Does anyone like humbuckers on Telecasters?

[gmann]

They’re not what I buy a Telecaster for.

 

[Bastion Highwalk]

Yep, definitely.

 

[gazzie]

I will admit that the humbucker is one of the most significant inventions in the history of guitar electronics. Whereas Gibson's P90 pickups, as well as many Fender guitars, had single coil pickups that caused a lot of hum and increasingly unwanted feedback, in 1957, Seth Lover created the humbucker, which would buck (IE cancel) is hum and buzzing of single coil pickups. The PAF pickup (as it was called) stood for patent applied for, and the patent was finally awarded in the early sixties.

Soon after, several other companies, including DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, EMG, Fishman and Fender followed Gibson's lead. I don't generally like humbuckers on Strats, however, a lot of great superstrats from the Eighties have a humbucking pickup in the bridge position. I do however, think that the humbucking pickup in the neck of a Telecaster is pretty good, and is the closest thing to making a Telecaster sound realistically like a Gibson. There are lots of good Telecasters that have had humbuckers--Terry Kath's battered 1966 Fender Telecaster he used on all the vintage Chicago recordings had a Gibson SG humbucker in the neck of his Telecaster, which allegedly was the neck pickup of one of many Gibson SGs Terry used.

Andy Summers and Robbie Robertson were also known to play humbucking Telecasters. I don't think the bridge of a Telecaster should be humbucking, but I do like the Telecaster Deluxe and Telecaster thinline, so I guess humbuckers are okay on those Telecaster bridges.

Keith Richards also has a lot of modified Telecasters. His first one, Micawber, has a brass replacement bridge to accomodate 5 strings, with the humbucker in neck position and the nut cut, not evenly over the fingerboard, but with the first string modded to move over a little. Richards uses this Tele to play Brown Sugar and Honky Tonk Woman.

Richards also has another Telecaster, Malcolm, which is also modified with a cut nut and humbucker in neck position, but this one stays capoed at the 4th fret and is tuned in B. Richards uses this Telecaster to play Tumbling Dice and Jumpin Jack Flash.

Nancy Wilson, the lead guitarist and singer in Heart, also has a heavily modified Lake Placid Blue 1963 Fender Telecaster, with a PAF humbucker in the Telecaster neck position, that Nancy has been using since the late Seventies. Whether the Telecaster already had the humbucker in it before Nancy acquired it, however, is unknown.

But if you guys have any humbucking Telecasters plase post it here.

"Seth Lover created the humbucker".

No he didn't. Humbuckers were around in the 30s - but not on guitars. In terms of guitar humbuckers - Ray Butts may disagree with you there! To me his version is the greatest humbucker of all time. He invented the Filtertron and of course Filtertrons are humbuckers. By pure coincidence, both designs were developed independently - at the same time in 1957.

I don't understand why the Lover humbucker version ever took off as it seems so inferior in sound to the Butts version.

Personally I hate "Lover" type humbuckers but LOVE Butts style Filtertrons and to me a Tele works great with them, but, no not a Lover style humbucker. There are a few low out put PAFs that sound pretty good, but most are too flabby and muddy.

 

[OlRedNeckHippy]

Like I told a guy recently regarding his 4 knob HH Tele....

"That's not a Telecaster. That is a Telecaster Deluxe."

 

[Call Me Al]

Good gravy yes! I think I just prefer humbuckers in general, and think “you can’t go wrong!” When they’re added

One of my favorite online teachers has a Tele with a p90 neck and a PAF in the bridge. That guitar sounds so freaking good!

 

[Novak]

For the life of me I never understood why telecaster "fans" would want humbuckers on a tele. I haven't seen Les Paul aficionados
replacing their humbuckers with single coils, and I'm pretty sure no Les Paul or 335 offers a "single coil" option.

 

[Mike M]

 

[Fender_Player90]

The string spacing on the nut of Micawber and Malcolm aren't modified.
he could add the low E-string anytime. (if he could find the bridge saddle)

View attachment 1069898

I find it interesting that he swapped a humbucker in the Neck position when he stays on the Bridge (position 1) position most of the time. Interesting also that most people with Telecasters leave the single coil in the bridge and put a humbucker in the Neck. On Strats, if people put one humbucker in the guitar, it almost always goes in the Bridge. I see people play those guitars too and they stay on the neck and sometimes barely use that bridge humbucker they swapped in. To beef the bridge and ironically on a Tele , to beef up the Neck which on a lot of guitars the neck is the one thats two thick

One thing I havent seen done before is what about removing the Tele Neck Pickup cover? This has been shown to improve tone on Les Paul. Second has anybody mounted a Strat Neck or Middle Pickup in the neck of a Tele? Best of both worlds . Or a Tele bridge in the Bridge of a Strat.

Honestly I find nothing wrong with my Neck pickup, it sounds great and is full. There is a Telecaster Deluxe model with dual humbuckers, id have one of those. But thats a slightly different animal. Im personally not a fan of having partial humbucker and single coil guitar. Would rather have all humbuckers or all single coils. That said I feel the sound of the Deluxe is not far off from a regular single coil telecaster with hot pickups. And series wiring with the right single coil sounds make it sounds close (not like a Les Paul but similar to a humbucker Tele). At the end of the day, the Tele sounds like a Tele whether single coil or humbucker. Just different "flavors" of the same sound.

 

[McGoldTopp]

 

[DHart]

First thing... for the person with MORE than one Tele, that person can, of course, have one or more Teles with traditional pickup configurations, and in addition, one or more Teles with a variety of different pickup configurations. Best of numerous possible worlds can be had, and greatly enjoyed! Having a Tele with humbuckers doesn't mean you can't also have traditional Teles.

With regard to removing the cover on a Tele neck pickup - this is not uncommon. Examples of mine

How about a Tele with an uncovered neck position combined with a hum bucker at the bridge? Yep, got that, too.

Or a Tele with an uncovered Tele neck pickup and a Strat Fat 50's bridge pickup?

Honestly, every one of these guitars sounds just great. Leo enabled us to easily create guitar fantasies of our own! And, obviously, this is something that I find great enjoyment in doing.

How about a Strat with a pair of Cavalier "Phoenix" Firebird pickups? Oh man does this guitar sound awesome. I just did this one last week. Such tone! Rich, clean, deep, full bodied, crystal clear, and sparkly bright. And no hum. (Yes, I have some Strats with traditional pickup configurations, as well.)

Tele with Strat Fat 50's at the neck and middle positions, with a Tele bridge pickup. (Best of a Strat and Tele, all in one. Could be some folk's idea of a "holy grail" Fender guitar?)

Or, a Tele with Fat 50's Strat pickups at both neck and bridge?

Triple Tele bridge pickups, perhaps? (Yes, the much-loved Tele bridge pickup DOES sound great, in whatever position you choose to play it at!) Why not, I say?

Would you be surprised to find that the Tele bridge pickup also sounds great in a Strat body - in all three positions? Done that, too!

So many wonderful combinations of pickups to enjoy in Teles, Strats, and Gibson, Epiphone, and other guitars too! (I'll leave those custom jobs for another time.)

 

[panzrwagn]

I have a made in US, painted in Mexico, maple neck, candy apple red Tele with a '54 bridge, stock single coil at the bridge, a 'PAF' (not sure if it's real or a clone) at the neck, and 5-Way switching. Want tone? Which one? This one's got'em all. Pretty Amazing.

 

[Rick Lanahan]

No!

 

[Tele-friend]

Interesting also that most people with Telecasters leave the single coil in the bridge and put a humbucker in the Neck. On Strats, if people put one humbucker in the guitar, it almost always goes in the Bridge.

Well arguably Telecaster bridge pickup is the unique tele tone and Stratocasters neck pickup is strats unique tone. So it makes sense to me.

 

[Blues Power]

I Have a duncan 59 in the neck of my USA blues boy but i i have wired in parallel.
in the bridge my MFD went bad and i put in a Area T615

so technically guess have 2 HBs in there.

but it runs dead quiet so im happy that way

 

[mad dog]

I've not spent time with teles that have regular HBs installed. Now I have two Squier CV teles, both with the faux WRHB p/us. One the solidbody 70s model, the other the thinline 70s model. It's rare you find cheaper instruments with outstanding p/us, but here they are. I'm really enjoying them.

 

[Hobblegopter]

I'm a fan. JB trembucker/Sentient. I was planning to get a nickel cover for the neck, but I kinda like it as is.
Great set of pickups. Ignore the disappearing tuners & strap button, probably the portrait mode algorithm.

As for why I have a Tele with humbuckers...it's my guitar, not yours...AYHSMB.

 

[Geoff738]

Zhangbucker pickups in a USACG/MJT body and Allparts neck.

The Zhang bucker is awesome.

Cheers,
Geoff

 

[wblynch]

For the life of me I never understood why telecaster "fans" would want humbuckers on a tele. I haven't seen Les Paul aficionados
replacing their humbuckers with single coils, and I'm pretty sure no Les Paul or 335 offers a "single coil" option.

Unless one considers P-90s single coils

 

[wblynch]

DHart, that Firebird Strat is beautiful. I’ve not seen that one before

 

[ReverendRevolver]

Huh?

It adds substantially more versatility. Honestly, I should've bought a second one of this series and done a p95 low wound with a hot tele bridge pickup on a 4way switch. If my bonus goes double what I anticipate, I'll do exactly that, but have it sent to my dad's and then "buy it off him" so I'm not "ordering" 3 guitars at once..... still gotta figure out that ice pick treble in the bridge on some amps though.

For the life of me I never understood why telecaster "fans" would want humbuckers on a tele. I haven't seen Les Paul aficionados
replacing their humbuckers with single coils, and I'm pretty sure no Les Paul or 335 offers a "single coil" option.

It makes it do more.

Frankly, a LP with a Telecaster bridge and a p90 would be fantastic. Not sure how the heck I'd talk myself into routing it that way, and I'd pop a rotary switch on instead of a 3way toggle for kicks. The curved top Intimidates mod ideas, and the tailpiece to neck height scares me too. But it'd sound good and have a 24.75" scale.
They made cheap epis with small ceramic single coils that sound good for the price. (Like compared to squier pickups in guitars within $200 of them, they're good. Not compared to good Epi or mim fender stock pickups. I digress....)