Who started the "neck position humbucker" for Teles?

[Caffeine Patrol]

After watching that great video of Stevie Wonder playing "Superstition" on Sesame Street (link on Bad Dog Cafe), I got to wondering: who was the first "name" player to stick a humbucker in the neck position of their Tele? Was this popularized by Keith Richards or was someone famous doing it before him?

[Tim Armstrong]

I think the earliest one I can recall was blues great Albert Collins, who bought his '66 Tele used in the late 60s with a Gibson humbucker already in the neck. No doubt there were guys doing that kind of thing even before that, but there sure wasn't the amount of modding going on back then that there is today!

Cheers, Tim

[Wardpike]

Hey Caffeine Patrol,
Tim Armstrong gave you my answer also. AFAIK, Albert Collins was the pioneer of this move. It is reported in several sources that he pretty much stuck the Gibson Humbucker in his 66 Tele shortly after buying it.

[mellecaster]

I have no Documentation...but I'm almost sure a few Nashville players had Buckers in their Teles, not long after 1957, when they were introduced by Gibson....Bill Hullett knows some Studio Old Timers that might know.

[eryque]

Seems to me that Seymour Duncan did it with the Tele the gave to Jeff Beck earlier than Albert Collins had his, but maybe not by much.

[olewichita]

Originally Posted by mellecaster

I have no Documentation...but I'm almost sure a few Nashville players had Buckers in their Teles, not long after 1957, when they were introduced by Gibson....Bill Hullett knows some Studio Old Timers that might know.

possible, but teles hardly had a place in the early gibson dominated nashville scene... good question... tj

[Tarnisher]

Funny, I prefer the reverse- single coil at the neck, humbucker at the bridge. Just seems to make sense to me that you'd have the hot pickup for leads and the mellower one for rhythm.

[stevieboy]

Originally Posted by Wardpike

Hey Caffeine Patrol,
Tim Armstrong gave you my answer also. AFAIK, Albert Collins was the pioneer of this move. It is reported in several sources that he pretty much stuck the Gibson Humbucker in his 66 Tele shortly after buying it.

I've heard it, like Tim did, that the neck humbucker was already in it when the bought the guitar, from Ace Music in Santa Monica (a store that as a total aside I shopped at much later, and also stared at out the window of my dentist's office while I had a root canal.) Not that I can say for sure of course, but that's how I've heard it.

[Elliot Easton]

I've seen photos of Albert Lee from the mid '60's when he was playing with Chris Farlow and the Thunderbirds, and you can clearly see a neck humbucker on his Telecaster, although I'm sure he probably wasn't the first player to do that.

[kelnet]

Forgive my inquisitiveness, Mr. Easton, but are you the same Elliot Easton from The Cars?

[Ray G]

Tough to say who the first person was. But believe it or not one in the first handfull Tele/Bucker people that I know of was actually THE Band's bassist, Rick Danko.

Robbie Robertson had been playing a Tele w/ a gibson bucker throughout 1971 and is seen with this set up in the photos for THE Band's live Rock Of Ages album (recorded new year's eve 71 into 72)... Rick stated in a Guitar Player Magazine interview from 1976 that Robbie got the idea from him (Rick) as he had a Tele with a Gibson Humbucker at the neck before Robbie.

[getbent]

I'm going with Bernie Leadon.


I think he had one in the Maundy Quintet in 66... and with the Burritos... I think it is the guitar that has the evans bender too.

[Elliot Easton]

Originally Posted by kelnet

Forgive my inquisitiveness, Mr. Easton, but are you the same Elliot Easton from The Cars?

Sí Señor.

[chemikiller]

That first Cars album is one of my all time faves. The quintessential 80's new-wave album.

[kelnet]

Originally Posted by Elliot Easton

Sí Señor.

Cool. It blows me away how many "pros" are on this site and sharing their knowledge with mere mortals.

[teleyouk]

I heard that the tele custom 72 with the "wide range" humbucker was produced with the collaboration of Clarence White, who wanted a humbucker equipped tele...

And I read that Al McKay modded his tele with an humbucker at the neck position after seeing Chicago's Terry Kath (G.P. feb. 2007)

[happycat]

Originally Posted by Elliot Easton

I've seen photos of Albert Lee from the mid '60's when he was playing with Chris Farlow and the Thunderbirds, and you can clearly see a neck humbucker on his Telecaster, although I'm sure he probably wasn't the first player to do that.

i like the night life, baby... let's go!

[Mark Davis]

I would say the 1st person to do it is an unknown player. Probably someone who didnt like the Tele neck pickup and had a humbucker and just got out a chisel and did it.

When I first got interested in vintage guitars in the early 70's I remember seeing all kinds of Teles with buckers in the necks.

Humbuckers started in 1957 so Id say as a guess there were probably quite a few Teles with Buckers in the neck by the early/mid 60's.

[maestrovert]

iirc, Ted Greene & later Ed Bickert were the 1st jazzers of note to utilize 'buckers in their Teles....
but jes' mebbe they stole the idea from Howard Roberts ! TDPRI'er Fezz Parka might know....

[Tele295]

Bob Bain (studio guy who played Peter Gunn Theme with Henry Mancini, et al; also Tonight Show band) had one in his blackguard back in the 50's. He also had a B16 on there. Couldn't be before '57, as that's when the PAF was released.

About Bob: http://www.rfsoc.org.uk/jim34.shtml

Picture by Tracy Longo, www.guitartechcorner.com Gunn guitar held by Jim LaDiana far left: