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Perhaps not first call for Tele purists, but I still really dig the Harmonic Design pickups in my Nashville B-Bender. The '54 bridge has slightly stronger mids presentation and less spank and high end presence than many traditional/vintage/Fender-type Tele bridge pickups (including the Lollar Vintage T that I have in my '52 RI, which is an awesome sounding pickup in its own right). But it's sort of six of one, half dozen of the other for me, as I usually wind up backing down the tone knob to 3/4 or less with really twangy sounding Tele bridge pickups anyway. In any event, the HD '54 has no trouble delivering Bakersfield spank and it gets along WAY better with gain than most traditional single coil Tele bridge pickups I've played. The HD '54 neck is detailed, focused, and articulate, not the muddy and congested tone that some folks grouse about with Tele neck pickups. I put a HD "mini-strat" in the middle postion; I only use it in position #2 for a fake strat ducktone, but it's among the best at this that I've played.
Generally, this HD set has slightly higher output, or at least more perceived volume, than most traditional/vintage-style offerings (always a good thing in my world). In switching through positions on a five way switch, there's a nice volume balance. Maybe not everyone's cup o' tea, but definitely a good fit for me personally. Probably the most versatile and useful pickup set that I've had in a Tele.
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