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Personally, I try to avoid anything "big scoopy squishy".
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06-08-2024 11:12 AM
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Here is my 1983 Tele, which, btw, is also top loading.
The humbucker is now a SD Whole Lotta Humbucker, and the bridge is a SD Broadcaster
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Actually, Jim Campilongo's favorite Tele is a 1959, not 1958.
Originally Posted by stevo58
From his website...
I have a '59 Fender Tele, three saddle, top-loading bridge with threaded "steel" saddles. I like Glendale The "Groovy 60s" saddles.
1959 was the only year Fender produced string through BRIDGE and not BODY. As far as the Toploader -- I think the feel and sound is a bit more "rubbery" than a standard Tele.
Both pickups have had windings snap internally (over 20 years ago) and were rewound by Seymour Duncan to the original specs, so I guess they are "original" and "Duncan's" at the same time.
Everything else on my '59 Tele is stock except the Gotoh/Kluson tuners.
The volume and tone potentiometers, etc., are stock. When I replace parts that wear out, I make sure there's nothing modified or "improved". I'm not saying my way is better, I am simply accustomed to the guitar the way I got it and prefer to keep it consistent and simple.
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It all depends on why you want a Tele. If you love it for its’ signature sound then don’t mess with it. If you love the looks of a tele but want more out of it, then by all means, swap in whatever pickup(s) you prefer. Some people have different pickguards loaded with different pickups and swap in as the mood dictates. Of course you can buy several teles loaded with varying pickup types. Originally Posted by Blkat
In addition to a standard Tele, I have 3 Thinlines (semi hollow) and one loaded with twin humbuckers with coil split and active preamp.
I happen to like the shape and size of a Tele.
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I've been curious about a thinline tele to compliment my '99 52 reissue. What prompted the use of a thinline and how do you find the difference between single coil and humbucker?
Originally Posted by AllenL1
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I have a thinline Cabronita. IMO the "thinline" part is just for aesthetics. The F-hole looks cool. It is a little lighter than a solid tele, but not much (this is on average, of course there will be outliers). It doesn't really change the tone... you're not going to get the "air" of a 335 for example. Not even HALF of it. If any at all. When Fender (at the time owned by CBS) developed the thinline, they didn't do it for any tonal reasons: they did it because the wood stock they had was SO HEAVY that a telecaster weighed almost as much as a Les Paul, so they developed the "thinline" idea for weight relief. In a modern tele, the weight relief of a thinline, as well as the amount of hollow the body has, does not have a significant, or even noticeable, impact. Originally Posted by Prof Silverhair
As for HB neck pickups vs single coil (in a tele or anything else), almost without exception I find neck humbuckers to be too wooly. That's not to say you can't simply EQ the amp to fix that: but I use the bridge pickup ALL the time. If the amp is EQ'ed so the bridge pickup sounds good, the neck pickup will be too woofy. If the amp is EQ'ed so the neck HB sounds good, the bridge single coil will be a blizzard of nails.
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Yea the thinline idea was all about reducing weight. That's why I'm all about it, I don't like heavy guitars. The tone difference if there is any don't matter.
The neck humbucker on a tele with the proper 500K pots don't sound too wooly to me. I had Seymor Duncan 'jazz', not bad, now TV Jones Classic and it's even better.
But true that setting the tone for either neck or bridge position makes the other one sound unbalanced. I primarily use the middle position for all things pop, funk, rnb... Then sometimes switching to neck for a jazz tune or bridge for some rock. It works.
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I came from the 335 camp (semihollow with humbuckers). My inclination towards a 335 was due to the early 70s sound from Larry Carlton.... nice warm jazzy clean tones and smooth organic breakup when pushing an amp over the top. I later discovered how versatile a Tele could be. Originally Posted by Prof Silverhair
A thinline tele is a semihollow design with a single soundhole. In general, I find a thinline to have an airier tone, that's not quite as in your face when compared to a solidbody, which can be punchier. It still retains the basic sound characteristics of a solid body tele.
When it comes to single coil sounds, the strat and tele both come to mind. The placement of pickups makes a tele and strat sound the way they do. The neck and bridge pickups between a strat a tele are similar.
Humbucking pickups are two single coils side by side in one housing. The way they are oriented within the housing allows hum to be cancelled. So they are quiet when compared to single coils, hence the popularity. However, their sound is different from a single coil. They are louder, fatter and more authoritative in the mids and bottom end. Overdriven, they can be a lot more aggressive in sound. Played clean, they can be very warm, which makes it desirable for jazz applications. However, single coil pickups in the neck position can also be warm and sound great in a jazz context, just not as fat. Stacked single coils are an alternate form of humbucking pickups that fit nicely in a strat or tele. This allows for noise cancelling in those guitars.
I hope I've addressed your questions adequately.
I mentioned I have 4 teles. One is a solidbody and the other 3 are thinlines. My solidbody has a Fender 52' reissue body with a more modern Fender Deluxe neck, meaning a flatter radius and larger frets. I call it my frankenstein tele. I have a set of DiMarzio Area T pickups installed. They are stacked single coils and are very quiet. They can twang but some may find it not bright enough. I prefer a warmer sound so these fit my needs perfectly. Neck pickup sounds great in a jazz context.
My thinlines are are as follows:
-Fibenare '56 Roadmaster TL (Made in Hungary)
-Nash T69TL (Made in USA)
-Fender Deluxe TL (Made in Mexico)
Except for the Fibenare, all my other teles were purchased used. One point I want to emphasize is cost has no correlation to a guitar sounding better. As a reference, the Fibenare lists for 4-5K. The Nash is around 2.5k. The Mexican Deluxe lists for around $950 and I paid about $700 for my Frankenstein Tele.
They all sound great to me. Push comes to shove, I can easily live with the Mexican Tele and get my sound. A great sound comes from your hands. It's about developing good technique. That will make you sound good, not the instrument.
Regardless of what guitar(s) you have, work hard on your technique and more importantly have fun. This is a lifelong journey. Enjoy the ride!
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One thing worries me though. The frets on my tele neck are worn out, and the guy who's doing all repair work suggested instead of refret to buy a new neck. The thing is, I love this neck, it has 60's oval C profile, narrow 1 5/8 nut width and 7.25 radius. That's exactly how I like it. But all the modern Fender necks have modern C (too thin) and often wider nut and flatter radius. Is this what most folks are asking for? The main reason I prefer Fender is the classic neck specs, and right now they seemed to abandon it. What are the choices then? Only custom shop?
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The neck of a MIM Fender Tele I used to own (designated the "Fender Classic Series 50s") featured a neck that would probably fit your description. This neck was then also available by itself for quite a while, but I have since lost track (including of any successor models, their precise designations, and whether any of these have retained the same neck specs). Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
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Refret it. You won't regret it. I struggled with this decision several years ago with my #1, and the thing is: you can't replace a neck. Meaning, even if you get the same neck profile from the same builder, it's not the same neck. I have played 6-7 Fender "Modern C" necks over the last several years, and none of them are like my #1's "modern C" neck from 1993... AND they were all a bit different from each other. A neck you love is almost irreplaceable. Have it refretted, it's worth every penny. Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
I also recommend stainless steel frets, because it'll be the LAST time you ever have to refret it.
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If you do decide to buy a neck, check out companies like Warmoth. You can specify a lot of parameters.
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yea refret for sure, I don't think I can find a neck like this these days that is not custom shop. It's American Vintage Reissue Tele 64, that I got from i think Stratoshere website... I went to Sam Ash and checked all those reissues teles at that time, very nice series, and 64 was the best. Originally Posted by ruger9
Last edited by Hep To The Jive; 06-12-2024 at 12:58 PM. Reason: speellling
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I don't know, I prefer the real Fender neck, but we'll see, maybe for another project. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
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I try to not get too hung up in neck profiles. More guitars that way
As for the thread topic, single coil all the way. If you can’t do it with a p90, it ain’t worth doin’.
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FYI Warmoth does not have a neck profile that matches the Fender "modern C". I know because I talked to them, took my chances, and don't like it LOL. The thing with a Warmoth custom neck is, it's not returnable. You may not be looking for a "modern C" of course, it's just to say that WHATEVER Fender profile you are looking for, it's very possible Warmoth does not have one that matches. Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
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I'm not hung up on them too much, I have several different profiles on different guitars. I can play them all fine. But my beloved #1- a 1993 Fender American Tele, that I bought new, is special to me. Too special to sacrifice a new neck on it; the neck that's on there has become perfect for me, and even tho I could buy a new Fender American neck with (supposedly) the same profile (it would at least be close), it's still not THAT neck... and on THAT guitar, THAT neck is part of the equation- a HUGE part. A new neck would be $600-$700. My refret cost $400 with SS frets, but I would gladly pat 600-700 for the refret than a new neck. Because it's THAT beloved guitar. Originally Posted by D.G.
I try to not get too hung up in neck profiles. More guitars that way
As for the thread topic, single coil all the way. If you can’t do it with a p90, it ain’t worth doin’.
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I really like a lot of the tones in this instrumental version of a Springsteen tune by Nathaniel Murphy at Chicago Music. I think it's a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover SN-55n in the neck position. I don't know how much he's riding it, but the harmonics and dynamics of the playing are really nice.
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That guy is incredible, my dream is actually to be able to play like that, when I'm no longer in bands and just sitting at home entertaining myself. I'm not a finger style player AT ALL- a don't even hybrid pick. But I would love to take the time to develop that superpower he has to play almost anything. Not even sure what you call that... finger style yes, kind of chord melody, but also so inventive to get the notes he needs (various harmonic techniques employed).... he's incredible to watch. Much like Tommy Emmanuel. Originally Posted by Flat
FWIW, a fat-sounding single coil can also get those tones, I have a Texas Special neck pickup in my tele, and it can do those tones. Ditto my tele with a P90 in the neck.
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This looks wonderful! May I ask if it's a custom shop Fender? And which model? Thanks! Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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From truetone, where i think it was originally sold. Originally Posted by Spir4L
In the history of the Fender Custom Shop, few Masterbuilders have achieved the status level of Dale Wilson. Guitars built by him have become extremely high in demand, at times running a 5 year wait, and currently to the point where additional orders are restricted. There's a reason for this: his work is unique, of the highest quality, and absolutely amazing. We view every Custom Shop guitar as something special, but Masterbuilt pieces are extra special - and Dale Wilson's work is another level. It's rare to find any for sale. What's even more rare is to be able to get one of his first builds. That's what this is.
We are proud to present this 60's Telecaster Relic, built by Dale Wilson right when he was being promoted from Apprentice to official Masterbuilder. Therefore, the back of the headstock doesn't have the Dale Wilson decal. However the spec sheet lists it as being built by Dale Wilson - and we verified this with the Custom Shop, just to be sure. That makes it one of the first official Dale Wilson builds ever done.
Not only is the story cool, but this is also just one of the cooler Telecasters we've seen come through the door. An inspired combination of influences, this is a simple but well thought out instrument. A Mahogany body & neck with a great TV Yellow transparent finish, Rosewood fretboard, and painted Black headstock definitely make this different from pretty much any Tele you'll see out there. The Merle Haggard Tele style, single-ply tortoise shell pickguard is a nice touch. The neck is very comfortable, with a Large C neck shape, 9.5" radius, and jumbo frets.
The combination of Seymour Duncan BG-1400 Stacked Tele bridge pickup and P-90 neck pickup makes for a great pairing that sounds great. The BG-1400 is constructed with two very overwound coils on top of one another that both hand out its thick tone and stays quiet when you’re playing on stage, in the studio, or at home. Alnico 5 magnets are used for added pick attack presence. The P90 is bright, simultaneously thick, a great tonal blend of single-coil and humbucker characteristics. This gives the guitar a spanky and warm tone, with a good mid-bass response, especially when the volume is rolled off at low levels.
It has been setup to play perfectly by the techs in our repair shop. It comes with the original hardshell case as well as the Certificate of Authenticity. Come to Club Fender to see it today, or order right here.
About the Masterbuilder:
Dale Wilson arrived at Fender in 2003, joined the Custom Shop in 2005 and became a Master Builder in 2011. Building guitars has been a driving passion for the California native since childhood. “Ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved guitars,” he said. “I didn’t dream of being a rock star; I dreamed of building the ultimate guitar. I was equally enthralled with the guitars just as much as I was with the players.”
Woodworking runs in the Wilson family, and the requisite Custom Shop zeal for outstanding craftsmanship has long been part of Dale’s DNA. He did repair work and mods in a small guitar shop right out of high school in the late 1980s; subsequently moving on to stints at Dobro and Rickenbacker before arriving at Fender, where he worked on Guild, Gretsch and Benedetto guitars before beginning his apprenticeship with various Custom Shop Master Builders.
He enjoys calling upon his extensive and varied experience as a craftsman to create highly distinctive guitars such as the Resophonic Thinline Telecaster®. Wilson also built five beautiful custom guitars for the January 2011 NAMM Show while still an apprentice and was asked to sign the back of the headstocks, garnering him his Master Builder status.
Serial # CZ518721
Model# 9231013218
Base Model: 60's Tele
Finish Package: Relic
Finish: Nitro Lacquer
Color: TV Yellow Transparent
Body: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Note: Painted Neck (TV Yellow), Painted Headstock (Black),
Neck Shape: Large C
Fretboard: Rosewood
Face & Side Dots: Mother of Pearl
Dot Spacing: Wide
Frets: 21
Fretwire: 6100 Jumbo
Radius: 9.5"
Neck Nut Width: 1.650"
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret: .875"
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret: .950"
Neck Butt Width: 2.200"
Pickguard: Single-Ply Tortoise Shell; Merle Haggard Tele Shape
Neck Pickup: P-90
Bridge Pickup: Seymour Duncan BG-1400 Stacked Tele
Bone Nut
Tuners: Vintage with Cream Buttons
String Guide: Wingle
Bridge: Vintage 63 Tele with Threaded Saddles
Neck Plate: V Logo
Switch: 3 way
Case: Custom Shop Black
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As for the original question, I tend to regular single coil sized pickups in the neck, and almost always Fenders or DiMarzios. I have a "Twisted Tele" neck in one of my Teles, and an American Vintage '64 Tele neck pickup in the other. That one has a Warmoth 'modern construction' neck with a 1 3/4" neck width.
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