SORTED - If you had just one Telecaster.....

ChrisCox1994

Vintage style PAF in the neck and a slightly overwound tele style single coil in the bridge, three way switch and a push pull coil tap on the tone pot for the neck PAF. 

antifash

SunDevil said:

Anyone tried any of the pups which are described as being P90 designed but fit a Tele without routing the body?

I have a thinline with a Blackguard in the bridge and a twisted Tele in the neck - the neck is a bit too Stratty and I’ll defined on the low strings

Yes. Mojo pickups do a P90 for Tele, but it’s for bridge. I’m sure one of those builders would make you something. 

Matt_McG

I do currently just have one telecaster (it's an ASAT with the big MFDs), but if I had to choose something, it'd have a standard tele bridge (whether that'd be a BKP, Oil City, Lollar, or something else, I don't know), and it'd have a Charlie Christian pickup in the neck.

I'd want the bridge pickup to be not too hot, or be tappable, and have the option of vintage style output and higher.

FX_Munkee

2 pink Paf Pro's obviously.

Fozz

I have Bare Knuckle Flat 50s in mine which sound great - took quite a bit of balancing to get them right though, as the bridge is very powerful. 

flying_pie

My main guitar is a Michael Kelly 1955 Tele with the stock neck mini humbucker and an Iron Gear Rolling Mill overwound bridge. I think it's a great all rounder although it's not really a true Tele but more of a rock machine. It suits my needs perfectly and I hardly ever use my Fender USA Std Tele these days... but that wouldn't be the case if I was playing country 

siraxeman

FX_Munkee said:

2 pink Paf Pro's obviously.

That is NOT a Telecaster. Its an abomination - an ugly unfinished superstrat (they just forgot to do the top horn) 

munckee

I have a similar dilemma, I have a roadworn strat which I love playwise but has tex mex in which are, okay.  I had narrowed to 51 nocasters or BKP country boys but will look at the suggestions here.

Roland

Tappable single coil bridge, and something to complement it in the neck. My preferred combination is an Oil City Wapping Wharf Bridge, and Californian neck. If you are less interested in a Strat-like both coils sound, and don’t mind a wider pickup, then you might go for a P90 neck.

gordiji

RandallFlagg said:

Custom Shop Nocaster 51s (Alnico 3!)

And another ! Great pick ups that saw off my BK's

Skipped

Ah but....is the one Telecaster the only guitar you own?
If so, I say Humbucker in the neck position. (I also think that mini humbucker in the neck position is a wonderful look. Very desirable).

Different answer if you are a pro jobbing musician in Nashville.
When I visited Nashville I wanted to hear twang in every venue I visited.
I was not disappointed.

Castro

All great input Tele' lovers thank you for taking the time to comment. I do love Marc at Mojo and already have gold foils and jazzmaster pickups from him, so he'll be on my shortlist. I'd like to investigate Klein and BKP too.....

Castro

@Skipped in answer to your question, I do have four other guitars that have gold foils, strat pickups; mini humbuckers, lipsticks. I'm looking for a classic unmistakable Tele' sound. I therefore don't need it to sound like another type of guitar.

FX_Munkee

siraxeman said:

FX_Munkee said:

2 pink Paf Pro's obviously.

That is NOT a Telecaster. Its an abomination - an ugly unfinished superstrat (they just forgot to do the top horn) 

Oh no I didn't
Also, you need to work on your indignation, the guys over on TDPRI did a far better job

JohnPerry

Alnico said:

vasselmeyer said:

For the bridge, I'd have whatever @Alnico had in his Baja. It was the best sounding Tele I've ever heard. In the neck I'd go for a tappable P90. @SteveRobinson put two tappable P90s in the Tele he built me and the neck sound is just beautiful.

Thanks man,

It was and still might be, an Oil City Alligator.

  @JohnPerry ; ?

it now has a Custom Shop Esquire pickup in the bridge and a Mojo Broadcaster in the neck. Never really got on with the Alligator or the other one.

Must say I think Mojo Marc's Broadcasters are the best Tele pickups I've heard

stimpsonslostson

Alnico said:

vasselmeyer said:

For the bridge, I'd have whatever @Alnico had in his Baja. It was the best sounding Tele I've ever heard. In the neck I'd go for a tappable P90. @SteveRobinson put two tappable P90s in the Tele he built me and the neck sound is just beautiful.

Thanks man,

It was and still might be, an Oil City Alligator.

  @JohnPerry ; ?

I've got an OilCity Alligator 90 in my Esquire. It's marvellous- sounds like a tele, but without the thin shrillness that teles sometimes have.

I agree about one tele not being enough, my infatuation with my Esquire has lead me to start two builds. Both Telecasters- a Chris Shiflett inspired Deluxe with humbuckers and a Cabronita that'll get a MojoTron when I get the funds together. 

JohnPerry

Eight isn't enough. They're very moreish. Bit like Maltesers

Funkfingers

Castro said:

If you had just one Telecaster, which pair of pickups would you have in it?

My Telecasters matter not one jot.

My pickup suggestions for YOUR "desert island" Telecaster would depend on its tone woods, neck dimensions and bridge design.

antifash said:

Sounded like a Tele. 

This is a movable feast. The Telecaster is strongly associated with certain popular music styles and multi-string bending stunts. It is possible to perform these characteristic licks on other guitars, leading listeners to convince themselves that they have heard a Telecaster when, in fact, they have not.

Equally, it is possible to play licks on a Telecaster that are not commonly associated with a Fender solid body guitar. For instance, a good Tele neck/Rhythm pickup should be capable of producing the sort of Jazz tone associated with a small humbucker on a hollow body guitar.

thegummy

Sorry if this is just cluttering the thread as I've never actually played a good quality tele but I really fancy one with a P90 in the neck and normal tele pup in the bridge.

Schecter do one like that (as do fender now actually) but neither in butterscotch which to me is the only tele colour I'd consider.

Teetonetal

gordiji said:

RandallFlagg said:

Custom Shop Nocaster 51s (Alnico 3!)

And another ! Great pick ups that saw off my BK's

+1 best Tele pickups.