Telecaster - bassy neck pick up

Voxman

I love my Fender Telecaster but I find the neck pick-up is sometimes way too bassy.  It seems very sensitive to particular amps and distortion settings - with some it sounds fine, but with others you flick the p/up selector and its just way too dark & muddy.  I don't want to change the pick-up as I'd like to keep the guitar original but is there anything I can do to make the pick-up brighter sounding?  I was wondering whether this could be improved by altering the wiring somehow with a cap or resistor (sorry, I'm not a tech so apologies if I'm using wrong terminology or if this can't be done).  

If not, and a p/up change is my only viable option, what would be a good p/up choice?

notonlybutalso

angle the pickup away from the low strings?

Voxman

notonlybutalso said:

angle the pickup away from the low strings?

I've experimented with p/up height - that doesn't really help with the bassiness, and it needs to be balanced volume wise with the bridge p/up in any event.  

thermionic

Something like the Jaguar "strangle switch" might work - a 0.003 uF capacitor in series between the pickup and the volume/tone controls. You might want to experiment with values, as the Jaguar's vol/tone pots are 1M Ohm compared to a Tele's 250k.

ICBM

The first thing to try is disconnecting the cover - just cut the little link wire between the eyelet and the cover tab on the bottom of the pickup. Cut it as close to the eyelet as you can and bend it back out of the way, don't try to undo it from the cover - just in case you want to put it back.

The difference varies between subtle and quite noticeable depending on the pickup, but it may be enough. The only downside is very slightly increased noise.

Xsmnmy

if you google 'bass cut' or 'tight control' you might get some ideas - it's somewhat complicated and requires trial and error but if you are determined you'll get there  - I used it on a single (neck) pickup gtr with a pot, but you could hard wire it by going by the pot route first and then replacing the pot with resistors, or have a small trimmer pot under the scratchplate somewhere...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/4lbgqz/oc_useful_guitar_mod_bass_cut_pot/

http://www.metalguitarist.org/forum/guitar-tech-electronics-and-diy/773-tight-control-simple-passive-bass-cut.html

57Deluxe

The original Telecaster concept was that the front PUP was to be used as a BASS guitar, because the electric BASS was not yet manufactured.This is partially why Teles down the line have this tendency.

Even the Esquire wiring was devised to also give a BASS application.

Voxman

57Deluxe said:

The original Telecaster concept was that the front PUP was to be used as a BASS guitar, because the electric BASS was not yet manufactured.This is partially why Teles down the line have this tendency.

Even the Esquire wiring was devised to also give a BASS application.

Yes, I'm aware of that - in fact, many years ago I tried a really old Telecaster at Vintage & Rare Guitars - I think it was a '52.  The neck p/up had the tone 'fixed' all the way down and the tone control had no effect.  In my ignorance I thought it was faulty, but V&R explained why that was done i.e, the 'bass guitar' effect.  It could easily be altered so the tone pot would work on the neck p/up, but then it would not have been wholly original.  

RandallFlagg

Which Tele neck pickup do you have fitted? 


The neck pickup in my 2015 American Vintage 52 is not as sassy as I recall a Tele pickup, it's nicely balanced with the bridge pickup. The Twisted Tele neck pickup is also more Stratty.

But, the best pickups I have used in a Tele are the Custom Shop Nocaster 51's, a great set of pickups. You can't go wrong with them.

The AV52 stock pickups are close enough for me to keep them.

If you don't like your pickups - change them.

ICBM

Voxman said:

57Deluxe said:

The original Telecaster concept was that the front PUP was to be used as a BASS guitar, because the electric BASS was not yet manufactured.This is partially why Teles down the line have this tendency.

Even the Esquire wiring was devised to also give a BASS application.

Yes, I'm aware of that - in fact, many years ago I tried a really old Telecaster at Vintage & Rare Guitars - I think it was a '52.  The neck p/up had the tone 'fixed' all the way down and the tone control had no effect.  In my ignorance I thought it was faulty, but V&R explained why that was done i.e, the 'bass guitar' effect.  It could easily be altered so the tone pot would work on the neck p/up, but then it would not have been wholly original.  

Just as an aside, the only time I've ever heard anyone finding a musical use for that sound is Steven Stills in Crosby, Stills & Nash - he used the 'bass' setting on his Esquire occasionally, most of the electric guitar parts on 'Wooden Ships' are probably the best-known example.