Help me choose pickups

Roland

Having spent several years developing my perfect Telecaster I played with another band last week, and I need a different sound. Current band has second guitarist, keys and sax. My tone with them is bright, and designed to leave space for these instruments. Last week it was just bass and drums, and I need something with a much fuller sound. This is an opportunity to make another guitar, but what pickups to put in it?

My “perfect” Tele has a Strat style neck pickup (Oil City Californian) and a tapped bridge (Wapping Wharf). This means I can have five sounds: full bridge, tapped bridge, tapped bridge and neck in parallel, neck, and both on series. My first thought is to get similar switching using a tapped bridge humbucker and soapbar P90 neck. I know that @ICBM likes the Oil City Brass knuckle. I like the idea of a P90 because it will be fuller than a single coil, but retain better clarity than a humbucker. I prefer a soapbar to a dog ear so that I can adjust the height.

So go on, spend my money for me.

Funkfingers

Stick with your existing pickups. Use a midrange booster pedal of some sort.

stimpsonslostson

Funkfingers said:

Stick with your existing pickups. Use a midrange booster pedal of some sort.

Did you miss this bit? 
"This is an opportunity to make another guitar, but what pickups to put in it?" 

:-D

Funkfingers

stimpsonslostson said:
Did you miss this bit? 

Yes. It is greyed out. 

breezytele

Matt at Montys now does Brinsley’s  5 way tele switching which might be of interest (and might be what you’re describing)

Analogman does the ‘Big T’ pick ups and the neck in particular might really suit
 
Also, they’re made by Lindy Fralin

https://www.buyanalogman.com/Analog_Man_Jim_Weider_Big_T_Telecaster_neck_pickup_p/am-bigtpickup.htm

SteveRobinson

One of my Teles has a Texas Special in the bridge and a Gibson mini humbucker in the pickguard. It sounds huge.

Winny_Pooh

I'd use an alnico ii 4 conductor bridge humbucker and wire it to a 500k pot so you can gradually roll off one coil to ground. I have this setup on my 330 and it's the best sounding and most versatile bridge pup on any of my electrics. 

Roland

Funkfingers said:

Stick with your existing pickups. Use a midrange booster pedal of some sort.

Having spent several years developing a focused sound which leaves space for other instruments I now want more of a soundscape filler. I’ve already got the capability to play around with EQ and boosts with my AxeFX. What I want is source texture rather than processing.

stimpsonslostson said:

"This is an opportunity to make another guitar, but what pickups to put in it?" 

Gas doesn’t go away, it just changes it’s nature. However on this occasion I might marmalise an existing guitar.

breezytele said:

Matt at Montys now does Brinsley’s 5 way tele switching which might be of interest (and might be what you’re describing)

I’ll use a superswitch because, with new pickups, I’ll want to try out different combinations.

digitalscream

If you want humbucker-fullness but the clarity and attack of a single coil, then in my opinion you can't do better than a Red Lace Sensor in the bridge and a Blue in the neck.

Next option for that sort of thing would be a pair of SD Little '59s.

p90fool

If you can't get an AxeFX to give your Tele a big enough sound to drive a 3-piece the problem is not down to pickups. 

I totally understand where you're coming from in terms of tone and in my analogue case I fix it with a pedal, but the relative subtlety of a pickup swap would not have been enough. 

Roland

@p90fool ;Because to want to build a new guitar, this time with a humbucker and P90.

p90fool

Fair play, definitely worth doing then 

Rabs

Get a humbucker sized P90...  That way if you change your mind you can go full hummer later without any issues..

I REALLY love the Vanson humbucker sized P90.. Used them on a few builds and always loved the way they sound. They are cheap but really good ( I always use PIO caps for what its worth ).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Vanson-AlNiCo-V-P90-Humbucker-size-Single-Coil-Pickup-HB90-Neck-or-Bridge/121200644356?hash=item1c381f1104:m:m_R8-qUdWVqHr-E-qgOPaQQ

Heres a sound example

Fatfred

My recommendation would be for the Seymour Duncan P-rails with the Triple Shot switching system.

You have the best of all worlds in terms of coil tapping, parallel/series (much more useful than coil tapping IMHO).

You can have single coil Fendery sounds by using the blade, P90 sounds by using the ....P90, parallel or series 'bucker sounds or any combination thereof.

I have a pair of them in a Vintage VS6 SG copy and they are truly brilliant.