Tele PUs for blues

I'm thinking of building a tele for (chicago/bbking/albertking/clean) blues music, and I need some pickup advice. I was thinking a mini-humbucker in the neck, or a humbucker in a single coil form factor for the neck.

Any thoughts? Recommendations?

I've been looking at these wondering if I can justify purchasing for a future partscaster...
http://lollarguitars.com/cgi-bin/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LGP&Product_Code=239&Category_Code=PU

and I can recommend the Symourized mini they have a sweet tone. I have one in a Patrick Eggle Broadway...surprisingly great for jazzy tone:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/specializeddescr.shtml#sm3

Call up Don Mare and ask him for the Joel Foy wind. You will love them for tradtional blues. I have them in my Esquire. He is also doing a wind that nail Steve Croppers Green Onions sound. It is a little bit hotter than the Joel Foy wind.

Call up Don Mare and ask him for the Joel Foy wind. You will love them for tradtional blues. I have them in my Esquire. He is also doing a wind that nail Steve Croppers Green Onions sound. It is a little bit hotter than the Joel Foy wind.

Just found his website:
http://www.buckcannon.com/

"NEW* "The 4709's aka.(Joel Foy /Rosie Wrap)~
avalible in sets or as rewinds" Early Bakersfield "Twangy"
Steely & bright but no ice pick, Good for Rock or especially
Country these are great specs! Set 6.36K Neck & 6.00k Bridge,
Said to be the Best Sounding Specs in the world! Note:
I alter all my specs slightly (0.1k to 0.2k )
to adjust and compinsate for winding varainces and chassis,
inorder to reach the goal results tonally these special
Wraps are now in Set's or singles,
Specs! $210.00 set or $105.00 each .
(Rewinds are $55.00 each,
We must use "Vintage like" chassis and good magnets)"


Research begins!

I think I might send an email to Lindy Fralin/Lollar/Seymour Duncan and see how they react to the "what pickup of yours would give me this type of sound" question.

You may also want to consider a P-90 type on the neck as well-lotsa early blues players (including BB) had P-90 equipped guitars (of the Gibson variety) early on in their careers... I just put one in one of my guitars (a GFS Mean 90) and it's working quite nicely, indeed...

Franc Robert
Back Allley Blues Band

You may also want to consider a P-90 type on the neck as well-lotsa early blues players (including BB) had P-90 equipped guitars (of the Gibson variety) early on in their careers... I just put one in one of my guitars (a GFS Mean 90) and it's working quite nicely, indeed...

Franc Robert
Back Allley Blues Band

Good point.

I think I'm gonna have to rout or get routed a Tele body for at least a humbucker, so a P-90 shouldn't be a huge issue (I'll have to get the string spacing checked though).

I know Lucille uses a 490 set of humbuckers in it's current form. I guess I'm really looking for that mid-range punch.

Have you played a Muddy Waters tele?

Yep, don't like the rosewood fingerboard though. Haven't been able to find one since that first time.

I'm thinking of building a tele for (chicago/bbking/albertking/clean) blues music, and I need some pickup advice. I was thinking a mini-humbucker in the neck, or a humbucker in a single coil form factor for the neck.

Any thoughts? Recommendations?

While there are many excellent options out there and it will ultimately rest with what sounds and feels best to our ears, I'll second Big Steves recommendation of Don Mares pickups.

I've yet to read or hear a bad word about Dons pickups. If you call him direct, he'll spend whatever time is necessary with you to nail the tone your after. Again, there are many variables here, but all in all, he'll probably nail what you want.

After a nice phone chat, I sent Don a bridge pup for rewind. Per my request, he wound it as a cross between a P-90 and an old Broadcaster. Not the easiest thing to do, but for this guitar, it is the best sounding and feeling pickup I've had the pleasure to use. Simply KILLS for blues. I have it paired with a custom wound Manlius neck bucker and the two together are just hat I've been after.

Since we recommend what works for us, you are going to get many different answers. You can't go wrong with Lollars either. Good luck in your search!

If I were building a parts Tele for blues, I's go with a regular tele style pup in the bridge and a P-90 style in the neck. More specifically, with that in mind, I'd call Lindy Fralin and tell him what I'm building, and that I want to use one of his alnico-pole style P-90s in the neck, and ask him to wind a Tele bridge pup to match with the alnico pole P-90 in balance.

If I were building a parts Tele for blues, I's go with a regular tele style pup in the bridge and a P-90 style in the neck. More specifically, with that in mind, I'd call Lindy Fralin and tell him what I'm building, and that I want to use one of his alnico-pole style P-90s in the neck, and ask him to wind a Tele bridge pup to match with the alnico pole P-90 in balance.

Is the string spacing on a P-90 too wide for a Tele?

I've yet to read or hear a bad word about Dons pickups. If you call him direct, he'll spend whatever time is necessary with you to nail the tone your after. Again, there are many variables here, but all in all, he'll probably nail what you want.

Don's pickups are unbelievable. Have heard nothing like them before.
Very alive-sounding.

I'm thinking of building a tele for (chicago/bbking/albertking/clean) blues music, and I need some pickup advice. I was thinking a mini-humbucker in the neck, or a humbucker in a single coil form factor for the neck.

Any thoughts? Recommendations?
Standard Tele-type pickups. Fred Stuart Blackguards would be an excellent choice. Humbuckers not needed.

There's so many good choices! I tried several things on my Am St with an Alder body and maple neck before I found a combination I really love! I use a Findy Fralin Blues in the neck and a Semore Duncan Jazz humbucker in the neck. It took a little bit of adjustment but they balance well. I also installed a push/pull on the tone knob to split the humbucker. That way I have lots of choices. Supopsos ya' could also add a 3 way switch and go for the parallel/ series thing too....

I also installed a Gledale vintage style bridge with brass and aluminum saddles. Made a huge difference!

Its a Blues machine!! Plenty of punch and clean mids!! Tone Tone Tone!!

bareknuckle pickups are great hand wound top quality.

neck is absolutely unbelievable, great for a warm bluesy tone if you back off the tone a bit:

here's the options

Vintage
Country Boy Single Coil Set
Yardbird Single Coil Set

Vintage Hot
Brown Sugar Single Coil Set
The Boss Single Coil Set
Piledriver Single Coil Set

i've got the country boy set and love them apparently the piledriver ones are close to the original broadcaster sounds.

i've yet to hear bad words about any of them.

If you opt to go single coils...Fralin Tele Blues are simply awesome, and worth every penny. I'm not a beliver in pick up upgrades but these came in a tele I recently purchased and they are perfect blues pick up. Makes the tele very hard to put down.

I think I'll bounce Fralin an email when I'm ready to spend the money on this, see what they say.

Here's a pickup combination to consider...Standard Tele bridge p'up with a Seymour Duncan '59 'bucker at the neck. The SD '59 has that P-90 sound. I mostly play blues and this setup works great for me. Dig out the Dremmel tool and soldering iron & something to sip on and have a good old time.
:cool: