The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

View Poll Results: What pickup would you prefer on a "jazz" Tele?

Voters
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  • Single coil

    79 56.03%
  • Humbuckering

    48 34.04%
  • Other (please explain)

    14 9.93%
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  1. #1

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    I'd wager that if we did a survey asking, for any type of guitar specifically intended for jazz, what sort of neck pickup would you prefer -- single coil or humbucking, the humbucker would be prefered more often.

    But I'm asking about Telecasters, or T-style guitars here. If you could choose a custom T-style that you would just use for jazz, what sort of neck pickup would you prefer -- single coil or humbucking?

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  3. #2

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    I'm asking because on the Telecaster forum there's a fellow who wants to make a "jazz" Tele for his son, and the father doesn't know anything about guitars and the son is just starting out.

    In the replies from other forum members, there is the opinion that jazz means humbuckers. I'm ready to admit humbuckers are more common on jazz boxes today, but if you focus just on Tele-style guitars, I'm not so sure which is more common. And so ... my survey!

    I have a preference for single coil -- I feel I hear the notes more clearly, especially with chords, but what do you think?

  4. #3
    wyndham Guest
    As a rule, I prefer single coiling over humbuckering, but blading might be interesting too...

  5. #4

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    I'm picturing that tdpri discussion Right now. "You want a humbucker because jazz is soft music. You're not supposed to hear it."





    The correct neck pickup on a tele is a tele neck pickup.

  6. #5

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    Single coil and an Electro Harmonix Hum Debugger

  7. #6

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    Fender Custom Shop ‘51 Nocaster, hands down.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
    Fender Custom Shop ‘51 Nocaster, hands down.
    I put that on the Tele I made for my partner. I have Lollar 52s in mine and I'm jealous of her now! The CS 51 Nocaster pickups are incredible.

  9. #8

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    Humbucker, because it's not as trebly as a Telecaster neck pickup. I think for a newbee, it would be easier to get a "jazz tone" from a neck humbucker than from a neck Tele pickup.

    Which humbucker, though? IMO, something not too hot, maybe like a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover (SH-55), 59 (SH-1N), or Jazz (SH-2N). My own favorite among these is the Seth Lover. Again my opinion, but I think a humbucker with a cover looks better in a Tele than one with exposed coils.

    Truth be told, I think it really doesn't matter in the hands of a master: Ed Bickert used a standard Tele for a long time, then had a humbucker installed at the neck; his tone, if it changed at all, didn't change much. But then, a new player won't be playing like Ed Bickert.

  10. #9

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    Single coil.
    My t-style had a humbucker, but I swapped in a humbucker-sized P-90.
    Many would argue a standard tele IS a jazz guitar, so no need to change anything!

  11. #10

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    humbucker-for jazz.

  12. #11

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    Lollar CC on mine.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
    I'm asking because on the Telecaster forum there's a fellow who wants to make a "jazz" Tele for his son, and the father doesn't know anything about guitars and the son is just starting out.

    In the replies from other forum members, there is the opinion that jazz means humbuckers. I'm ready to admit humbuckers are more common on jazz boxes today, but if you focus just on Tele-style guitars, I'm not so sure which is more common. And so ... my survey!

    I have a preference for single coil -- I feel I hear the notes more clearly, especially with chords, but what do you think?

    Lollar Charlie Christian Pickup

  14. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

    In the replies from other forum members, there is the opinion that jazz means humbuckers.
    Julian Lage disagrees!

    I for one think a vintage voiced tele neck pickup can produce the ideal jazz tone. Deep but not muffled, clear but not shrill. My favourite jazz guitar right now is a thinline partscaster with a single in the neck. I know it's a buzz word, but it gives me an almost pianp like tone. Don't fear the singles!

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by wyndham
    As a rule, I prefer single coiling over humbuckering, but blading might be interesting too...
    I'm considering one of Pete Biltoft's CC drop-in tele neck pups:

    Even chopped-down Charlie Christian pickups require some routing work. This scatterwound CC sound-alike has a blade polepiece and large magnet assembly, but it fits into a regular Tele body and pickguard. Sounding fat and loud, it’s also clear, exceptionally smooth, woody and jazzy.

    What type of neck pickup would you prefer on a "jazz" Tele?-vintage-vibe-vt-n-bl-jpg

  16. #15

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    I'm thinking either a P90 or a mini humbucker would work very well. A bonus is if it's routed for one, the other will fit.

  17. #16

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    Single coil, but not of any kind : P90

  18. #17

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    way back when modded teles first started showing up, the popular neck replacement was a mini-humbucker...mini retained some of the focused high end of the single coil (p-90-ish), but with humbucking/no noise

    the standard tele neck pup has traditionally used thinner #43 wire for a clearer more hi-fi tone...the cover also being part of the equation

    here's mini-



    cheers

  19. #18

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    I was going back and forth between a humbucker and single-coil. Now I have two Tele's. The humbucker version is a partscaster with a super light pine body and a Warmoth neck. Benedetto humbucker. I find each version has its charm. Ed Bickert had a single coil before his humbucker and both sound great to me!

    What type of neck pickup would you prefer on a "jazz" Tele?-img-0816-jpg
    Last edited by Ronstuff; 02-11-2021 at 05:54 PM.

  20. #19

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    Here’s Tim Lerch’s take.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  21. #20

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    I have really enjoyed using stacked Telecaster sized humbuckers. I had great results with the DiMarzio Area T pickups and currently I am using a Wilde L280TN which is a little clearer or airier than the DiMarzio was. They are slightly different and I would be very hard pressed to pick a favorite between them. The DiMarzio was a little more traditionally "Tele" in terms of tone (the L280 doesn't have a cover).

  22. #21

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    I put a pair of coil-tapped Ronin foilbuckers in a Telecaster-ish guitar recently for both kinds of sounds.

  23. #22

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    “The correct neck pickup on a tele is a tele neck pickup.”

    This^.

    Having said that, I used to have a reissue ‘72 Thinline with a pair of Fender humbuckers. I enjoyed that guitar, and I would say those pickups were rather like P90s: thicker than Fender single coils, more definition than a Gibson humbucker.

    A Tele single coil is best, but Fender’s own humbucker gives a wonderful sound.

  24. #23

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    For jazz on a Tele I think most people will appreciate a somewhat "hot" or "over-wound" pickup. This is because the higher voltage output of "overwound" pickups brings the amp to saturation more readily, even with a rolled-back volume knob. Because vintage humbuckers have a lot more output than an average single-coil, I suppose that's why they became universal for jazz. But single-coils can drive an amp too, with a bit more winding. I like Fender's Texas Special neck pickup. CS '51 is probably very similar. But every maker has "overwound" versions of their product.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by semitone1
    For jazz on a Tele I think most people will appreciate a somewhat "hot" or "over-wound" pickup. This is because the higher voltage output of "overwound" pickups brings the amp to saturation more readily, even with a rolled-back volume knob. Because vintage humbuckers have a lot more output than an average single-coil, I suppose that's why they became universal for jazz. But single-coils can drive an amp too, with a bit more winding. I like Fender's Texas Special neck pickup. CS '51 is probably very similar. But every maker has "overwound" versions of their product.
    The Nocaster set is not nearly as hot and grindy as the Texas Specials. I think the Texas Specials are good for blues and rock, but they are too harsh for jazz to me. They seem more on the edge of going out of control. I don’t know how else to explain it.

    For comparison:

    Nocaster-
    Neck Pickup: 7.1K, Bridge Pickup: 7.3K
    Alnico 3

    Texas Special -
    Neck Pickup: 9.5K. Bridge Pickup: 10.5K
    Alnico 5

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    way back when modded teles first started showing up, the popular neck replacement was a mini-humbucker...mini retained some of the focused high end of the single coil (p-90-ish), but with humbucking/no noise

    the standard tele neck pup has traditionally used thinner #43 wire for a clearer more hi-fi tone...the cover also being part of the equation

    here's mini-



    cheers
    A friend of mine has the Fender Hot Rod '52 Tele that has this set-up, with a Firebird style mini-humbucker and a hotter bridge pickup. It's a great sounding guitar. I'm not a Tele owner, but if I were, that would be very high on the list of possibilities.

    John