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Re: DIY Thin line TELE help!

8/11/1999 4:11 PM
Doc	Re: DIY Thin line TELE help! The humbucker used on the '70s era telecaster customs & thinlines are larger in size than the gibson/PAF style. So the body routing should already be large enough to accept either a P90 soapbar, or any available humbucker. There are adjustment screws near each corner of the larger fender pickup. Most other HBs use one adjustment screw per side. What I'm grting at is that to make the installation look professional, you'll need to buy a new standard telecaster pickguard and open it up to the outline of whatever pickup you've chosen, and drill any necessary holes for new screws. (The P90 soapbar has its adjustment screws mounted right through the pickup cover, so no holes are needed outside the pickup cover's perimeter.) I once modified a telecaster by adding a standard type humbucker in the neck position. I wanted a fairly low-output pickup, hum cancelling and hotter than the stock single coil, but not as hot as most humbuckers with alnico V magnets. What I settled on was a duncan Alnico II Pro, which worked out quite well. To keep its output lower than normal, I have the height adjusted to where the top bobbins are about flush with the pickguard. I haven't, as yet, tried a soapbar in the neck position of a telecaster. But this is a hobby with no end in sight, so I'm sure I'll get to it eventually. There is a custom shop tele, the Set Neck Tele Jr., which has soapbars in it. These pickups are not stock p90 windings. They are SD Hot in the neck, and Custom in the bridge position. If you can find one in a music store, check out its sound. This guitar may have a darker tone than a thinline, but both bodies are mahogany so may have similar characteristics. I am the guy who is dissatisfied with the performance of the neck pickup in a reissue Tele Custom. It looks like the real thing, but is not constructed the same way, nor does it sound anywhere near like the original. I haven't disassembled it completely, but from preliminary investigation I know that the threaded adjusters are not magnets (like the original) and conclude that there must be a (PAF-style) bar magnet under the coils.

8/11/1999 4:11 PM

Doc

Re: DIY Thin line TELE help!

The humbucker used on the '70s era telecaster customs & thinlines are larger in size than the gibson/PAF style. So the body routing should already be large enough to accept either a P90 soapbar, or any available humbucker. There are adjustment screws near each corner of the larger fender pickup. Most other HBs use one adjustment screw per side. What I'm grting at is that to make the installation look professional, you'll need to buy a new standard telecaster pickguard and open it up to the outline of whatever pickup you've chosen, and drill any necessary holes for new screws. (The P90 soapbar has its adjustment screws mounted right through the pickup cover, so no holes are needed outside the pickup cover's perimeter.)

I once modified a telecaster by adding a standard type humbucker in the neck position. I wanted a fairly low-output pickup, hum cancelling and hotter than the stock single coil, but not as hot as most humbuckers with alnico V magnets. What I settled on was a duncan Alnico II Pro, which worked out quite well. To keep its output lower than normal, I have the height adjusted to where the top bobbins are about flush with the pickguard.

I haven't, as yet, tried a soapbar in the neck position of a telecaster. But this is a hobby with no end in sight, so I'm sure I'll get to it eventually. There is a custom shop tele, the Set Neck Tele Jr., which has soapbars in it. These pickups are not stock p90 windings. They are SD Hot in the neck, and Custom in the bridge position. If you can find one in a music store, check out its sound. This guitar may have a darker tone than a thinline, but both bodies are mahogany so may have similar characteristics.

I am the guy who is dissatisfied with the performance of the neck pickup in a reissue Tele Custom. It looks like the real thing, but is not constructed the same way, nor does it sound anywhere near like the original. I haven't disassembled it completely, but from preliminary investigation I know that the threaded adjusters are not magnets (like the original) and conclude that there must be a (PAF-style) bar magnet under the coils.

8/12/1999 3:49 AM
nic	Doc, my RI tele custom is an early Fender Japan somewhere around '83 or so. I replaced the bridge with a SD quarter pounder. I never had a problem with the neck pu, this could be because of my humbucking inexperience. If I like my current neck pu do you think I should buy one for my DIY that is close to the DC resistance of my current? I play an 'aggressive' music, but not metal. I really like cleaned up sound with the tone knob rolled back a bit to filter the brightnesss, and a splash of reverb. Roll the tone knob back to normal with my new TS-9DX for an inbetween sound (main sound). Then for aggressive leads and biting chords I use a MXR Distortion II. For some reason the strat of mine refuses to sound good in the 'aggressive' mode. It sounds pretty thin. My tele loves all three modes but only really in the neck position. I don't even use the bridge, I assumed that if the bridge was fatter sounding then I would have a bigger pallet of tones. Since the tele is more useful I have considered pulling the strings off the strat and set it in a case for a later day. For these reasons I justify my desire to make my own guitar that can't be beat! I'll keep you posted on my progress, probably mostly with questions but... Thanks! nic

8/12/1999 3:49 AM

nic

Doc, my RI tele custom is an early Fender Japan somewhere around '83 or so. I replaced the bridge with a SD quarter pounder. I never had a problem with the neck pu, this could be because of my humbucking inexperience. If I like my current neck pu do you think I should buy one for my DIY that is close to the DC resistance of my current?

I play an 'aggressive' music, but not metal. I really like cleaned up sound with the tone knob rolled back a bit to filter the brightnesss, and a splash of reverb. Roll the tone knob back to normal with my new TS-9DX for an inbetween sound (main sound). Then for aggressive leads and biting chords I use a MXR Distortion II.

For some reason the strat of mine refuses to sound good in the 'aggressive' mode. It sounds pretty thin. My tele loves all three modes but only really in the neck position. I don't even use the bridge, I assumed that if the bridge was fatter sounding then I would have a bigger pallet of tones. Since the tele is more useful I have considered pulling the strings off the strat and set it in a case for a later day.

For these reasons I justify my desire to make my own guitar that can't be beat!

I'll keep you posted on my progress, probably mostly with questions but...

Thanks!

nic

8/22/1999 3:00 AM
Mike	I used to own a Warmoth thinline Tele with P-90's The center section is just under 4 1/4" wide - P-90's are 3 3/8" so there's plenty of room. I loved the sound. The strong midrange of P-90's works well with the airiness of a hollowed guitar body. Duncan Vintage soapbars are very aggressive sounding, I used Antiquities becuase they are a bit mellower. The problem was mine had a super light swamp ash body so the headstock kept nosediving. I plan to build another from heavier wood like hard ash, or maple so it has that Tele edge, but isn't too light to wear on a strap. Another concern is the width of the polepieces, ususally just under 2" spacing from center of E to E. I used a Gotoh stoptail (from Warmoth) that was 2 1/16" You might get some dropout on your bridge pickup with a Fender style bridge, usually spaced a little wider, 2 1/8" to 2 1/4". good luck, Mike

8/22/1999 3:00 AM

Mike

I used to own a Warmoth thinline Tele with P-90's The center section is just under 4 1/4" wide - P-90's are 3 3/8" so there's plenty of room.

I loved the sound. The strong midrange of P-90's works well with the airiness of a hollowed guitar body. Duncan Vintage soapbars are very aggressive sounding, I used Antiquities becuase they are a bit mellower.

The problem was mine had a super light swamp ash body so the headstock kept nosediving. I plan to build another from heavier wood like hard ash, or maple so it has that Tele edge, but isn't too light to wear on a strap.

Another concern is the width of the polepieces, ususally just under 2" spacing from center of E to E. I used a Gotoh stoptail (from Warmoth) that was 2 1/16" You might get some dropout on your bridge pickup with a Fender style bridge, usually spaced a little wider, 2 1/8" to 2 1/4".

good luck, Mike

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