What are your favorite Tele pickups?

Theres a lot of great ones out there in the traditional single coil design like Fender Pure Vintage 64s, Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound, Lindy Fralin Blues Special and i even like the Fender Tex Mex.

But I personally use a Seymour Duncan JB jr and STR-1 Vintage Tele combination, which work great together, especially with a 4 way switch
 
Clockworkmike said:
Theres a lot of great ones out there in the traditional single coil design like Fender Pure Vintage 64s, Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound, Lindy Fralin Blues Special and i even like the Fender Tex Mex.

But I personally use a Seymour Duncan JB jr and STR-1 Vintage Tele combination, which work great together, especially with a 4 way switch
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I didn’t know there was a JB Jr for the Tele! Now I gotta try one!
 
ninjaking67 said:
I didn’t know there was a JB Jr for the Tele! Now I gotta try one!
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Yeah I was surprised to find that they made them myself back when i decided to upgrade it a while ago. I had been really fascinated with them from hearing it in Strats and seeing Iron Maiden using them with a great sound. I initially was gonna go with a Hot Rail but when I saw the JB jr and the Little 59, i literally did a coin flip on it lol
 
Clockworkmike said:
Theres a lot of great ones out there in the traditional single coil design like Fender Pure Vintage 64s, Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound, Lindy Fralin Blues Special and i even like the Fender Tex Mex.

But I personally use a Seymour Duncan JB jr and STR-1 Vintage Tele combination, which work great together, especially with a 4 way switch
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I'm glad someone mentioned the pure vintage 64s, I ordered some earlier today. I like the quarter pound bridge ok, but not the neck. I have a tex mex set I ordered by accident that I meant to return but forgot so I still have them. They're still in the box, I never even opened them.
 
DirtySteve said:
I'm glad someone mentioned the pure vintage 64s, I ordered some earlier today. I like the quarter pound bridge ok, but not the neck. I have a tex mex set I ordered by accident that I meant to return but forgot so I still have them. They're still in the box, I never even opened them.
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The Tex Mex are actually pretty great pickups with a nice hot Alnico 5 magnet. They seem to get overlooked but if you want a hotter tele twang? Hard to beat really.

The Pure Vintage 64s are probably the closest modern pickups to getting that old Tele sound
 
I have a Fender Twisted Tele neck pickup (the best Tele neck pickup ever IMHO) and a Broadcaster bridge pickup in my favorite Tele and I think they are fantastic.

In my Esquire, I have a Dimarzio Twang King bridge pickup. It's hotter, and almost gets into P-90 territory. I really love that pickup.

It's still bright, and punchy, and has all twang you could need, but it gets really dirty and beefy if you want that. I always recommend that pickup to anyone who asks. It's not the flavor of the week, but man it is a seriously good Tele bridge pickup, and does not cost a fortune.
 
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Ok, I know I'm very late to this thread (haven't had much free time of late).
For stock Fender pickups, I don't mind the Tex Mex set that came stock in my tele, but my favourite tele bridge pickup is a Broadcaster type. There are a few winders who supply these, or you can have one wound (my choice). The Broadcaster bridge pickup specs are 0.195" Diameter A3 pole pieces, flush mounted "south up" & wound "top right, top going" (so anti-clockwise wind) to 10,000 turns with 43AWG heavy formvar wire. A ballsy tele bridge pickup that has better mids & doesn't have the twang of your typical tele bridge pickup. Couple that with an A2 PAF type humbucker in the neck position using the broadcaster's "blender" system. Depending on the polarity of the humbucker, you may or may not have to reverse the humbucker's magnet to get both pickups in phase. Works for Keef, works for me too. Cheers
 
I don't have much experience with tele pickups, as I've only had three teles and sold two of them quickly... Nonetheless:

My current tele has STR-1 and STL-1 combo - they sound very nice to me - especially with the 4-way switch. I might want a bit more out of the neck pickup if it wasn't for the especially nice middle series position which gives me an "overdriven neck" sound that I like very much.

Clockworkmike said:
I personally use a Seymour Duncan JB jr and STR-1 Vintage Tele combination, which work great together, especially with a 4 way switch
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You, Sir, have a fine ear.

Ebidis said:
I have a Fender Twisted Tele neck pickup (the best Tele neck pickup ever IMHO) and a Broadcaster bridge pickup in my favorite Tele and I think they are fantastic.
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Even though I've never played them, on sound clips, I consistently prefer the TT set to other Fender pickups.

I did put a set of Fender CS 64s into a MiJ tele with a 4-way switch and wasn't impressed (maybe a screwed up the soldering somehow?).

Had a SD lil '59 humbucker in the neck of a Cort tele, and I didn't like that much either.

I'm happy with the STR/STL combo with the 4 way switch.
 
Tex mex are in my fave Tele, Broadcaster and twisted Tele in the other and sound awesome as well. Had a set of Lollar specials that were awsome in a Tele a few years ago.
 
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