Help deciding; Seymour Duncan Vintage Stacked or Fender Noiseless Tele's

[GoranS]

I'm doing a project Tele and is having a hard time deciding which pickups to get. Having a MIM body with a large route for the neck pup there's just so many options. The ongoing project is over here.

Since this is my first Tele I've decided to get a traditional set, but I want it to be noiseless. The choice of pickups have finally cooked down to two sets:

- Seymour Duncan Vintage Stack STK-T3b & STK-T1n
- Fender Vintage Noiseless Tele Pickups

I play mainly blues with no or very little OD and want to have nice honky sound but still with a good Tele sound. An example of my playing: Soul Thang, this is performed with my Strat equipped with the Fender Hot Noiseless set. Another one is Sugar Sweet with a Strat with set of Lace Hot Golds. For my Tele I would like to have a similar sound as the first but with a Tele footprint... If this makes any sense...

Recommendations from the TDPRI pickup gurus would be appreciated.
/G

[Strat God]

I chose the SD's and now I'm ripping them out for Fender Noiseless.
Don't make my mistake.

[GoranS]

Thanks Strat God!

I'm actually leaning towards the Fender Noiseless set based on some nice clips I found on YouTube. And they're much cheaper too... Please report your opinion on your new pup's when installed!

It is really hard to decide when it isn't possible to test pickups first hand. Got lucky regarding my Strats; I totally love the Fender Hot Noiseless and the Lace Hot Gold (13.2 k bridge pup) sets. Got three Strats and the HN's are in two of them.
/G

[Textele]

Well I am more of a gambler than a guru when it comes to pickups and I can only comment on the neck position, but I lucked out on my first swap from the stock pups on my first tele. The Fender Noiseless neck pup is REALLY good to my ears. I got a good deal on a neck pickup on the bay and decided to give it a shot. I was not expecting much due to some things I have read and heard on the fourms. I was very glad I gave it a shot. It will stay in for sure!

Tone is of course all subjective but my personal pros and cons....

Pros
1. Totally noiseless
2. Authentic Tele spank and clarity, maybe a little hotter (to my ears)
3. Great clean or overdriven
4. Mixes very well in the middle switch position with the bridge (duncan bridge in this case)

Cons
1. Honestly, none that I can find.

Sorry I can not comment on the Fender Vintage Noiseless bridge pup as I have never played one.

Good luck!

[GoranS]

Thanks TexTele!

The neck pup is important to me, at least on my Strats and I think it will be of equal importance on my Tele too.

To me a good bridge pup have a mid-rangy sound with not to much treble-bite (ice-pick), then it is useful for soloing too.
Changed my Strat Lace Hot Gold bridge pup from 6k to 13.2k for that reason alone and now I find it very useful. It had not as much ice-pickiness but it was to week in the midrange for my taste.

But in Tele's I'm a total noob, that's why I'm fishing for opinions...

/G

[TG]

I'd choose the Dimarzio AreaT over either of them.

[Rich_S]

Always the contrarian, I chose the Duncan Vintage Stacks for my Nashville Tele (Tele bridge, Strat middle, minihumbucker at the neck). I really like it, but I'm not really a conniseuer of vintage Tele tone. One thing I did was switch to a no-load tone pot to gain back the little bit of top end I lost when I swtiched from an STL-1 to the Stack.

[BriarJustin]

I have the SCN in my MIM Tele and it really spanks when you yank. Don't know if you chicken pick but they hot for it.

[GoranS]

I play mainly the blues and want a blues with a growl and a twang and sometimes clean...

The decision list is right now down to two slightly other options:

- Fender Vintage Noiseless Tele set
- Lace TN-100/T150 set

I play with a regular (whatever that is) picking style, links to some of my music in my first post...
/G

[GoranS]

The decision is made. Just ordered the Fender Vintage Noiseless set along with some pots, pickguard, control plate, knobs and a 4 position switch.
/G

[Textele]

G,
I think for what you are looking for, and the style you play, you are going to be a very happy man!

Peace!

[GoranS]

Thanks!

I believe so too. Saw a nice clip on the toobe that got me convinced.

I have two Strats with Fender Hot Noiseless and a Jazz Bass with Fender Vintage Noiseless. All sounds good, felt almost obliged to buy Vintage Tele Noiseless too.

My next Tele will have Lace's... (I have a Strat with Lace Hot Golds which I love)

/G

[Guitartom_ca]

I Love the sound of my SD vintage stack bridge pickup, But i wasnt impressed with the neck pup at all.