Tele Mods

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Blue Groove

Blue Groove

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I have a Mexi standard and I am not an electric guitar player (I play acoustic alot)

Any mod ideas? pots, pickups, caps? Keep in mind that it is for studio use mostly, I need it to be flexible.

I'm looking at duncans STK-T1 rhythm and the bride hot rail, trying to get rid of the 60hz thing.

The main amp is an Orange Tiny Terror, with a 12" Vintage 30 or a 10" Tube 10. I don't have any pedals yet, but I have a T.C. elec. M 0ne XL for reverb/tremelo/chorus. Thanks alot guys. :cool:
 
Ya might get a 4-way or 5-way switch, to replace the stock 3-way. With a 4-way switch, you'll be able to use both pickups either in series, or parallel. With a 5-way switch, you could do series and parallel switching, plus get a bit creative with some out of phase switching options. I have 4-way switches for both of my Teles - a Squier Fat Tele and Fender Standard Tele - but only because I won't need anything other than series and parallel switching.

Matt
 
If you really want some tonal options, put in a rotary selector with various capacitor values on it.
 
If you're sticking with the single coil pickups, first step may be to screen the pickup cut out and control cavity cut with some form of copper foil to reduce the 60 cycle pickup, the foils available at many guitar outlets. After that you're really looking at some form of humbucking or noiseless pickups, but the foils a good start. Keep in mind the tone caps omly really come into play when you wind down the tone control, although they do play a very small effect when the tone control is open. You can take apart the tone control pot and cut the track at one end so when the pot is wound wide open it is not actually conducting. Only a few ideas...
Vikki(uk)
 
well, hate to be the bearer of bad news.....but you don't buy a tele and mod it hoping to make it more versatile. you buy a tele b/c it's a tele and you want to play (and hear) a tele.

take it from someone who spent the better part of 10 years trying to do just that. i tried all kindsa things to get my tele to sound like a les paul, strat, etc. all it sounded like was a bad attempt at getting a tele to not sound like a tele.

in terms of getting rid of that 60cycle hum.....that's another problem teles (and single coils in general) are famous for. shield the pickup and control cavities, use good shielded cables, isolate your amp's power, get rid of any dimmer switches that are in the house and turn off TVs and computer monitors.

the absolute worst sound i got out of my tele was with a Duncan Lil59, which is a stacked humbucker. it sounded thin and wimpy. sure it killed the hum.......and it worked for overdriven things where i wanted it to sound like a "bad tele with a thin-ass humbucker"....but those things were few and far between. YMMV, but i say beware stacked humbuckers in the bridge spot!

i've since put a Nashville 5/2 in the bridge position and it's MUCH nicer. it sounds like a tele's supposed to sound. mine's an 88 american, fwiw.

anyway, what i'm saying is embrace the tele. no guitar in the world sounds like a tele--revel in it. if you want versatile, sell the tele and get a Strat with a Humbucker at the bridge.


cheers,
wade
 
Vikki said:
Keep in mind the tone caps omly really come into play when you wind down the tone control, although they do play a very small effect when the tone control is open.
Click to expand...

So you don't mess with the Tone control at all? Everytime I pickup an electric guitar the volume and tone controls are the first things I mess with after the volume on the amp. I don't think I have ever played a guitar without first setting the tone to the mood and style that suits my fingers at that moment. A few minutes later I might need to roll up or down, but then a few minutes after that I might need to do it again. I guess I am the only one?

:cool:
 
With the tone wide open there's little effect but as you bring down the control the R/C element comes more into play....the above suggestion is called a no load pot when fully up its out of circuit and has no effect on the tone but as you wind it down it comes back into circuit, there's a great combination of cap and pot that Danny Gatton used on his tele when you bring the tone control down it sounds almost like a Wah Wah at one point in its travel.
Only my thoughts.
Vikki(uk)
 
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Get a good set-up, and upgrade the PuPs(Dimarzio Twang Kings IMHO) and you are on par w/ an American Standard. The stuff coming outa Mexico has been pretty good in the last 2 years.
 
I meant that I wanted to make it a little more versatile as a tele, not a different guitar all together. The other comments are good though, keep em coming.

Any thoughts on the pups I mentioned?
 
Blue Groove said:
I meant that I wanted to make it a little more versatile as a tele, not a different guitar all together.
Click to expand...
ok, good. carry on then. :D

(just don't try to make it something it's not :p)

personally, i'm partial to the Duncan Nashville 5/2 and the Quarter Pound Tele Lead pups. A friend's got a Duncan Vintage Broadcaster in his mexi tele, and it's GREAT for that classic broadcaster/country tele sound. it was a little too much "ice pick in the ears" for me.

IMO, the 5/2 is the perfect blend of twang and balls. YMMV.


cheers,
wade
 
mikemorgan said:
EVERYTHING Tele at www.tdpri.com
Click to expand...

MikeMorgan is right-that Tele site has tons of mod info, and click on the Tele Tech section and search and you will probably find any mod you are looking for. ;)
 
mrface2112 said:
well, hate to be the bearer of bad news.....but you don't buy a tele and mod it hoping to make it more versatile. you buy a tele b/c it's a tele and you want to play (and hear) a tele.

take it from someone who spent the better part of 10 years trying to do just that. i tried all kindsa things to get my tele to sound like a les paul, strat, etc. all it sounded like was a bad attempt at getting a tele to not sound like a tele.

in terms of getting rid of that 60cycle hum.....that's another problem teles (and single coils in general) are famous for. shield the pickup and control cavities, use good shielded cables, isolate your amp's power, get rid of any dimmer switches that are in the house and turn off TVs and computer monitors.

the absolute worst sound i got out of my tele was with a Duncan Lil59, which is a stacked humbucker. it sounded thin and wimpy. sure it killed the hum.......and it worked for overdriven things where i wanted it to sound like a "bad tele with a thin-ass humbucker"....but those things were few and far between. YMMV, but i say beware stacked humbuckers in the bridge spot!

i've since put a Nashville 5/2 in the bridge position and it's MUCH nicer. it sounds like a tele's supposed to sound. mine's an 88 american, fwiw.

anyway, what i'm saying is embrace the tele. no guitar in the world sounds like a tele--revel in it. if you want versatile, sell the tele and get a Strat with a Humbucker at the bridge.


cheers,
wade
Click to expand...
he's right ya know......
 
mrface2112 said:
well, hate to be the bearer of bad news.....but you don't buy a tele and mod it hoping to make it more versatile. you buy a tele b/c it's a tele and you want to play (and hear) a tele.

take it from someone who spent the better part of 10 years trying to do just that. i tried all kindsa things to get my tele to sound like a les paul, strat, etc. all it sounded like was a bad attempt at getting a tele to not sound like a tele.

in terms of getting rid of that 60cycle hum.....that's another problem teles (and single coils in general) are famous for. shield the pickup and control cavities, use good shielded cables, isolate your amp's power, get rid of any dimmer switches that are in the house and turn off TVs and computer monitors.

the absolute worst sound i got out of my tele was with a Duncan Lil59, which is a stacked humbucker. it sounded thin and wimpy. sure it killed the hum.......and it worked for overdriven things where i wanted it to sound like a "bad tele with a thin-ass humbucker"....but those things were few and far between. YMMV, but i say beware stacked humbuckers in the bridge spot!

i've since put a Nashville 5/2 in the bridge position and it's MUCH nicer. it sounds like a tele's supposed to sound. mine's an 88 american, fwiw.

anyway, what i'm saying is embrace the tele. no guitar in the world sounds like a tele--revel in it. if you want versatile, sell the tele and get a Strat with a Humbucker at the bridge.


cheers,
wade
Click to expand...

he's right ya know......
Click to expand...

He isn't completely right IMO.

The Tele is famous for the twang. Ya know what though? They don't come with brass saddles anymore. That right there eliminates 98% the "twang", and everything is still factory. :D

So back to the issue of modding, I would normally agree, but for a studio guitar or modern telecaster I just can't.
 
thanks

The info I now have helps. I found a '72 neck pup at a local shop here that I'm going to try.

I also should have mentioned that my studio also has a Gibson les paul (all mohagany, matte finish), a fender Bad Boy Blue strat (trans. blue, ash body, ebony fretboard, no inlay, P1 pups), and a hollow tele w/P90s (cream). Every guitar has different tones, but is versitile for what it is (especially the bad boy blue) as well as a couple of good acoustics and basses.
 
If you want noiseless, then the stack and hot rails combination will be pretty good, but it won't be a real "twangy" combination. Certainly not spectacular. I do like the hot rails pickups quite a lot, though. If you want something a little more tele-ish, Joe Barden is making pickups again. They are a bit hotter than is normal on a tele, and they are of course humbuckers so they aren't quite as clear as single coils, but they are damn close, and they a quiet. As far as I'm concerned, if Danny Gatton likes them, then they are good pickups for a Tele. You might also check out Kinnmans, which are very much like the Fender Noiseless pickups, but they don't suck. If you don't mind the noise, then check out Lindy Fralin pickups (killer, though he is better known for Strat pickups), or Lolar pickups (he does all kinds of pickups, with his P-90s being his best known, but he does really nice tele's too).

As for common Tele mods, the most common ones are a 1 meg volume pot (for that country style, rip your face off treble), a 4 way switch (for series/parallel options), and a no load pot. Oh, and of course changing out pickups, with Barden's being the cream of the crop for most guys. As for the cap, I'd just stick with the .022μf, but that's just me. Of course, the other real popular one is to add a middle pickup, but I really don't like that much on a Tele, personally.

Oh, and if you really want the twang, look into either the Joe Barden or the Wilkinson replacement bridges (or at least the saddles). They are brass barrel saddles (which are even close to 98% responsible for the sound, but then I've been known to use some colorful hyperbole from time to time, so I won't judge), but they allow for intonation which is anywhere from a lot closer to dead on the money. Great inventions, for a Tele.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Like Light said, Bardens are, for some, the end-all of Tele pickups for that Don Rich twang we all know and love. A lot of guys are going with Lollar pickups as well, as Jason will pretty much wind whatever you need, much like Seymour will, if you can reach him these days.
 
Blue Groove said:
I have a Mexi standard and I am not an electric guitar player (I play acoustic alot)

Any mod ideas? pots, pickups, caps? Keep in mind that it is for studio use mostly, I need it to be flexible.

I'm looking at duncans STK-T1 rhythm and the bride hot rail, trying to get rid of the 60hz thing.

The main amp is an Orange Tiny Terror, with a 12" Vintage 30 or a 10" Tube 10. I don't have any pedals yet, but I have a T.C. elec. M 0ne XL for reverb/tremelo/chorus. Thanks alot guys. :cool:
Click to expand...

My personal suggestion is to go with a matched set of the Seymour Duncan Vintage. I think they are STL-1 and STR-1. To my ears, and through my amp, they have the most authentic 1960's tele sound. Not too hot, not too thin.

While you have her open, you have to shield those cavities and the back of the pickguard. It will cost you all of $5 and helps a great deal with the hum (if you want to get rid of it.)

So, she is opened up, get yourself a vintage wiring and electronics kit. The 4 way switch is nice if you want the in-phase/out of phase thing. I have played some like that, but never liked it enough to do it to any of my teles.
I have bought a lot of stuff from this guy: http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/
He has fair pricing and good product.

I would also strongly suggest moving to a 3 saddle bridge with brass barrels. I did this at the suggestion of some guys on another board and went in to it very skeptical, but it really makes the guitar sing. These can be expensive, but if you hunt around on ebay you can find a guy who makes compensated saddles himself and they are not too expensive.

These mods are not too expensive and will give your guitar the sound of a real classic.

Another great place to go for input are the forums on the Seymour Duncan site. Great guys there and a lot of Tele nuts.

Hope this helps.

Jim
 
The comments on the three-saddle brass-barrel bridge are interesting. I would not have thought that it could make that much difference in tone.

My recently acquired MIA Deluxe Ash has the individual, chrome-plated brass saddles and it seems to have tons 'o twang - but I guess you can get even more!
 
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