Harmonic Design Mini-Strat for Telecaster

Harmonic Design Min-Srat for Tele (neck only) single coil

passive Tele sized neck pickup delivering Strat tone

Impedence is around 8.2

for neck position in G&L ASAT Classic (Tele) 1999 ash body - maple neck with rw board

replaced the G&L MFD (Magnetic Field Design)at neck position

stock G&L bridge MFD remains

I desire Strat tone from neck position while happy though with the stock G&L bridge pup.

Output level is high at 8.2 but still is a bit over powered by the stock G&L bridge pup. I'll just get used to it ormaybe replace the bridge with a HD 54 Special (yeah!). I'm playing mainly through a 1983 (Rivera series)Princeton2 with is hand wired 22w 1x12 little monster. I play Blues, NOL Funk, Rock & Roll mostly and this is ideal. tone is classic Strat punchy but with clarity and chime. (the bell) It's simply everything that the other reviewers have stated. Magnificent. The middle position is bliss.

Bottom line: If you are wanting punchy yet bell-like chimey Strat tone from your neck pup. there is a littel more hum than G&L's pup, the upside is unbelievable. People will take double takes when they see you're playing a Tele.

Passive Single Coil

Installed in Squier Telecaster, neck position. Harmonic Design Super 90 in bridge position. Changing pickup because the stock pickup is awful and dull.

Glassy, clean, noiseless. High output. Bass, mid and treble are perfectly balanced. Great for clean and sweet bluesy style. Works fine on other style like funk etc. Just imagine a great neck pickup strato sound, and this is much better.

I've been playing for about 20 years. Plays bass instead of guitar. And I love glassy, clean strato sound. So this is a great deal for me.

Single coil

I installed Mini-Strat pickup into Fender Telecaster '52 reissue. This guitar is light, made of ash, super-resonant, with neck to die for. Simply the best guitar I have. Beside stock pickups, I tried three other models:
- stock Fender Telecaster American Series: yep, I "downgraded" from '52 RI stock to these, and the result was very pleasing, but not what I was looking for.
- Seymour Duncan Antiquities II: again, these did what they are advertised for - lot of twang. I did not test them enough, because at this point, I realized I was after Strat tone.
- Than I tried Fender Custom Shop Texas Specials for Tele - very enjoyable experience (remember, I was looking for Strat-ey tone). I was happy with the tone, and I was close to keeping this set inside my Tele. And than Mini-Strat arrived in mail...
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Mini-Strat was better than I expected. The tone is clean, but ringy/bell-like at the same time. It was excellent match for clarity and definiton of premium ash this guitar is made of. It sounds like a Strat 99%, and I am taking off 1% because if it was 100%, it might not sound this good.
I play blues with a touch of rock'n'roll, and this pickup turned my '52 RI AV Tele into an amazing instrument (with pickups installed befoe, it ranged from very good to excellent, but now it is simply phenomenal). Instructions say - do not rave too much about the product you purchased (for a reason of course), but Harmonic Design Mini-Strat deserves all the praise that can be given to it. If they only had bridge position as well...

If this pickup was stolen, it would be my first, and possibly only choice. I love Strats so much, and it ate me alive that I had such a great guitar that did not have pickups as good as its body and neck. Now I have it, the research has paid off. I want to thank everybody who contributed with their reviews before, without you I would not know about this AMAZING pickup. Bravo Harmonic Design!

Single Coil

Put into a MIM Fender Standard Telecaster neck position.

Replacing stock.

Other Pickup is a Harmonic Design Super 90.

I felt the stock pickup was weak and muddy.

Output is a lot hotter than stock, but without being ear-grating. It's very clean-sounding and well balanced. I was surprised at the overall smoothness from low to high.

I'm playing through a Marshall JCM800 and a home made Fender 5E3 Deluxe.

I would definitely buy this pickup again. I like the sound for what I play, and haven't heard a better alternative.

I wanted the Strat neck sound, and have heard and played many. For my money, this is the best (especially in a Tele).

If you have a Telecaster, and want that sweet Strat sound, this is the pickup for you.

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs: closely guarded secret

Model of guitar or bass: 2002 Fender Standard Telecaster (MIM)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: HD 54 Special in bridge pos
Artists using this pickup: Slimfinger Turnpike, aka Coolhand
You musical style(s): everything but jazz
Reason for pickup change: Heard good things about this pup.

Perceived output level: definitely hotter than stock
Tone: As advertised, sounds very stratty but better than most strat pups. Huge response.
Sonic evaluation: Usually run this through a Fender Blues Jr with NOS tubes.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: I'm very happy with this pickup and in fact it exceeded my expectations. It does indeed make this humble Mexican tele sound very much like a strat played in the neck position. I own two strats, too (both with stock Fender pups), and have to confess this pup sounds better than either of my strats in this position. Sounds great on Hendrix tunes, has me looking for the whammy bar ...
The sound is rich and responds very well to tone-knob tweaks, unlike the stock neck pups on most teles.
I would gladly buy this pup again is lost/destroyed, etc.

Pickup features: Single coil vintage strat-style pickup sized to fit the Tele neck slot
Impedence or other specs: Don't know

Model of guitar or bass: 1993 G&L ASAT Classic, ash body, maple neck
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Original G&L MFD pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Harmonic Design 54 Special bridge pickup
Artists using this pickup: Yes, many
You musical style(s): 70's rock, blues, some pop, a bit of country
Reason for pickup change: I never did like the MFD pickups. My favorite sounds are vintage strat neck and tele bridge so, once the choice was offered by Harmonic Design, that's what I got.

Perceived output level: Slightly beefed up compared to vintage strat pickups
Tone: Warm, good treble edge, strong mids
Sonic evaluation: Tube amps, mainly Trace Elliot Velocette and '68 SF Fender Dual Showman through a 4x10 cabinet with Celestion speakers.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is a great match for the music I play, good punch for rock, sweet tone for blues and pop.

Comments: This is the best strat neck sound I have ever achieved, and believe my I have tried a lot of different things. I may be getting the same pickups for another Tele that I'll hopefully get as a backup guitar.
Despite the sweet warm tone, this pickup also growls and twangs when needed. It is very sensitive to picking attack, very dynamic, so the sound is very controllable--if you want snappy, or smooth, soft or loud, or any combination, it's all there. The bass strings come through beautifully with a great snap if you hit them hard--not muddy at all.
One thing I particularly like about this choice of pickups (HD mini-strat in neck, HD 54 Special in bridge)is that the same amp and tone control settings work well for both pickups, unlike the usual tele setup with a much darker tone from the neck pickup than the bridge pickup. I have a 4-way switch installed, giving me both the typical series combination and the added parallel combination of both pickups. The combinations produce distinct and interesting tones, close to the bridge in character but fuller. The usual series combination is similar to a traditional tele but more focused. The added parallel combination is a bit hotter and fuller with stronger low frequencies. Both combination tones are very musical.
Overall, a fantastic, dynamic, toneful and versatile result with these pickups.

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Telecaster with Strat 3-pickup configuration
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Vintage Broadcaster (bridge), Duncan Custom Staggered Strat (middle)
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Country, Blues, etc.
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a Strat neck pickup tone in my Tele, but I didn't want to have the stock neck pickup cavity or pickguard routed out to fit a standard Strat pickup. The Harmonic Design Mini-Strat for Tele is sized to drop right in the existing cavity/pickguard with no modification.

Perceived output level: Balances well with the Duncans
Tone: Perfect Strat neck tone. Plus, it seems to have a clarity and power lacking in other Strat style pickups.
Sonic evaluation: The review above by Michael Papenberg pretty much says it all. If you are looking for a Strat neck pickup tone for your Tele, or is you are just in the mood to experiment and try something different on your Tele, you can't beat this pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good match for all the musical styles I play. You can't get a true Strat 'quack' in the mid/neck position, no Tele ever will, regardless of the pickups............but you can get very close by adjusting the height of the neck and middle pickups relative to each other.

Comments: I definitely would replace this pickup. I wish I would have known about Harmonic Designs before I bought the Duncans, I would have bought a lead and middle pickup as well (I eventually will get HD's as $ permits).
Been playing 30 years, live bands, studio, etc.

Pickup features: Passive Single Coil Strat Rhythm Pickup
Impedence or other specs: N/A

Model of guitar or bass: '62 Re-issue Telecaster
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Hot Lead Stack
Artists using this pickup: N/A
You musical style(s): Rock/Folk Rock
Reason for pickup change: I've always loved the sound of Strat rhythm pickups but didn't want to carve out my Tele. I couldn't resist when I heard that they made one that is the same size as a Tele rhythm pickup.

Perceived output level: Similar to my stock rhythm pickup.
Tone: Very balanced, incredibly open sounding pickup
Sonic evaluation: This pickup really lived up to my expectations. First of all, it has an incredibly sweet wide-open sound that sounds beautiful with a little bit of grit on your amp. Compared to my old Tele rhythm pickup it has more high end & more "fulth". One great thing is that the pole pieces match perfectly with the Tele (something you don't get if you install a standard Strat pickup). If all this weren't enough, the middle position setting is a thing of beauty. It sounds somewhere between a Strat & a Tele (as you might expect). It doesn't quite have the quack of a real Strat but it is much more musical that the standard middle-position setting on a Tele. I am currently playing through a Marshall Bluesbreaker combo (modified w/el34s), a Hot Rod Deluxe and a POD (for home recording). It sounds great through all of them.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for any style of music that a Strat would work for.

Comments: If this were lost/stolen I would definitely buy it again. I have been playing for 22 years. This Tele has been my main guitar for 14 of them. In the past, I have tended to use Seymour Duncan pickups and have been pretty happy with them. I heard some great reviews of Harmonic Design pickups and decided to try this one out. The only "problem" that I have is that the mini-strat pickup makes my SD Hot Stack pickup sound congested & small in comparison. I just ordered one of their Vintage + lead pickups to remedy the situation.