Telecasters don't have lipstick pickups
This is a nitpick but it must be said.
A common mistake that a lot of people make - including guitar dealers - is the claim that the Telecaster has a "lipstick" pickup on the neck side.
It doesn't.
First I'll explain what a lipstick pickup actually is.
An example of an actual lipstick pickup is the Seymour Duncan SLS-1. It has a tube casing, and this style of pickup is most known for being in Danelectro electric guitars such as the 12SDC model. You look at that guitar and the lipstick pickups are instantly recognizable.
However, what really differentiates the lipstick pickup from what's in the Telecaster is the magnets.
True lipstick pickups such as the SLS-1 use a bar magnet. Were you to rip one apart, that's all you'd find in there. But if you took the cover off the Tele neck pickup, what do you see? Six pole piece magnets. On a lipstick pickup, it's just the bar. On the Tele neck pickup, pole pieces are present.
So what is the proper name for a Telecaster neck side pickup? It's a mini single-coil. Most refer to this as just a "Tele neck pickup", but guitar model name aside, mini single-coil is the proper name for it.
If for example you look at the Seymour Duncan Antiquity "1955" Tele pickup, there are literal pole pieces under that cover. Again, not a lipstick. It's a mini single-coil with six actual pole piece magnets.
On fully assembled Telecasters whether it's the Fender American Elite Telecaster, Fender American Original '60s Telecaster or the modern Fender American Professional Telecaster, they all use a mini single-coil pickup for the neck position. In fact, any time you see that little pickup, it's a mini single-coil.
Stop calling it a lipstick pickup.
Halloween guitars
Orange you glad to see these?
Yeah, I know. Bad joke. But October is an excuse to show some electric guitars in orange. This is a color you don't see too often.
Fender Player Telecaster in Capri Orange
Fender started releasing guitars in this finish fairly recently, and it works well with Fender curvy body shapes.
Squier Affinity Telecaster in Competition Orange
Same as Capri Orange? No. This one has a slightly "louder" hue to it. Looks cool, and it's cheap to buy.
Jackson Soloist SLX in Orange Crackle
Now we have something that definitely fits the Halloween vibe. Jackson actually did do this right as it covers the entire guitar. The front, back, sides and even the back of the neck all the way up to the headstock have the crackle finish applied.
It should also be noted a Green Crackle version exists too. Same as the Orange Crackle, but obviously in green.
Now we class up the place with a nice semihollow. This guitar is all sorts of pretty. You never knew orange could look this classy.
Lastly, a guitar that looks like it's on fire. The color is Transparent Amber, but obviously you see lots of orange here.
This is not an LTD. This is an actual ESP. Top-of-the-line stuff, complete with case and case candy. If you want absolute premium with your orange electric, well, there you are.
It looks like Gibson DOES make a double-neck guitar
It would appear I have to make a correction.
I literally just said Gibson isn't making a double-neck guitar at the moment. Well, I was wrong. I check out the latest guitars available and whammo, there it is, a Gibson Custom Slash Double Neck SG.
Well... what to say about this.
Let's start with the finish. "Aged" Ebony, which is Gibson's version of relic'ing.
The front of the guitar looks great. The back? Not-so much. There's a big spot where belt buckle rash would be were the instrument actually played regularly. That's part of the "aging" Gibson did. I'll say a little more about this in a moment.
Both fretboards are real rosewood, so that's cool.
Pickups are "Gibson CustomBuckers". I have no idea what kind of pickups those are other than the fact they're humbuckers and look PAF-like.
Aside from that, it's pretty much a double SG.
Yes, the price tag is insane for this guitar, but that's because each one of these is personally signed by Slash himself...
...but I hope he signs each one using a white or silver marker. The guitar is black, after all.
Does it come with the hard case? Yes. Does it come with a strap too? Yes, a special "Slash concho" strap. Certificate of Authenticity? Of course. Nitro finished? Again, yes.
Like the Epiphone double-neck I mentioned before, this is the right way to do a double-neck guitar with one 6-string neck and the other a 12. Again I will say that is the most useful setup for one of these.
As nuts as this sounds, I think the aging was done right on this guitar. And the reason I feel that way is that Gibson didn't go too crazy with it. It has body wear in the expected place it would be, and the yellowed plastics are correct. The fret inlays also appear to have correct aging done as well.
Obviously, this guitar is a special run and only those with deep pockets will buy them. That's fine because double-neck guitars shouldn't be regular run anyway...
...but I still think the Epiphone is the better double-neck buy.
However, there are many who even think the double neck Epiphone is too expensive. Fortunately, cheap double neck guitars are available.
Ernie Ball Cobalt strings are too bright?
These sound a bit shrill for my guitar and playing style.
Firstly, I will say right up front that Ernie Ball Cobalt is a very good string. I'm not saying it's bad. Not at all. These things feel great, bend easy and hold tune great.
As you'll hear in the video above however, they're just a touch on the too-bright side. Or at least that's what my ears hear.
Most people would opt to use the 10-46 "2721" set. I use the 8-38 "2725" set.
My experience with no-nickel strings
The main reason I tried these out is because there's no nickel content in EB Cobalts from what I understand. This was interesting to me and I wanted to experience these for myself.
What you're hearing in the video are the strings after being on my guitar for about 5 days and several hours of play in that span of time. This means they're stretched properly and broken in by this point.
Obviously, they work. All notes and chords ring true, but I notice the string seems to sound best on the middle and neck positions. On the bridge position I hear too much "honk" because the sound from the strings is so bright.
Would the Cobalts "mellow out" after more play? My guess is they would not. Strings are at their brightest on a fresh install, and after several hours of play and being on the guitar for 5 days, they should have mellowed at least a little, but they haven't.
For some guitarists, this is exactly what they want. They want a string that installs bright and stays that way for as long as possible.
I, on the other hand, prefer a string that loses some of its brightness after some play.
Part of the whole selling point of the Cobalts is the fact they stay bright. I get that. But I think this string is better suited for dudes that play rock and metal. They would especially be good for humbuckers that sound a bit "muddy", as these will add in some treble you otherwise didn't have before.
The only double neck electric guitar worth buying
This is a stupid guitar, but if you must buy one, this is the one to get.
Take the Epiphone G-1275, which ordinarily comes in two colors. Cherry and White. The fancy dan Custom Edition of the same guitar that has a "tuxedo" look along with gold hardware all around if you want something more upscale looking is the white one.
I said above this is a stupid guitar. It is. I list it as one of the 5 guitars you should never buy.
However... if you just have to have one of these, Epiphone's G-1275 is literally the only one worth buying and I'll explain why.
Before continuing, yes there are cheap double neck guitars. Ordinarily, I'd say sure, go get one. And you can if you want. But this is one of those instances where you're way better off with the Epiphone for the following reasons:
Firstly, the look. The G-1275 has that famous double neck guitar appearance. Every time you saw some famous guitar player with a double neck back in the 1970s, it was always the "double SG" in a cherry finish.
Secondly, this is the "most usable" (said loosely) double neck. One neck is a 12-string and the other a 6-string. A configuration like this actually makes the most sense where double neck guitars are concerned. Rhythm parts are played on the 12, and leads on the 6. Or, the 12 is tuned E standard and the 6 is tuned DADGAD or maybe D standard instead of E. The point is that you can switch off between the two in a way that can actually work.
Third, the keystone tuner buttons. If you think having plastic tuner buttons is a negative, you're wrong. It's a huge positive here. There are 18 tuners up there. Having them in steel would add in way too much unnecessary weight to an already heavy instrument.
Fourth, the overall weight of the instrument. Amazingly, the G-1275 only weighs about 12 pounds. Yes, that is heavy for an electric, but it is as light as you can get for a double neck electric.
Epiphone G-1275 is the least worst double neck electric
This is the guitar that has "that look". Absolutely nobody will care that it says Epiphone on the headstock and not Gibson. In fact, Gibson isn't even making a double neck at the moment. Listings for the Gibson EDS-1275 go for crazy money, making the Epiphone a bargain in comparison.
For a double neck, the Epiphone is basically what you can call the least worst double neck electric. You get the classic look, the classic tone, the proper 12-string/6-string configuration, and you know how much it's going to weigh before you get it (more or less).
That's basically as good as it gets with one of these.
If you dare buy a double neck electric, Epiphone G-1275 is the only one worth getting. Don't feel like spending the money on one? Understandable. If that's you, go cheap instead since the guitar is a novelty more than anything else.