What neck humbucker do you prefer?

[Fender_Player90]

Other than a Full size PAF style humbucker, which humbucker do you prefer in the neck on your Tele? Im debating myself. Dont want a PAF because I want something more "Fendery" but thicker than the stock neck pickup. I wanted a Fender Wide Range but that design to get an original sounding one is elusive.

Then I thought a Neck Filtertron might be a good jangly alternative. Or a Firebird pickup or Mini Humbucker? Also an option could be is run a hotter wound PAF and wire it in parallel.

What works good and what dosent?

 

[Jakedog]

For a full sized bucker that’s bright and dynamic, maybe try a DiMarzio EJ Custom or Humbucker From Hell. The name on the latter is very deceiving.

 

[ReverendRevolver]

Tv jones Setzer signature goes well with a Bootstrap Pretzel at the bridge, not all trons are straight jangle, there's 3ish flavors.

Obviously not a tele, but IF you could figure out a way to balance the volumes and rig up a way to switch between the 3 modes, a Duncan P-Rails gives a p95, a hot rail, and a hot bucker that fits in a paf sized hole.

I think trons, p90s, firebird pickups, and minis all do different things when paired with a tele bridge pickup, and all lend to a fantastic versatile combination.

But.

If you're after sounds from a tele bridge pickup or a humbucker and don't specifically need as much of the 2 at once, there are plenty of paf sized humbuckers that will work great. As Jakedog suggested, that dimarzio or the 2 blade bucker would get you sounds like you're describing. You seem to not want muddy at all in your setup, are you after an actual double coil, or just "over it" with the lack of distinction from typical tele neck pickups? There are hotter, thicker, more defined, and just generally more useful sounding 1 coil options in every size pickup imaginable as well. Most interesting sounding one that fits in a typical tele neck hole was Rose pickups Morticia, but I'm told they're no longer in business. Plenty of companies do something similar though.

 

[MAS Tequila]

View attachment 1094794
Tv jones Setzer signature goes well with a Bootstrap Pretzel at the bridge, not all trons are straight jangle, there's 3ish flavors.
View attachment 1094795
Obviously not a tele, but IF you could figure out a way to balance the volumes and rig up a way to switch between the 3 modes, a Duncan P-Rails gives a p95, a hot rail, and a hot bucker that fits in a paf sized hole.

I think trons, p90s, firebird pickups, and minis all do different things when paired with a tele bridge pickup, and all lend to a fantastic versatile combination.

But.

If you're after sounds from a tele bridge pickup or a humbucker and don't specifically need as much of the 2 at once, there are plenty of paf sized humbuckers that will work great. As Jakedog suggested, that dimarzio or the 2 blade bucker would get you sounds like you're describing. You seem to not want muddy at all in your setup, are you after an actual double coil, or just "over it" with the lack of distinction from typical tele neck pickups? There are hotter, thicker, more defined, and just generally more useful sounding 1 coil options in every size pickup imaginable as well. Most interesting sounding one that fits in a typical tele neck hole was Rose pickups Morticia, but I'm told they're no longer in business. Plenty of companies do something similar though.

SD Triple Shots, they are mounting rings with switching built in to control the P Rails.

Triple Shot | Seymour Duncan

Wiring mods made easy with four different sounds at tips of your fingers. This is the flat Trembucker sized ring in black.

www.seymourduncan.com

 

[MAS Tequila]

I went big, I put a full size Seymour Duncan JB Gibson spaced bridge humbucker in the neck.
It's awesome, clean it will give you those creamy bucker tones and split is where it shines.

When you're done being clean, just twist the guitar's volume knob and she'll spank the front of that amp giving you some great overdrive without pedals.

And then take pedals like a pro.

 

[ERik77]

I do love a filtertron. I have an SD Jazz in the neck of one tele and it works pretty good.

 

[Maguchi]

Fender CuNiFe WRHB.

Other than a Full size PAF style humbucker, which humbucker do you prefer in the neck on your Tele? Im debating myself. Dont want a PAF because I want something more "Fendery" but thicker than the stock neck pickup. I wanted a Fender Wide Range but that design to get an original sounding one is elusive.

Then I thought a Neck Filtertron might be a good jangly alternative. Or a Firebird pickup or Mini Humbucker? Also an option could be is run a hotter wound PAF and wire it in parallel.

What works good and what dosent?

Fender CuNiFe WRHB.

 

[brookdalebill]

My all time favorite is the TV Jones Supertron.

They reside in my four best sounding guitars!

 

[ayetee]

The SD on my 52 Hotrod.

 

[voskarp]

I would put a mini humbucker in the neck position, if I'd wanted a humbucker there... I recently removed a PAF-style humbucker and reinstalled the original singlecoil.

 

[badscrew_projects]

Firebird

 

[hopdybob]

Wild Bill and Becky L500 R, good parallel sound to.

 

[timbgtr]

TVJ Classic works well with the Fralin Vintage and 5-way Lawrence switch in my ash MIM in my avatar.

 

[jim232777]

I have a Fralin Unbucker that has amazing clarity for something in the PAF family, so I would be browsing other options from Lilndy. He has humburker-sized things that run the gamut from "Fender-y" to "thick single coil" to P90 sounds I'm sure you can avoid mud with one of his.

 

[Gris]

I have mini-HB (Klein), firebird (Lollar) & filtertron (TV) and P90 (Mojo) in the necks of Teles. They are all great but different. The FB has the most ‘bite.’ The P90 has the most ‘punch.’ The tron has great warmth & crunch. The mini is the ‘jazziest’ and most ‘3D.’ YMMV

 

[TX_Slinger]

Im enjoying the Seymour Duncan Psyclone neck pu. Does all the things but noiseless. Filtertron-like when clean and slightly overdriven but gets PAF with a lot of gain.

 

[kuch]

+1 on the mini SD. I love the sound of my 52 hotrod!

 

[badscrew_projects]

Firebird

With a pic

 

[trandy9850]

Seymour Duncan Vintage Stack

 

[Recalcitrant]

DiMarzio Bluesbucker... I'm building my last (I hope) parts Tele around it. According to DiMarzio, it's actually a single coil mated with a dummy coil. Powerfully clear!