Can you put humbuckers on a telecaster

Joe's bridge pup is potent so it might not be the best choice for someone who prefers stock output with just a wee bit less screech than stock, but as Joe says, his replacement neck pup is a perfect drop-in replacement that is nearly impossible to discern from a single coil tonewise except that it doesn't hum.

Danny insisted to Fender that his signature Tele would be an actual clone, with the string bridge saddle merely bent to get a proper "B string" intonation and must have real Joe Barden pups.

I haven't spoken with Joe in over a decade and actually don't even know if he is still in production other than for his existing clients that I know he does still from talking with Jimmy Thackery, another Barden pup fanatic but these pups must be played to be appreciated. They are quite amazing. Bill Lawerence and Seymour Duncan make decent choices but if you want the original tone just without hum try a Barden neck pup.

If you don't mind some serious output check out the bridge pups, too. But, you might ask, how do they stack up against newer designs that stick to single coil basics but fine tune everything? Well short of trying them yourself, here's a decent comparison not overdriven like they would be for Grunge but I can tell you the Barden's do that just fine and you could hear some of that listening to Thackery and I link an example of that from a whisper top a scream but with Barden's on a Strat.

Similar response can be expected with Teles. Heads up comparison with newer design pups - This is a long, extremely deliberately paced instrumental jam so settle in or race ahead for the width of tone possibilities I use Joe Barden pickups on my Tele, and they are the best as far as I know. They do not sound like Gibson style humbuckers, though. I went to his house with my bass player who was a friend of his. This would have been around , I guess.

I was "on the road" for the very first time with a Top 40 Band. Somehow we ended up playing a gig at a strip club in the D. I had this ancient Byrdland archtop. I think I thought I could play something like jazz because I had this guitar. Anyhow, Danny was out in the yard tearing apart his motorcycles and cars, covered with grease.

He was very nice, and he fixed something on my guitar and listened to me play. I imagine I was showing off. He and his friends were all politely complementing me [probably because they knew my bass player]. I think he played something real quick, and I was like, "Hmmm, this guy plays guitar too". My friend John, who was a bit older, just said Danny was a good guitar repair guy. He didn't tell me he was a monster guitarist. He just wanted to show me to Danny.

Years later, I was listening to him play on recordings and thinking, "Oh my God, this is the guy that fixed my guitar". My most recent acquisition, and likely the last guitar I will ever buy, was a 90s tele. Its a good solid player and old enough that the wood has stabilized.

I do not consider it collectible, so its a player. I think the magic of the tele is that piercing bridge pickup. My assessment is that the neck pickup is not so great, and I had a humbucker put in the neck position. So, its very versatile at this point and satisfies my craving for an old style tele. Ruin a good thing?

Well, to each their own. Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan Have a look around at some of the numerous boutique winders and you'll find a bridge pickup to suit :D Julian Lage has a Ron Ellis 50's pickup in the bridge and it's a nice sound. Feb 11, 8. And in terms of swapping the pickups is that a simple solder job? Thanks for the feedback. Feb 11, 9. Feb 11, If you have a std seth lover, its a single conductor pickup with long legs.

Duncans are usually out of phase with fenders so you'd have to correct that by swapping the bridge pickup leads and clipping its groundat the bridge plate. Then you'll have to shorten the legs to get pickup height correct.

That will involve drilling new holes in the legs and tapping them or adding a speed nut or similar OR you can mount it to the body which is what i did. I think it looks cleaner that way. Still need the short legs though. None of that is difficult but not as simple as just a little soldering. My recommendation is to have semour duncan make you a 4 conductor seth lover with short legs.

They do that as a "shop floor custom" at no additional charge. Its on their website. Doing that will make the installation much easier. Posts: 3, Posts: 10, If you have a regular two single coil Telecaster and doubting your woodworking skills and tool availability Your best option is to get a 4-way switch installed. That is only a little internet schematic search and soldering away.

And if you discover that your pickups are out of phase, the easiest solution is to flip the humbucker magnet. I would never do this to a vintage Tele and even feel a twinge of guilt cutting into this fabulous guitar. All that remains now is to remove that low E string and tune to open G…. For more DIY workshops and guides, click here. FUR on their 60s influences, left-field guitars and big-band jazz.

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All Advanced Beginner Intermediate. Learn to play guitar like David Gilmour in five minutes. Chord Clinic: Learn to play 10 interesting E major chord variations. Learn to play guitar like Chuck Berry in five minutes. Guides DIY Workshop. Looking to give your Tele more of a Keith Richards vibe? By Huw Price. Getting the position of the new pickup accurately marked out is crucial to a successful humbucker installation Advertisement.

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