When you’re looking for an upgrade for your telecaster guitar, it’s no wonder that Fender Telecaster Pickups come into play.
However, the market for these is actually pretty wide with a number of players including:
- EMG Pickups
- Seymour Duncan Pickups
- Duncan Pickups Fender Bar bridge Pickups
- Pickups Lace Pickups
Pickups and many others.
So how do you know which is the best for your needs?
Whether you’re a fan of a particular musician, or a friend of a friend, you’re obviously here because you want to make an upgrade to your Gibson Fender guitar.
You’re probably looking for the best in style and tone, just as much as you’re looking for value for money.
Most of us know that telecaster pickups come in several different styles and tones. But how do you know the best tele pickups for you.
The market is so wide that you might find it difficult to find the best telecaster pickups for you.
So the idea of this article is to provide you a list of the best Telecaster pickups available, to get you moving in the right direction.
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Seymour Duncan APTL-3JD Jerry Donahue Model Tele Bridge Pickup | Best Overall |  |
| Tonerider TRT1 Vintage Plus Tele Neck pickup | Budget Pick |  |
| EMG T SYSTEM Prewired Telecaster Guitar Pickup Set Plus Control Plate System | Upgrade Pick |  |
1. Seymour Duncan APTL-3JD Jerry Donahue Model Tele Bridge Pickup
Pros:
- Great for classic rock, country, and country rock
- Steel grilles for solid attack and clearer tone
- Four-conductor output cable included
- Alnico 5 magnets and special wind design
- Tapped for easy installation
- Includes a compression spring
- Includes detailed installation instructions
- 5-year limited warranty
Cons:
- Some clients claim it can be quiet at first
- You need to take the time to set it up well
Looking for the best telecaster pickups? If so, we recommend this product from Seymour Duncan.
The Seymour Duncan APTL-3JD Jerry Donahue Model Tele Bridge Pickup is made using Alnico 5 magnets and special wind design. The pickup has a steel grille for a solid attack and a clearer tone, and its four-conductor output cable also makes it easy to connect to an existing instrument cable.
In addition, it included a compression spring, as well as detailed installation instructions. On top of that, the Seymour Duncan Telecaster Bridge Pickup offers a 5-year limited warranty.
2. Fender Tex-Mex Telecaster Single-Coil Pickups
Pros:
- Tex-Mex pickups deliver the best of both standard Tele sounds along with the extra twang you get from a vintage Telecaster.
Fender got the selection exactly right with the Tex-Mex pickup set. It’s very bright, very alive, and permeates a warm sound – all the while with plenty of bite.
The way the Tex-Mex pickups work is by putting a standard tele bridge pickup on the bridge and combining it with a Tex-Mex neck pickup. This leaves you with all the great twang associated with a standard Tele along with that thunderous punch you expect from a Gibson.
This is a fantastic pickup set for those who want to upgrade the craftsmanship of their Telecaster.
3. Fender Generation 4 Noiseless Telecaster Single-Coil Pickups
(These are color-matched to the vintage-style Telecaster bridge pickup.)
We opted for these Fender pickups for a number of reasons. These are the highest-rated stock Telecaster pickups available on Amazon. Almost half of those who left reviews gave this product a perfect 5/5 rating. Users appreciate the fact that these pickups produce sound quality similar to that of a high-end after-market pickup.
These pickups are also highly resistant to noise and end up cancelling out a lot of extra sound from being produced. As a result, you get a clear and detailed pick tone, which rings out simultaneously on all strings. You should also find that these really warm up your Telecaster.
4. Fender Pure Vintage Reissue Telecaster Pickups
Pros:
- Made to replicate the pickups in original “52 Tele” instruments
- Achieve a classic sounds for country, blues, or rock
- Comes with screws, height-adjustment springs, and mounting rings
- Customized for a tight fit
- Available for both bridge and neck pickups
- Use for any style of playing
- Especially great for recording
- Instruments made at Fender factories in Japan
The best choice for the best telecaster pickups is the Fender pure vintage reissue telecaster pickups. The reason that these pickups are so great is that they are specially built for an all round sound quality that will not sound like any other type tone.
The reissues will give you a sound quality that will make you feel like you have gone back in time to a time when there was no plastics on an instrument and nothing that was made for “convenience”.
The pickups are designed to work with your Telecaster guitar to give you the best traditional taste. These pickups measure 11 inches in height and work off of dual ceramics. These pickups will give you the full attention that you deserve.
5. EMG T SYSTEM Prewired Telecaster Guitar Pickup Set Plus Control Plate System
Pros:
- A versatile prewired system
- 3 selectable pickup combinations with the push of a button
- Solid Alnico magnets, each one tested up to 11000 gauss
- Robust lows, surprisingly full and clear mids, and crisp highs
- 20-year EMG warranty with 2% nickel-silver plating
- A prewired control plate
- Quiet enough to be discreet
- Versatile: sounds great on Jazz guitars and hollow body guitars as well
- Very responsive even with your instrument volume turned all the way up
- Heavy tone, great sustain, and great feel to the strings
Cons:
- A bit expensive
- Might not be your first choice as a beginner guitar
- Seems to put out a lot of noise when backing tracks are played
This pickup system from EMG boasts of new technology and design. That makes it unique and versatile. It is a combination of P90 and Tele pickup. It is designed for a blend of tonal options. Achieve the broad range of tones for a clear and precise sound. The system of combination has push button switching and multiple tonal options.
6. Fender Yosemite Telecaster Electric Guitar Pickup Set
Pros:
- Crystal clear tone is surprisingly well balanced
- Easy to set up and install
- Lifetime Warranty
Introduction:
Fender is well known for producing some of the finest guitars in the world, and the Fender Yosemite Telecaster Electric Guitar Pickup Set is no exception to that rule.
This set comes with a bridge pickup and a neck pickup that offers a tone that suits many different rock, country and blues styles.
7. Tonerider TRT1 Vintage Plus Tele Neck pickup
Pros:
- Solid nickel cover for authentic tone
- Suitable for Telecaster guitars
- Vintage-style single coil pickup
- Suitable for all styles of music
- Cool Telecaster pickups UK
- COOL!!
Cons:
- Slightly higher output than traditional single coil pickups
- Slightly brighter tone, which might not be suitable for players who prefer darker tones
When it comes to Telecaster pickups UK, the design of the Tonerider TRT1 Vintage Plus Tele Neck pickup is a perfect choice for any player seeking authentic Fender style. It has a solid nickel cover, which gives it a unique tone. The pickup has a vintage-style single coil, and can help you retain the traditional Telecaster tone.
With a slightly higher output level than other pickups in the same category, the TRT1 has an output level of 6.3K-ohms, which should be good for all styles of music.
The pickup features a magnetic field that is exceptionally even in spread, making it suitable for all players who desire a balanced tone.
8. DiMarzio Twang King Neck/Bridge Pickup Set
Pros:
- Comes with wiring diagrams
- Good value for the price
- Well-made for a Telecaster pickup
- Able to retain clarity regardless of volume levels
- Inexpensive
- Perfect for country and twangy clean tones
- Is perfect for both rhythm and lead
- I would recommend single-coil tone for Telecaster
Cons:
- Is not for everyone
- It’s noisy
- Suitable for high-gain music
- Can be inconsistent
With two Telecaster single-coil pickups equipped, this guitar pump provides a clean and crisp sound even at high volumes. It has a warm tone with strong midrange, which makes it perfect for clean rock, blues, country, and even jazz.
The pickup also works well for rhythm and has great harmonics when used for lead. I also like the fact that it produces less passive sounds when your volume levels are low. This is especially great for people who like to reduce feedback and unwanted noises when playing onstage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the best pickups for a Telecaster?
If you want a Telecaster with big, powerful, smooth tones, you cannot go wrong with Fishman’s Aura VT Enhance. This transducer pickup harnesses the power of the guitar for a sound that is unlike anything else currently on the market.
There are few pickup sets that rival the tone and power of humbuckers, but all that may start to change now that a company called Bare Knuckle Pickups is creating adjustable ThunderHumbucker pickups for Telecasters.
While electromagnetic pickups have been historically more effective in creating a bigger tone, there are those who prefer the sound of a non-magnetic pickup.
Bare Knuckle Pickups are a new brand, but they have made a large impact on big name guitarists.
Which is the best Telecaster?
Over the history of guitar manufacturing, many a guitar manufacturer has chopped out its own niche and distinguished itself from the pack: Gibson with its legendary SG models, Fender with its Stratocasters and Telecasters (and Jazzmasters for that matter), and Gibson with its Les Pauls and the rest.
The Telecaster is a unique guitar in itself and is found in unique hands – from hard rock and heavy metal players who seek out that cutting sound to blues and jazz players who reach for it for the twang of its strings. It has a distinctly different tone compared to other guitars, so if you've only played your life through a Strat or Les Paul, a Telecaster will take some getting used to.
What pickups does a Telecaster have?
Telecaster pickups consist of a long rod which contains magnetic pieces of metal that are attached to the strings. When these metal pieces move, they create a disturbance in the strings which is then sent to the amplifier. The effect of this is a strong and pronounced sound.
How do Telecaster pickups work?
A guitar string is comprised of metals wound on a thick metal rod.
This rod or pole piece is attached to the string. The electricity then generates a signal with various frequencies.
The string moves to make the metal pieces vibrate at the same frequency.
The frequency created is then transferred to the amplifier.
This is how a variety of Telecaster pickups work.
Will a Strat pickup fit in a tele neck?
You'll find an answer to this question on almost every site. The short answer is no. Contrary to this popular myth, the two instruments’ pickups are not interchangeable.
The secondary reason for this myth might be that the most popular pickup size for the Telecaster was made by Fender just to fit into the neck of the Telecaster. This pickup is known as a Telecaster neck pickup.
Unfortunately, many manufacturers outside of Fender now produce pickup sets that are close to the size of the Telecaster neck pickup. As a result, a lot of people have mistakenly concluded that these pickups are interchangeable.
It's important to seek out pickups that are made specifically for your instrument, otherwise, you may find that your instrument doesn't sound like you want it to.
Conclusion
For country and blues players who want to capture classic guitar tones, the Telecaster and the Parsons-White Layla set the stage. That’s why we’ve compiled the 10 best Telecaster pickups in this article for you.
Our Recommendation
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Seymour Duncan APTL-3JD Jerry Donahue Model Tele Bridge Pickup | Best Overall | |
| Tonerider TRT1 Vintage Plus Tele Neck pickup | Budget Pick | |
| EMG T SYSTEM Prewired Telecaster Guitar Pickup Set Plus Control Plate System | Upgrade Pick | |