Tele-sized humbucker pickup for bridge?

[J-bass&Tele]

I'm looking for suggestions on low-medium output humbuckers for the bridge position, preferably sized like a regular Tele bridge PU. It is to be paired with a mini humbucker in the neck, one that I had in a tele a while back, low-medium output.
This is going in a cheap Harley Benton TE-70 that plays well, stays in tune and I'm just not feeling the Roswell pickups that are in there now. It has a Wilkinson "Vintage" compensated 3 saddles bridge, and if that can stay, happy days. One less thing to change.

I'll play around with different pots and capacitors when I install them, 500k pots could benefit the mini humbucker I already have. It was a bit dark with 250k pots.

I'm aiming for a "jazzy" clean rather than a rock monster tele if that makes sense.

My two Fender Teles have Alnico single coils and I like them as is, my Gretsch G5135 CVT fills the Filtertron role well enough.

 

[vanr]

Wilde L48T

 

[Jakedog]

Keep in mind that all of the DiMarzio and SD single coil sized HB pickups are designed to use 250K pots.

You can certainly use 500k, but having tried it a few times it’s always way too bright for me.

My all time favorite noise canceling tele bridge pickup is the SD Hot Stack Lead. YMMV.

 

[Caffiend]

There are things you can do to sort out the volume pot situation. The two obvious options while keeping a stock Tele plate are to use a resistor in parallel so that a 500k pot suits both pickups or more radically - losing the tone pot so you have two volumes and one switch.

There is a potential disadvantage to the resistor approach with a possibly dark middle position but I must say I haven't found this on either guitar I've deployed it in. One is a Tele with three way (and an out of phase middle) and the other an HxS Strat with a fiveway superswitch doing autosplitting (the 'Fat Tele' circuit but with pickups switched about). On this guitar I've deleted the tone so it's a single volume and switch.

 

[trev333]

someone gave me a GFS rails bridge, so I put it in with a stock tele neck pu and 250K pots...

I left it in there.... not shrill, not bassy, sounds OK..

 

[badscrew_projects]

Chopper-T?

 

[Lou Tencodpees]

someone gave me a GFS rails bridge, so I put it in with a stock tele neck pu and 250K pots...

I left it in there.... not shrill, not bassy, sounds OK..

View attachment 1118117

I paired a GFS Lil Puncher with a Kent Armstrong Stealth 90 in the neck and it was a fine combination. The middle position was very Tele-like too. I did use 500k pots and I believe the Lil Puncher was their vintage voiced pickup.

 

[rand z]

Joe Barden Gatton Bridge PU with 250k pots.

Humbucker with high-fidelity, noise cancelling punch.

imo.

 

[jim232777]

I've got a Fralin Split Blade in the blues output version, that pairs well with a humbucker (500k pots) in my partscaster. Give them a call and they can advise on matching things up.

Split Blade Tele Pickups: Noiseless Tele Tone, From Vintage to Modern.

Tele Split Blades: a Lindy Fralin Original. Get true Telecaster tone, with no hum. Choose between 4 outputs to get the tone you are after.

www.fralinpickups.com

 

[Ron C]

Wilde L48T

I had a Wilde L48TL for years, it's a terrific pickup. But it was also the brightest Tele bridge pickup I ever had, and sounded best with the mids bumped up and the treble turned down on the amp. So I would not recommend it paired with a mini-hum in the neck.

Depending on the OP's preferences and the amp he's playing through, I can picture those two pickups sounding their individual best with completely opposite EQ settings.

 

[Hodgo88]

If it were me, I'd use the Novak Tele-HC.

 

[J-bass&Tele]

I had a Wilde L48TL for years, it's a terrific pickup. But it was also the brightest Tele bridge pickup I ever had, and sounded best with the mids bumped up and the treble turned down on the amp. So I would not recommend it paired with a mini-hum in the neck.

Depending on the OP's preferences and the amp he's playing through, I can picture those two pickups sounding their individual best with completely opposite EQ settings.

OP here.
Yeah, I'm really trying to get as close to a PAF as possible. Maybe mini-hum territory.
The mini-hum in the neck sounds pretty good but even with a standard Tele bridge pickup, it was a stretch to get both to sound good through the same settings on the amp.
I play mostly through my AC15 so I don't need more treble.

I'm starting to think it's a bit of a fool's errand to try to find a humbucker in a Tele bridge pickup format that actually sounds like a PAF.

I might just bite the bullet and route that bridge cavity for a full size humbucker or a mini-hum.

 

[badscrew_projects]

OP here.
Yeah, I'm really trying to get as close to a PAF as possible. Maybe mini-hum territory.
The mini-hum in the neck sounds pretty good but even with a standard Tele bridge pickup, it was a stretch to get both to sound good through the same settings on the amp.
I play mostly through my AC15 so I don't need more treble.

I'm starting to think it's a bit of a fool's errand to try to find a humbucker in a Tele bridge pickup format that actually sounds like a PAF.

I might just bite the bullet and route that bridge cavity for a full size humbucker or a mini-hum.

Well.
Or you’ve found an excuse for one more guitar!

 

[J-bass&Tele]

I could "borrow" my wife's Hagström Viking which plays and sounds great but it's her favorite and she would kill me if it would get scratched up at a bar gig
So yes, I might have to get another HH guitar. You're probably right
@badscrew_projects

 

[Ron C]

OP here.
Yeah, I'm really trying to get as close to a PAF as possible. Maybe mini-hum territory.
The mini-hum in the neck sounds pretty good but even with a standard Tele bridge pickup, it was a stretch to get both to sound good through the same settings on the amp.
I play mostly through my AC15 so I don't need more treble.

I'm starting to think it's a bit of a fool's errand to try to find a humbucker in a Tele bridge pickup format that actually sounds like a PAF.

I might just bite the bullet and route that bridge cavity for a full size humbucker or a mini-hum.

Don't break out the router yet - you can get in the ballpark with a Tele-size humbucker so long as it was designed to emulate a PAF.

I've done both, routed for a full size PAF and used various Tele-size PAF emulating pickups. To my [very imperfect] ears, the full size Duncan 59 I used had a more open tone (less mids, more highs, tighter bass) than the Duncan Little 59, which in turn was more open than the Duncan Hot Rails. A lower wind GFS Tele rail pickup I tried a long time back was more open than the small Duncans. I suspect that a DiMarzio Chopper T would get you closer to a bright PAF, but haven't tried one.

They're all nice, not-a-traditional-Tele sounding options.

 

[sequencepro]

I'm looking for suggestions on low-medium output humbuckers for the bridge position, preferably sized like a regular Tele bridge PU. It is to be paired with a mini humbucker in the neck, one that I had in a tele a while back, low-medium output.
This is going in a cheap Harley Benton TE-70 that plays well, stays in tune and I'm just not feeling the Roswell pickups that are in there now. It has a Wilkinson "Vintage" compensated 3 saddles bridge, and if that can stay, happy days. One less thing to change.

I'll play around with different pots and capacitors when I install them, 500k pots could benefit the mini humbucker I already have. It was a bit dark with 250k pots.

I'm aiming for a "jazzy" clean rather than a rock monster tele if that makes sense.

My two Fender Teles have Alnico single coils and I like them as is, my Gretsch G5135 CVT fills the Filtertron role well enough.

I really like the GFS Lil Puncher XL Vintage… i use it in several of my guitars. Sounds great and NO 60 cycle hum!

 

[Andy B]

DiMarzio Chopper T is my long time favorite. I have them in 3 Tele's. The Area Hot T is also a great pickup.
The Chopper T sounds more like a humbucker. The Area more like Tele single coil.

 

[shallbe]

The Chopper T is a fantastic pickup. It does everything well, including match with a neck humbucker or mini humbucker.



Stay away from the Barden Gatton T. It is a humbucker, but sounds nothing like one. It is far brighter than most single coil pickups, has very little midrange and demands excessive tone knob work when you change positions. If you want a Barden, the Modern T is a much superior overall pickup. I've owned both and the Modern T is great for anything. Not really a low output pickup but it does not sound overwound either. Plenty of dynamics and clarity.

 

[bobio]

Seymour Duncan Little '59

 

[Rufus]

Keep in mind that all of the DiMarzio and SD single coil sized HB pickups are designed to use 250K pots.

You can certainly use 500k, but having tried it a few times it’s always way too bright for me.

My all time favorite noise canceling tele bridge pickup is the SD Hot Stack Lead. YMMV.

I am about to put a Little '59 in the bridge position for an Esquire Tele.
I was wondering why the SD wiring diagrams used 250k pots...I was going to use 500k, as most Humbuckers do, but based on your recommendation, I will go with 250K's.
Thanks.