By Ed Malaker
Posted 03/16/2018
Many people think of the Fender Telecaster as a Country or Rock guitar but the Tele is actually quite good for playing the Blues. Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Albert Lee, and many other great Blues players played a Telecaster. The combination of the biting, gritty, bridge pickup mixed with the warm, smooth tone of the neck pickup really work together to create the perfect instrument for playing the Blues. Right now, let’s talk about some of the best Blues Tele bridge pickups out there, and how you can swap yours for one specifically designed with the Blues guitarist in mind.
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We’ll discuss the differences between each, and what makes them great for creating a Blues tone. The pickups in the bridge position of the Tele are known to be pretty twangy so in this post, we will likely be looking to fatten up the sound just a bit. We’ll probably be looking at higher output pickups as well, since stock pickups don’t normally put out the higher gain that gets a better crunch out of our amp when we’re playing Blues. Sound is what matters most though, so when you’re considering the best Blues Telecaster bridge pickups, you’ll have to listen to the examples of each of these yourself, to make the best choice.
Lindy Fralin Blues Special Telecaster
The Fralin Blues Special Telecaster pickups are a great choice for upgrading your Telecaster guitar. They give the bridge pickup a thicker, more full-bodied sound while reducing the treble just a little. These pickups use a beveled ALNICO V magnet for a tighter low end and smoother highs. more…
Seymour Duncan STK-T3b Vintage Stack Telecaster Bridge Pickup
The Seymour Duncan STK-T3b Vintage Stack Telecaster Bridge Pickup, as the name suggests, is a stacked pickup. A stacked pickup is one pickup physically placed on top of another, giving it humbucking qualities such as noise-canceling, while still fitting into a single coil spot. more…
Lindy Fralin Split Steel Poled Tele Bridge
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The Lindy Fralin Split Steel Poled Tele Bridge pickup is a direct replacement for the stock pickups in your Telecaster and you won’t have to make any modifications to the guitar itself. This is a split steel poled pickup, i.e., two coils sitting side by side. more…
Seymour Duncan STL-3 Quarter Pound Telecaster Bridge Pickup
The Seymour Duncan STL-3 Quarter Pound Telecaster Bridge Pickup is the company’s highest output pickup available for the Telecaster. The pickup gets its name from its oversized quarter-inch ALNICO 5 magnets, which are responsible for the great gain that these pickups produce. The hand-polished large-diameter magnets also allow for a special coil winding. more…
DiMarzio Pre B-1 Telecaster Bridge Pickup
The DiMarzio Pre B-1 Telecaster Bridge Pickup is a high-output pickup that was specially designed to play the blues way back in 1978. It’s a passive pickup with no cover, and it’s a direct replacement for the stock Tele pickup, requiring no guitar modifications and just a few tools. more…