Output problem?

[Phatius]

Hello fellow tele owner/lovers. I'm new to the forums and as of today, a first time Tele owner. Got myself a 96' Fender Tele MIJ. It looks awesome and sounds great unplugged.

Problem time...
Now i don't know if this is an actual problem or if teles are just like this but when i plugged it in to my amp it just sounded very soft and the signal sounded weak even though all knobs were turned up. whereas my LP was very very noticeably louder. Not talking about distortion, but the overall volume of it was weak. Could it be the pickups? Pots? or maybe an electrical problem? HELP PLEASE!

[Jupiter]

How'd it sound when you turned the amp up?

[Phatius]

like how it would sound with my LP with amp a little over half cranked. i tried raising the pickups but it don't go high. the birdge sounded a bit louder after i raised it. but not by much. maybe my pots need replacing?

[Jupiter]

What I mean is, the pick-ups on your tele just might not be as hot as the LP's HBs, and maybe you just gotta crank the amp a little more, so if it sounds okay when you turn it up, then it's fixed. ;-)

Are the pots scratchy at all? When you turn 'em, do they crackle? Do they otherwise behave normally?

[Phatius]

yeah you may be right. but half the volume of an LP? that doesn't sound right. but anyways nope no scratchy pots.

[Jupiter]

One easy low-tech way to check it is to take your tele down to Guitar Center and play it and a few others through the same amp.

[donh]

Standard humbucking pickups are by nature higher-output than a similar standard single-coil.

This may be all that you are experiencing. If you can turn up the amp and get a fun usable sound, be happy and keep playing!

[Phatius]

yeh thanks for the advice guys. i sat and played with it for hours yesterday learned to love it. i still want to switch out the PUPs though. they're pretty noisy and the neck is a bit muddy. im told bill lawrence keystones are great replacements. any suggestions?