are really nice pickups, but I'm still struggling with the pot value thing. Right now I have 500k vol and 250k tone (0.047 cap). But I still think that the JD is too bright and the Mean 90 could be brighter. I think I'll put 2 500k pots and a 0.022 cap and then put a 470k or 270k resistor connected to the bridge pickup (at the switch) and to the ground.

Anyone have another suggestion? I don't want to bypass the tone pot in the neck pickup because I like to use it sometimes.

 

[BeeGee]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I had a YJM Fury strat pup in the neck of a tele i used to own, required some modding to the pickup route and pickguard but it was worth it in the end. Sounded great matched with the hotrails bridge i had with it.

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

The CS Nocaster neck pup is very clear and "Stratish"

You might consider the Nocaster set. The JD is supposed to be a great pup though.

What about doing the mod with a resistor in the bridge pup circuit to fool it into seeing a lower value pot like in the humbucker equipped Stock Fenders?

 

[FuseG4]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I really like the nocaster neck pickup, but it still feels a little weak in output sometimes. As stratty as that one is, I still find full-size strat pickups to often be... more full sounding.

The fact that a humbucker made it into the OP's tele in the first place makes it sound like he was looking for something "bigger" or "fuller" than the normal tele neck pickup, which leads me to believe that the nocaster neck, king of the tele neck pickups that it is, might not do it for him.

 

[The Dali]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

yeah, definitely looking for something fuller in the neck. I was thinking of trying other humbuckers (the '59 sounded terrible) but want to move to 250k pots for the bridge pickup. That leaves me with the P-90 or a strat single coil.

 

[Farkus]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I have my tele set up like a strat, even with 5 way switching. Pickups are SSL-1 neck and middle and SD Vintage '54 Tele in the bridge. It is the best of both worlds and I love it. All the pickups match well, output and tone wise. I think that you'll want a regular wound SD single coil in the neck for hum cancelling though; I think I had to put my RWRP single coil in the neck.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

if it were me id use the ssl2 over the ssl1

 

[The Dali]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

Yeah, I'm looking for a RWRP pickup for the neck so it cancels hum with the JD.

 

[PRSfan nym 1985]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I happen to like the idea of putting strat p'ups in the neck position I also like P90's, mini hb's, and the G&L mfd single coils (it's not really a P90 but similar).

I guess it just boils down to personal preference in this case. If it helps at all my tele right now has a set of Fralins in it I have a 2% overwound covered neck pickup, a stock wound Vintage Hot strat p'up in the middle position, and a RWRP Blues Special tele pickup in the bridge. I reversed my control plate and have a master volume control closest to the bridge p'up, followed by a middle p'up blend knob, and then a 3-way selector in the back.

As much as I love Esquires I always end up missing a neck p'up. My next tele project will likely have either a P90 or Mini HB in the neck position with a Tele bridge p'up. The other tele I want is a semi hollow with dual P90's and a G&L dual fulcrum tremolo.

I guess what I'm trying to say is although I love simple one pickup guitars with minimal controls I still like having options (even if I don't always use them).

 

[Jeremiah]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

Stag Mag!

 

[FuseG4]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

the thing is that you can use 2 500K pots, and a resistor from the lug on the switch that has the single coil, and run that resistor to ground. If you use a 500KΩ resistor, that yields 500K resistor in parallel with the 500K pot also connected to that pickup = 250KΩ that the pickup is loaded with when the tone is wide open. the neck bucker just gets the full 500K of the pot.

This is how fender did many of their bucker'd tele wirings, but I believe they used a 330K or 270K resistor which should roll off a little more high end on the bridge.

check out fender's service diagram on an American H-S tele with a bucker, a single, and 2 500K pots with a 270K resistor.
http://support.fender.com/service_diagrams/telecaster/011-8600A_SISD.pdf

 

[atreidesheir]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

SSL-2 sounds like the thing you need. They match up with tele bridges in my experience.
A tapped custom flat would give you some more versatility and another really useable voice.

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: Stratocaster neck pickup in a Tele

I put a 5% underwound Fralin Vintage Hot Strat pickup in mine, with a Duncan Jerry Donahue. I had to reverse the wires on the Fralin to get it in phase with the Duncan, but the two pickups sound great together and are humcancelling when combined. The Jerry Donahue was quite a bit louder than the covered Duncan Tele neck pickup that was in this guitar and the JD is still just a little louder than the 5% underwound Fralin pickup, but only a little and they're a great match with each other.

I'll get a new pickguard someday in mint, but this guitar has never sounded better.