Humbuckers for Teles

[Peter Barlow]

I have a Mex Tele that I really like the feel of, the neck suits my style of play perfectly. However as I mostly play rock the single coils aren't providing me with the sound I want. I was going to get some of those humbuckers that are single coil size (JB jr,hot rails etc.) these would easily fit the bridge, but I am not sure if it would go in the neck position as the neck pickup is not as wide. I don't really want to have the body cut so if these fit it would be the perfect solution.
Can anyone help?
Have any other Tele users done this?

[James8831]

that is advertised as "Telecaster neck pickup" should fit in that position, manufacturers have to make them that size - as you understand- to fit the rout in the body. They also have to make them with the pole peices less spaced apart because the strings narrow in slightly from the bridge to the headstock,this means the pickup width will be correspondingly smaller than the bridge or a Strat single coil.

It's very unlikely that any correctly sized Tele neck pickup won't fit and any advertised as such should fit or I think it breaches consumer law (but don't quote me) by being unfit for the purpose it was sold for or misdescribed(or something similar).

If you have tele copy the rout may be a little to small and may need some minor sanding or woodworking.

I have had no problem buggering about with single coils in a tele neck position and a couple of music shop guys and musos have said it's no problem to fit hot rails (type humbuckers), even to Squiers.

Good Luck..
That is all. :D

[Raskolnikov]

Pull the pickguard off if you haven't allready.

You may find a cavity that will accomodate a full fledged humbucker (ala a Tele Special). If you do something like that you're opening up many more possibilities for pickups. Hell, why not a P90 or P100? Even if the cavity isn't large enough, you can have the body and pickguard routed very easily.

The neck pickup cavity on my Deluxe Active Jazz Bass V is big enoug to EASILY accodate the EMG-45DC I plan to put into it eventually.

[Peter Barlow]

Cheers for the help. I think I will get a JB jr for the bridge and a hot rail for the neck.

[Billybob]

I think that you need jeff tinker humbuckers they will give you that Mogwai, Homo Iratus sound that you lust after because of that song T C M. Also your bridge prob is to do with the wrong Humbuckers for your guitar so the Jeff Tinkers i said about earlier.

[freddy friedrichschlafen]

I also have a mex tele and had the same problem i think that you have. I tried fitting a jb junior to the neck pickup and found that whilst it fitted it sounded crap -worse than before!

I stuck with the jb and found that cutting f-holes in the body of the guitar using a key ring pen knife and the rough edge of a 2p coin made the guitar sound amazing. Make sure that your holes are big enough and will have a much lighter guitar with a sound similar to an ibanez jem!

[Barreta_jetstream1]

jonny greenwood customized his tele with a humbucker and i belive it was a dimarzio super distortion or somthing like it. if u like his sound, try that one. i think he cut an extra hole in his tele to acomodate it but u could easily remove one of the single coils if u don't want to cut huge chunks out of your guitar