Good JAZZ pickup for a telecaster?

[aniss1001]

I wanna change the pickup on my tele clone to give it a more jazzy sounds. What pickup types do you guys recommend?

I was thinking something like this (the P90 Custom). Or perhaps a humbucker?

[NSJ]

Lollar Charlie Christian neck pup.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Originally Posted by NSJ

Lollar Charlie Christian neck pup.

My Tele dream pickup.

[mongrel]

I have a Peavey Reactor AX tele-clone that I have modified into a single neck pickup guitar. It has had a Carvin Holdsworth humbucker, Seymour Duncan P-90 (alnico magnet model), Seymour Duncan Phat Cat humbucker-sized P-90, and finally, a Vintage Vibe HCC humbucker sized single coil pickup that is underwound measuring 5.5 Kohms with Alnico V magnets. If I were doing it again, I would take the Dremel and route the body for the Lollar Tele sized Charlie Christian, which, in my opinion, is the Pick of the Litter. (And don't forget your flatwounds.)

[PTChristopher]

If you don't mind a few questions:

- What pick are you using now?

- What strings are you using now?

- Is the tele routed for a humbucker already? If not, woukd you be willing to rout?

I am asking because a tele with flatwound strings (.012), a fatter pick, and the tone knob turned back some sounds very jazzy.

And if the body is set up for only a tele PU, then a fatter one can also help. The Fender Texas Special is semi-fat and the SD Quarter Pounder is a bit fatter still.

In my opinion a really fat humbucker sounds weird in a tele. I tried a Benedetto B-6 once and did not keep it in there for long.

Absolutely any competent PAF-ish humbucker will sound fine - assuming your pick and strings are reasonbly well chosen as well.

But really, a fat pick, some reasonably heavy flat strings, and a knob turn and you are ready to play on a stock tele PU in my opinion.

[aniss1001]

mongrel:

Ok! But how did a humbucker or P90 respectively sound on a tele?


PTChristopher:

I'm using a rather small, fat, pointy pick. Currently using 0.012 roundwound (didn't know about flatwounds until I read about it recently ).

It's a tele CLONE as I wrote. It's an SX vintage series tele clone. It's not bad BUT the pickups as well as the screews to tune it (sorry don't know their name in English) and the potmeters seem pretty bad so I'll replace these. As well as start using 0.013 flatwounds. I know it has to be carved/routed, but I allready got a deal from a local guitar builder who will do it ALL pretty cheap. Just need to pick a pickup

And no I don't much like the sound of the tele neck pickup for jazz (even the Fender ones). I think I'll prefer the P90. It has a much darker and dirtier sounds to it.

The Lollar sounds nice. Heard good things about it. But it's out of my pricerange I'm afraid. I currently live en Argentina and imported stuff (in particular electronics) are really expensive. So I have to go for something cheaper and picking a good local product like the ones I linked to makes sense.

It's more like I need to know what TYPES of pickups sound good on teles for jazz? Humbuckers? P90? What do think about "configuration" wise...

Anyway thanks for the input all ...

[msr13]

I have a Lollar Low Wind that sound awesome in mine. I have had Lollars in lots of guitars and they have always sounded great to me whichever the model.

Call Lollar directly and discuss what sound you want. They are very helpful and knowledgeable.

[PTChristopher]

>>> I have to [pick] a good local product

Well from the looks of things, DSPickups make pretty much everything. Various configurations, magnets, and winds.

>>> what TYPES of pickups sound good on teles for jazz? Humbuckers? P90?

I understand that hearing how someone is in love with someone's amazing custom pickup is no help. But also note that any basic humbucker will probably get you close to what you want. As will any un-weird P-90.

In my opinion, stay away from the high output humbuckers. I find that they just do not sound good on a tele.

I would avoid ceramic magnets as well. But I lived through the absurd period where customers would have me put DiMarzio ceramic magnets in their humbuckers for ultimate distortion nirvana. I am still bitter.

On the DS chart, I would look not so much at the DC resistance of the windings, or the output flame height (to show "output"). The peak resonant frequency however can give a decent guideline regarding the sound character. Lower frequencies are typically associated with fatter pickups (within a given type of PU).

Notice that you can have higher output at a given winding resistance by going to a stronger magnet.

MANY options via DS.

A quick note on the resistance of the windings. If you do not know the gauge of wire used and the type of bobbin around which the wire is wound, then knowing the DC resistance tells you as much about PU sound as would knowing the day of the week on which it was made.

The only remotely useful way to read DC resistance is to compare otherwise absolutely identical pickups, with the exact same gauge of wire in the exact same pattern.

Or, grab a not-too-hot PAF or P-90, some flats, and play - you'll sound great.

If you have dismissed a normal tele PU size, then no point in looking at that. But if i were in Buenos Aires, I'd grab a DS21, not bother with the tap, put in the "greasebucket" type tone control, Thomastik JS-112 (not the harsher D'A Chromes, and not Pyramids with the weird singing wound G), grab a fat pick and go.

[SamBooka]

Disclaimer: I am not a jazz guitarist.
I have no problem getting inspiring jazz tones from my lollar special T neck pu
To put it it in perspective I cannot get a good jazz tone from ANY strat PU

[Doctor Jeff]

I have a Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 in the neck which is an awesome jazz pickup - warm, mellow, will not squawk no matter how much you try. The Teles with HB's I have played are not as nice as this pickup IMO.

[PTChristopher]

Hi Drew,

I am likewise not what I'd call a "Jazz Guitarist" although I suppose I have my not-so-bad moments with chord-melody and arguably interesting extended harmony.

But 100% agreed that even a remotely non-harsh tele neck PU can give some great jazz sounds. It's funny how a tele has no problem with this, yet most strats do seem to not be able to give up that slippery stainless steel sound when I try any sort of jazz sound.

Hey "aniss1001",

I have a Fender Texas Special Tele neck PU laying around in the museum of unused parts - under my workbench. It is (in my opinion) slightly warmer and fuller than the Lollar Special T.

If you are wiling to try the "dark side" and risk jazz on a tiny Tele PU, I'll send it to you.

PM if interested (and if you would really actually use it.)

[robertm2000]

I've gotten really jazzy sounds out of two pickups in solid body tele type guitars (Peavey EXP Generation and Squier 51 based) - the Seymour Duncan Cool Rails (sounds very much like a humbucker) and the Vintage Vibe Guitars CC-Rider pickup (single coil but has a rich sound with very clear mid-range) by Pete Biltoft (this costs less than the Lollar CC type). Either one should give you what you want

[gratay]

I've got a set of Fred Stuart Blackguards in mine which are great.
the neck pickup really suits jazz which is why i bought the stuarts
you'll find heaps of info online about them.

[mr. beaumont]

I use a stock tele neck pup. With a good jazz amp, a little tone rolled off and the volume about at 8 out of 10, I get what I need.

[Soco]

My new custom shop telecaster has a twisted tele pickup in the neck which I really like.

[ronjazz]

I put a Duncan mini-HB in my tele, was excellent.

[cosmic gumbo]

My pal Hector has a Virgin Vibe tele pup that is hand wound by nuns from a convent in Peru, using copper wire from salvaged airplanes that have crashed in the Andes mountains. The pups sound like angels singing. I think you can get them at Guitar Center on special order.

[kris]

I've just instaled SD Hot-Rails neck and bridge pick ups.
I like the fat sound.

[jcayer]

Follow the link in my signature

[Steve Z]

All great suggestions above about first trying thicker strings, different pics and amp settings. No sense spending money on upgrading a guitar if those three cheap tone experiments do the job. It is also important to also know that a tele will not get the same boxy archtop jazz tone as an archtop guitar, but it will deliver a warm creamy tone.

If you do decide to upgrade the pickup, then you have the take a look at the body route under the pickguard as PTChristopher and others mentioned above. If the body is not routed for a humbucker then you'll have the cost of routing the body, new pickguard, pickups and installation if you are not going to do the soldering. After the cost of those are considered I would take a look at the Fender Blacktop HH Tele that is already configured with humbuckers, has a very comfortable belly cut body and the neck feels great. Not sure what availability is like in Argentina, but it might be worth at least trying to find one and playing it to see if a humbucker tele is what you really want.
Fender Blacktop Telecaster HH Electric Guitar: Shop Guitars & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend

YouTube Video

Here is a great video on getting a nice jazz tone from a tele-style guitar...

YouTube Video

(here are the links for my iPhone friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhpQErI684I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdIOY5vf3dA

[va3ux]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

I have a Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 in the neck which is an awesome jazz pickup - warm, mellow, will not squawk no matter how much you try. The Teles with HB's I have played are not as nice as this pickup IMO.

This is the tele-style single coil ? Or the humbucker ?

[va3ux]

I have a Yamaha MS311 (Tele) with a Duncan '59 HB at the neck - sounds great. The stock Yamaha HB sounded pretty good too. Any of the ususal HB would sound good in a Tele - such as the Gibson '57 Classic, Duncan '59, Dimarzio 36th Anniversary PAF. BUT, the recommendations here for the single coil pickups are good ones too and will get the job done as well (including experimenting with the stock single coil pu).

[Jazz_175]

I'd very much like to try Jason Lollar Charlie Christian or the equivalent by Pete Biltoft of Vintage Vibe Guitar pickups.
Watch this video by Tim Lerch who installed Lollar Charlie Christian to his Nocaster.
Tim Lerch / Lollar Charlie Christian Demo - YouTube

[Double 07]

Hey if you're really on a budget try these pickups. They offer unbeatable prices and they ship internationally. Their Alnico II humbucker is a very fat warm PAF sounding pickup, a real nice sounding pickup. It would definitely work in any guitar I can think of for jazz. I've also heard rave reviews about their P90 pickup. I've ordered from them before. They've been in business quite some time now and have a Rep for providing great customer service and also quite a positive buzz about their pickups, especially their humbuckers. You can email them about what guitar it's for / what sound you want and they will recommend the pickup that gets that sound.

Also I'm sure a Seymour Duncan 59 or ALnico II would work great for jazz. I'd bet the Lollar's would work great also. Whatever way you decide to go I hope it works out for you.

GFS Guitar Pickups

[aniss1001]

Thanks for all the input to all! So... Some say humbuckers don't go well with teles other that they're ok if they're not to powerful and other that they're just great I've been reading up on pickups but still not sure whether to go for the humbucker or the P90. Can anyone say what the major difference is soundwise? I understand that they are very similiar and that infact the humbucker was a attempt to make a pickup that sounded like the p90. Right? Double 07: Wow those pickups sure are cheap :O And have a good rep too, nice. Unfortunately I live in a mess of a country where importing stuff is a no go. The last time I bought something abroad from here customs held on to my stuff for weeks and eventually charged me 110 % on top of the value I think I'll go for the local one.. PTChristopher: Wow thanks for the offer with the tele pickup as well as the advice. But I guess I am set on either a humbucker or a P90 (or similar). By the way what is this PAF that you mentioned? Or rather what would be the pros and cons compared to a P90/Humbucker?

[PTChristopher]

Hi Aniss1001,

- Yep, some love fat HBs on Teles, some think it is an odd mix.

>>> say what the major difference is soundwise? [HB vs P-90]

Very broadly stated: Humbuckers arguably sample a wider area along a string, which can affect the balance of high frequency vibrations along the string. In my opinion, you hear the main difference as the response to standing harmonics vs. transient harmonics.

"Transient" is not the exactly right word, but I mean harmonics that travel up and down the string, some of which decay very quickly.

Attack harmonics is another way to say it.

OR more colloquially:

Humbuckers have a characteristic smoothness and often the challenge is to keep a responsive high end. They are very resistant to ambient AC hum.

P-90s can vary WIDELY in high end response, but they have a recognizable high end that many describe as spank or punch. You hear your attack on all but the most absurdly overwound P-90s. They hum. This bothers some people under some conditions.

>>> infact the humbucker was a attempt to make a pickup that sounded like the p90. Right

I was not there, but I think it is far more reasonable to suggest that the humbucking PU was designed to get rid of hum, while also maintaining reasonable tone response and output to drive cables and amps as best as we can with these pathetically weak high impedance signals.

I am aware of no reason to believe that any one was specifically interested in maintaining "spank" in a humbucker. They were promoted as bucking hum, with no more than the presumption that they did not goof up your sound while doing so.

>>> I think I'll go for the local one.

Your local source has a very wide variety of PUs covering all the configurations that are generally used. I see no downside to staying local.

>>> I am set on either a humbucker or a P90 (or similar)

British writer George MacDonald Fraser said that "Uh-huh" was the most expressive sentence in the American language, so I'll use it here.

[Aniss1001] > I am set on either a humbucker or a P90 (or similar)
[PTChristopher] > Uh-huh.

>>> By the way what is this PAF that you mentioned?

The second most expressive expression in the American language is "Patent Applied For".

"PAF" is an abbreviation and refers VERY vaguely to a humbucker that somehow (and sometimes though seemingly magical means) captures the tone of early humbucking pickups. These early humbucking pickups were labelled "Patent Applied For", which was no more than a legal statement on the status of the design.

The term "PAF" is freely (being kind here) used to describe a humbucker that arguably keeps the windings down enough to keep the likely resonant peak high enough to not get "muddy".

Sometimes it implies earlier magnet technology (Alnico 2 or 3) - but sometimes it means absolutely nothing.

In earlier posts, I just wrote "PAF" to roughly group all moderate-output humbuckers together. It was sloppy on my part.

All in my opinion.

Chris

[mattymel]

I went through all those with a tele but ended up back with a tele single coil in the neck.

I just couldnt get a good balance between the PUs.

[Billnc]

Joe Barden all the way for me. Hum Cancelling, roll off some highs. You don't have to route the body either, direct replacement.

[aniss1001]

PTChristopher: Ah I meant to say: the humbucker was an attempt to make a pickup that sounded like the p90 but WITHOUT the noise. Anyway that's what I read. And in time the humbucker developed it's own sound which a lot of people swear by. And OK a PAF is (more or less) a tipically not so powerful humbucker that attempts to sound more like the original humbuckers rather than the modern humbucker sound? Something like that? Not sure... Haha Not sure what you or this MacDonald fellow mean by "uh-huh" haha... but the thing is that I'm really tired of the tele sound. Can't even listen to Bill Frisell anymore. I definately like a THICK and dirty tone that I believe is something I can get with a p90 or HB. The tele is in my opinion the nicest solid body around because of it's simplicity. And it's a beauty. But I just like the sound of a more powerful pickup so the tele pickup has gotta go Anyway thanks a lot fot your advice...

[aniss1001]

Hmm.. and I don't know why my line breaks are being eaten :/