Random question: has anyone upgraded a neck pick-up on a Telecaster?

[Greeny]

I know Telecasters are all about the 'spank' and raucous twang of the bridge pick-up, but has anyone tried to install a usable neck pick up in a Tele?

is it worth investing in? Was thinking about a Bare Knuckles pick-up.

I snapped the magnet during some maintenance a while back so it doesn't work at all. Not that I'm missing it - I don't think I've ever recorded anything with it 

[Johnny Robbo]

This is what's in my tele & I love it... http://www.irongear.co.uk/irongear_pickups_014.htm

[SE]

Was thinking of up grading my 80,s hohner tele with tonerider
pickups, they seem to be affordable and have a great tone from what I've seen on utube. https://youtu.be/ZAeuRYTNkr4

[T.C. Elliott]

Full disclosure: I don't play a Tele and I've not replaced any pickups in one.

However, I follow Brian Henneman on instagram (singer, songwriter, guitarist for The Bottle Rockets) and he is a fountain of information when it comes to setting up guitars. Almost all on accident as he tries to get sounds he likes out of guitars that are not his primary weapons of choice.

His "advice" (or rather, what I've gathered works best for him) is to find a neck pickup that gives you a great combined tone. He doesn't worry about what the neck sounds like solo, but what it adds to the bridge pickup.  Unfortunately for us, he works at Killer Vintage and has access to tons of options to try out that most of us regular folk don't have. So we have to listen to clips on the internet or recommendations from friends. Still, it's a fun process if you don't mind buying pups along the way.

[Pete C]

During my misinformed and blinkered youth I would only ever use the bridge pickup on whatever guitar I was playing but eventually realised that the neck (and middle on a Strat) could offer some good useable tones. 4 years into having a Tele I'd say I use the middle and neck positions as much as the bridge on its own.  My neck pickup is a Fender Twisted Tele which is supposed to give a more Strat-like tone.

[pjd1]

Check out Irongear web site very good quality for the price

[Greeny]

Many thanks for the responses. I think I have an upgrade lodged in the GAS department of my mind now. It's an itch that will have to be scratched...

[bruno]

This got me thinking about my tele. Stock Squire pickup's - sound okay but a bit trebbly. Am concerned that I spend the time and effort, and it really doesn't make much of a difference. Found this link and thought this was quite cool ....

https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup-selector-step-1

[Johnny Robbo]

A little fact that pickup manufacturers would rather you didn't know...

The only thing they can copyright is the name & branding of the pickup. The electrical specs are fair game for anyone to copy. So... decide which Seymour Duncan/DiMarzio/Bare Knuckes pickup will suit your needs the best, then google the DC resistance & magnet type (ceramic/alnico2/alnico5 etc) & go to a company like Vanson, Wilkinson or Iron Gear & see what they have which is closest to that.

Don't be hoodwinked by terms like "scatterwound"... I used to work in a lab that made components for the electronics industry & we introduced "scatterwound" coils in some of the inductors we used to make. It adds some capacitance to the coil & therefore affect the treble response, but crucially, the tooling costs were the same as for the non-scatterwound products. Cloth covered pickup cables? They may be more in keeping with the authentic "vintage" vibe, cosmetically, but they will not affect the sound one iota.

[Greeny]

https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup-selector-step-1

That is a very cool link. It suggests they know their market / audience very well. Thank you!