pimping a '72 Tele Custom...

[HTH AMPS]

I've got a '72 Tele Custom RI that I'm gonna pimp a bit further.  I want to get rid of the humbucker in the neck position and put a Tele single coil there (needs a new scratchplate cut though).

That's all no sweat but here's where I think I might have some difficuly...  I want to install a Bigsby.  Getting the correct Bigsby will be ok but the bridge they used on Bigsby-equiped Teles might be harder to acquire.

Any ideas on where I'd get the bridge?

 :twisted:

[sgmypod]

http://www.axesrus.com/axeteleh.htm
....yup full thing..bigsby and bridge etc here

[HTH AMPS]

cheers mate, it's gonna look awesome.

I think the prices at that place are a bit of a rip though.  I've found a place in the US that's selling them for $139 (http://www.angela.com)

I've also found the Bigsby website and wonder whether the B16 tailpiece would look cooler than the B5 one...

http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/products_b16.html
http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/products_b5.html

Opinions?

 :twisted:

[sgmypod]

some of his stuff is cheap some expensive....the first one
http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/products_b16.html
cool

[twangmeister]

I've got a '72 Tele Custom RI that I'm gonna pimp a bit further.  I want to get rid of the humbucker in the neck position and put a Tele single coil there (needs a new scratchplate cut though).

That's all no sweat but here's where I think I might have some difficuly...  I want to install a Bigsby.  Getting the correct Bigsby will be ok but the bridge they used on Bigsby-equiped Teles might be harder to acquire.

Any ideas on where I'd get the bridge?

 :twisted:

Umm - I've gotta ask why are you taking out the neck humbucker from this giutar and replacing it with a single coil? You are going to end up with a standard Tele with some extra knobs. Why not reatain the original HB and coil split it, with control from a push/pull in the tone or volume pot? That way you can pull on fat HB neck tone when you want, and pull off single coil when you want that. No new pick guards, guitar stays totally stock, new sounds achieved. I've done this mod and it works a treat.

As for the Bigsby setup, I think Elderly Instruments in the US have what you need, best to stick to the B5. It's made for flattop guitars like the Tele.

[noodleplugerine]

As for the Bigsby setup, I think Elderly Instruments in the US have what you need, best to stick to the B5. It's made for flattop guitars like the Tele.

Tis an ace shop - I've bought gear there before and had it shipped over by friends.

[Ratrod]

I would go for B16 to keep the classic Tele vibe.

If it's a Tele with a humbucker in the bridge, I would go for a B5 in combination with a tune-o-matic.

They're expensive but well worth it. Combine it with some locking tuners and the guitar will stay in tune nicely.

[HTH AMPS]

I've got a '72 Tele Custom RI that I'm gonna pimp a bit further.  I want to get rid of the humbucker in the neck position and put a Tele single coil there (needs a new scratchplate cut though).

That's all no sweat but here's where I think I might have some difficuly...  I want to install a Bigsby.  Getting the correct Bigsby will be ok but the bridge they used on Bigsby-equiped Teles might be harder to acquire.

Any ideas on where I'd get the bridge?

 :twisted:

Umm - I've gotta ask why are you taking out the neck humbucker from this giutar and replacing it with a single coil? You are going to end up with a standard Tele with some extra knobs. Why not reatain the original HB and coil split it, with control from a push/pull in the tone or volume pot? That way you can pull on fat HB neck tone when you want, and pull off single coil when you want that. No new pick guards, guitar stays totally stock, new sounds achieved. I've done this mod and it works a treat.

As for the Bigsby setup, I think Elderly Instruments in the US have what you need, best to stick to the B5. It's made for flattop guitars like the Tele.

the neck humbucker is an original 70s Fender Wide Range.  it sounds nice by itself but I always think theres no balance when switching pickups since it has much more bass and output than the bridge single coil (Fender CS nocaster).  anyway, I like that classic Fender single coil tone and don't have a guitar with that tone.

 :twisted:

[HTH AMPS]

I would go for B16 to keep the classic Tele vibe.

If it's a Tele with a humbucker in the bridge, I would go for a B5 in combination with a tune-o-matic.

They're expensive but well worth it. Combine it with some locking tuners and the guitar will stay in tune nicely.

I actually like the B16 best too but I can't find any pictures of Teles with 'em on - I can remember seeing one in Vintage & Rare on Denmark Street and it looked cool as f*ck.

All the pictures I've searched for end up being B5 Bigsbys.

 :twisted:

[Ratrod]

Here ya go.

[HTH AMPS]

Mmm, cool as f*ck Ratrod - that thing looks SO damn good.

I've got a couple of things on ebay to raise the cash to get this all done - anyone looking for an MXR KFK EQ?

 :twisted:

[Ratrod]

Speaking of pimped Bigsby equipped Telecasters.







Brophy Dale's custom built Mahogany chambered body Telecaster by, Chris Fleming (Fender) with tilt-neck & tilt-headstock and a real vintage Bigsby, push pull pot and two TV Jones classic Filtertrons.

I heard him play it in Lee Rocker's band last wednesday. This thing sounds awesome.

[HTH AMPS]

it's funny you should post that Ratrod - I've been thinking about a Filtertron as a neck pickup in my Tele.  Just want something with more twang than a neck humbucker gives.  The Wide Range 'bucker in my Tele is an original one so I should get a fair whack for it on ebay to finance the Filtertron  :D

 :twisted:

[cokecan72]

better late than never :)

i fitted an F logo bigsby (essentially a B5) to my 70's tele a few months ago, OMG did it cause some problems :(

i bought it from angela music in the US off egay as it was much cheaper than this country

I dulled it all up to it matched the rest of the guitar by using a bit of 1200 grit emery paper, bit of oil and a wire brass brush to give it that bronzeeee tint :)

managed to snap one of the bridge screws inside the body   cos the drills they tell you to use are a smidge too small in my eyes, the wood in the body is hard as hell and the screws are made of god knows what. I ended up knocking a small hollow rivet into the hole and carefully drilling out the screw. In the end i decided to re-use the original bridge plate screws that were a tad smaller.

managed to drill one of the bridge thimbles too big, they say to use a 9mm drill bit, the thimbles are 9mm in diamater, apparantly the instructions assume you are a machine and can drill a perfectly straight hole and have absolutly no wobble or play on the drill at all. for the second hole i used a smaller drill bit and kept drilling it out till the thimble fit in but was a fairly tight fit. thankfully i managed to recover these few minor problems without ruining my guitar!

bottom line is, they're a bitch to keep in tune and a bitch to fit but damn do they look sexeh! :D and i can honestly say i'd gladly do it all over again :)

check out this webby: http://www.xs4all.nl/~msengers/htm/gallery.htm

loads of pics of bigsby tele's and destruction manuals from different years to download so you can see what's actually required.

I'll post some pics of mine when i get home too :)

[HTH AMPS]

angela.com was the cheapest I've found too - I've ordered from them in the past with no problems too.

nice one for sharing your experience - I'll be getting mine fitted by a local luthier (only gonna cost £35 for the whole job inc a setup)

 :twisted: