What Is The Difference Between a Telecaster And s Stratocaster Neck Pickup?

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What Is The Difference Between a Telecaster And s Stratocaster Neck Pickup?
Here are some great tele pickups that solve a lot of the problems dylantalkstone.com/collection...
Telecaster Vs Stratocaster Part 3 - The Neck Pickup
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[@flo-bezee9547]

Some people like that "muddy" sound. It's part of the telecaster vibe.

[@JohnPerryMusic]

It’s interesting my tele neck pickup is far from muddy. It’s thick and fat yet has clarity

[@johnm3946]

Tele neck pick up blends nice with the bridge pick up. Very fond of position 2.

[@dimiaraujo90]

I actually really love the "muddyness/warmness" of a Tele neck pickup, as well as Jazzmaster's neck pickup

[@mytelecasterworld3336]

i do as well....delta blues sounds awesome with the tele neck pick up...

[@mackenlyparmelee5440]

I wouldn't swap mine for anything. I love the way it sounds and it's very unique and I think underappreciated

[@ravenslaves]

The Tele, and the neck pickup, was also Fender's first Bass instrument. So that double role also had a part in the design. The Broadcaster (Tele) was suppose to be the most versatile guitar on the market when it was introduced. It could handle jazz, country, Western, swing...anything popular or obscure, the Tele could fit the role. Still can. And one of the major factors to its success was that little pickup.

[@DylanTalksTone]

great point. I should do a video on that early bass curcuit

[@tomjohnston3256]

Great video, thanks this answered a lot of questions

[@fiddlix]

Great video as usual. You may have already done this. I currently use a tele neck pickup that is built with much longer alnico 5 magnets and is wound with 42g plain enamel wire with a custom nickel silver cover. Sounds fantastic and very strat like and balances well with Alnico 3 Broadcaster style pickup I run in the back.

[@iagobroxado]

I've done the "swap the brass cover for a nickel cover" mod on my Tele and the difference was brutal. Actually, I simply removed the cover and went out and played like that for one night and loved it. Then I got the nickel cover which is very, very close to the uncovered sound, but still attenuates the highs a tiny bit. I definitely recommend this mod IF you have a real brass cover and you are never satisfied with how your neck pickup sounds. Most Teles coming from Fender and other brands nowadays have nickel covers already so this mod would be totally useless for most people for obvious reasons.

[@xClunky]

Danelectro lipstick pickups vs strat pickups would be interesting

[@moonchild4806]

Big part of the dano tones is that they're wired in series.

[@oscarmorales-cn3hz]

You are the boos!!! THANKS!!!

[@kroadster3249]

Great channel, awesome knowledge

[@Edward-MTBKR]

Please do Jaguar pick ups and claws, and explain the high resistance pots.

[@alirezahashemi8417]

Very interesting thanks. Keep it up.

[@denniswalsh8476]

On one of my Telecasters, I changed the neck PU cover from the normal, closed cover to an after market pickup "cover" (a properly sized chrome surround) with an OPEN top. This surround exposes the top flatwork and the magnets. A slightly rolled top edge on the surround covers the edge of the top flatwork. It fits perfectly, looks clean and like it "came that way". I did not change the bobbin or the magnets or the coil or the connections, so a good A vs. B tone test. The tone didn't change too much but the pickup is CLEARER SOLO, (and slightly louder when set at the same height). I don't think it changed the "Tele Sound" of both PUs ON enough to talk about, (certainly not as much as playing games with PU heights). I would undo a mod. in a heartbeat if didn't like the result... and was happy and left it. Those open surrounds are $10-12. Easy to change, unbend the tabs, clip (do not unsolder) the connection between PU low side and the solid cover. Solder a new (8-10") ground wire to the surround (a tab) so, now 3 wires. Connect the PU low and the new ground together somewhere else. I don't recommend trying to reinstall the jumper wire from PU low side to the new surround. That would require re-melting the solder in the PU low side eyelet. That eyelet has just a few microscopic turns of the (tiny) magnet wire looped through it and might RUIN the PU if overheated or abused removing the old jumper and putting in a new one. Not that likely, but why risk it? Your skills and results may vary.

[@michaeldimarzio5078]

Thanks this was great!

[@visionlandmusic]

Good, informative videos man.

[@alexanderguestguitars1173]

Dylan, your videos are absolutely brilliant! You're answering questions I've had for some years now. You give specific reasons (based on physics) without any waffle. And you've also just answered a previous comment i made on why Fender changed from the tele bridge to the strat pickups - so they are all the same! Obvious when you think about it. Makes me want to try pickup building myself. Old video now, but something worth saying. One thought for you though. In the "Why teles and strats sound different" video, you say that different trem block on a strat made of different materials will make the guitar sound different. This is due to the different masses of the trem blocks. Over the years I've been building I've found this not to be the case. What really matters is not the mass of the individual components, but the DENSITY of the components which have the most effect on tone. This is not just true of metals, but of woods as well. The higher the DENSITY of wood, the more "resonant" it will be, with more top end and sparkle. The lower the density of the wood, the less top end the tone will have, and give a "warmer" sound. This is why, on acoustic guitars, spruce tops sound sparklier and brighter than cedar tops, that are warmer and richer - because spruce is denser than cedar. My guitars I build with brass nuts. Brass is much denser than plastic or bone (and probably "tusq"), and so I get a very sparkly top end on my guitars, typically (alexandergusetguitars.com). Easy to roll off with the tone knob! You can look up relative densities of woods in books, and so you can use those figures to give a good guide as to the sound profile of the guitar you're going to build, and it will sound just like you predict. The DENSITY of the components seems to be the one rule people have been searching for for decades, as far as tone goes, but have been side-tracked by the "red-herring" of mass. A similar principle of physics, but not one which accurately describes tonal characteristics in the way that density does.

[@someofem]

Good stuff. And interesting. Thank You!

[@sidestyle05]

I wouldn't call the neck pickup "muddy." I think "warmer" is a better description, and it actually makes a good jazz pickup.

[@superbroadcaster]

An issue with the pickups is the original broadcaster and early tele wiring didnt have a tone circuit, so there was a lot more clarity on neck pickups. Putting a tone circuit in a tele with a neck pickup that doesn't compensate will be an issue. Or you could just, you know, get rid of your tone circuit, because you never touch it.

[@chuckkirkpatrick6712]

Absolutely love your explanations and technical / electronic expertise. Just wish you'd include some sort audio clips to demonstrate...

[@DylanTalksTone]

According to your other comments, you already know what a tele sounds like

[@fmh357]

I love you difference videos since I didn't really know till now

[@stevehanwright481]

Love your no nonsense approach

[@skillracoonful]

ESP Thinline Tele copies had strat pickups in the neck pickup slots. I've always wondered why but after watching this video, it made sense!

[@skillracoonful]

I made a mistake! they're not strat pickups!! They're uncovered tele neck pickups! I don't know if they use the 43 gauge wire though or the 42 guage wire. But at times they do sound stratty!

[@zscion9611]

Make a video about the differences a humbucker pickup cover makes on the pickup!

[@skipgeorge4550]

Thanks... good info.

[@basedguitarist731]

Every guitarist needs to know about your channel.

[@onewiththings]

Technical question: Can the Kahluha be used to age the covers, and does sipping it make the tone sound warmer?

[@MikeCindyWhite]

Great video Dylan! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!! What do you think about those Lightwave optical pickups? Maybe I'm a little late to the game, but I just found out about them last week... Any thoughts? Thx. bro............ Mike (Ipswich River Guitars).

[@tomjohnston3256]

After removing the cover from mine the tone was somewhere between a Tele n a Strat. It opened up the highs and lows

[@guitarnist]

The thing about a Tele neck pickup is that even when Leo Fender had made the Strat pickup, he still left the Tele neck pickup as-is. It was made with a different purpose, to tic-tac rhythm with an upright bass. Once musicians started playing with the wiring of tone / switch and discovered the true sound(without the bass roll-off), they found other styles they could use it for. The Tele neck pickup is as unique as the Bridge pickup, and oh how they sound combined!!!!!!!

[@lueysixty-six7300]

Steven Roberts you mean good?? I couldn't quite follow you, sorry..

[@iagobroxado]

The neck pickup without the bass roll-off had always been available on the middle position. It's just that nobody really used the pseudo-bass tone on position 3 of the switch. Not even jazzers went that dark. And the electric bass had been available since 1952, so I'd bet the Tele position 3 remained as it was for over a decade simply because Leo was stubborn as heck.

[@moustachio334]

Leo eventually developer the PTB system at G&L that completely solves any issues with pickup EQ so it wasn’t Leo’s stubbornness. It was the major shareholders that eventually kicked him out of the company.

[@thelovacluka]

Damn awesome info.

[@jvin248]

One of the things you should cover in this Tele vs Strat neck pickup issue ... Recording in front of a pc or in an electrically noisy room (florescent lights and dimmers) then having a cover on the Tele pickup shields it from more noise. Covered vs uncovered humbuckers suffer this problem too. It's not just 60cycle. Laptops nearby and cell phones in your pocket. Tele bridge pickups can benefit from having the ashtray cover on them. There is a difference in tone impact from the cover material type with more/less eddy currents.

[@endezeichengrimm]

I have not opened the Tele Neck pickup. I like the mystery to remain because I like the tone that comes out of them.

[@traviswilson5338]

Would a single humbucker bobbin sound roughly the same as making a humbucker sized p90 with the same size wooden shim core? My guess is yes, but I'm not sure if I'm missing something. I believe they are both roughly 1/4in tall.

[@jeremycraft8452]

Taking the cover off my Stew-Mac Tele neck pickup was like taking a blanket off my amp. The difference was huge (and for the better, IMO).

[@biggstile]

I always wondered this.

[@stevegamiello6476]

Serial number 0009 at Songbirds Museum in Chattanooga. That was not the original color. The guitar was taken off of the line and used to test amps in the Fender Factory until 1974 when a fender exec saw it ask asked what the story was with that guitar. The worker told the exec that he's used it to test amps since 1952, and the exec said it's yours. you've earned it. He had it painted that reddish pink at some point. The museum got it from the workers family. Also just because the serial number is 0009, it doesn't actually mean it's the 9th one made. They would pull the bridges at random from a large container. It does, however mean the guitar was in the first batch of guitars. You can confirm that story with the SongBirds Museum itself

[@BrandonBames]

Tele neck vs lipstick. Great vids!

[@bpabustan]

Dylan, I have seen a Strat with a Tele neck pickup. Is it possible to install a Tele bridge pickup on a Strat?

[@fiddlix]

Yes. It requires some routing and a custom pick guard.

[@michaeldrevyankosr6180]

You can buy a Strat Hybrid body from Warmouth, that is routed for a tele neck and bridge, they start at $175

[@michelelongo8570]

Hi!I'm writing from Rome,Italy.Have you never examined the ceramic double magnet bars pickups (singles ones) often used on Korean Squier's instruments or whatever?Could you please give a tecnical opinion about that?I personally like it very much,even if I'm not a big fan of ceramics.What's the difference with the single magnet bar?In my experience they sound a little bit louder and warmer,with medium/treble enhancement and neat basses....

[@RemyRAD]

Thank you. That was very informative. As I personally am not a guitarist. I just record guitarists. And while I've always heard the difference in their tonality. And the ways in which they are used. It was never as clear to me. As you have made it here. And of course it all makes total sense. To an audio engineer. And I would hope, also, guitarists. And it was authentically, articulate. Most impressive. Is that fine selection of,, spirits in the background. And also Jimi Hendrix. Didn't his pickups catch on fire? Or was that just the lighter fluid? Now I feel more, edgemucated, thanks to you.

[@outwook]

Hi, Dylan, thanks for the content, it's very enjoyable. Has anyone ever thought on winding a pickup with an aluminum wire? Just curious if less winds are able to compensate the muddiness of a high-resistive wire.

[@aleksandrnestrato]

Noooo! Early Strats had three different intermagnet spacings depending on their position. In order to follow the strings as they spread from nut towards the bridge. The narrowest one was the neck pickup, the widest one was the bridge pickup. The middle pickup was the middle one:) Later folks discovered that minor mismatch between the string and the pickup magnet is negligible in sound, but saves hell lot of money in production.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

I have a spare strat pickup(grey bobin) and a Fender Esquire which has a pre routed space already under the scratchplate, I was wondering if I could place that spare in the Esquire and hide it under the scratchplate. I have to ask cos the Esquire is in another place and so I can't physically try the fit so I thought I would ask you as you must tried this(like that secret pickup in thebrad paisley Esquire) at least once. The alternative is to get a Tele scratchplate but I hate having to switch .

[@morddas]

Hey Dylan, what would happen if you put a low output magnet (like an A2) into an overwound humbucker? I was thinking about doing this to my stock Ibanez Quantum pickups but if it's gonna sound just as raspy and trebley, I don't want to bother.

[@davecarsley8773]

Noise. Noise would happen.

[@davepilgrim5798]

Dimensions matters 😁 You said tele neck pup muddier, can we also say warmer, or it's subjective or wrong? Are new telly neck pups (not just 2019 ones, but modern in general) made the same way? You say you build tele neck different to bring back highs, does fender keep the same construction ever or did they improved them like you does? Interesting vid!

[@EMWoodworking]

Dave Pilgrim I agree. The term should be warmer. Not muddier I just got a new Nashville Deluxe and the pick ups are “noiseless” so Fender must have changed something.

[@skillracoonful]

To me there is a difference between warm and muddy! Warm is warm and still has enough highs to be considered usable. Muddy is pejoratively an unwanted tone that most guitarists don't want! Muddy is bassy and it lacks definition and clarity to be usable. It defeats the purpose for it to be a single-coil pickup.

[@davidfellows6250]

I cant speak for a single coil but on a humbuggy if you take the cover off you can lower the screws and raise the whole pup up and yes that makes a very auditable difference.

[@toneconsultant]

You want questions? I got one. What happens if you buy 3 strat pickups, but you close your eyes and place the middle in the neck position, the Bridge pickup in the middle, etc.

[@iagobroxado]

Let's say the 3 pickups are virtually the very same specs: there would be no noticeable difference using the middle pickup on the neck position or bridge for the middle and vice-versa. Now let's say you have a set with a hotter bridge pickup, which is common nowadays: neck pickup: 6K, middle: 6.3K and bridge 7K, 8K or even 9K... It's quite possible that using this hot bridge pickup on the neck position would make it sound too muddy. The neck position sounds looser and bassier by nature, since it is further away form the guitar's bridge.

[@davecarsley8773]

This question cannot be answered without knowing which type of pickups you're talking about, and if they're all the same with the same resistance.

[@esteban.r11]

A Jazzmaster vs Jaguar video would be greatly appreciated!

[@bobtheblindbedroomguitaris8742]

thanks Dylan very great video on pickups again I've learned a lot just watching your channel or listening to it seeing that I'm suffering from mr. Magoo syndrome anyway you know it's it's good to hear like the truth about how friend that started it was built like you said to be cheap that use the word that was local and easy to get they bought their materials you know what picked for their accessibility of buying the parts and also for how what the cost was cuz I could tell I was not meant to be an expensive guitarno would you look at the boat on neck which I think is crazy that they call it both on because it's screwed on but anyway that's just me it was done to a not need a experienced hired help to be able to put that neck in properly and how long it would take for a person to set the neck in conventionally you know these things are all done to meet a price point and that's no and what happened was magic that I understand but to think that it was done to some kind of mojo in the materials it's just a pipe pipe dream anyway I'm glad you're not on thanks again for your video I hope to see you still haveplease excuse typos misspelled words definitely lack of punctuation as I noted in my comment above I suffer from mr. Magoo syndrome in scientific terms I'm pretty badly legally blind using Speech-to-Text which has a mind of its own as you probably will notice from the comment I left anyway sincerely yours, but the blind bedroom guitarist and PS merry Christmas happy Hanukkah and a happy and healthy New year to all

[@bullwhipjohnson8247]

That's some Deep Dive alright.

[@jamesallen2583]

Love this series of videos. This guy knows his stuff.

[@johngonzales8224]

I have been playing around with tele pickups . My G&L ASAT field density pickups got microphonic. so I change to another said and they soon became microphonic. So I decided to try the Seymour Duncan Quarter pounder pickups and the sound was very similar and have not had anymore micro phonics since. not as twangy as my American tele but kick in the drive and It sounds strong and full with a little bit of tele bite.

[@shallyshal1]

Have had at least 2 Teles where without the cover on the neck pickup the hi E string would snag on the magnet with hard playing. With a cover it easily slipped off and wasn’t even noticeable

[@cjscala87]

I’ve had dozens of telecasters and haven’t had even one of the neck pickups sound muddy.

[@popsfereal]

On budget guitars, I will remove the cover from the tele neck p/u. It opens the sound a bit and you get some more highs.

[@TheStacanova]

In 97’ I bought a 1997 MIJ deluxe Fender Tele. I swapped the Bridge pickup for a Seymour Duncan Vintage stack. It sounded similar(no hum, a touch more bite) I then swapped the Neck pickup to SD Vintage stack(no hum, it sounded better/more clarity) The pickup swaps was soon after I purchased the Guitar, in 1998, we played a bar regularly that had all of their neon signs on the same circuit as the sound, so hum canceling was an absolute necessity. I then swapped the Bridge(was string through body, standard Tele Bridge) Replace with a Bigsby conversion, with Graphtech saddles.(this gave it a little less bite). This was after owning the guitar for 15+ years. However, one of the biggest Tone changes(this was done separate from the other changes) I noticed, was when I swapped all of the wiring, pots, selector switch, caps, Jack for more “vintage correct” wiring, CRL switch, switch craft Jack, nos Cap, etc. It changed the tone a ton more than I expected, made it much more “vintage sounding”, I could suddenly clean up the guitar by just rolling back the volume, the tone pot seemed much more active, etc. I actually only changed the wiring because my selector switch broke, so I just bought a pre-soldered vintage style harness, with top shelf components, that seemed like a good deal on sale. (The posts on the vintage style pots, fit some knobs I wanted to put on anyways, the Japanese ones didn’t) This was done after I’d owned the guitar for nearly 20 years. I never even considered changing the wiring, I assumed it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to the sound of the guitar. Now, I kinda wish I would’ve changed it out sooner? So, how much does wiring, pots, caps, etc. matter?

[@DavidSmith-ss1cg]

Everything that you change makes a difference; this is why I like Dylan's channel. I think that a lot of the time, he's trying to not offend anyone, but that's just the way the world is, now. These videos are great, as they guide you through the process of discovering how your guitar works. It's every guitar player's responsibility to learn about this stuff, so that you're not at the mercy of a tech some time.

[@TheStacanova]

David Smith I very much agree, I was just pointing out where I was coming from & my expectations & how that changed from certain experiences, where some things I thought wouldn’t make a difference, ended up making a huge change(usually from a lack of quality in the parts). I like to think of “tone” like a recipe. You have many ingredients you use to make a certain dish and the player is “the chef”. One thing I’ve learned from Gordon Ramsey(besides new swear words) is, Quality, fresh ingredients, prepared within the Chefs ability, is usually a winning formula.

[@abhinavguitar]

this was very informative. Till now those two seemed the same to me. Great Video!

[@mvp019]

Hi Dylan - perhaps tangentially related, but I would like to see a video on the various how-to of mounting a Tele neck pickup, both pickguard and body mounting. I was stunned to find a lack of such info in video form on the web, especially with the Tele being the most modded guitar out there, and the huge number of how-to videos on Teles covering nearly anything related to Telecaster building and mods, that such a topic had nothing. Thanks - enjoy your videos, and about to start my tele project using the control panel you made for me!

[@davecarsley8773]

Tele isn't even close to being the most modded guitar out there. That honor goes to the stratocaster by a HUGE margin.

[@mvp019]

@@davecarsley8773 Since neither of us has any hard data, we will just have to agree to disagree. Teles are generally easier to mod because they don't have the floating tailpiece and overall mroe straightforward wiring...a beginner is better off on a Tele than a Strat. But Leo's 2 orignal ideas have definitely sttod the test of time!

[@willeek3760]

pls. do a video on squire bronco bass pickup. is it built for bass or not ? ( coil wise)

[@asepsetiapermana]

how about out of phase sound between two pickup, depending on each pickup placement.. example on bridge + neck tele vs bridge + middle strat. thank you

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

Leo Fender replaced the neck pickup on his personal Tele with an Alnico 2 Strat pickup.

[@scottakam]

How about the difference between a regular Tele neck pickup and a "Twisted Tele" neck pickup? As I understand it they are supposed to be more Strat like by increasing the length of the pole pieces so they can use 42 gauge wire.

[@nicolafacchini]

Twisted tele windings are in counter phase to get noisless middle position sound

[@TheFlutecart]

Interesting, I don't have a Tele, but I installed a Fender Twisted Tele Neck pup in an old MIJ Epiphone acoustic guitar and it's awesome. And put a TV Jones Starwood Tele Neck pup in my Parts -O- Sonic 24" scale hardtail build and I really like it a lot. The Starwood is a mutant Tele neck pickup, it's got funny magnet slugs and wire in it but it's my go to clean tone pup on that guitar. Honestly, it's my favorite neck pickup so far. I have a pair of old Aria Pro2 lawsuit PAF that sounded great in my SG Tribute, swapped them for P-Rails, but I might likely put the neck Aria back in. Love the P-Rails on the Bridge better than the Aria PAF though. I don't want my guitar to sound exactly like other guitars. I play mutants, exclusively. So pickups are a big deal. I've bought plenty Seymour's but I'm thinking a Dylan P-90 RWRP custom middle pup for my next build, A Jazzmaster with unusually wicked wiring and sounds. The body is on the way with an everything rout.

[@jman1428]

I have taken the cover off many tele pickups and they get louder with more highs.

[@stueycaster]

Can you explain the difference between Vintage 52, Vintage 58 and Vintage 64 pickups please.

[@boimesa8190]

I just want to know if I can put a Tele neck pickup in my strat...?

[@thevoxofreason8468]

Good vid. You probably didn't want to dive too deep into this so as not to confuse anyone, but I'm surprised you didn't mention that one initial purpose of the Tele neck pickup was to mimic the sound of a bass...heck, the forward position on the 3 way switch on early Broadcasters even used a capacitor to take out even more highs. Still, I love the sound of all types of Tele neck pickups, vintage or modern. They're "sweet" sounding to my ear.

[@DylanTalksTone]

I want to do a video on this

[@thevoxofreason8468]

@@DylanTalksTone That would be cool.

[@thevoxofreason8468]

@@DylanTalksTone ...and great content overall.

[@lewisbeeman]

What would have been awesome is if you A/B’d the two pickups in the same guitar. Regardless it was a good video.

[@skillracoonful]

I think since guitarists play different from each other, it wouldn't be a fair comparison unless you tried it out yourself. Personally I play different from all the guitarists from my local GC store. Lol

[@ryperthereaper3882]

P90 got a muddy sound not tele neck pickup. Just kidding: great job as always man.

[@b.rodclark7349]

I noticed the difference in tone when i removed the neck pickup cover in my Tele; it seemed mellow with it on but opened up more without it plus I was able to get it closer to the strings @the 22nd fret without being close enough to sound shrill so i pushed the Alnico 5 polepieces flush to .02mm underneath the top bobbin which eventually led to my next problem: hanging the high E from heavy picking until it eventually shorted out. I recently put those Alnico 5's in a Mexican Strat PU after removing the bar magnets & polepiece rods and resoldered its broken wire that was damaged in a previous Strat pickguard swap when the cover came off; a neck positioned RWRP Strat PU definitely makes an even bigger difference now only in sound but hum-cancelling series & parallel switching as well.

[@oscarmorales-cn3hz]

Please some bass guitar love, PB-JB-MM :)

[@SombraPiloto]

I just Esquire'd my American Performer Tele. Problem solved!

[@cahvisoil]

So, is there a real difference between having a metal cover on any type of pickup?

[@davecarsley8773]

Yes. Absolutely. Your pickup listens by creating a magnetic field. Metal effects magnetic fields greatly.

[@lueysixty-six7300]

So it can be good or bad, depending on what you are going for..?

[@DylanTalksTone]

this is incorrect

[@m.g.6226]

Hi, please make such a Video about the difference between Firebird and Minihumbucker Pickups. Thx and keep up, greate Channel.

[@DylanTalksTone]

Firebird pickups are minihumbuckers

[@m.g.6226]

@@DylanTalksTone Yes, like Tele and Strat Pickups, they are both Singlecoils. When I remember correctly, Firebird Pickups have a different Magnet Position/Constuction.

[@davidterrill8647]

If the strat guitar pickups are the same , I have always been amazed at how much different in sound the bridge is from the neck pick up . In such a short distance . I own a Hendrix Stratocaster , the one with all of the Hendrix mods . Where the pickups are positioned can change the tone of the guitar . I would like your opinion on this !

[@JoelWetzel]

I've heard their outputs aren't identical, that the lower of the three goes to the neck position and the highest at the bridge. This compensates for the difference in the magnitude of the string's vibration in the various locations and gives a more or less equal output to the various switch settings. I know picking near the bridge sounds different from picking over the fretboard so it may be the string has an infinite number of sounds along its length. Hopefully he'll reply with a more informed opinion.

[@mal2ksc]

You know how harmonics work, I assume. Those harmonics are still going on in a mixture when you play normally. Any time a harmonic's node falls above the pickup, it disappears from the sound because it's not moving. You can test this: your bridge pickup will hear any harmonics you throw at it, but the neck pickup will "miss" the 4th harmonic of an open string, and the 8th as well. Play a harmonic at the 5th fret, it should be rather quiet from the neck pickup. Middle pickups (Strats) are in between the nodes for the 5th and 6th harmonics of an open string, and the bridge pickup almost seems designed to not hear the 7th harmonic. I presume that by toning down the dissonant 7:4 ratio, the brightness overall can be dialed to eleven. (This all only applies in cowboy chord territory, of course.) So yes, there are in theory an infinite number of sounds you can get, but the neck and bridge seem designed to be at that 7:4 ratio, and the logical place to put a third pickup is smack dab in the middle. If you want to experiment, I'd say route out the wood between pickup cavities (on a parts-grade body of course!) and then put two pickups on sliding rails. Or just live with taking the pick guard off every time you want to move the pickup. I'd suggest doing this on a parts-grade pick guard, too -- a time when a $10 pick guard from China makes perfect sense. Have fun!

[@JoelWetzel]

@@mal2ksc Sliding pickups were a thing in the '70's, right? I invented them in my head then heard they'd been done already. Peace.

[@artysanmobile]

David Terrill That is no short distance at all! If you could see the string vibrating in ultra slo-mo, you’d see the signal presented to the pickup is night and day different just inches apart. Great big swings at the fundamental frequency are common near the neck while near the bridge, the fundamental is greatly attenuated and the string is vibrating with much smaller amplitude but with a big series of harmonics.

[@clgmafnas]

Darker maybe... muddier? I guess it depends whos hands it's in.

[@denniswalsh8476]

The middle pickup of a Strat is reverse magnetic polarity and reverse wound, (RPRW)... so, the same size but not the same. That's why it "quacks" in neck & middle and bridge & middle selection, (positions 4 & 2). Original Strats (for many years) had 3 position switches (bridge or middle or neck) where those paired PU settings were not available on the detents. Some guitarists would put the 3 position switches part way between position 1 & 2, also part way between 2 & 3 (and find some way to wedge the switch in those positions, using matchbook covers, toothpicks, etc.). This created the circuit for those PU pairs. Eventually Fender began using the 5 position switch. Still, there wad no bridge & neck selection. I recently installed 6 position switches in two guitars that have the normal 5 settings and the 6th position 6 is bridge and neck, in phase, in parallel. Less than $20 and 30 minutes. It even stings a bit less if you need a new switch anyway. Rotor 2, (tone rotor) is player's option to add tone on the bridge or other options.

[@artysanmobile]

dennis walsh Actually, you’re mistaken about the relationship between the middle pickup winding and sound. They began making a reverse wound middle pickup for noise rejection and that works well in positions 2 and 4. Despite the physically reversed winding, the middle pickup is NOT reverse polarity (or phase as some say). The magnetic field the string passes through is in the exact same polarity on all three pickups. The winding itself is physically set in space in an opposing direction so that its induced pickup of distant signals (hum) is reversed in polarity, and that induced ambient pickup indeed cancels very effectively. This has absolutely nothing to do with the polarity of the intended pickup field which is very narrowly concentrated near the string. The quack sound is simply the result of the relatively close distance between the two pickups ‘hearing’ the string at two different vibrational nodes. This occurs with every combination of two pickups but the sound of the nulls and peaks is more prominent when those string nodes are closer together so you don’t really get that effect from two pickup guitars.

[@denniswalsh8476]

@@artysanmobile Hey Peter. I didn't say it was reverse electrical polarity. RWRP or RPRW is reverse MAGNETIC polarity, (reverse wound), not electrical polarity. The pole piece magnets are installed opposite the neck and bridge, so either (north up, south up north up) or (south up, north up south up). I know that position 2 & 4 are (sort of) hum canceling. The hollow sound of those positions from position along the string, not sure. My Strat has EMG's and the pickups are all the same magnetic polarity and has no hint of the hollow sound in position 2 and 4, just different. I have two three-pickup Telecaster using RPRW middle pickups (like most Strats) and have that hollow sound in positions 2 & 4, (no suprise there). Those Tekecasters both have six position switches. The 6th position is bridge and neck, same magenetic polarity, in parallel and that position is not hollow sounding at all. So position 6 is the same as a two PU Tele selected on "both". I wound all three pickup in one Tele and I wound the middle pickup of the other... (and wound or rewound dozens of other pickup). So... I more than pretty sure of the way they work.

[@artysanmobile]

dennis walsh The sound you describe as hollow is not the result of reverse magnetic polarity. The depths of those nulls is highly dependent on the output levels of those adjacent pickups. The closer to equal, the deeper the nulls. Even small amounts of height adjustment will affect this noticeably. The magnetic polarity is reversed for the reason I described.

[@charlesharding5260]

Can a PAF humbucker like the Seymour duncan 59 be installed in a tele neck like Keith Richards does ?

[@smeercat]

Ya it can. Just have to route out the body to make it fit.

[@hypthinkpositivepersonalch1402]

I want to see a 3 pickup tele (Nashville) or strat with 3 tele neck pups. Am I insane?

[@crimping1]

Can you get a telecaster neck pickup that is the same sound as a Stratocaster but the same size and look of a telecaster?

[@swamification]

Dee I was just thinking the same thing :)

[@fiddlix]

Yes

[@DylanTalksTone]

Yes. We have made a lot of them. we can get pretty close

[@swamification]

My favorite position on a strat is neck and bridge on tele...would love to have both on my tele. Don’t think it would work the other way around, on a strat because of the bridge design. And also because I don’t have a strat at the moment!

[@swamification]

DylanTalksTone Thanks Dylan! Is that a stock pickup or custom order?

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

The picture of the red telecaster you showed only had a neck pickup, no bridge pickup, but you said that the original prototype had no neck pickup, only a bridge pickup.

[@DylanTalksTone]

The bridge pickup was under the ashtray cover.

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

DylanTalksTone Isn’t there a neck pickup also then? I can see a pickup selector switch and what looks like a pickup right next to the beginning of the neck.

[@DylanTalksTone]

Yeah. This was a very early prototype.

[@Scrappalino]

I’ve gotten to check that guitar out too... Irving at Songbirds is great. That whole place is awesome 👏

[@OaNautilus92]

This made me want to try tele neck pickups with staggered or screw pole pieces.

[@buzzcrumhunger7114]

I always wondered why they kept making the tele neck pu after they introduced the strat and why didn’t they just use strat neck pickups in teles to keep the number of manufacturing steps lower. One less thing to make.

[@audiquattros6]

Could you do one berween humbuckers vs mini-humbuckers?

[@DylanTalksTone]

Subscribe and hit the little bell so you dont miss when we release new content. We just did it ;)

[@cliffb2454]

I've found old Tele pickup covers take away some highs or reduce the attack. I even made up some thin top plates for my Strat pickup, from 410 grade stainless steel. They really took the edge off the attach, too much. Same goes for humbuckers. Some rock players take the covers off but smooth jazz players always leave them on. All metals interact with magnetic fields, even though we may not be able to feel any magnetic pull.

[@chuckkirkpatrick6712]

There is no sound more God-like than a great Tele neck pup....

[@ericdenton6664]

Hey bud. I would love to see you do a video on the difference between a strat neck and a tele neck as well as share how we could interchange them. One of my favorite Texas guitar slinger played a strat with a tele neck. I always wanted to put a guitar like that together. As far as I know it's the end of the fretboards that's different. A tele being flat and a strat being curved. Am I correct in this? And other than modifying the neck pockets to accommodate the fretboard ends is this swap that simple? Thank you again for your professional knowledge and your channel. I think its awesome. Eric D. Amarillo Tx.

[@BigSh00tsie]

"Jazzmaster... neck middle bridge, all the same." me: Jazzmaster with a middle pickup? oh Dylan haha.

[@lueysixty-six7300]

BigSh00ts I've seen one. Looked Bad-arse! Haha

[@BigSh00tsie]

Luey Sixty-six oh I’m sure it exists. I bet it is cool too. Just thought it was funny.

[@seanmcdonald4436]

Fender makes a jazz/strat hybrid. It has 3 pups .

[@BigSh00tsie]

@@seanmcdonald4436 i don't think that's the one he was referring to.

[@seanmcdonald4436]

@@BigSh00tsie Perhaps he just mis-spoke ?

[@zigzagerman7420]

Your the einstein of pick Up's

[@briancoyne6700]

I can't watch this video because I'm a recovering alcoholic in early sobriety and you are flaunting your booze bar. Thanks!

[@DylanTalksTone]

we have 850 other videos I am sure you will enjoy

[@briancoyne6700]

@@DylanTalksTone with or without a booze bar? or are you choosing to ignore that bit?

[@ericdenton6664]

I recently discovered your channel. I built my first good strat in 1982. Ash body. 2 Dimarzio SDS2 single coils and a Seymour Duncan Custom humbucker in double cream. Yeah. Before dimarzio locked the double cream humbucker sales down. A shecter bridge with brass tone block before schecter made guitars and was a great parts company and I scalloped the fret board. Ok. So I'm not new to this guitar game. I also worked for 10 years in a awesome music store as a buyer and toured as a professional guitarist in a rock band. I say all this not just to affirm my experience and knowledge but to say I appreciate you and yours. You know your guitars and you know the business and it's so nice to watch you educate us all with proper and correct guitar knowledge. Thank you and please continue teaching me and the world the real stuff. I will never stop learning and will always have a passion for all things guitar. You and your channel are great. Eric D. From Amarillo Texas

[@tps1020]

Seeing that booze makes me glad as hell I'm sober

[@DylanTalksTone]

That's awesome man.

[@philsmith3019]

Congrats, same.

[@lueysixty-six7300]

Yeah Brother, friend of Bill over here! Switched booze for G.A.S. 3 yrs ago and I haven't looked back!

[@rickc2102]

I never drink at home, just at shows, so like 1-2 times a month. If it can't get its hooks into you, it's a fun buzz to visit periodically. I treat chocolate and other sweets similarly, though they're more pernicious temptations, lol.

[@ericdenton6664]

I've always wanted to build a strat with 3 tele neck pickups as well as a strat with 3 TV Jones filtertron style pickups. I think both would sound and look unique and totally cool. Thanks

[@soundtrue6560]

as a pick up builder why are you not testing this on situation? on an guitar? like you did with the saddle on tele! it will be more easy to verify and ear in situation! i understand that it will take time but....you have all kind of pick up!! not as so many people! and have you seen the video of mike of that pedal show that test multiples bridge and didn t ear difference on a strat? wich have to be the MOST important tone factor on a guitar as you say in your previous video!

[@DylanTalksTone]

we have many pickups available but we don't have the right guitars to test. It is just a limit in budget and space.

[@soundtrue6560]

@@DylanTalksTone i understand! thanks for responding! have you see the mike video with bridge test from mike of that pedal showl explaining that he doesn t feel any change with different bridge?

[@moustachio334]

A Strat neck pickup sounds good. A Tele neck pickup just doesn’t.

[@ldfox11]

Wow

[@Mauitaoist]

The Springs inside the Stratocaster body act like The Springs in your Reverb they give it that jangly sound that depth and a special quality that stratocasters and guitars that are made that way have

[@DylanTalksTone]

Lol

[@Freddy-Da-Freeloadah]

@5:08 Since the Neck pickup is supposed to be bassier... WHY MAKE IT BRIGHTER? That's what the BRIDGE PICK UP IS FOR! All I know is the traditional Telecaster seems to be the most versatile electric guitar, played in the widest range of styles by the most diverse range of players... Why mess it up? You can get a Stratocaster if you want, ANYTIME! Really if I wanted a custom selection of pickups, I would put a Jazzmaster pick up in the neck position... It seems to give the E string more detail... But mud can be good, if you want distortion... It's an electric guitar: IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DIRTY SOMETIMES! IMHO

[@BigEdWo]

makes sense

[@DylanTalksTone]

There is a big difference between "brighter" and more clarity. More clarity is what we go for. It works better under a wider range of situations. The bridge pickup is great but it is in a totally different node of the string.

[@Freddy-Da-Freeloadah]

@@DylanTalksTone Thanks for your response, and thanks for all your videos on the subject. I am simply mystified as to why the Telecaster is such a versatile electric guitar... IMHO

[@davecarsley8773]

You understand that bassy and bright are not mutually exclusive, right? You _can_ have something that has bass AND brightness.

[@skillracoonful]

Why make it brighter? Well "brighter" isn't exactly the term I would describe but more like "analytic" meaning no mud whatsoever. The bridge is already bright as it is so the neck pickup doesn't need to be anymore bright than it is but the neck pickup should have enough clarity too. The brass cover kills the clarity of the neck pickup. With nickel or no cover you retain the all the clarity of that pickup. Personally, I find the bridge to be unusable for me!! It's not an Esquire, it's a tele for reason! I play the teles for the middle positions only!! Because I liked that combination better than using just one pickup. Furthermore, A strat is no tele! The bridge + neck combo from a tele will sound different to a strat's bridge + middle and middle + neck combo position. Personally, I prefer the tele neck pickup but without the cover! It will sound more closer to a strat pickup this way! "Mud" isn't a good term to use for something desirable IMHO, I would use "warm" or "well-balanced" for a better term that's more diserable to hear. Mud is equivalent to putting a blanket over your amp, not very diserable IMO! And Electric guitars can also play clean without dirt, some don't desire dirt on their sound for many reasons why we have high wattage guitar amps.