More top end out of a Tele neck pickup?

I've kinda gotten to the point where I'd like a little more top end out of the neck pickup of my Tele. The bridge pickup is great, but the neck just doesn't have much top end. I really like the midrange squawk it has but there's just not enough treble. Wven picking close to the bridge doesn't quite give it enough top end oomph. I'm looking around for neck pickups at some of the usual boo-teek suspects, even considering a Strat neck pickup since the guitar is routed for a Strat middle and neck pickup. I haven't ruled out free modifications though. Has anyone simply removed the cover on a Tele neck pickup?

I haven't ruled Out keeping it as is. I can do a pretty good Zeppelin "I can't quit you baby" With the pick up I have it right now. I'm just debating on whether I prefer something a little brighter. Less "I can't quit you baby" and more "mean old Frisco blues" by Muddy Waters.

What pickup do you have in there currently?

I'd think that removing the cover holds greater risk than swapping out a different pickup entirely.

Same here regarding taking the cover off. It's an OC Duff pickup. Not sure what the cover material is but if I remember correctly it has A5 magnets, vintage correct 43 gauge wire (forget the type exactly), and wound to around 7.6k - 7.7k.

Way back when I bought them (about 4 years ago when I first tried the homebrew Tele) I asked him to wind me something that would get me the "I Can't Quit You Baby" sound. He did it, I just think I'd prefer something a little brighter.

Removing the cover will help is it's made of plated brass. It's not difficult either. Just make sure to pull the cover's tabs far from the coil.

I learned this the hard way when a tab on the cover snagged a coil!

I'm not sure what the cover is made out of to be honest. The more I think about it the more I'm not sure about removing it. I'm not sure what it's made out of and I don't want to risk damaging the pickup and ruining the resale value.

Yep, the brass will darken the tone. Some makers use other materials, so look on their site, they usually list it. Or maybe call Duff and see what he says.

I like strat pups in the tele neck position myself.

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Originally Posted by chuckocaster

Yep, the brass will darken the tone. Some makers use other materials, so look on their site, they usually list it. Or maybe call Duff and see what he says.

I like strat pups in the tele neck position myself.

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I haven't ruled out a Strat pickup in the neck. Or some sorta Tele/Strat hybrid neck pickup.

What amp are you using?

A 1x10 5F1 tweed champ clone. Not the brightest amp in the world but it's got a bright speaker which livens things up quite a bit. And I have no ability to really eq the amp either. I'm kinda thinking about one of those Tele neck pickups that's basically a Strat pickup with a nickel-silver cover on it. The amp gives a strong high end if the guitar cooperates. The bridge pickup is plenty bright and the neck humbucker on my PRS Singlecut SE does too. It's just the Tele neck pickup that has kind of a weak high end.

I like a dark, weakish Tele neck pickup for the reason that you don't like it! It's like having channel switching on my 5E3 clone! I can flip instantly from rock to jazz!

Don it's not that I don't like it. It sounds really good for what it is. It's a great pickup for jazz or the Page tele neck sound. If I had a Strat I probably wouldn't be asking this question. It's just that at this point I'll get more mileage with something brighter and strattier.

Twisted tele neck pup if you can find one cheap. But then again, there are plenty of booteekers who have copied it. Basically all it is is a tele neck pup with taller mags, thus making it brighter. I personally would rather have to roll the tone down to get the smoothness. My main tele has a G&L ASAT Classic lead and a Bill Lawrence BL250 strat in the neck. It's not super vintage sounding, but I get a great range of tones. Neil Young, olde skool country, Keefy stuff. But there are SO many choices, and a lot of great winders. I'd probably stick with O.C. Duff since you like the bridge pup. Just have him wind you up a neck pup that's a little brighter.

Best of luck amigo!

I e-mailed him and he does make a pickup like that. His Big Boy pickup. He told me to ask for one that's 10% underwound to match better with my bridge pickup (it's typically wound to around 6k) and add some brightness. It's basically a Strat pickup with a cover. I'm thinking about that pickup.

Sounds like a good choice to me!

Or, after playing more tonight I can just cool my jets and not impulse buy. The pickup really does sound good, and I can get a cool range of tones out of it. I think I'll let the decision marinade. If I do get something it'll be that OC Duff Big Boy, but the pickup works, the guitar sounds really good, I'm building two guitars, just ordered the P90 pickups to test fit in the LP Special (already have the Humbuckers for the other guitar), and I still need to continue funding the guitar builds. Just a lot going on.

I post this a lot, but try adjusting the pup height. You might be able to get a little more top end. Or, you could hook the tone knob to just the bridge pup.

I've already adjusted it, which really helped. It was really dark but after adjusting it brightened it up quite a bit.

I find the Tele neck pup a useless appendage. Just make it an Esquire with a cocked wah on the rhythm position and go for it!

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Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

I find the Tele neck pup a useless appendage. Just make it an Esquire with a cocked wah on the rhythm position and go for it!

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Nah. I'm not an esquire/junior kinda guy. I always find myself wanting a neck pickup and the inbetween sounds. It seems like Tele neck pickups are a bit of a love-hate. Some people like Muddy Waters and Roy Buchannan make them sound fantastic. For other people they sound kinda dull. I think you have to have a bright guitar and a good pickup. I have both. Is it a strat neck pickup? Nope, but I can get some really cool sounds out of it nonetheless. Besides, it just keeps fuel in the fire for me to eventually build that Sonic Blue Warmoth Strat! Complete with trem and coil tapped bridge.

Tug,
I've done a lot of Tele playing over the years... for me a Tele needs to be on a really good amp for the neck to work. Most of the crazy mod pickups are about mids. If your amp doesn't do all the harmonic sparkle thing any neck pickup will be lackluster.

More than any other guitar ( for me, YMMV ) amp selection is everything in a Tele. Pickups are about third down the list.

I use a 1X10 5F1 champ clone with a bright Weber alnico sig 10S speaker. Sounds good to me! But then again, with me ignorance is bliss! :lmao:

I don't have any other amps and the music stores here in South Georgia leave a bit to be desired. I'd love to play it info a DR or AC-30.

Pot value can really help. Use 500k instead of the 250 for a higher resonant peak.

I thought about that too earlier today. Some sorta stacked 250/500 pot setup. I think I'm just going to leave well enough alone though. The pickup sounds really good, it just doesn't sound like a Strat neck pickup. Which isn't a bad thing since it gives up some really cool sounds. And I don't want to futz with routing the pickguard so that leaves me with some sorta Tele neck pickup anyways. I'm probably going to keep it as is and save the Strat neck pickup for a Strat.

I've figured it out. The pickup has plenty of top end (for a Tele neck pickup out of a bright low power tweed clone). The pickup just has an emphasis on the low mids. It gives the pickup a really cool punch. I can't get some of the sounds I want out of a single coil neck pickup but it sounds really cool nonetheless and adds a unique voice to the family. No pickup can do everything. I'll have a LP special here before too long and a Strat at some point too. This Tele neck pickup is cool and different and helps give a really jangly middle position. Why change?

So ALL this for nothing?:slap :salud:

I know. I'm a :da :laughing:

I never compared its sound to anything until recently and was figuring out how the pickup fit into things. I ended up not thinking about an in er monologue.

:da It cracks me up when stuff like this happens! I almost sold my TECH21 BassDriver... Man did I almost screw up.

This is why I hate selling stuff!

Me four DON, me two times two!

I've installed filtertrons, PAF's, Charlie Christian, strat, and P90's in my teles. They all sound great but aren't "better" to my ears, just a way to get different sounds and still play a tele! It's hard second guessing Leo.

I've had a stock shite '05 neck pickup in my USA Std Tele from new - I just raised it right up 'as close as' and it works fine... and there is no second guessing Uncle Leo here... OK it's on a cheapo plastic bobbin etc etc but it still does what it says on the tin... it sounds like a Tele neck p/u... I do the same with the GFS lipsticks on my Strats... you have to remember that the magnets are well below the cover and that the cover is also going to rob you of highs because of the capacitance issue...

I've only had a quick scan down the thread but the problem I've always had with removing the cover is getting the top E stuck under the bobbin when I'm really giving it some... of course having removed the cover you get that initial shot of extra top end and you want some more so you raise the damned thing even more and then after only so many times of getting it stuck - well - you all know what happens...

Hope yer all rockin the free world and wishing ya the best :D :D

Nickel strings will bring out the sparkle too. The trend to steel removed a lot of the classic zing.

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Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

Nickel strings will bring out the sparkle too. The trend to steel removed a lot of the classic zing.

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Yeah... what was that all about?... And a straight ten set is where it's at for a Tele... go where you like with a Strat... my preference is 11s for tuning stability with the trem but the Tele sounds weird with anything but 10s (maybe lighter but definitely not heavier)...

It's gotta twang; no?...

:D