Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Dave Sloven on April 28, 2021, 02:50:41 AM
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This new arrival has a roasted maple neck and an order for a Cobra-T and Impulse neck humbucker is imminent once I have decided exactly which other wiring components to order.
Very happy with this purchase so far. I will post updates here as mods commence!
(https://i.imgur.com/Tnbu9RP.jpg)
https://shop.fender.com/en-AU/squier-electric-guitars/telecaster/contemporary-telecaster-rh/0371225523.html?rl=en_US (https://shop.fender.com/en-AU/squier-electric-guitars/telecaster/contemporary-telecaster-rh/0371225523.html?rl=en_US)
Body Shape: Telecaster
Body: Poplar
Body Finish: Gloss Polyurethane (Pearl White)
Neck: Roasted Maple
Neck Finish: Satin Urethane (Neck), Gloss Urethane (Headstock Face)
Neck Shape: "C"
Scale Length 25.5"
Fingerboard: Roasted Maple (12" radius)
Frets: 22 Jumbo
Nut: Graphite (42mm)
Machine Heads: Sealed Die-Cast with Split Shafts
Bridge: 6-Saddle Standard Strings-Through-Body Tele with Block Saddles
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First mods:
Gotoh SG381-MGTB limited edition locking tuners
D'Addario EXL148 12-60 string set (C standard)
DiMarzio ClipLock system
Also the neck pickup cavity can take long leg pickups if needed. Bridge pickup cavity is a pretty standard Telecaster one.
(https://i.imgur.com/GJ3Aygj.jpg)
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Order placed for Cobra-T, Impulse neck, pots, capacitor, and 5-way switch ...
watch this space :wink:
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I like the looks of the guitar - very classy.
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Nice one Dave. Looks a bit like a LTD tele. Have fun with this flashy axe!
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Nice one Dave. Looks a bit like a LTD tele. Have fun with this flashy axe!
Thanks. It comes with these heinous push-on square-shouldered knobs so when I found a couple of black Gotoh VK-18 Telecaster style dome knobs this morning I fitted those. Much nicer
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I am currently still waiting for my order from BKP with the Cobra-T and Impulse neck humbucker in white to match the paintwork .... I made a couple more mods while I've been waiting. The first was to install a Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL string tree. I bought a pack of two and fitted one to my Schecter PT Apocalypse as well. I was warned by a local luthier to be extremely careful when drilling into roasted maple (it is quite prone to cracking) so I drilled the hole to just below size with my Tamiya Handy Drill (very low torque, with a 1mm bit) and then screwed in the shortest screw in the pack. It was a nickel screw so to make it match the hardware I simply coloured it in with a black permanent marker. The string tree was the same height as the stock one (on both guitars) so no sanding or filing was needed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/WpHWs3wp/IMG-6976.jpg)
The other 'mod' was more a replacement for a terrible jack that couldn't wait as my cables kept falling out of the jack. The stock jack is the usual Squier rubbish so I replaced it with a Switchcraft jack. I will use this jack for a brand new harness after my Bare Knuckle order arrives. I squashed the original so that I wouldn't be tempted to reuse it! In this photo you can see the original control plate with the Gotoh VK-18 knobs, which will be transferred over to the new CRL, CTS, and Neuland loaded control plate when my order arrives. I used the denim rag to protect the finish when soldering.
(https://i.postimg.cc/x8w3MX6K/IMG-6979.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/V6NxHhmK/IMG-6980.jpg)
As you can see in this photo the Contemporary Telecaster RH has a jack plate, not the old school 'cup'
(https://i.postimg.cc/MpmZChJw/IMG-6985.jpg)
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Before ordering this guitar I made this mock-up on my computer and asked Tim if BKP could do it ... the answer from Tim was 'yes' ...
(https://i.postimg.cc/nzDkbxmn/tele-white-white.jpg)
I've since found out that it won't be the first white Cobra-T that they have made ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPnXj6RdRzg
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I have since swapped the 20P out for a 22W and adjusted the intonation to suit. Much better
A word of warning: a 60W tuned to C requires you to wind the low saddle in to the very limited to get the intonation adjustment correct on a modern Telecaster bridge.
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That looks darn nice Dave! Cool mods too.
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Cheers! Got the email from BKP yesterday to say that my order has shipped, so now I am keenly watching postal tracking!
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The pickups have been here for a couple of weekends now and the modding is proceeding apace ... been discussing wiring options with BKP's Timmy Bartle and should have the 5-way switch with coil splits etc up and running tomorrow sometime. Got the strings on it at least now and stage one of the mods is complete once the pickups are connected.
Here's stage 1:
Cobra-T (bridge)
Impulse (neck)
550K CTS volume and tone pots
470k resistor on bridge pickup
Duncan style treble bleed
greasebucket tone mod
0022uF Dueland PIO cap
Switchcraft jack
CRL 5-way pickup selector switch with white Stratocaster style tip
shielded with nickel conductive paint
Gotoh SG381-MGTB 07 locking tuners
Gotoh control plate (the reversed orientation of the factory plate has been reversed)
Gotoh VK-18 knobs
Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL nut
EXL148 12-60 string set with NW022 wound third string (tuned to C standard)
DiMarzio ClipLock strap
All new wire. New bridge ground wire soldered to copper slug tape on top of guitar under bridge and entire surface under bridge painted with shielding paint. This will be useful for stage 2.
Here's a photo of it so far:
(https://i.postimg.cc/gkJ2sb8G/IMG-7220.jpg)
Stage two (I have all of the parts with the exception of the ferrule block, which is on the way from China):
Babicz FCH TL bridge
Drilled for four-screw vintage style mounting and string ferrule position, original ferrules blocked with dowels and the back of the guitar routed for an Aumsen brass ferrule block
Headstock truss rod adjustment recess painted gloss black (the finish in there is patchy)
Aumsen brass ferrule block
Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL nut
Here's a photo with the Babicz bridge test fitted:
(https://i.postimg.cc/mDswhXsJ/IMG-7194.jpg)
When that's all done it will be worthy of the name Contemporary Telecaster!
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Well the mods are further along than I expected, partly due to the impossibility of intonating a 60 gauge string on the Squier bridge and partly because the bridge install will need to be done in two steps, with drilling new string holes and installing a ferrule block needing to be done separately by a luthier with a sufficiently large drill press to fit a Telecaster body in it.
So the old string holes were dowelled because the four-screw mounting goes in so close to those holes and the Babicz bridge is on and set up as a top-loader. I also had some wiring issues with the 5-way CRL switch so that has been replacing with a 3-way Oaks-Grigsby switch that I had laying around, and there are no coil splits etc on the neck pickup for now.
So basically all mods except the ferrule block are completed. Now I just need to adjust the pickups, which I seem to have set a bit high. The Cobra-T has a 470K resistor on the bridge pickup lug on the selector switch and grounded to the back of the 550K master volume pot. It has a treble bleed and there is a greasebucket tone circuit.
The cavities were not shielded:
(https://i.postimg.cc/mkZsh5WY/IMG-6819.jpg)
I had to take great care when drilling the roasted maple headstock to fit the screws for the Gotoh SG381-MGTB tuners:
(https://i.postimg.cc/1XXjkhZj/IMG-6832.jpg)
Here they are installed:
(https://i.postimg.cc/nL1SMcFW/IMG-7317.jpg)
The cavities were shielded with nickel conductive paint, and copper slug tape was fixed to the top pf the body under the bridge and control plate. A new bridge ground wire was made and soldered to the copper tape:
(https://i.postimg.cc/wT3CPJqj/IMG-7154.jpg)
Later the wire and tape were painted over when the conductive paint was extended under the bridge plate, so as to prevent the white top and copper tape showing through the adjustment holes in the Babicz bridge:
(https://i.postimg.cc/j5s9hn3K/IMG-7209.jpg)
The wiring harness under the new Gotoh control plate:
(https://i.postimg.cc/66HsYzNP/IMG-7309.jpg)
The Babicz bridge installed. String from the top with D'Addario EXL148 12-60 string set, with the 20P third swapped out for a 22W.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XvKmFk8Q/IMG-7310.jpg)
The Gotoh control plate and (VK-18) knobs, with a white Fender switch tip:
(https://i.postimg.cc/BnKdZ01W/IMG-7312.jpg)
The truss rod recess has been painted black. Note also that a Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL nut and string tree have been fitted:
(https://i.postimg.cc/VNwHYb8M/IMG-7313.jpg)
The back of the guitar. Note that the ferrules have been removed. Note also the contoured neck heel:
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZK1MMMsw/IMG-7314.jpg)
The jack has been replaced with a Switchcraft, and a black washer and nut have been fitted (the jack plate is stock):
(https://i.postimg.cc/yYJGnHjJ/IMG-7315.jpg)
If you look closely you can see the dowels:
(https://i.postimg.cc/50N7zdj2/IMG-7316.jpg)
Here's the guitar in its SKB case:
(https://i.postimg.cc/pLz6bJgR/IMG-7319.jpg)
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Okay after some experimentation with wiring and having some tone issues I decided that the best approach is to treat the Cobra-T the same way as a humbucker, and removed all of the weird wiring and wired it exactly the same as my PT Apocalypse with the calibrated Impulse set.
550K BKP CTS master volume pot with treble bleed kit
550K BKP CTS master tone pot with 0.022uF BKP Dueland PIO cap
3-way selector switch
No greasebucket mod, no coil splits
I did the same with my Stockholm P-90 SG Junior years ago.
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I tinkered some more and played it through different amps and decided to put the 470k resistor back on the bridge pickup lug of the selector switch. I also changed it to a CRL 3-way and wired in a BKP CTS 550K push-pull as a volume pot with a 'partial split' mod (another 470k resistor between the push-pull switch and ground) on the Impulse neck humbucker. Overall the guitar was too bright and 'plinky' ... I made sure that the 470k resistor was not in the main ground path of the guitar from the volume pot (it only affects the push-pull switch). The wire channel between the bridge pickup and control cavities was also drilled out to make room for the cloth-covered leads on the Cobra-T.
Fitting the push-pull also involved removing a lot of wood from the centre bottom of the control cavity.
I also had new string holes drilled and the back routed for an Aumsen brass ferrule block (2 1/8" string spacing), which I polished myself with a Foredom jeweller's kit.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MKfYRnpY/IMG-7557.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/43PvZtWX/IMG-7569.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/C16jn0yt/IMG-7573.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/nzL4LzWB/IMG-7575.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/1XkwMK3r/IMG-7685.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/3N42gqYw/IMG-7691.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/zGbTbvq1/IMG-7470.jpg)
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Nice electronics work, and I really dig the way it looks! Classic and modern in a seamless package.
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Thanks.
The 'plinkiness' was actually due to an inadvertent change in the height of the fourth string saddle so I will try to do a proper comparison of the 550K pot with and without the 470K resistor in line to ground from the bridge lug now. The jury is still out.
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Okay I can give a definitive answer on this now
I went to band practice with the little Joyo Bantamp XL Zombie II (through a Laney Ironheart 212 fitted with two Vintage 30 speakers) and two other guitars, one with an Impulse set (in a relatively dark guitar with mahogany set-neck construction and brass saddles) and another with an alnico War Pig set (Gibson SG), all in the same tuning and with the same string set, although the War Pig guitar is 24.75" scale whereas the other two are 25.5" scale.
Of the three the Impulse set Schecter was the brightest, followed by the War Pig SG, with the Cobra Tele definitely being the darkest. The annoying plink was gone, so it obviously was caused by the bridge saddles going out of adjustment when the bridge was converted to string-through. So I decided to desolder the 470k resistor from the bridge pickup lug on the selector switch today and give it another test through the same rig, but minus the clean boost that I had used at practice (I didn't connect the pedalboard, which has the boost). Even without the clean boost the guitar now has considerably more bite and crunch and is on a par with the Impulse guitar with regard to that. In fact it sounds quite epic now.
So I'm calling it: for the Cobra-T use a 550K or 500K pot.
This obviously makes life easier when combined with a neck humbucker. If using a less powerful single coil neck pickup, stick with the 550K pot but experiment with a resistor to see whether you prefer that. With a more high output single coil in the neck (e.g., a P-90) you probably won't.