I have 2 ash tele's, and I have the L280TN in both of them. One of them is a solid body w/ a rosewood board, and the other is a thinline w/ a maple board. The neck PU sounds great in both guitars. I was toying with the idea of getting the L290TN for the thinline because I was afraid of it being too bright, but the 280 has worked out very well. Besides, a neck PU will have it's own inherent darkness because of its position. And if you do find it to be a little bright for you, just crank the PU down, a bit closer to the body. As fuzzybeard said, the 280N is very well balanced. I keep mine about a nickle's width below the strings, and it's not too bright. It's got just the right blend of spank and smoothness.