Members Steve2112 Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 Once again thinking about some mods to my Mexi Tele (FSR Copperburst) A better more versatile bridge in either vintage or modern- tending towards traditional (ashtray with individual intonation?). Possibly a pickup swap. Tell me what you did/used and how you like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members speakerjones Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 I'm aiming for a pickup swap and at least changing out the saddles for brass compensated ones, maybe the ashtray too. Probably going to go with Novaks for the pickups. Something fairly traditional in the bridge, but a little overwound to match better in volume with the wide-range humbucker in the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 OK mine is a Squire Affinity so it needed just about everything upgraded. The pickups are Fender Vintage Noiseless I have no plans to ever change them again. I especially like the noiseless feature. The el cheapo Affinity had small 500k pots so they haad to be changed,at least you dont have to worry about that. I went with a no load tne pot which is well worth the money. Its brighter and a little louder with the pot out of the circut.I also ditched the 3 way switch in favor of a blend pot . I like to use the neck pickup with a little influence from the bridge to give it clarity or sometimes cut the bridge back just a little for more balance when using both.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr.Grumpy Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 I own a MIJ Fender Tele, bought it new about '90 or '91. Cream colored body, maple neck. I love the guitar, but it's huge flaw is the cheap electronics, and feedback-prone pickups. It shrieks like an angry toddler at even moderate volume or gain. In order to make the thing usable with a fuzz pedal, I installed a mini-toggle that shorts out the tone control; flip the switch, and the tone control is on 'zero'...it helps stop the microphonic feedback and actually makes most fuzztone pedals sound more buzzy and fuzzed out when it's on. The crummy mini-pots were replaced with normal-sized pots too. I changed out the lead pickup years ago with some other (supposedly vintage) Tele pickup, but it didn't stop the microphonic feedback. Mine has the "modern" style bridge, similar to a strat hardtail bridge. I have no interest in brass saddles or an ashtray bridge because I don't play country. I also shielded the control cavity (pre-internet!) with aluminum duct tape. It works great. I'm still thinking about swapping out the pickups if it would kill the microphonic feedback once and for all. It's such a nice, light guitar and the neck is damn near perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 I went with three things. A bridge swap to a 3 brass barreled one, a bone nut, and went with Gibson wiring, that seems to bring out the twang to the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 I used 50's wiring on the volume pot. Is this the same as Gibson wiring ?It was really easy just move one wire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Karma1 Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 I've got a '69 Tele Thinline reissue that I did a pickup swap on. I put a Lace Sensor Gold in the neck and a Duncan Little 59 in the bridge with series/parallel switching. I like them both and they are very quiet - no hum. The 59 is a single space humbucker and adds a lot more warmth and fatness, although with the switching, still has twang when I want it. I also added Schaller locking tuners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 yep, same thing gardo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 27, 2015 Members Share Posted January 27, 2015 Okay...so what did you do to your Tele? I unloaded it, along with the MIM I had before it. I'm more of a Strat guy and a couple of my Strats are on the twangy side so I can cop that Country flavor when I want it. I like Teles just like SGs for other people, but sadly they just feel too foreign to me. PS I'd probably think twice about adding an ashtray bridge as it inhibits picking near the bridge - total style over function IMO. I feel pretty much the same about three saddle bridges, but what do I know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mister natural Posted January 28, 2015 Members Share Posted January 28, 2015 Mine is pretty heavily mod'ed :Duncan Jazzmaster neck PU - Lace "Red" in the Wilkenson compensated brass 3-barrel bridge - nice pre-wired (standard config) harness with cts pots - custom 3-layer tort guard from Pickguardian in Columbus - Wilkenson tuners with tort-like tuning buttons - had some guy from eBay make a custom "Natural" decal for the headstock.The guitar was set-up professionally and . . . is a very naughty little boy indeed :=) peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tall Posted January 28, 2015 Members Share Posted January 28, 2015 I put a SD Mini Rail in the neck position. It is nice because if I am getting any "Fender" type hum you can switch to the HB and that quiets it down. I also liked the contrast betwen the bridge (SD 1/4 pounder) and the neck p/u. One thing I wish I had done was adding a mini toggle for splitting the Mini rail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Midlife Rocker Posted January 28, 2015 Members Share Posted January 28, 2015 ~~Here's my MIM tele. Started life as a typical black tele, white pickguard and chrome hardware. Updates are as follows: New strings - Sorry couldn't resist mentioning Black pickguard Black switch/volume/tone plate Black knobs GFS bridge Fender noiseless pickups...and they truly are noiseless! Chrome neckplate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted January 29, 2015 Members Share Posted January 29, 2015 I also have a MIM FSR Tele but in the Silverburst color I remember seeing the copper finishes and was very tempted, but I think I'd already acquired this one. But I was just going to say that I A/B'd this one against my American Special with Texas Specials, and although the American Special did sound a bit better, it was really a bit hard to discern the subtle differences. But the other guitar also has the 3 brass barrel saddles which I like. I think that would look cool on the copper burst too. I think you can get some tonal improvements out of it with some upgrades, but they'll be subtle since it's a pretty decent guitar to start with. Unless you are doing something radically different in the pickup department. I've thought about doing that to this one, i.e single coil sized humbuckers to give it a more aggressive tone, or just to add a bit more differentiation in my Teles, but so far I haven't bothered to do so. This poor guitar has been a bit neglected since I got the American Special. That's been the Tele I've bonded with the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members realtree71 Posted January 29, 2015 Members Share Posted January 29, 2015 I did this whole build. I acid bathed the gold to get it aged looked... I put Jerry Donahue pickups in it... No copper shielding... A little more noisey but way more authentic. Its a simple platform to work with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted January 29, 2015 Members Share Posted January 29, 2015 I have two - one is a Warmoth build that I originally put a traditional ashtray bridge with brass saddles on and installed SD Vintage Stack pickups in. The guitar sounded great but was impossible to intonate properly which was frustrating at times. I also have an MIJ '52 reissue that was extremely noisy with the original pickups (although it certainly had the tele twang) so I bought a set of Kinmans to put in it. I decided to put a modern Gotoh Bridge in the Warmoth so I swapped pickups as well - Kinmmans in the Warmoth and Duncans in the MIJ (along with compensated brass saddles). The Warmoth has a rosewood board and is a very good all 'round guitar and the MIJ has a maple board and does the traditional tele thing really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted January 29, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 29, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted January 29, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks guys! There's my Tele.Most curious what a new bridge would do. Am having some light intonation problems. And I agree the picking is a bit uncomfortable. It's not very twangy. Played many strats with much more twang.I haven't decided if I want to make it Nashville or just make it the best guitar possible. I suppose I could always TRY a new bridge and pickup- and put it back if I don't like it better. PS- anybody notice anything...different...from a standard tele? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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