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Thread: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

  1. #1
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    Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    The 3 high strings on my Tele neck pickup sound weaker than the low strings. Especially the B and high E. Does anyone else experience this on your Tele? Trying to decide if I need it repaired/replaced or if I should experiment with taking the cover off.
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  2. #2
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    Have you set the treble end of the pickup closer to the strings than the bass side? The usually need to be set up that way.

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    Re: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    Quite a bit so far. I'll try moving it up further tonight. It may end up comically high compared to the bass side.
    Got them Statesboro Blues

  4. #4
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    Mine does not need to be set that radically. The Tele neck pickup is a little on the "warm" side but shouldn't be that far off.
    This isn't a Duncan Five-Two or other mixed magnet pickup, is it? Or maybe a fat bottom string set?

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    Re: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    Mine does not need to be set that radically. The Tele neck pickup is a little on the "warm" side but shouldn't be that far off.
    This isn't a Duncan Five-Two or other mixed magnet pickup, is it? Or maybe a fat bottom string set?
    It's not. It's an OC Duff pickup with standard Tele specs. It's not like they sound almost dead but you can hear a drop in output. The strings aren't anything funky either.
    Got them Statesboro Blues

  6. #6
    Forum Member kaicho8888's Avatar
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    Re: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    I don't know the type of pickup you have.

    If you have plastic bobbins with staggered poles, you can adjust the height of the poles up or down to equalize the volume as well.

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  7. #7
    Forum Member yankeerob's Avatar
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    Re: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    Not a lot of info to go on Tug... we don't know what kind of Tele... is it adjustable from the scratchplate or from underneath etc... although that would only give us an idea of what exact specification Telecaster neck pickup you have... they are much of a muchness - ie all very similar.

    Most standard Tele neck pickups are weaker in the higher frequencies than others because they have - as you seem to be aware - a chrome plated cover that robs a certain amount of high frequency response as opposed to it's being removed. This is exascerbated by the fact there is also some considerable difference between how close you can get the magnets to the strings with the cover on and the cover off... The trade-off is it is a little more susceptable to picking up interference if you remove the cover.

    I personally like the appearance of a Tele neck pickup with the cover on and the classic sound of a Tele neck pickup is easily acheived as such; I have a 2005 USA Std with a stock neck pickup and it sounds like what it is. Most Tele's do...

    That said I have also had various uncovered Tele neck pickups that provide that little more bite and overall output because you can get them closer to the strings (although too close isn't good either).... so what Tele is it that you have??

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    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    Send it to OC Duff, I got a feeling that the mags need to be recharged. That's what it seems like to me. I've had some Strat pups that had a string or two with low output compared to the others on that same pup. A recharge and all was right with the world. Duff is a legit company, so I'd imagine they'd fix it quickly and maybe at the most charge you for return shipping, and I'd guess not at all.
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  9. #9
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Tele neck pickup: weak high 3 strings

    What's the amp? Tele's are really amp sensitive. I've found over the years that lots of people chasing guitar problems are really dealing with amp problems and don't realize it.
    "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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