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Thread: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

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    Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I think a Tele neck pickup must be the most swapped out pickup in the history of guitars, and I don't understand why. I go through phases where I think its the sweetest sounding pickup ever invented, and I can't imagine not having at least one Tele with the stock neck pickup. Hot-rodding a Tele is fun, but there isn't another pickup better for mellow blues, IMO.

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    Forum Member Mesotech's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I don't know. I love the neck pickup on my Tele, and use it more than I do the bridge pickup.
    POO DAT!!!

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    Forum Member holmis63's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I love the neck pup on both my Baja and Pro tone thin line! But i think it depends on model and the wiring scheme! I played my friends ´52 reissue and it was useless to me, dark and muddy, they have the original "vintage" wiring scheme from factory i believe, that you can alter to modern wiring and brightening it up!

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    Forum Member Skip's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    The Tele neck pickup is tasty for dark and mellow blues - but the bright bridge for screaming blues... hey anything goes with the blues!


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    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
    PS. 73:26

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    Forum Member curtisstetka's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I like my Tele's neck pickup quite a bit. It's the Twisted Tele that comes in the Baja model.

    I also have had Kinman's various tele pickups and liked the sound of them too.

    I'm not sure where you're seeing a lot of people hating the Tele neck pickup. Perhaps it is due to the "vintage" wiring. I've never experienced that but it doesn't sound like something I'd like.
    s'all goof.

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    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I think it has a lot to do with the contrast between it and the bridge pickup.

    I like the Twisted Tele and the Texas Tele neck pickups quite a bit. They're a lot less muffled than most.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

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    Forum Member SabuJSE's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Twisted Tele in the neck paired with a Lindy Fralin Blues Special in the bridge is muy bueno imo...

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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Zoso View Post
    I think a Tele neck pickup must be the most swapped out pickup in the history of guitars, and I don't understand why. I go through phases where I think its the sweetest sounding pickup ever invented, and I can't imagine not having at least one Tele with the stock neck pickup. Hot-rodding a Tele is fun, but there isn't another pickup better for mellow blues, IMO.
    Because they're stupid.

  10. #10

    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    y u rattin on the nek pup 1 of the best tones E-fuckin-V-fuckin-E-fuckin-R

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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Playing mostly Blues as I do, I use the neck and the middle position more than the bridge when I play my Telecasters. I agree that the sound is sublime.

    I'll use the bridge pup when I want that added twang, which isn't often.

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    Forum Member FrankJohnson's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    The Neck Pup in PC's Baja -
    Thats THE one!
    Kenny Belmont
    >:^{I)>

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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Zoso View Post
    I think a Tele neck pickup must be the most swapped out pickup in the history of guitars, and I don't understand why. I go through phases where I think its the sweetest sounding pickup ever invented, and I can't imagine not having at least one Tele with the stock neck pickup. Hot-rodding a Tele is fun, but there isn't another pickup better for mellow blues, IMO.
    Yes you are right i dont understand it either i love that pickup.

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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I like the neck pick up, I even have a HWY 1 and everyone says the pick ups are crap. Sounds real good to me. Had to do much tweaking up and down but found a good tone.
    P e a c e KYC


    Strat or Tele out of a 5E3 .

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    Forum Member Wilko's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Stock neck pickups from the earlier models are just so weak compared to the bridge pickup that they aren't practical for most players to use without figuring out some way to tap dance on a boost switch.

    Fine if you want to play neck all night, but for a guy like me who may need to switch between the two during a song or songs, it's just a pain the ass.

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    Forum Member Billy Porter's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Wilko View Post
    Stock neck pickups from the earlier models are just so weak compared to the bridge pickup that they aren't practical for most players to use without figuring out some way to tap dance on a boost switch.
    I have the same problem with my MIJ. I’ve only used it once at rehearsals because when I give it a bit of gain it squeals. I’m looking to replace it shortly with a Seymour Duncan then may replace the bridge with a similar one at christmas.

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    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    To answer the OP:

    All they do is screw up a perfectly good Esquire, that's why.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Porter View Post
    I have the same problem with my MIJ. I’ve only used it once at rehearsals because when I give it a bit of gain it squeals. I’m looking to replace it shortly with a Seymour Duncan then may replace the bridge with a similar one at christmas.
    If you like the tone of the pickup,have it potted.
    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Wilko View Post
    Stock neck pickups from the earlier models are just so weak compared to the bridge pickup that they aren't practical for most players to use without figuring out some way to tap dance on a boost switch.

    Fine if you want to play neck all night, but for a guy like me who may need to switch between the two during a song or songs, it's just a pain the ass.
    Weird. Most Teles I've played have a volume knob.

  20. #20
    Forum Member Wilko's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    volume knob?

    WTF. Have you ever played live? The volume knob doesn't make the neck pickup any louder.

    You can dial in a bridge pickup volume, or a neck pickup volume, not both.

    And in answer to your OP. the volume mismatch is the main complaint as documented over and over by the massive amounts of neck pickup replacements you yourself posted about.

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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Wilko View Post
    volume knob?

    WTF. Have you ever played live? The volume knob doesn't make the neck pickup any louder.

    You can dial in a bridge pickup volume, or a neck pickup volume, not both.

    And in answer to your OP. the volume mismatch is the main complaint as documented over and over by the massive amounts of neck pickup replacements you yourself posted about.
    The volume knob may not make the neck pickup louder, but it can reduce the volume on the bridge pickup. In any case, the volume difference with the knob full on has never been a problem for me.

  22. #22
    Forum Member Wilko's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    you are lucky that it's ok for you.

    A tele bridge pickup is a thing of beauty, many find that once the guitar is set up to sound great on the bridge pickup, that the neck pickup just doesn't keep up. The volume loss is significant enough to cause issues.

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    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    The neck pickup is just in the wrong place.Add to that it's very narrow so it's magnetic aperture is significantly less than that of the bridge, so the physics of the system are working against you.

    It is difficult to balance the neck pickup with the bridge without sacrificing what we all love about Tele bridge pups.

    Zoso, to us guys who love a the naturally compressed and sustained sound of an amp pushed to overdrive - pulling back the volume on the bridge will clean up the sound and that may not be desirable.

    HOWEVER - that said, if the amp is in its happy zone...when you go from clean to mean with the guitar's volume control the volume won't increase much but the overdrive will. Trouble is, for most hobbyist and bedroom players that happy zone for the amp is WAY too loud. For example, on a DR you are at about 6 on the amp volume when that happens. That's LOUD!
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

  24. #24
    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    The best live tele neck pup tones I've ever heard are on Roy Buchanan's live album "Livestock"...........killer fluid and warm,with clarity.
    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
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  25. #25
    Forum Member rudutch's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I have (I think) an early version of a SD 1/4 pounder in the neck, Compliments of Flint Punk. It's hotter than the stock pickup. I use it frequently
    do I look like I know what I'm doing?

  26. #26
    Formerly Tele-Tubby TT100's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Just placed the GFS Alnico Fatboy in the Tele project. Might get to wire it in one night this week.

    On SmartPhones:

    "Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But That only permitted other men with machines to enslave them." Frank Herbert.

  27. #27
    Forum Member concert410's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    This is why my Tele is an ASAT Special. No problem!!!
    A good, screaming Strat just might be the greatest guitar sound of all..... -Slash

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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I really like the sound of some of the older ones I've had; they seemed to be a little clearer, unlike some of the AVRI varieties (hotter, but muffled). But the volume mismatch is an issue unless you stay on the neck most of the time. I have a one-off neck pickup with adj polepieces and a 9K wind; a small ceramic gets the high end happening. I'm not crazy about ceramic magnets, but this one sounds pretty good...

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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by refin View Post

    Very cool.

  30. #30
    Forum Member Don Wiklund's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Zoso View Post
    I think a Tele neck pickup must be the most swapped out pickup in the history of guitars, and I don't understand why. I go through phases where I think its the sweetest sounding pickup ever invented, and I can't imagine not having at least one Tele with the stock neck pickup. Hot-rodding a Tele is fun, but there isn't another pickup better for mellow blues, IMO.
    I've never understood it either. All of mine sound sweet.
    THROUGH ALL OF OUR SENSES WE ARE AT THE END OF THE DAY JUST GODS WAY OF TASTING THE UNIVERSE

  31. #31
    Forum Member JM3's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    I have a SD 1/4 lb neck pup in my esquire and it sounds incredible
    I play rock so it works Cleans up nice turning down the gain too

  32. #32
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by FrankJohnson View Post
    The Neck Pup in PC's Baja -
    Thats THE one!
    I'm quoting this almost a year later but I still agree. I love that twisted Tele pickup.

    Overall my philosophy is that there are two ways of viewing a Tele neck pickup. One is that it is directly in between a Strat single coil and a nickel-covered Les Paul pickup. While I have never been fooled while listening to another player into thinking a Les Paul is a Strat or vice versa, I have often mistaken a Tele neck pickup for the neck pickup of either of the other two. But the downside is that it isn't quite either of those other two.

    The other view then obviously being that it is its very own animal and unique in all regards.

    For me, when a Tele neck pickup is mediocre, it's a huge downer. But there are a few like the Twisted Tele that are pure gold IMO.

  33. #33
    Forum Member NTBluesGuitar's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    It's a WONDERFUL pickup for jazz-oriented sounds. Frisell comes to mind.

    And that's not to diminish the bridge p'up at all.

    With my cheapo, CV 50s Tele, I was able to set it up to where the difference between the two wasn't terribly bad.
    "...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
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  34. #34
    Forum Member concert410's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    "Overall my philosophy is that there are two ways of viewing a Tele neck pickup. One is that it is directly in between a Strat single coil and a nickel-covered Les Paul pickup. While I have never been fooled while listening to another player into thinking a Les Paul is a Strat or vice versa, I have often mistaken a Tele neck pickup for the neck pickup of either of the other two. But the downside is that it isn't quite either of those other two."


    Well put!!!
    A good, screaming Strat just might be the greatest guitar sound of all..... -Slash

  35. #35
    Forum Member Russ's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by 121064 View Post
    Because they're stupid.
    LOL +1
    ones too many and a hundred is not enough!

  36. #36
    Forum Member FrankJohnson's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by pc View Post
    For me, when a Tele neck pickup is mediocre, it's a huge downer. But there are a few like the Twisted Tele that are pure gold IMO.
    This
    Kenny Belmont
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  37. #37
    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bassbob View Post
    Very cool.
    Thank you,sir.
    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
    PS. 73:26

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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by Wilko View Post
    you are lucky that it's ok for you.

    A tele bridge pickup is a thing of beauty, many find that once the guitar is set up to sound great on the bridge pickup, that the neck pickup just doesn't keep up. The volume loss is significant enough to cause issues.

    nuff said!!

  39. #39
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Tele neck pickup is my favorite pickup.

  40. #40
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Why do so many people hate the Tele neck pickup?

    Quote Originally Posted by NTBluesGuitar View Post
    It's a WONDERFUL pickup for jazz-oriented sounds. Frisell comes to mind.
    I'm late to the party, but I agree. The Tele neck pickup is a nice jazz pickup. That is kind of in contrast with the rest of the guitar- the Tele bridge and neck pickup seem to appeal to different people.

    I have a Fralin Blues Special bridge pickup and a Fralin Stock 2% overwound, covered neck pickup and have never had a problem with balance. The bridge position is twangy, yet beefy, the combined position is funky and the neck position is warm and smooth.

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