It seems the Tele I've had for over 23 years now is pretty fat. It's like a Les Paul Tele.
More brute force than sharp cutting. Which I dig because it makes for a great mellow sound. Nice and thick if I like and I can still cut through anything by playing it harder.
But that's why I always chose Fenders. No matter how hard I played a Gibson, it wouldn't give anything more up.
You can play a Fender to sleep and wake it up and make it pull teeth.
Man I love Fenders. You're right though, most Teles are very bright and sharp. Mine seems to have a much thicker sound. I have a set of Joe Bardons he made for me years ago it it. Great sound for me.
I got another set from him awhile after for another Tele and they just didn't work out. He understood and took them back. He was a very nice guy.
It's like your pickups, handmade are truly one of a kind. Even the maker can't reproduce them again.
Great to hear the Funk buddy, Wayne,