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As I've never owned a Telecaster before I've decided to dip my toe into the waters and see if I like it. To that end I've just bought a used Mexican made Tele on evilBay for about two hundred quid. I plan on playing it as-is for a little while to see how I find it.
If I cannot resist my desire to fiddle with it, and I seldom can, then there are a couple of options already open to me. I have, knocking around at home, a Mississippi Queen and a VH2 that were bought years ago for a project that died on the vine. Has anyone here had any experience of trying these pickups in a Tele and if so what are your thoughts? My initial idea is that I put the VH2 in the bridge and the Mississippi Queen in the neck. Does this seem like madness? I quite fancy the idea of a very grunty Tele and the Cabronita Especiale and Twinfan's recreation thereof have pushed me over the edge.
Thanks for any input.
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It doesn't sound like madness, but bear in mind there's no going back if you do it, since the humbucker cavity will be wider than a standard Tele bridge.
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It doesn't sound like madness, but bear in mind there's no going back if you do it, since the humbucker cavity will be wider than a standard Tele bridge.
That's a good point. I'm guessing that the neck will already be routed for humbucker sized pickups but I'd have to do some digging at the bridge. All the more reason to play it for a while before making any butchery decisions.
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Finally, my chance to shine. Meet Gloria, my number one.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/unsubtle57/21042008.jpg)
MIM tele with a holydiver in the bridge and a bit of a carousel in the neck position. In the picture it's a MQ which now resides in my Les Paul.
As for the routing, the neck position is humbucker sized, so no issues there. The bridge is another story. You will need a bridge plate for a humbucker, Gotoh do one for about £20 i think. Then get your router out. I used a hand drill, and it is a bit scr@ppy.
Needless to say, it's a unique guitar to have, I love the feel of it and the control plate layout is ideal for me. Sound wise, it sounds like a massive fat strat. The Holydiver used to be in a MIM strat, and sounds bigger somehow in the tele.
Oh and Philly is dead on, if you decide to do it there's no going back. Especially if you do a redneck routing job with a hand drill.
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Thanks badgermark, that's all good info and your description of the sound is exactly what I'm after. Hmm, I fear a hand drill or Dremel purchase may be in my near future...
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Thanks badgermark, that's all good info and your description of the sound is exactly what I'm after. Hmm, I fear a hand drill or Dremel purchase may be in my near future...
Really wouldn't recommend the hand drill approach. Took me about 2 hours and was sloppy as hell, the pickup barely fit in the 'route'. A dremel is the way to go. Or get a router and a template for a proper job.
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... I tried to route an oak guitar with my Dremel.
RIP Dremel...
But "YAY" to joining the Tele club!!!
And Mark - that guitar is pure awesomeness...
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What's wrong with a chisel, taking it slow and using elbow grease?
I might try it that way.
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Chisel would work i guess, what's more manly? Powertools or using only a sharp piece of metal and a hammer?
Thanks Mr Bump, I'm considering a neck BKP for it, got the stock tele single in it right now, and it's not cutting it.
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Chisel would work i guess, what's more manly? Powertools or using only a sharp piece of metal and a hammer?
Thanks Mr Bump, I'm considering a neck BKP for it, got the stock tele single in it right now, and it's not cutting it.
Catch a big black rat, starve it for 2 days, strap it to your hand with plastic cable ties - direct it's ravenous jaws to enlarge the cavity to humbucker size.... BITE HEAD OFF RAT & dispose of considerately.
That's manly! :P :?
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Powertools + chisel = Jackhamer?
DIY with powertools is total post modern man, hand tools are rugged and caveman-like :D
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I reckon a couple of sticks of dynamite ought to do it and Homebase have a 3 for 2 offer on at the moment...or did I dream that?
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A router is a great purchase (if you think you'll ever use it again).
I'm a bit scared of powertools - I hate electric drills and screwdrivers - but my trusty router has prevented me from messing up loads of guitars (or helped mess them up, depending on your point of view).
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I don't see me buying a router, they terrify me. I think a Dremel would be the limit of my tool buying. I could behave like a grown up and get someone who knows what they're doing to sort the woodwork but that seems to lessen the fun (and challenge) a bit. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.
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Sharpened screw-driver and a brick, that's all you need :lol:
I dug out a humbucker hole with a chisel and a hammer once (a squier tele - made of some sort of plywood under the thick finish) - never again!! :lol:
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I'm having another plan, a less destructive plan, a plan that does not require routers, drills, jack-hammers, sharpened screwdrivers, chisels or very hungry rats and cable ties...
...Having done some more reading, and more importantly, listening on the forum and else where I am thinking that what I may try, at least at first, is a Piledriver in the bridge and still re-use my currently homeless MQ. The output on the MQ is not far off the neck Piledriver pickup so I'm hoping that it should balance quite well with the bridge Piledriver and also that I might offer me a good mix of thick neck tones and biting, grunty bridge ones. Is this a combination others have tried and, if so, how did you find it? Thanks again, the feedback is really appreciated.
I'm going to go and start feeding the rat again. He's looking at us strangely... :|
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Well, the '96 Mexican Tele has arrived and it's clearly led a hard life until now. I'm still quite pleased with it and I think once I'm done with it I should have a really kick ass guitar for about three hundred quid. This is the beastie as it arrived:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2606/3812742916_1cde6e4182.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_atrocity/3812742916/)
and I've now ordered the bits I need to fix it up along with a Piledriver bridge pickup so as soon as that arrives it'll be time for some open guitar surgery.
Thanks for everyone's help. Once it's done I think then it'll qualify for a NGD post in "Guitars, Amps and Effects". :)
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Please keep us involved in the process!
I would be good to have pics as she develops, nice.
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Well here's a turn up for the books. My Painkiller bridge pickup arrived today so I thought I'd make a start dismantling the guitar just to test the fit of the new components and this is what I find:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3821631862_a86cf18e0d.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_atrocity/3821631862/)
Well there's no way a Mississippi Queen is going into the neck position of that without some work! Huh. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a cheaper Fender Tele that wasn't routed for a humbucker at the neck but it turns out I have the one. I'm not too upset because the Mississippi Queen was the pickup I already had so I've not spent money for nothing but I do wonder how to proceed from here.
Option 1) Stop being a coward and rout out the neck cavity so the MQ will fit.
Option 2) Make the guitar into an Esquire and put the MQ back in the parts bucket.
Option 3) Get a single coil neck pickup.
For me it has to be either 1 or 2 I think but I can't decide which. Any thoughts?
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Option 1) Stop being a coward and rout out the neck cavity so the MQ will fit.
Whaddaya think the scratchplate is for? :? :lol:
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Option 1) Stop being a coward and rout out the neck cavity so the MQ will fit.
Whaddaya think the scratchplate is for? :? :lol:
+1!
It's only a cheap Mexican Tele (no offence meant!!)
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Personally I'd route it for the MQ.
Whilst you've got all the gubbins taken out I would also get some shielding in there. Very easy to do and will eliminate a lot of that annoying single coil hum. I finally shielded my tele this week and it was very straightforward (I'm RUBBISH at diy and seem to have done it ok).
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OK, I'm going to go for it and route the guitar. I actually think I'm going to get someone who knows what they're doing to do it as I have no power tools and the expense of buying one would outweigh the cost of just getting someone with expertise to do a decent job for me. As preparation for this I dismantled the rest of the guitar this morning and the photo below shows a lovely little piece of Fender irony:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/3825357789_94cf5c75c3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_atrocity/3825357789/)
The sticker says "Fender - Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence" and the two little pieces of cardboard are the cheapo shims I found in the back of the neck pocket when I took it apart. Classy. :)
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YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!!!!
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb76/guitarzan_1/USACG/IMG_6114-1.jpg)
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OK so I've gone and done it. Here's the routed body:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3857307470_4f59549790.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_atrocity/3857307470/)
And here's most of the bits slotted back together but not screwed into place just to get a feel for how it will look. Oh and that's a Piledriver in the bridge - it's going to be one feisty Tele:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/3856518899_6f32b36ef1.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_atrocity/3856518899/)
I have a whole new set of CTS parts to wire up but I think that'll have to wait for the weekend. Onwards and upwards. One thing I have found out is that Mexican control plates aren't drilled big enough to fit CTS pots so that's a new plate there, and new knobs because the cr@ppy old pots were tiny split head ones and had the knobs sized to fit them. Because of the routing and new parts needed my budget is looking more like £350 now but I still think it'll a great value for money guitar when it's done.
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Cool! Tell us how it sounds!
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Cool! Tell us how it sounds!
Here-here!!
Man...that thang even looks raunchy, downright skanky. Well done. 8)
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Thanks for all the help and the comments.
The deed is done, and the guitar is finished. As such I think it qualifies as a New Second Hand Fixer Upper Guitar Day post here (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=18620.0).