Neck Humbucker vs Lipstick pickup, would you recommend?

[Her name is Skye]

Looking at buying another Tele, like I need one, but as some feel the neck lipstick single coil is week, would you recommend trying the Humbucker in the neck, or would that ruin the Tele experience/sound. I'm a huge fan of the tele bridge but standard neck, not so much.

 

[BrokenTele]

Not at all. Get the Humbucker if you prefer a more versatile neck pickup.

The “classic” tele experience is a spectrum of sound. Some days I want a Twisted Tele, other days, a dark, traditional sound. Most times, I like a neck humbucker.

 

[bgmacaw]

P90

 

[ReverendRevolver]

I don't like regular buckers in the neck of a tele, but p90s, firebird minis, filtertrinon style minis, and fidelitron stuff all offer cool combinations. I feel like 1 more tele and one of them will get something else in the neck. Just a matter of which one.

You don't lose versatility as much as switch to another flavor of it.

Also, the normal neck pickups often need raised to sound better, since the bridge pickups have more "oomph" to them. If once you get the volumes similar you realize you have a really boring sounding pickup, then swapping it is probably a good idea.

 

[ndcaster]

I have DiMarzio's DP156 in a neck position on a tele, and this is an accurate demo



sounds like a big single coil, just no hum

+1

 

[Deeve]

Red Avatar gtr was initially set up w/ipsticks, but modified to Broadcaster lead & Van Zant strat middle/neck before I became the next custodian.
I wondered what it would have sounded like w/ HB @ neck and found the sdotd in a G/L tribute Bluesbird or whatever it was called.
Sadly, doesn't get played much.

 

[Her name is Skye]

P90

View attachment 1011243

Yeah i'm look at that, love the P90, how do you like it?

 

[Gary in Boston]

The mini humbucker is tried and true the lipstick would be for your next experimental Tele

 

[Robert H.]

I live on the neck humbucker in my Suhr Tele. It all depends on what sound you want. Warm, strong but still able to ring - I love the HB.

 

[JRapp]

I tried a bunch of different neck pickups and found that a low wind P90 (like a Franz) works best for EQ/volume balance. A Melody Maker pickup is pretty good too.

 

[SPUDCASTER]

Cavalier Phoenix (Firebird clone)

They also make some killer P90's and I wouldn't dismiss a Strat pickup in the neck position.

Give Rob a call.

Not affiliated w/Cavalier. Just a long time customer.

 

[schmee]

Looking at buying another Tele, like I need one, but as some feel the neck lipstick single coil is week, would you recommend trying the Humbucker in the neck, or would that ruin the Tele experience/sound. I'm a huge fan of the tele bridge but standard neck, not so much.

I liked a minibucker in the neck of a Tele. It was killer, clear and not muddy like some full size HB's.
Two favorites are the genuine Gibson or the Seymour Duncan Antiquity ll , either ... the ones with the pole screws.

For a more raunchy sound like the Lipstick pickups, the mini with no poles, like the Firebird type are good.

 

[tiktok]

Looking at buying another Tele, like I need one, but as some feel the neck lipstick single coil is week, would you recommend trying the Humbucker in the neck, or would that ruin the Tele experience/sound. I'm a huge fan of the tele bridge but standard neck, not so much.

I've got Tele's with just about every type of pickup in the neck positions and they're all just different types of good. If you don't like the stock neck pickup because it's "weak", then maybe try a Strat neck pickup.

 

[Her name is Skye]

I live on the neck humbucker in my Suhr Tele. It all depends on what sound you want. Warm, strong but still able to ring - I love the HB.

I was just looking at Suhr, very very nice, but a little more expensive.

 

[Boreas]

My vote is for a P90 neck as well.

 

[eallen]

The problem with a weak neck is a poor neck pickup or poorly adjusted one. I have yet to have anyone say the same about Bill Lawrence Wilde Microcoil neck of the MANY I have installed. Couple with a Schaller Megaswitch M 5-way and the tone options are outstanding!



For a neck humbucker it is important to get a humbucker well matched to single coils and not all are. Too hot and you have to lower it outside its optimal range to keep from the volume excess volume difference when you go from bridge to neck. I commonly install a Lawrence Wilde L90 2.0 or 2.8 henry in the neck.

Eric

 

[dsutton24]

I did a Telecaster with lipstick pickups, and I liked the results:

Lipstick Pickups the Easy Way

Watching a rig rundown video not long ago, the artist (I don't remember who) said, "Everyone needs an arctic white guitar with lipstick pickups." That made me very sad. I don't have a guitar with lipsticks, let alone an arctic white one. As it often happens, along came an arctic white MIM...

www.tdpri.com

 

[KokoTele]

I’m a huge fan of a neck humbucker in a Tele. Whether you will be… Imagine a Les Paul neck pickup sound, but with a tighter bottom end and more details in the mids.

 

[ping-ping-clicka]

Looking at buying another Tele, like I need one, but as some feel the neck lipstick single coil is week, would you recommend trying the Humbucker in the neck, or would that ruin the Tele experience/sound. I'm a huge fan of the tele bridge but standard neck, not so much.

listen o southern comfort on the skids: Rick Miller has been rocking a Dan Electro with lip stick tube pick ups for decades When Denny Wallet was in Captain Beefhearts Magic band he was rocking Tele and a Dano, Denny played on Doc at the radar station, His fine slide playing added an extra harder-edged bluesy feel to the Magic Band.

Southern Comfort

 

[Alex_C]

I really enjoy the tele neck lipstick pickup. I find that the lower power allows more nuance to come through. I'm not a HB fan in the neck position on any of my 10 guitars. A P90 is a good option in the neck position if you want a more powerful pickup without getting too thick. I'm seeking a tele power level pickup for one of my strats.