Tele Neck Pickup: single coil, humbucker, or P90?

[Cpb2020]

We’re a bit all over the place and would appreciate thoughts.

- 3 piece cover band (guitar, bass, drums).
- Primary guitar is a G&L Legacy HSS. Looking for a Tele.
- Genres: classic/hard/punk rock. Their next gig set list is attached.

Would you lean more towards a SC, HB, or P90 neck pickup?

Here are some of the songs that they’re working through for their next gig (on the rough side, as these are more recent songs added to their set list).




Thanks!

 

[Vibroluxer]

Ive tried all and settled on a TV Jones Filtertron.

 

[Cpb2020]

Ive tried all and settled on a TV Jones Filtertron.

Ha! The one I didn’t mention! I’ve got no experience at all with them.

 

[Vibroluxer]

Ha! The one I didn’t mention! I’ve got no experience at all with them.

I watched the video and it's rare for someone to say this but i think you need to turn it up a bit!

 

[Cpb2020]

I agree. It was done with a camera and the drums were drowning everything else out. I should’ve captured it through the mixer.

 

[brookdalebill]

Ive tried all and settled on a TV Jones Filtertron.

Ha! The one I didn’t mention! I’ve got no experience at all with them.

The best possible choice, IMO.
I champion the same-sounding Supertron, too
Runner up would be a good, low output PAF type humbucker.
Duncan, Lollar, Gibson, all great, IMO.

 

[NoTeleBob]

Mini humbucker or non-hot wind full humbucker

 

[Greenmachine]

humbucker full sized gets my vote.

 

[jfgesquire]

I'm partial to the P90, RWRP to the bridge pickup, with a 4 way switch and a no load tone pot.

Although.... I've been playing with a Jazzmaster neck pickup in a Jazzmaster build, and while similar, thicker sounding like the P90, its mids are a little louder and cleaner. I think the huge JM pickup may look overwhelming in a Tele, but I'm still going to have to try one someday.

 

[Refugee]

Personally, I don't think anything but SC's belong on a Tele. To each their own and all that.

 

[drmordo]

I always recommend the same thing - get a Strat PU pickguard for your Tele and try out some Lace Sensors. They make different recipes that sound like 50s Strat, 50s Humbucker, P90, etc, but they all fit in the same Strat sized hole. Go to the very bottom of that page I linked and you can see all the different models they make that you could try using my recommendation.

Here's my Tele with a Lace Sensor in the neck position.

 

[ChicknPickn]

The P90 is special. To me, it has more personality than the typical PAF or the traditional Tele neck pickup. I mean, I like 'em all. But the P90 has that smokey growl. And is sweet when cleaned up.

 

[SixStringSlinger]

The following is the only non-standard Tele neck pickup I have experience with (in a Tele), but a Firebird (a smaller humbucker, but distinct from what we typically call a mini-humbucker) in my Tele's neck pickup gives me a more humbuckery fullness without sacrificing the original pickup's treble.

 

[WireLine]

Buddy of mine just dropped a Charlie Christian in his…sounds beyond amazing

 

[Cpb2020]

The P90 is special. To me, it has more personality than the typical PAF or the traditional Tele neck pickup. I mean, I like 'em all. But the P90 has that smokey growl. And is sweet when cleaned up.

Something like this is in the running.

 

[Cpb2020]

Buddy of mine just dropped a Charlie Christian in his…sounds beyond amazing

Thanks. Another that I have little familiarity with.

 

[adjason]

I like lots of them- I've got a charlie christian by Lollar, humbuckers etc. I like a regular old tele pickup about the best- I like the twisted tele neck pickup and the original vintage 52 one real well

 

[985plowboy]

Tele neck pickup. Hotter than stock.

Humbucker, not at all.
P-90 is awesome but hot. it will be very unbalanced guitar.

 

[Vibroluxer]

This might help and let us know what you select!

 

[telemnemonics]

Kids today!
Girl was scary threatening to kill Sancho!

Might just be the mix was muddy but I’d lean toward a cleaner clearer brighter neck pickup like a Strat.
Easy to add thickness if needed but clarity has to be built in to the pickup.
Fits pretty well with the songs too.