Updated by Bobby
Updated on March 24th, 2022
Added compare buttons to table and checked product links for accuracy. No pickups were removed or changed.
Humbuckers and Telecasters can take several different configurations when the two get together. The most common is a dual humbucker setup, or what you would call an HH configuration with a humbucker at the bridge and neck position.
However, there are a variety of configurations that can include any of the following:
- HH (two humbuckers)
- SH (single at the bridge, humbucker at the neck)
- HS (humbucker at the bridge, single at the neck)
- HSH (humbuckers at the bridge and neck with a single in the middle)
If you're modding a Telecaster that doesn't need two humbuckers, all of the sets we've mentioned make individual humbuckers available for purchase, either for the bridge or neck positions. We've also made some specific recommendations for bridge-only and neck-only setups lower in the article.
But first, we're recommending humbucker pairs, because it's the simplest way to make sure they'll work for any of the aforementioned configurations.
If you have questions about any of this, feel free to drop them in the comments section below.
Best Humbuckers for Telecasters (our top 3 picks)
We've chosen three humbucker sets to recommend for Telecaster electric guitars. Some might note the Seymour Duncan Rail humbuckers in the above photo, though we haven't listed them in our recommendations because we wanted to focus on humbuckers that have more of a vintage tone.
With that in mind, we've gone with the following three sets:
- Seymour Duncan Antiquity
- EMG Super 77 Retro
- Seymour Duncan Vintage Blues
Pickups | Title | Rated | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbuckers | n/a | |
 | EMG Super 77 Retro Humbuckers | n/a | |
 | Seymour Duncan Vintage Blues Humbuckers | n/a |
All three have a more classic and bluesy tone. They'll put more emphasis on your picking dynamics - more snap and "quack" from pick-to-string contact - and will handle better on clean and lower gain settings.
We've done a column for all three with more info in each one.
1. Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbucker Set
The Antiquity series by Seymour Duncan houses some of the most popular, sought-after pickups on the market. Ideal for vintage tone with some added power and modern, low-noise construction, this pair is great for upgrading an HH Telecaster while maintaining a vintage vibe, both aesthetically and audibly.
IDEAL FOR: Everything, but especially melodic, right-hand focused playing styles.
TONE
n/a
NOISE CONTROL
n/a
VERSATILITY
n/a
COST/VALUE
n/a
THE PROS
THE CONS
2. EMG Super 77 Retro Humbuckers
EMG's active pickups are really easy to install (with a solderless system). They're also perfect for adding a more modern tone into your Telecaster, capable of handling everything from soft, bluesy leads to high-gain metal riffs. The Super 77 retro can run the gamut of styles and genres while staving off virtually all excess noise and hum.
IDEAL FOR: Everything, but especially melodic, right-hand focused playing styles.
TONE
n/a
NOISE CONTROL
n/a
VERSATILITY
n/a
COST/VALUE
n/a
THE PROS
THE CONS
3. Seymour Duncan Vintage Humbucker Blues Pickup Set
For a Telecaster humbucker you want something that can be soft and smooth but also twangy and defined. The Vintage Blues set by Seymour Duncan does this for a more budget-friendly price tag (they're cheaper than the Antiquity set) and gives you some added output and head room, yet with noise reduction.
IDEAL FOR: Everything, but especially melodic, right-hand focused playing styles.
TONE
n/a
NOISE CONTROL
n/a
VERSATILITY
n/a
COST/VALUE
n/a
THE PROS
THE CONS
Humbuckers can work in Telecaster too. Flickr Commons image via JCHaywire
Best P90 sized humbucker for Telecaster?
A lot of Telecasters will use a P90 pickup, either at both the bridge and neck or only at the neck position. Here's a picture of a P90 configured at the neck position of a Telecaster:
A P90 pickup on a Telecaster.
If that's how your Telecaster is cut, you'll need to target P90-style humbuckers specifically, as the replacement. Here are a few we'd recommend:
Of these three, the Seymour Duncan Soapbar is probably the most conventional choice, especially if you're replacing just the neck.
Best neck humbucker?
What if you only want to buy a single humbucker for your Telecaster at the neck position? We'd recommend the neck version of the Seymour Duncan Antiquity set. The Seymour Duncan SH-2 - which we haven't mentioned yet - would also be a good fit here.
Best bridge humbucker?
If you're replacing only the bridge humbucker on a Telecaster, we'd recommend the Seymour Duncan SH-5 or SH-11.
How We Chose
Yet, as we mentioned earlier, most Telecasters that are setup with an HH pickup configuration using two humbuckers at the bridge and neck position, like this Fender Player Telecaster:
The Fender Player series Telecaster with humbuckers at the bridge and neck positions.
This means we've targeted humbucker sets that fit the style we're looking for (vintage, rock, classic, jazz etc.) and have some appeal to the traditional vibe of a Telecaster's tone.
These pickups should be voiced with a vintage style or at least have the capability of sounding good through a clean, Fender tube-style tone alongside whatever stylistic responsibilities it might be assigned.
- Versatile tone profile
- Good with rhythm and lead duties
- Vintage voice in addition to other stylistic requirements
- Low noise
We were also looking for humbuckers that are known for being low-noise or noise reducing, since Telecasters are prone to noise and hum issues.
These pickups should capture the thickness of a humbucker's tone with the twang of a single coil Telecaster pickup set.
Telecasters that are cut for dual humbuckers
- Fender American Professional II
- Fender Special Edition Custom
- Fender Parallel Universe II
- Fender Player Telecaster HH
- Fender Jim Root Signature
- Fender Vintera '70s Deluxe
- Squier Classic Vibe '70s Thinline
- Fender American Performer
Is it even possible to put humbuckers in a Telecaster?
Yes. Humbuckers can be wired into a Telecaster if it's one of the aforementioned models that come with humbuckers already installed. Transforming a Telecaster with single coil pickups into one that fits humbuckers is far trickier and requires actual modding of the guitar's body.
In most cases, we don't recommend this.
Instead, this list is for people who own or are looking to buy a Telecaster that already has humbuckers installed.
Other Features to Consider
What else matters when you're picking out humbuckers for a Telecaster? We'd recommend paying attention to the following specs and properties:
- Magnet type: Usually alnico or ceramic
- Coil setup
- Wire wrapping
- Output (high/low/medium)
- Typical style fit (rock, blues, jazz, etc.)
Conclusion and Further Questions
In conclusion, the best humbuckers for Telecaster electrics should have at least a vintage - yet versatile - tone profile and a reputation for noise reduction and hum cancelling.
The humbucker sets listed are the three that we would pick for those tasks, though there are certainly other good options, perhaps that you know of or have tried yourself in an HH Telecaster configuration.
If you know of a set that should be added to our list, let me know about it in the comments section below.
You can also feel free to leave other questions and inquiries there as well.
It's easier for me to answer here then email, so I'll be sure and read them and do my best to help out.
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Written by Bobby on Pickups and FAQ
Have a GL ASAT Classic with Tele style bridge and Humbucker neck. Can you recommend a set of drop in replacements for the GL factory pickups? Thanks.
Hey James – so I assume you’d be looking for a single bridge humbucker and a single Tele neck pickup?
Other way round. Tele bridge and humbucker neck
Oh ok – gotcha. Personally, I would do the Quarter Pound Tele bridge and the Antiquity neck pickup. Although I’d say that’s the most “conventional” option. Do you sort of want to maintain the Tele tone, or get a little more edge out of it?
Current setup has no treble presence. I think better pups would balance that out. But I don’t want to get into modifications. So, finding drop in replacements would be ideal.
Those should do the trick, especially the Quarter Pound Tele rail. Should be a straight swap if the Tele has already been cut for a humbucker at the neck position.
Thanks, Bobby. Now to hunt them down…
Need a humbucker in the center;- stand alone. 5 way sw. to play like as it was or sw. The center humbucker. Volume control same ? Or add one ?
Ed – just to clarify, are you wanting to add a center humbucker and then control the volume of just that humbucker?
Hi there. I have a Tele HH and I would like to upgrade the humbuckers, buy I’m kinda lost. I like playing metal but, can you recommend me what kind of HH should I use.
Hey Francis – do you want something that’s entirely metal, or do you want to try and maintain some of the twang/bluesiness of the Telecaster?