Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

[Numerov]

Upgraded Fender Mex Telecaster (2001 or 2002) from stock pickups to SD STR-1 (neck) and STL-2 (Bridge - Broadcaster) in 2014. These are recommended by the SD site to be used together as a pair. Upgrade job was done by very reputable guy in London (Charlie Chandler).

STR-1 sounds muffled with little attack. STL-2 is fine. If turn up treble on amp a lot the STR-1 sound improves but then STL-2 is too trebly.
There is a problem. Pickups don't sound matched.
On this video the STR-1 sounds great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFkA0JOR-xw .
I know Youtube can change the sound compared to reality - but I don't believe it can add articulation and clarity!!!
I'm not happy. Could there be a wiring/installation problem or a problem with my guitar?

The original stock pickups did not have this tonal mismatch. But as I did not like the stock pickups I upgraded them to the SD pups.
Please give suggestions about what I should do. Thank you.

Numerov

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

Not trying to bash SD here, but I've found DiMarzio to be a great option for neck pickups.

I currently have a DiMarzio True Velvet in the neck paired with a Broadcaster in the bridge–excellent clarity while being warm–no mud at all.

 

[vinnie1971]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

Adjust pickup heights and maybe replace the cover in the neck with a plastic one or leave the cover off?
You could try 500k pots and when using the bridge disk the tone back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jeremy]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

the vintage tele neck is kinda dark, but thats the way some old tele pups were. the stl2 is the hot tele lead should be a thick, higher output tele sound. if the wiring was done correctly and you have adjusted the heights and cant get the neck pup bright enough, id run the tone control on only the bridge pup. that will brighten the neck pup noticeably. i run the tone on only the bridge pup on a few of my two pup guitars. when you have both pups on the tone works normally so its only the neck pup by itself selection that will have no tone control. i seldom if ever use the tone control on the neck pup anyway.

i dont usually care for the str1 paired with a vintage type tele bridge pup but i think it matches better with a hotter pup, which is what you are using if in fact your bridge is the stl2. if you are using the stl1b which is the broadcaster pup (great pup by the way) then i can see where the issue may be. again i say, pull the tone control off the neck pup and see what you think

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

STR-1 sounds muffled with little attack. STL-2 is fine. If turn up treble on amp a lot the STR-1 sound improves but then STL-2 is too trebly.

Tele players have been complaining about Tele neck pickups for the last 66 years.

I have a 30 year old Duncan STR-1 in my original '54 Fender Esquire. A previous owner installed it.

Esquires are routed for a neck pickup although they normally only have a bridge pickup. The bridge pickup in mine is the original.

I find I get my best rhythm sound with both pickups on. The middle position.

I've owned a few vintage Teles and the STR-1 sounds like a vintage Tele neck pickup: somewhat weak and somewhat muffled. So it's actually a fairly accurate reproduction of the vintage Tele neck pickup sound.

Disconnecting the tone control from the neck pickup helps. I do that.

Removing the cover from the neck pickup helps too. That exposes the polepieces for more treble, but also exposes the windings and they could be damaged so I don't do that.

The best neck pickup in a Tele is actually a Strat pickup. That's what I put in my MIJ Tele Custom. But that requires enlarging the pickup rout and a new or modded pickguard.

In any case, there's probably nothing wrong with the STR-1. It just sounds like what it is: a reproduction of the original pickup.

A Fralin Blues Special sounds a lot better. It's wound to sound like a Strat pickup and it has no cover to kill the treble.

 

[Numerov]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

Jeremy I got the bridge pickup name WRONG!

IT IS the broadcaster pickup installed in my Mex Tele (STL-1b) with the vintage neck pickup (STR-1).
Seymour Duncan say that these 2 pickups are a good match and recommend they are used together.
So I assume they should be a good match tonally?
In the youtube video I mentioned (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFkA0JOR-xw ) the STR-1 sounds great and sounds tonally matched to the bridge pickup.
(Admittedly I have no idea what bridge pickup is being used on the Tele in the video........but the guitar in the video DOES sound great!)

On my Mex Tele - the problem is that the STR-1 pickup sounds too dark with the tone control on the tele at 100%.
If I mod my guitar to let the tone only affect the STL-1b - that means I will need to turn the treble on my amp up high to get a workable tone on the STR-1 and then use the tone control on the Tele to back off the treble on the STL-1b (Broadcaster) to get the 2 pickups to match tonally.
Is that how your suggestion should work?
It seems quite extreme!
Is this a common problem with the STR-1 or do you think there could be something wrong with my guitar or a wiring issue or a fault with my particular STR-1?

As I said earlier - when the stock pickups were on the guitar - I don't remember having this tone mismatch problem between the 2 pickups....

 

[Numerov]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

Hi Lewguitar.

I compared my Tele with the Tele belonging to the lead guitar player in my band.
His tele has handmade Bulldog pickups installed. Bulldog only make 2 Tele sets. I don't know which set he has installed.
Of course the neck pickup is mellower than the bridge pickup - but they are tonally matched.
You don't feel the need to keep altering the tone on the guitar and/or amp to get the best tone depending on what pickup(s) are selected.

If what you say about vintage neck pickups is correct and the STR-1 is performing as it should be - does that mean that years ago all Tele players had this weird tonally unbalanced sound between the Broadcaster bridge pickup and the vintage neck pickup. Doesn't make sense to me....

However if you listen to the STR-1 pickup in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFkA0JOR-xw - it sounds wonderful.
I can't get close to this sound with the STR-1 in my Mex Tele from 2001/2002. That's my concern.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

having the tone control on the bridge pup only will remove the resistance of that control from the neck pup and the neck pup will sound brighter. even on 10 the tone control rolls off high end. it is easy to do and totally reversible, move one wire.

 

[RogerMexiko]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

Leo Fender's concept for The Telecaster neck pickup was to function as a substitute of sorts for the lack of a bass guitar player in the bands of that era. So, guess the answer to one of your questions is yes, that tonal imbalance was intended.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

I've never tried it... But I thought that since the volume tone will still be connected and is the same 250k as the tone control you're disconnecting, there won't be a difference in brightness?

(As a counter-example, I always thought you could use a 500k volume along with a 250k tone to get darker than two 500ks, but that a 500k volume and a 1 meg tone would still sound like a guitar with two 500ks when set on ten.)

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

Leo Fender's concept for The Telecaster neck pickup was to function as a substitute of sorts for the lack of a bass guitar player in the bands of that era. So, guess the answer to one of your questions is yes, that tonal imbalance was intended.

If that's the way the OP's Tele is wired it needs to rewired like a normal guitar. I didn't think the newer Mexican Teles were wired in that old fashioned style.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

I've never tried it... But I thought that since the volume tone will still be connected and is the same 250k as the tone control you're disconnecting, there won't be a difference in brightness?

(As a counter-example, I always thought you could use a 500k volume along with a 250k tone to get darker than two 500ks, but that a 500k volume and a 1 meg tone would still sound like a guitar with two 500ks when set on ten.)

the volume control will still be connected but if the tone control is only connected to the bridge pup it will have zero effect when the neck is selected by itself.

not sure why you think a 500k/250k would be darker and a 500k/1meg would sound like two 500k.

 

[Farkus]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

I installed the OP's exact combo into a friend's Warmoth build a few weeks ago. They are a fantastic set. I have no problem dialing a sound very similar to the video you posted. You may have issues with the wiring (sometimes these things fail even when a pro installs them) or maybe even a pickup that is faulty or out of spec.

FYI when I think of a tele neck pickup I don't necessary think "dark" as much as "muted" and that's where the no cover thing helps. My personal tele has an SSL-1 strat pickup in the neck with a SD vintage tele in the bridge. I don't fight to keep the vintage spec (or look) if it doesn't meet my needs. YMMV.

 

[RogerMexiko]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

Tele players have been complaining about Tele neck pickups for the last 66 years.

I have a 30 year old Duncan STR-1 in my original '54 Fender Esquire. A previous owner installed it.

Esquires are routed for a neck pickup although they normally only have a bridge pickup. The bridge pickup in mine is the original.

I find I get my best rhythm sound with both pickups on. The middle position.

I've owned a few vintage Teles and the STR-1 sounds like a vintage Tele neck pickup: somewhat weak and somewhat muffled. So it's actually a fairly accurate reproduction of the vintage Tele neck pickup sound.

Disconnecting the tone control from the neck pickup helps. I do that.

Removing the cover from the neck pickup helps too. That exposes the polepieces for more treble, but also exposes the windings and they could be damaged so I don't do that.

The best neck pickup in a Tele is actually a Strat pickup. That's what I put in my MIJ Tele Custom. But that requires enlarging the pickup rout and a new or modded pickguard.

In any case, there's probably nothing wrong with the STR-1. It just sounds like what it is: a reproduction of the original pickup.

A Fralin Blues Special sounds a lot better. It's wound to sound like a Strat pickup and it has no cover to kill the treble.

Would you mind posting a picture of your Telecaster with a Stratocaster neck pickup?

 

[Farkus]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....



Here is mine. American Standard with Callaham bridge, SSL-1 neck and middle with Duncan vintage tele in the bridge.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

Would you mind posting a picture of your Telecaster with a Stratocaster neck pickup?

Sure. It's an old MIJ Tele Custom. Joe Barden bridge. Duncan Custom Shop Jerry Donahue bridge pickup and Fralin Vintage Hot neck pickup. I keep it in open G or open D and it has fairly heavy strings with a wound G string. I use it mostly for slide and have the action cranked up pretty high.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

I actually like the stock neck pickup on my Mexican Telecaster; it lacks some glass/chime vs. a Strat pickup, but it's def. not muddy. It is a bit hot at ~>7k, but I have it cranked down a fair bit.

Edit: hmm, guess the STR-1 is about the same DC...

 

[Mincer]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

I never thought the STR-1 had any kind of 'articulation and clarity', because the vintage ones didn't...they sounded muffled and warm. It just might not be the right pickup here. You might try actually putting a Strat pickup there for more articulation, as none of our vintage-style Tele offerings are really all that clear.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

I never thought the STR-1 had any kind of 'articulation and clarity', because the vintage ones didn't...they sounded muffled and warm. It just might not be the right pickup here. You might try actually putting a Strat pickup there for more articulation, as none of our vintage-style Tele offerings are really all that clear.

I agree.

Which is why in my Tele with the STR-1 I typically play clean rhythm with both pickups combined rather than with the neck pickup alone.

The Strat neck pickup is a fine option in a newer used import guitar like the OP's Mexican Tele, or one you don't mind doing some woodwork on.

But I'm not about to put a Strat pickup in my '54 Esquire...even though I know it would sound better.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Unhappy with STR-1 (neck pup) in my Mex Tele....

i like strat pups or minihumbuckers or firebird pups for neck pups in my teles but it doesnt sound as teleish obviously. i really think you should pull the tone control off the neck pup before you do anything else. it will make a difference youll hear, it may or may not be enough but its worth a try since if you have a soldering iron or a friend with one its free. it is literally moving one wire from the volume control to the switch