WARNING: long, boring story ahead...
A year ago I bought a black Squier Tele (used). Lucky for me I bought the guitar without testing it due to the store not having a lead available. As such, the knocked 20% off the price and said it it doesn't work, I can just bring it on back. Two weeks later I busted the neck pickup when I took the cover off. When I put the cover back on, the pickup no longer worked. I took the guitar back to the place I bought it, pleaded ignorance, and they took it away to "fix" it. When they gave it back, it had a completely different, staggered-pole pickup installed. Great, clear sound.
I always wondered what the pickup was, whether it was cheap or expensive, things like that. (Jag-Stang.com forum member) Tragictravisty suggested maybe it was a bridge pickup in the wrong spot. Well spotted, Trav, I think you were dead right 😀
Cut to tonight. I sold the guitar to a guy looking to do a project. He asked if I had the original pickup and I said no, but if you want you can swap the pickup with my new tele. Fortunately, he is an electrical engineer so this was no problem for him to do.
He comes to pick up the guitar tonight, and switched the pickups. While the pickup was out of the guitar, I got to take a look at it. On the bottom on the pickup, written on masking tape is "tele 5.9". I googled the phrase "telecaster 5.9 staggered", and found a couple of interesting things.
I suspect the pickup may be the neck pickup from a James Burton Telecaster (the kind with full Tele bridge, the James Burton Standard). It measures 5.9, has staggered poles, and the same little hole between the G and D poles.
One day I might drop it into the bridge position and see how it sounds.
I don't know for sure, and I probably never will, but I think this is a good lead.
