Muddy neck pickup

[DoubleTall]

Hey, all. I picked up an Indio Classic (Tele) for less than nothing in a trade, and I'm fixing it up for a buddy. It seems pretty good, but the neck pickup is a bit muddy. I don't want to swap pickups, so three questions:

1. Has anyone tried putting a .047 cap inline with the pickup output like Seymour Duncan recommends on their site?

2. Does the cap value on a tone pot affect the tone when the pot is wide open, or just when it's turned down?

3. Could changing the tone pot from a dime-sized one to a full-sized one have any impact? Pretty sure the answer's no there, but I've never tried it.

 

[jvin248]

Yes to points 1&2.
Larger pot is more durable and will feel like premium guitars that use them.

 

[schmee]

2. Does the cap value on a tone pot affect the tone when the pot is wide open, or just when it's turned down?
Minimally, but some. Bypass tone pot temporarily and see if it helps enough.

Realistically, Tele neck pups are muddy, or at least "warm and compressed, with a hint of spark at the top" just the nature of the beast. A Strat pup there will be very different.

 

[DoubleTall]

Additional info: I have a Squier CV50s Tele that I can plug into a Blues Junior and get three different but usable tones, and I generally play on the neck pickup. When I plug in the Indio, the B and B+N tones are good, but the neck by itself has the blanket over the amp sound. Just wondering if there's a cap- or pot-based solution.

 

[tintag27]

You could try increasing your pickup height to bring it a little nearer the strings (or even a little further away)

 

[wabashslim]

Hey, all. I picked up an Indio Classic (Tele) for less than nothing in a trade, and I'm fixing it up for a buddy. It seems pretty good, but the neck pickup is a bit muddy. I don't want to swap pickups, so three questions:

1. Has anyone tried putting a .047 cap inline with the pickup output like Seymour Duncan recommends on their site?

That will cut some bass but won't boost treble.

2. Does the cap value on a tone pot affect the tone when the pot is wide open, or just when it's turned down?

Maybe a little, depends. A 250k pot will cut more than a 500k.

3. Could changing the tone pot from a dime-sized one to a full-sized one have any impact? Pretty sure the answer's no there, but I've never tried it.

The pot's value makes the difference, not its diameter. Again, 500k vs 250k.
Some Tele neck p'ups are muddy, some are very shiny. Some are muddy because of the cover but I don't recommend trying to remove it without some experience.

 

[gb Custom Shop]

The cover on the tele neck pickup can have quite an impact. Not all covers are made equally, and the alloy itself can have an impact.

You can try different pot/cap values and pickup height, but also consider trying an open cover for the neck pickup. That alone can do wonders!

 

[pbenn]

Did you try Ask Zac's setup procedure? He has videos on Youtube. Neck p/u strategy is to optimize treble side for cut, and lower the bass side to match E to e volume. That removes exactly as much mud as you want.
If you have hidden Neck p/u adj screws, just remove your pickguard for a week while you get things dialed in around the house.

 

[Geo]

You could try removing the neck pickup from the tone control.

 

[Fiesta Red]

You could try removing the neck pickup from the tone control.
View attachment 995133

Conversely, adding a Fender No-Load Tone Pot can give you the best of both worlds—you’ll still have a tone pot (if you need it), and turning it all the way up takes it out of the circuit.

250K No Load Solid Shaft Potentiometer | Parts

250K No-Load Solid Shaft Pot (Vol. or Tone)

www.fender.com