[bradpdx]

Plain and simple: acoustic strings do NOT use magnetic material in the windings. Bronze wrapped acoustic strings will sound VERY weak through a magnetic pickup on a Tele.

The magnetic pickups used on acoustic guitars (e.g., Sunrise, Fishman Rare Earth, etc.) are generally voiced to greatly emphasize the wound strings over the plain strings in order to overcome this difference.

Using "acoustic" gauges such as .012 - .053 (lights) or .013 - .056 (medium) is probably fine, but do it using nickel wound strings.

Don't forget - what we call "slinky" strings for electrics didn't appear on the market until the 1960s. When Teles and Strats were first sold, everybody played with these "heavy" gauges, no different than acoustic gauges. So the Telecaster can take the tension.

We can thank James Burton for figuring out the whole skinny string business on solid body guitars.