software

I have a parts tele. Swamp ash body, maple/rosewood neck. What's the best match up for a neck bucker with something in the bridge that can fit in the standard tele bridge routing? I looked over the SD site and it would seem the alnico pro would be a good possibility for the neck bucker. What does SD make that would be a good match, both tonally and output? Thanks.

You could go with the Hot Rails for tele for the bridge and an Alnico II pro should work well together.

I was thinking of doing a Pearly Gates in the neck of my MIJ 69 RI Thinline. I think that the mismatched coils and the alnico II magnet would give a fat, yet clear tone to a tele's neck slot.

For traditional PAF type output, the Lil 59 for tele would work. If you need more punch, it don't get much hotter than the Hot Rais.

If I were gonna do a vintage flavred Tele I would go with a JD in the bridge and a PG in the neck (with a cover).

how about antiquity tele lead and neck humbucker for an authentic vintage tone?

OK, I didn't give enough info. I'm not looking for a traditional tele tone at all. In fact, quite the opposite. I would prefer to get away from quot;twangquot;.

I'm mostly looking for an output balance between a full size neck bucker with a regular tele sized bridge pickup, so it will have to be a tele bridge (some kind of humbucking, stacked or otherwise preferred) on the hot side and a neck bucker on the underwound side.

I played a Gamp;L strat with hot rails once. The pickups were so hot that they were unusable to me. Even the bridge.

Maybe matching a full size bucker with a single coil size pickup is just too much to ask without the bridge getting muddy or too dark.

59 neck and hotrail

A Firebird or mini-humbucker might be a good option for you.

I have a Tele with a Hot Rails in the bridge and have used both a 59 and an Alnico II Pro in the neck. The Alnico II blends much better with the Hot Rail and keeps the guitar still sounding like a Tele. I wish SD would make a Rail pickup that was in between the Hot Rail and the Cool Rail. One is too hot the other not hot enough.

Well, after reading all the reviews on HC and numerous threads on this board, I think I'm going to pass. I play clean mostly with a touch of overdrive here and there. Overwound pups just lose those dynamics I crave. Full size buckers and single coil size pups just don't mix for my purposes. Thanks for the feedback.

Before you give up, check out the STL-2 Hot Tele lead. It is overwound with A5 mags, so it has a strong low end and mid range with fat highs. With proper height adjustment, it should balance well with a vintage output PAF-style neck HB. I have one in an American HS Tele with the stock Atomic II HB at the neck (A2 mag), and they balance pretty well in terms of output (especially as you increase the volume, or use an OD pedal with the STL-2). The combined tone is outstanding.