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Q's from a Tele virgin (long) - Steve A. take note !

9/11/1999 2:34 AM
FredG	Q's from a Tele virgin (long) - Steve A. take note ! Well, after 30 years of being strictly a Gibson guy, I got my first Telecaster today - a Nashville Tele, the three-pickup Mexican model, rosewood board. I have spent the past few hours setting it up, and playing it, and here are my observations: 1) I LOVE this guitar - it plays like a Gibson, with cool Fender tone ! 2) The neck pickup is too warm, the bridge pickup is too bright, the middle pickup is just right. 3) The bridge SUCKS - a TOTAL bite in the ass to set up - very loose and sloppy. A nightmare, although I can see the fine-tuning potential (if done right), compared to a Gibson tune-o-matic. One of the adjustment screws on the high E already seems to be stripped. And that damned Allen wrench ! 4) The slotted tuning keys are a pain in the ass - I'm too used to Schaller/Klusons with the holes in them, I guess. 5) The grommets in the back of the body fall out when you change strings. In spite of all the above, I have already fallen in love with the spanky brilliance and simplicity of this guitar - not too mention the price. Now it's "tweakin' time" ! Now, my questions for all you Tele-meisters: what are your recomendations for fixing the above shortcomings ? Please, I realize the obvious - new pickups, keys, bridge - but I want to hear from experienced Tele folks about their favorite SPECIFIC remedies - replacement parts, folk cures, etc. Thanks in advance, Fred G.

9/11/1999 2:34 AM

FredG

Q's from a Tele virgin (long) - Steve A. take note !

Well, after 30 years of being strictly a Gibson guy, I got my first Telecaster today - a Nashville Tele, the three-pickup Mexican model, rosewood board. I have spent the past few hours setting it up, and playing it, and here are my observations:

1) I LOVE this guitar - it plays like a Gibson, with cool Fender tone !

2) The neck pickup is too warm, the bridge pickup is too bright, the middle pickup is just right.

3) The bridge SUCKS - a TOTAL bite in the ass to set up - very loose and sloppy. A nightmare, although I can see the fine-tuning potential (if done right), compared to a Gibson tune-o-matic. One of the adjustment screws on the high E already seems to be stripped. And that damned Allen wrench !

4) The slotted tuning keys are a pain in the ass - I'm too used to Schaller/Klusons with the holes in them, I guess.

5) The grommets in the back of the body fall out when you change strings.

In spite of all the above, I have already fallen in love with the spanky brilliance and simplicity of this guitar - not too mention the price. Now it's "tweakin' time" !

Now, my questions for all you Tele-meisters: what are your recomendations for fixing the above shortcomings ? Please, I realize the obvious - new pickups, keys, bridge - but I want to hear from experienced Tele folks about their favorite SPECIFIC remedies - replacement parts, folk cures, etc.

Thanks in advance,

Fred G.

9/11/1999 5:48 PM
nic	One thing I ran into was the "normal" stock jack plate comes lose in time. I replaced mine with an Electro-socket available from Stew-Mac. As far as pick ups go standard tele neck pu's have always been too dark sounding for me. However when mixed with the bridge pick up you can't beat the combo! Check out the e-switch megaswitch. It'll give you other options (including classic tele sounds) than the standard strat switch can. 1)bridge pu 2)Bridge middle 3)Neck-bridge 4)neck-middle 5)Neck pu. I also changed my bidge pick up to a Seymour duncan 1/4 pounder. It's a very hot pick up. At least the bridge is a six saddle bridge! My old bridge was 3 saddle. I changed it out for a Fishman power bridge, hated the idea of an onboard battery. Then I changed the bridge again to a brass bridge from stew-mac. I always thought slotted tuning keys were cool! The remind me of a bass. Plus you can't get poked with excess string. Unfortunately, they don't last long. I replaced mine with Sperzel trim locking tuners. I loved them although they change the appearance of your guitar from "vintage" to modern. Also, they misadvertise them as "perfect for guitars without a locking nut." Well, they'd be perfect for this if the rotation was lockable, they aren't. just some of my opinions... nic

9/11/1999 5:48 PM

nic

One thing I ran into was the "normal" stock jack plate comes lose in time. I replaced mine with an Electro-socket available from Stew-Mac.

As far as pick ups go standard tele neck pu's have always been too dark sounding for me. However when mixed with the bridge pick up you can't beat the combo! Check out the e-switch megaswitch. It'll give you other options (including classic tele sounds) than the standard strat switch can. 1)bridge pu 2)Bridge middle 3)Neck-bridge 4)neck-middle 5)Neck pu. I also changed my bidge pick up to a Seymour duncan 1/4 pounder. It's a very hot pick up.

At least the bridge is a six saddle bridge! My old bridge was 3 saddle. I changed it out for a Fishman power bridge, hated the idea of an onboard battery. Then I changed the bridge again to a brass bridge from stew-mac.

I always thought slotted tuning keys were cool! The remind me of a bass. Plus you can't get poked with excess string. Unfortunately, they don't last long. I replaced mine with Sperzel trim locking tuners. I loved them although they change the appearance of your guitar from "vintage" to modern. Also, they misadvertise them as "perfect for guitars without a locking nut." Well, they'd be perfect for this if the rotation was lockable, they aren't.

just some of my opinions...

nic

9/11/1999 8:56 PM
Giacomo	Regarding pu's, I'm happy with Kent Armstrong in neck position (very ahigh value for the price) and SD Antiquity in bridge, bright but not harsh. Giacomo

9/12/1999 5:27 AM
Steve A.	Fred: With the 3 pickups, you ought to look into the Sup'rStrat wiring harness on my site: 9 different linkages using a stock 5 way switch and something like a DPDT p-p pot to access the alternate linkages. To get humcancelling linkages with the neck and bridge pickups, I switched the bridge and middle pickups on one of my strats. Unfortunately you would not have that option with your Nashville Tele (that would have a strat middle pickup between the tele neck and bridge pickups- right?) One solution to that would be to find a tele bridge pickup that is RWRP compared to your neck pickup. (I believe that DiM pickups are "backwards" compared to SD's and Fenders, but I'm not sure if that means that they are of both Reverse Winding and Reverse Polarity.) Steve Ahola P.S. Those string retainers are supposed to fall out when the spring breaks so that you have to order replacements from Fender. They figure that you will like the guitar so much that you will never buy another guitar so they need to nickle and dime you to death buying string retainers (or whatever they are called). And without replacing the entire bridge you may be able to find some heavier saddles that fit.

9/12/1999 5:27 AM

Steve A.

Fred:

    With the 3 pickups, you ought to look into the Sup'rStrat wiring harness on my site: 9 different linkages using a stock 5 way switch and something like a DPDT p-p pot to access the alternate linkages.

    To get humcancelling linkages with the neck and bridge pickups, I switched the bridge and middle pickups on one of my strats. Unfortunately you would not have that option with your Nashville Tele (that would have a strat middle pickup between the tele neck and bridge pickups- right?) One solution to that would be to find a tele bridge pickup that is RWRP compared to your neck pickup. (I believe that DiM pickups are "backwards" compared to SD's and Fenders, but I'm not sure if that means that they are of both Reverse Winding and Reverse Polarity.)

Steve Ahola

P.S. Those string retainers are supposed to fall out when the spring breaks so that you have to order replacements from Fender. They figure that you will like the guitar so much that you will never buy another guitar so they need to nickle and dime you to death buying string retainers (or whatever they are called).

    And without replacing the entire bridge you may be able to find some heavier saddles that fit.

9/23/1999 2:24 AM
whineowah phreek	Answers from a Telephile (long) 1) I LOVE this guitar - it plays like a Gibson, with cool Fender tone ! Really? Plays like a Gibson? Could you elaborate... 2) The neck pickup is too warm, the bridge pickup is too bright, the middle pickup is just right. Take a look at the pickups, if they're the ones I think they are then they're not outstandingly made, you might consider replacements. That is, if you're judging their tone by Tele standards, not Gibsons. However, I agree with the opinion that most Tele bridge pickups as a rule are pretty dark, made to perfectly balance the screaming bridge pickup in the "saddled" switch position. Steve's wiring harness looks like a fine idea, and there are any number of other tonal tweaks and switching options you have available. I have a strat neck PU in my JD Tele, and I absolutely love it. SD Antiquities are nice and vintage for bridge. 3) The bridge SUCKS - a TOTAL bite in the ass to set up - very loose and sloppy. Perhaps a little more complex than Gibson's, but you'll learn to love it. The quality of these Fender bridges can vary greatly, depending on their origin. Does it have 3-pc or 6-pc saddles? I like the 3-pc brass rods for max tone, but the intonation is hard to set if you use unwound G-strings. Sometimes it works if you actually bend the intonation screw to compensate (if you are willing to fail the first couple of tries and buy extra parts). Yeah, those damned allen screws like to rust and strip, you have to be careful. They may not fit your bridge, but I like the Graph Tech saddles--I have broken maybe 1 string in the last year I've had them on my former notorious string-breaker. Brass saddles are my next favorite. 4) The slotted tuning keys are a pain in the ass - I'm too used to Schaller/Klusons with the holes in them, I guess. Really? You don't like these? I love them. You aren't trying to string them the same way a "hole" post, are you? When restringing, pull the string taut, hold it with your left hand at the nut, pull it back (to bridge) 2-3 frets, and cut where it contacts the nut. The cut end slips neatly down the hole (in the center of the post), with no sharp loose end sticking out to poke you, and almost exactly 2-1/2 windings around the post. I go 3 frets for the D and I wind the entire G-string around the post, in order to even out the downward angle/pressure at the nut (some people say this causes tuning problems, I have no complaints). 5) The grommets in the back of the body fall out when you change strings. Common problem, Steve's probably right as to why it happens :-/ A small dot of super glue or epoxy will solve these worries.

9/23/1999 2:24 AM

whineowah phreek

Answers from a Telephile (long)

1) I LOVE this guitar - it plays like a Gibson, with cool Fender tone !

Really? Plays like a Gibson? Could you elaborate...

2) The neck pickup is too warm, the bridge pickup is too bright, the middle pickup is just right.

Take a look at the pickups, if they're the ones I think they are then they're not outstandingly made, you might consider replacements. That is, if you're judging their tone by Tele standards, not Gibsons. However, I agree with the opinion that most Tele bridge pickups as a rule are pretty dark, made to perfectly balance the screaming bridge pickup in the "saddled" switch position. Steve's wiring harness looks like a fine idea, and there are any number of other tonal tweaks and switching options you have available. I have a strat neck PU in my JD Tele, and I absolutely love it. SD Antiquities are nice and vintage for bridge.

3) The bridge SUCKS - a TOTAL bite in the ass to set up - very loose and sloppy.

Perhaps a little more complex than Gibson's, but you'll learn to love it. The quality of these Fender bridges can vary greatly, depending on their origin. Does it have 3-pc or 6-pc saddles? I like the 3-pc brass rods for max tone, but the intonation is hard to set if you use unwound G-strings. Sometimes it works if you actually bend the intonation screw to compensate (if you are willing to fail the first couple of tries and buy extra parts). Yeah, those damned allen screws like to rust and strip, you have to be careful.

They may not fit your bridge, but I like the Graph Tech saddles--I have broken maybe 1 string in the last year I've had them on my former notorious string-breaker. Brass saddles are my next favorite.

4) The slotted tuning keys are a pain in the ass - I'm too used to Schaller/Klusons with the holes in them, I guess.

Really? You don't like these? I love them. You aren't trying to string them the same way a "hole" post, are you? When restringing, pull the string taut, hold it with your left hand at the nut, pull it back (to bridge) 2-3 frets, and cut where it contacts the nut. The cut end slips neatly down the hole (in the center of the post), with no sharp loose end sticking out to poke you, and almost exactly 2-1/2 windings around the post. I go 3 frets for the D and I wind the entire G-string around the post, in order to even out the downward angle/pressure at the nut (some people say this causes tuning problems, I have no complaints).

5) The grommets in the back of the body fall out when you change strings.

Common problem, Steve's probably right as to why it happens :-/ A small dot of super glue or epoxy will solve these worries.

9/23/1999 2:31 AM
anonymous	GAAAHH, well anyone who was paying attention would catch my mistake. Obviously I am not paying attention. Correction from that last post: When restringing, pull the string taut, hold it with your left hand at the tuning post, pull it back (towards bridge) 2-3 frets, and cut where it contacts the tuning post. The cut end slips neatly down the hole (in the center of the post). Sorry about that. Obviously if you cut it at the nut it wouldn't even reach the post. That's what I get for trying to describe something without the guitar in front of me. Best of luck.

9/23/1999 2:31 AM

anonymous

GAAAHH, well anyone who was paying attention would catch my mistake. Obviously I am not paying attention.

Correction from that last post:

When restringing, pull the string taut, hold it with your left hand at the tuning post, pull it back (towards bridge) 2-3 frets, and cut where it contacts the tuning post. The cut end slips neatly down the hole (in the center of the post).

Sorry about that. Obviously if you cut it at the nut it wouldn't even reach the post. That's what I get for trying to describe something without the guitar in front of me.

Best of luck.

9/23/1999 2:26 PM
Fred G.	Yes. "Plays like a Gibson" - this tele has a wider neck, with a flatter radius, and medium jumbo frets. I have the rosewood fingerboard. As I said, "plays like a Gibson". The different scale length must be taken into account, however, so I say this loosely. And yes, I WAS trying to loop and lock the strings in these tuning keys. Once I figured out what I was doing, I came to really LIKE these tuning keys ! Fred G.

9/23/1999 2:26 PM

Fred G.

Yes. "Plays like a Gibson" - this tele has a wider neck, with a flatter radius, and medium jumbo frets. I have the rosewood fingerboard. As I said, "plays like a Gibson". The different scale length must be taken into account, however, so I say this loosely.

And yes, I WAS trying to loop and lock the strings in these tuning keys. Once I figured out what I was doing, I came to really LIKE these tuning keys !

Fred G.

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