Strat pickup in the neck of a Tele

[Jason R.]

Hard to search on this topic because NECK, PICKUP and TELE are fairly common!

Three questions:

1. If I don't put a cover on the strat pickup going into my Tele's neck, will it fit into the existing hole in the pickguard?

2. Is the wiring the same as the wiring on my existing Tele neck pickup? (Currently I have Nashville 52 pickups in both positions with a 4-way switch)

3. I like Marty Stuart's tone when he uses his neck pickup and I'm looking for a little more crystaline Strat tone from the neck. Any experience with the SD's Strat Five Two pick-ups?

[DMace]

The Strat's a bigger pickup. It won't fit in the neck hole of a Tele. Fred Stuart makes a direct replacement Strat pickup for a Tele: Tele size, Strat tone.

[bootlegger1929]

Harmonic Designs makes one as well.

[teleweezel]

I put a custom shop Strat bridge pup in the neck of one of my partscasters. Wired it just like a Tele, but made the pickguard fit the pick up.

I love it.

[hecubus]

1. As stated, it will not fit. You can get a custom pickguard with a strat sized hole from warmoth for $25. I have a Duncan SSL-1 in the neck of my MIM and it sounds great.

2. Wiring was the same in my expereince.

3. My pick up covers the 5 part and you will not be disapointed. Low notes are powerful yet not wooly. The higher notes always sound smooth, but I can see the alnico two magnets making them a little more chimey and bell like.

[jefrs]

It won't fit the pickguard hole but the body rout should be large enough. The 'Twisted Tele' neck pickup is practically a strat pickup in a tele can.

[Jason R.]

Another question:

If I only have two pickups on my Tele, should I use a strat middle pickup in the neck position to get the RW/RP hum-cancelling feature in the middle switch position?

[kyle1167]

GFS has a Tele pickguard with a Strat pickup route.

[woodman]

you should be OK with a neck pickup there. i've used a Strat pickup as a Tele neck several times and liked the tone, but a couple of times, the string spacing didn't line up — the strings were offset from the magnets a little.

[dukeh62]

Check out Don Mare's "S-Telly" pickup. It's a strat neck pup in a tele neck pup casing...and it's killer diller.

[Fred.T]

Maybe a cheaper GFS Alnico Fatbody Oversized Polepiece Tele Neck Pickup I37 will make you happy. It sounds very much like Strat neck pickup.

[Jason R.]

Thanks for the ideas...I need to check out a few web sites.

[jefrs]

The middle pickup should have opposite magnetic pole up to the tele pickupses, that usually means using a strat neck pickup. But not always, you can check poles with a compass needle. You do not have to do the RWRP thing, so you can use any strat pickup really.

[Perry D.]

+1 on the Don Mare S-Telly.

[pgambon]

How about removing the cover from your existing tele neck pickup? Cheap, fairly easy and you might find the tone is already there, it's just hidden under that metal cover!