Advice on Neck PUP

[cg73cmc]

Hey guys, I have a 2001 MIA with the stock Deltatones in the bridge and the neck. I'm not really unhappy with the stock pups but I'm looking for something different in the neck right now. I play through a Route 66 Compressor/Overdrive and into a Blues Jr.

Here's the deal. I like tele-picking and for that I use the bridge pup and I like twang -- so I don't want to put a hotter pickup in there -- eventually I may swap it to something that has a little more twang (maybe a nocaster -- one day).

The neck pup -- I use for Blues stuff (I study a lot of different kinds of music - country, rock, blues, jass, etc) -- and the neck pup just doesn't seem to have it all "there" you know? So I was thinking about swapping to a hotter pup in the neck -- maybe a Texas Special? Something warm and fat.

But, it gets more complicated. I use the MIDDLE switch position to approximate an acoustic guitar (I LOVE TELES -- DON'T Y'ALL?). Right now I'm happy with the tones coming out of that switch position. However, anything I change in the neck is going to change the tone comin' out of the middle pos.

Can I go to a hotter pickup that'll give me the warm and fat in the neck position while not hosing up my nice crisp tones in the middle pos?

[Jef]

Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound tapped. This is a very overlooked neck pickup, actually one of my favourite chrome covered tele pickups. At full output it gives you a fat and warm bluesy tone, when tapped it sounds clean like a traditional tele neck pickup. When using a 5 way switch, you get:
1. neck pickup full output
2. neck pickup full output + bridge
3. bridge
4. neck pickup tapped + bridge
5. neck pickup tapped
That's what I'm using in my bigsby'ed partscaster at the moment and I'm especially pleased with the QP.

Jef

[JohnK24]

I've had it with a Nocaster Bridge..great combo tones, I didn't like the Nocaster alone at the time (through a Vox AC15...too many mids).

I've got a set of the Texas Tele pups in my MIM Standard now (w/ 4 way switch). The neck pup is fat and warm, works well with the tone knob and height adjustments REALLY change the character of this pup. I've had it raised up high (really in your face "strat" like) and set low, jazzy/smoky blues. Currently I've got it set a half screw twist lower than the Mr. Gearhead spec. height (same for the bridge TX pup). I can get crisp twang, fat blues and a thick 'bucker tone (w/ 4 way switch). I'm going to keep the TX neck pup, but I'm looking to replace the bridge, it lacks enough clarity to give me a deep Don Rich twang...although it does a great overdriven Paisley and Urban Twang.

btw - my amp is a BLues Jr. too...

hth,

John