Best Telecaster Pickups and Pairings (top 5 picks)

In this article I'm going to be looking at the best Telecaster pickups in sets, meaning each item I review will be a combination of a bridge and neck pickup for a Telecaster-style guitar.

Before we get into the actual pickup recommendations, we need to look at a few different variables and considerations that might crop up. First, a "Telecaster" can be any of the following:

• Fender American, Standard or Deluxe Series Telecaster
• Squier Telecaster
• Mexican-Made Telecaster

While the dimensions are not always totally exact, most Telecasters by Squier and Fender use the same pickup dimensions. That does, however, depend on the pickup configuration, which can be any of the following:

• SS
• HSS
• HH

This lingo simply refers to a single coil pickup (S) or a humbucker (H). Thus, "HSS" would indicate a pickup configuration of humbucker - single coil - single coil. All of the pickups I'll recommend in this article will focus on the traditional SS Telecaster design that we see here:

Where applicable and when provided by the manufacturer, I'll provide technical details, wiring diagrams and other information for each pickup I recommend. My recommendations are primarily being made based on the sound and tone of the pickup, as well as their compatibility with the Telecaster body design.

Here are the five  pickup sets I'll cover.

The first five I'll review in-depth, while leaving the last four as honorable mentions, in only this table.

Best Telecaster Pickups (top 5 sets)

1. DiMarzio Twang King Set

DiMarzio's Twang King is one of the more dynamic Telecaster pickup sets in that it does a really good job of responding to the intensity of your right hand. In other words, you pluck the strings harder to get a more "snappy" and twangy sound, or strum softly to smooth out the response.

The same is true if you're picking with your fingers or using some kind of hybrid picking technique.

Again, the Alnico 5 magnet gives you some extra midrange and a well-balanced EQ.

Tone and Style

As a set, the Twang King definitely leans toward the high end of your EQ, which is a fairly typical characteristic of vintage DiMarzio pickups in general. As a result, it's brighter than the Seymour Duncan Broadcaster set, and I think more effective in the context of a lead guitarist, especially given the more dynamic picking response.

Technical

• Neck Magnet Type: Alnico 5
• Neck Wiring: 2 Conductor
• Neck Length: 3.13"
• Neck Width: 0.8"
• Bridge Magnet Type: Alnico 5
• Wiring: 2 Conductor
• Length: 2.885"
• Width: 1.515"

Best Fit and Context

Since the Twang King set has a lot of bite for a Telecaster pickup, I think it does a great job of bridging the gap between subtle country and high-output rock tone. It's great for lead guitarists, or players who do a lot of rhythm and melody crossover.

I'd recommend them for low to mid-tier Telecasters, perhaps even a high-end Squier Tele or a Standard Series Fender Telecaster.

Despite negligible discrepancies in dimensions, they should fit the same as the Broadcaster set.

IDEAL FOR: Country, twang, and making a Telecaster sound more full or heavier

2. Seymour Duncan Vintage Broadcaster Tele

The Broadcaster pickup set is one of the more twang-friendly Tele pickup designs, though also does a good job of sounding really warm and full, which bodes well for both melodic lead playing and rhythmic strumming alike. Output, at DCR 8, is technically pretty low, though I do think the Broadcaster set adds some nice edge to your high frequencies, even with your selector in the middle position.

Alnico 5 magnets, used in the Broadcaster set, are going to produce a more aggressive sound and are known for accommodating more versatile pickup designs.

Characteristics of Alnico 5 Magnets

• Balanced tone
• More highs and mids
• Edgier than Alnico 2s or ceramic pickups

While I wouldn't describe this pickup as smooth (at least not compared to the ceramic rails we look at later) it does have a distinct warmth and "friendliness" to it, despite that extra Alnico 5 edginess.

I don't recommend the Broadcaster set for anything heavy, though we should note that Collective Soul's Jesse Triplett uses it on his Telecasters.

Tone and Style

When you listen to the sound sample, you can hear a lot of what I'd describe as a "sweet" response, which seems to really come through on string bends, vibrato and lead technique in general. At the same time, the resonance can go really warm and soft, without switching pickups or adjusting your amp's EQ.

Technical

• Magnet Type: Alnico 5
• DCR (output): 8
• Neck Width: 2.852"
• Neck Length: 0.785"
• Bridge Width: 2.87"
• Bridge Length: 1.5"

Best Fit and Context

Since Seymour Duncan's Broadcaster set strikes such a good balance between lead and rhythm tone, I like it for guitar players who find themselves serving the role of both, with some overlap between melody and rhythm playing. I'd also consider this a good mid-level upgrade, since Seymour Duncan sells the entire set (both pickups) for around $115.

Particularly for those who are using stock pickups on a Fender Standard series Telecaster, this set would be a significant tonal improvement. Another good candidate would be someone who wants a lower output set of pickups for their Telecaster.

As you can see, the wiring diagram is (reasonably) beginner-friendly.

IDEAL FOR: Blues and country

3. Seymour Duncan Hot Rails Telecaster

I'll admit, I'm a big fan of all the Seymour Duncan rail pickups, just because I'm a heavy rock guy, so I love the idea of taking a great guitar like a Strat or Tele and transforming it into something that can get really heavy. 

Aside from being a higher DCR overall, the rails seem to deliver a more intense midrange and a noticeable increase in sustain.

They also inject a lot more bass into the EQ, which is characteristic of the ceramic magnet pickup design.

Tone and Style

Overall, the set is just much smoother and more saturated than what you would expect from a "typical" Telecaster sound. For folks who want to maintain the true and conventional Tele tone, this pickup might not be the best choice. High gain (distortion) tones sound thick and heavy, like you would expect from a humbucker set.

Lead play also takes on a new character, with less twang and more of a resonant, ringing quality. It just cuts through competing sounds a lot better. The demo video below does a great job of showcasing the tone.

Technical

• Magnet Type: Ceramic
• Wiring: 2 Conductor
• Bridge Length: 2.871"
• Bridge Width: 1.492"
• Neck Length: 3.13"
• Neck Width: 0.75"

Best Fit and Context

Any Fender pickup upgrade that involves hot rails is going to significantly change the audible style of the guitar. In the case of the Telecaster, it would work for someone who likes the look and feel of the guitar, but wants a more drastic change to the guitar's sound.

To summarize, you'd have a guitar with the following attributes:

• Telecaster aesthetics
• Humbucker-esque tone
• High output
• Great with high gain settings and distortion pedals

Thus, the Hot Rails are a poor choice for someone that likes the vintage vibe or even the conventional side of a Telecaster's tone. Ceramic magnets are, almost always, going to sound far more modern and heavier, where Alnico 5s are typically better-suited for a classic Tele tone.

If you're going for that heavier, modern sound, the Hot Rails are easily your best bet out of this list.

IDEAL FOR: Making a Telecaster more rock-friendly

4. Lindy Fralin Blues Special Tele Set

Lindy Fralin's shop is fairly close to where I live here in Virginia. One of the guys that researches and writes for us has visited with them a couple of times and had them do the pickup upgrade for his Thinline Telecaster. 

The Blues Special is a high-output Telecaster set that employs Alnico 5 magnets with a heavier, warm-sounding tone that also somehow avoids being too aggressive.

Fralin's website offers a ton of different customization options, even allowing you to choose what kind of cover to put on the rhythm pickup.

Fralin also makes a "stock" Tele pickup, which is a little more on the vintage side of the tone spectrum, as less bright than the Blues Special set. Let's get a little more specific about the Blues Special's tone.

Tone and Style

As I've already mentioned, the Blues Special a much higher output pickup than what you would get from a stock Fender set, or even Fralin's own stock Tele pickup design. Here are a few characteristics I would use to describe the tone:

• Warm
• Thick
• Saturated
• Bright
• Crisp

Overall, it's a well-balanced response that sounds great in a clean signal with a little reverb, or a slightly dirty tone, with gain set in the early stages of breakup without too much saturation (you already get a little bit from the pickups themselves).

Here's Fralin's sound clip and most of the available technical info:

Technical

• Magnet Type: Alnico 5
• Polarity: RW/WP Bridge
• Bridge Length: 2.845"
• Bridge Width: 1.508"
• Neck Length: 3.05"
• Neck Width: 0.865"

Best Fit and Context

As you can tell from the sound clip, these pickups strike a nice balance between being both warm and bright, but are not overtly aggressive. I like them for someone who dabbles in both rhythm and lead guitar, who likes to use a subtle amount of gain, or perhaps an overdrive pedal in a blues or country context.

I'd also recommend giving the Fralin office a call if you have questions, or even stopping in if you're local to the Virginia area. They're a boutique company and super-helpful with specific requests and/or questions from their customers. 

IDEAL FOR: Blues and softer playing styles

5. Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Tele Set

The Quarter Pound Tele lead pickup is Seymour Duncan's highest output single coil design for the Telecaster, which doesn't necessarily mean it's messy, or even designed for high gain. It actually sounds exceptionally good through a clean amp signal, especially when paired with the Quarter Pound rhythm pickup.

For country-style lead picking, in particular, I'd have a hard time recommending anything else. This set just sounds incredibly good.

Tone and Style

I'd recommend checking out the video demo below that Seymour Duncan produced. It's just a great example of how this pickup set can sound in a country guitarist's context.

Overall, the tone responds really well to subtle clean technique, like scrape picking and light vibrato. It has some thickness to it, but also accentuates that Telecaster "twang," which reminds me a lot of the way Brad Paisley plays his Telecasters.

Technical

• Magnet Type: Alnico 5
• DCR: 17
• Bridge Length: 2.87"
• Bridge Width: 1.5"
• Neck Length: 3.120"
• Neck Width: 0.785"

One complaint I have is that this pickup's tone seems to easily drown out with even a modest amount of gain or distortion. While I really like it as a clean tone compliment, I didn't like it at all as a heavier pickup set, which definitely holds it back and makes it less usable. 

Best Fit and Context

If you don't often play with a distorted tone or if you're chiefly concerned about clean country picking and playing styles, the Quarter Pound Tele set is probably your best option. Within those confines, it's a significant upgrade over any kind of stock Fender pickups. 

IDEAL FOR: Rock rhythm

What about small dimension discrepancies? 

We've listed dimensions whenever the manufacturer makes them available, both in this article and the full Tele pickup page I mentioned in the previous paragraph. What you might notice is that certain dimensions differ, despite the pickup design being similar.

These differences typically do not cause installation issues.

What I would recommend doing is consulting the dimensions diagram, which we've provided links to for each pickup. Because there are often small differences in size, and different ways of measuring a single pickup. Take the following graphic:

While you can see that the width of the entire pickup is 2.871 inches, the width of each rail is a little less, about 2.714. You could also consider the width between the two screw placements at 1.750. Consulting these documents is extremely important, even under the assumption that most of the best Telecaster pickup sets are designed to fit in nearly all Squier and Fender Telecasters.

In most cases, small differences in dimensions won't cause significant trouble. Just make sure to consult all dimensions to figure out what you're actually measuring.

Telecaster Pickup Wiring Help

Almost all manufacturers will provide some kind of wiring documentation. Personally, I find Lindy Fralin and Seymour Duncan's diagrams to be the most helpful. Moreover, most Telecaster wiring setups are really straightforward, since they usually employ a three-way pickup selector and don't have to worry about coil splitting.

Here's a fairly typical wiring scheme:

Of all the wiring schemes and setups, the Standard Telecaster design might be the simplest. I'd recommend printing out one of these diagrams and keeping them on hand while you're doing the job.

Here's the one from Seymour Duncan I posted earlier:

Conclusion

In electric guitars, the pickups you use have the single biggest impact on your tone and the overall quality of the guitar. Investing in them, whether for a new guitar or revamping an old one you like, is almost always well worth the effect, especially if you're replacing a set of stock pickups that came with the guitar in question.

Concerning best Telecaster pickups, my experience with Seymour Duncan and Lindy Fralin have led me to believe they are your top options in terms of a company to go with. Even if you don't want to pull the trigger on a specific pickup you see here, I wouldn't have a problem recommending anything within those two companies. 

If you have questions about the pickups mentioned here, or any of the technical info I've provided, feel free to leave those in the comments section below.

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