telecaster 4.0

exhausted · February 2005

http://minorlith.net/visual/tele3.jpg
http://minorlith.net/visual/tele4.jpg

it's finally done after waiting weeks for the parts. i highly recommend the 4-way switch if you have a tele. the sound of the two pickups in series is brilliant. i love it. it's darker than the other 3 with extra output so it's great for a bluesier, overdriven sound. best cheap mod around.

so, what have i done to this thing now. i've changed this guitar so many times.

-graphtech saddles
-neck from a 1995 stratocaster, the rest of the guitar is 1996.
-duncan vintage stacks
-4-way switch
-new CTS pots and an orange drop 473 cap. i've wired them right handed so that they actually work now. fender is nice enough to wire their left-handed guitars in "reverse" but they don't bother to use reverse taper pots so nothing works properly. my gibsons are wired right handed anyway so i'm used to this. now the numbers mean something too.
-fender amp knobs
-new parchment pickguard

MadHatter · February 2005

Can you comment at all on the differences (tuning or tone) you find with the graphtech saddles?

MadHatter · February 2005

Oh, btw. Beautiful guitar...for a lefty that is

WiLL75 · February 2005

I was going to ask the same thing about the saddles. Is it a softer sound?

Pacomc79 · February 2005

exhausted wrote:

http://minorlith.net/visual/tele3.jpg
http://minorlith.net/visual/tele4.jpg

it's finally done after waiting weeks for the parts. i highly recommend the 4-way switch if you have a tele. the sound of the two pickups in series is brilliant. i love it. it's darker than the other 3 with extra output so it's great for a bluesier, overdriven sound. best cheap mod around.

so, what have i done to this thing now. i've changed this guitar so many times.

-graphtech saddles
-neck from a 1995 stratocaster, the rest of the guitar is 1996.
-duncan vintage stacks
-4-way switch
-new CTS pots and an orange drop 473 cap. i've wired them right handed so that they actually work now. fender is nice enough to wire their left-handed guitars in "reverse" but they don't bother to use reverse taper pots so nothing works properly. my gibsons are wired right handed anyway so i'm used to this. now the numbers mean something too.
-fender amp knobs
-new parchment pickguard

After extensively throttling the S-1 system and the SCN's in a strat I whole heartedly agree. The sound of two or more single coils in series is lovely.

It looks great ex, the amp knobs are perfect, Muddy would approve.

How are the saddles?

exhausted · February 2005

i find the saddles make the guitar a bit more middy and there is a bit less harshness in the bridge pickup now.

exhausted · February 2005

and a note. with the 4-way switch, the neck pickup needs to have an isolated ground for the pickup cover. the actual coil ground is wired to the switch while the pickup cover is grounded to a pot.

otherwise, the guitar will hum like a bitch when you touch the neck pickup cover.

WiLL75 · February 2005

exhausted wrote:

i find the saddles make the guitar a bit more middy and there is a bit less harshness in the bridge pickup now.

That's the thing I LOVE about my tele. The bridge pickup can be really harsh when I want it to be. : ) Love that growl.

exhausted · February 2005

the growl is still there but the useless high high frequencies that make my ears bleed are gone. switching to the duncan pickups helped some of that and now the saddles have made it a bit better still.

the saddle material makes a big difference so it's nice being able to really pin down the sound you want by changing things.

WiLL75 · February 2005

That's cool. It's always satisfying when you find and achieve the sound you want out of a guitar.

The project I'm putting off is my old mustang. After many years, I finally found TWO set screws so I don't have to replace the bridge anymore. Now I just need to get two new pickup switches, tone and volume pots, tone and volume knobs.

mccreadyisgod · February 2005

I love the mods...

When can I send you my next Tele for work?

exhausted · February 2005

mccreadyisgod wrote:

I love the mods...

When can I send you my next Tele for work?

you don't want me anywhere near it. trial and error is great when it's your own instrument.

my next project. perhaps.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7300015213

mccreadyisgod · February 2005

exhausted wrote:

you don't want me anywhere near it. trial and error is great when it's your own instrument.

my next project. perhaps.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7300015213

I like the looks of that one, yes...

My next tele will be easy. This guy:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/515207/

Swap in a Fralin open-zebra PAF in the bridge and a Gibson Nickel Classic 57 in the neck. Replace the push-pull tone, have two volumes (one for each pup). Maybe graphite saddles. But I'll probably have my local guy do all the work... shipping it to you and back might cost a little much.

exhausted · February 2005

you showed that one to me before and i think it's a great idea.

if this body stays low, i'm going to grab it. i'll route the neck for a full size HB as well and then just slowly gather parts. it had a full size tele bridge on it before. i'd much rather have a hardtail strat type bridge like the thinline but i'll burn that bridge when i get to it.

mccreadyisgod · February 2005

exhausted wrote:

you showed that one to me before and i think it's a great idea.

if this body stays low, i'm going to grab it. i'll route the neck for a full size HB as well and then just slowly gather parts. it had a full size tele bridge on it before. i'd much rather have a hardtail strat type bridge like the thinline but i'll burn that bridge when i get to it.

How about a Tune-o-Matic and Stop tailpiece?

And a Fender Wide-Range Humbucker in the neck?

And a Harmonic Design Super 90 in the bridge?

Pacomc79 · February 2005

mccreadyisgod wrote:

How about a Tune-o-Matic and Stop tailpiece?

And a Fender Wide-Range Humbucker in the neck?

And a Harmonic Design Super 90 in the bridge?

yes, excellent. Love the Super 90 although why not go with the new Lindy Fralin split coil version of the Fender FR?

http://www.fralinpickups.com/humbuckers.asp#p92 yoink.

mccreadyisgod · February 2005

Pacomc79 wrote:

yes, excellent. Love the Super 90 although why not go with the new Lindy Fralin split coil version of the Fender FR?

http://www.fralinpickups.com/humbuckers.asp#p92 yoink.

I do love the Fralin's...

Eh, subjective judgement there.

Pacomc79 · February 2005

mccreadyisgod wrote:

I do love the Fralin's...

Eh, subjective judgement there.

potato potAto

exhausted · February 2005

mccreadyisgod wrote:

How about a Tune-o-Matic and Stop tailpiece?

And a Fender Wide-Range Humbucker in the neck?

And a Harmonic Design Super 90 in the bridge?

it's already drilled etc. for a fender type bridge.

trappedinmyradio · February 2005

dude, that thing looks so sweet. from the guitar tones you always seem to get i am sure that this thing sounds so damn sweet. WOW! that's a beautiful instrument, FOR SURE!

exhausted wrote:

http://minorlith.net/visual/tele3.jpg
http://minorlith.net/visual/tele4.jpg

it's finally done after waiting weeks for the parts. i highly recommend the 4-way switch if you have a tele. the sound of the two pickups in series is brilliant. i love it. it's darker than the other 3 with extra output so it's great for a bluesier, overdriven sound. best cheap mod around.

so, what have i done to this thing now. i've changed this guitar so many times.

-graphtech saddles
-neck from a 1995 stratocaster, the rest of the guitar is 1996.
-duncan vintage stacks
-4-way switch
-new CTS pots and an orange drop 473 cap. i've wired them right handed so that they actually work now. fender is nice enough to wire their left-handed guitars in "reverse" but they don't bother to use reverse taper pots so nothing works properly. my gibsons are wired right handed anyway so i'm used to this. now the numbers mean something too.
-fender amp knobs
-new parchment pickguard

mccreadyisgod · February 2005

exhausted wrote:

it's already drilled etc. for a fender type bridge.

You could still Gibson-ify it with a T-o-M and stop tailpiece. You'd have to drill it different, but it could be done.

I just prefer the T-o-M...

telecaster 4.0

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