OK - how many times do I walk down this road?

[TheGoodTexan]

I've never found a neck pickup that I used enough to justify keeping it in the guitar...for Teles that is. So lately I've just been going "Esquire", with a SD Broadcaster...which was fun for a while, but now I'm jonesing for more neck tones.

Recent neck pups I've tried but didn't do it for me include: Barden T-neck, Duncan Antiquity mini-hum, Duncan Hot Stack for Strat, Rio Grande Tallboy for Strat (actually had neck & middle for the Tallboys).

I'm a blues/country guy, so I need some bite...anyone have any suggestions? It'd be cool to just have a standard looking Tele, chrome covered neck pup.

[Jim Sams]

What do you want the neck pup to actually sound like?
Fat? Thin? Clean? Distorted?

[TheGoodTexan]

Originally Posted by Jim Sams

What do you want the neck pup to actually sound like?
Fat? Thin? Clean? Distorted?

Yes

[TheGoodTexan]

Originally Posted by Jim Sams

What do you want the neck pup to actually sound like?
Fat? Thin? Clean? Distorted?

Since it's all subjective, I don't mind trying a few suggestions. I use the bridge pup alone, for everything from Keff to Billy Gibbons type tone. I'd like a neck pup that compliments.

I hate naming songs, when referring to tone that I'm looking for, but here goes - how about EC's tone on "When I'm Tore Down". I KNOW he's using a 335 in the neck position there...but that's the general area that I'm looking for.

Can anyone report on a Duncan Quarter Pounder for Tele neck?

[KokoTele]

Well, that's a tough tone to go for with a tele neck pickup, I think. I use a Duncan '59 humbucker and hear a lot of the same blues tones in my head, my tele gets me pretty close.

There's also the strat-sized Lil'59, which sounds pretty close to the full-size thing when adjusted right.

As for standard tele tones, the best current-production pickup I've ever tried is the Van Zandt TruVintage, it sounded durned near exactly like an actual vintage Fender pickup I have. Doesn't do "Tore Down" type-tones, though, you need more meat than a standard tele for that.