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View Full Version : Best tele neck humbucker?



Duff
November 11th, 2009, 09:54 PM
Planning to put a bucker in the neck of a tele and am open to suggestions.

Any ideas on a great neck tele pickup?

Even a P 90 would be okay if it would blend in with the bridge pup in the middle position.

I'm mainly considering a hum bucker though, a twangy humbucker.

Advice appreciated.

wingsdad
November 11th, 2009, 10:15 PM
I'll suggest this one, since it's in my G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy. Seymour Duncan Seth Lover SH55 (http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/vintage/sh55_seth_lover/)
The neck position-specific model is the SH-55N.

red
November 12th, 2009, 04:09 AM
My Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster's got a Seymour-Duncan Vintage Mini-Humbucker SM-1 (http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/specialized/vintage/sm1_vintage_min/) pickup in the neck position, and every time I've considered swapping it with a real humbucker I ended up giving up after playing the guitar for a couple of minutes. I'm now completely convinced that for the humbucker sound I should just get another Telecaster. I love that pickup. But, it depends what sound you're after. That pickup is a reproduction of a classic Firebird pickup, and as such it's tone is a combination of low-output humbucker and a great Stratocaster-type neck pickup. I really dig it, but it's not classic humbucker tone.

If you want something yet in between a "regular" humbucker and a Firebird pickup, you should look at a Jason Lollar Mini Humbucker (http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LGP&Product_Code=239&Category_Code=humbucker-pickups).

And if you really want a humbucker, you can't go wrong with a Gibson Burstbucker Pro (http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Divisions/Gibson%20Gear/Pickups/_Burstbucker%20Pro/) pickup, or it's Seymour Duncan or Lollar equivalent.

If you'll click the links I've put in this post, I think they all have sound samples there.

Happy shopping!

mrmudcat
November 12th, 2009, 05:44 AM
Are you planning on modding the P.G. and routing it for the bucker or are ya wanting a stacked single coil sized bucker????

Duff
November 12th, 2009, 11:03 AM
Was planning on a full xized like Keith Richards, but the single coil size sounds interesting. Didn't think about that, but I would have to rout the guard I think because I would want a JB Jr or Little 59 or a full sized single coil HB.

I wonder what Keith Richards has in his? Do you suppose it is the stock Fender neck humbucker? He has been playing that tele for a long time and if he is anything like us he probably has had it modded, but might have just picked it up off the shelf and liked the sound or had it custom made.

red
November 12th, 2009, 11:41 AM
I wonder what Keith Richards has in his? Do you suppose it is the stock Fender neck humbucker? He has been playing that tele for a long time and if he is anything like us he probably has had it modded, but might have just picked it up off the shelf and liked the sound or had it custom made.
To which Telecaster are you referring to? The most famous yellow one (Micawber) has a reverse Gibson PAF humbucker installed in the neck position. The black Telecaster custom has got it's original pickup, but they made them differently back then. If you buy a Telecaster Custom now, it's not the same pickup tonally at all. And the pots I think have different values.

oswaldbowser
November 26th, 2009, 05:09 PM
If you want a Pickup that is hand built and not expensive but has the tone of forgotten years i suggest you contact a guy called Spence who makes them to order. http://www.shedpickups.com
They are not expensive same price really as a bareknuckle etc, but trust me they are one of the best sounding pickups I have ever bought, dont expect to buy them off the shelf the guy takes about two weeks to make them and so you will have to wait.....but my god is it worth it pure 100% tone !