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What's More Crucial For The Fender(tele) Sound?!


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n what if I didn't want it to be THAT vintage? Just because Benz wrote history inventing the automobile in 1894 I wouldn't trade it for my air-conditioned automatic on a hot summerday if I wanted to drive the same track Benz did, got me?

Well, in that case, you've got plenty of options to choose from --just pick your flavor.

I have the set of 3-barrel Graphtech stringsavers --they do indeed intonate just great. Cuts a bit of the highs though (they call it boosting the midrange :D ) but that might work with your P90 idea.

I won't go for the saddle swap option....

I'd like to know what's the difference between those Wilkinson three saddle bridges?

http://www.hosco.co.jp/HOSCO_ENGLISH/Pages...wilkinson3.html

and

http://store.guitarfetish.com/wicotebrbrsa.html

the first will cost me almost double as much as the second one...

do I still have the danger of the problem that if one string breaks the other one on that saddle will detune automatically?

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btw. my scandinavian friend :D do you sel those p90 tele hybrids?

If the question is if that pickup on E-bay is mine, the answer is no. If you would like me to make you one I would be very happy to do that. Mind you, that price you got on that E-bay pickup is a god one. I would have to charge you 60€ ex shipping. The main difference is that I custom wound every single pickup to your specs. You can even get the top bobbin flange in your favourite pick guard material (that’s an extra). On the other hand I don’t do the coil cutting option.

I won't go for the saddle swap option....

I'd like to know what's the difference between those Wilkinson three saddle bridges?

http://www.hosco.co.jp/HOSCO_ENGLISH/Pages...wilkinson3.html

and

http://store.guitarfetish.com/wicotebrbrsa.html

the first will cost me almost double as much as the second one...

do I still have the danger of the problem that if one string breaks the other one on that saddle will detune automatically?

The first one gives you true individual intonation. The second one is an approximation (ok, like all intonation). The second one will NOT work if you use a wound G-string.

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The first one gives you true individual intonation. The second one is an approximation (ok, like all intonation). The second one will NOT work if you use a wound G-string.

There's a guy on ebay selling the swivel saddles (without the bridge) for $49. Kind of pricey, I suppose.

The guitarfetish bridge has the advantage of being top-load or string-through. Depends on whether you want to deal with trying to get your string-through ferrules in a straight line.

The swivel saddles look like an interesting DIY mod --looks like the thing to do would be to drill out the hole for the screw (the one that adjusts the backward forward movement) so that the hole is now wider than the screw. This gives you more wiggle room for the saddle. Then you set a screw in the top that clamps down on the adjustment screw, so it doesn't wiggle anymore.

You probably don't have to drill out both ends of the saddle screw hole --leave the forward most hole (closest to the neck) alone, that way the adjustment screw remains threaded. But if you wanted to drill that hole too, I suppose you could add a nut on the end.

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But if you ask me what I think (permission to speak sir!) makes the telecaster sound --well, I look for the differences between the telecaster and every other guitar. Which leads me back to the bridge plate and the bridge pickup.

I think it's quite funny that after all that parading around and flag waving and chest thumping and the beating of the band you did, all you really wound up with is the exact same basic answer me and the Swede stated days ago, it was a very simple answer to a very simple question, no big deal.

:D:DB)

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I think it's quite funny that after all that parading around and flag waving and chest thumping and the beating of the band you did, all you really wound up with is the exact same basic answer me and the Swede stated days ago, it was a very simple answer to a very simple question, no big deal.

You really take the cake, don't you? If you actually bothered to read peoples' posts instead of puffing out your own chest and trying to tell the rest of us who should be allowed to post and what they should be allowed to say, you'll remember that your post was merely reiterating what I said in MY post.

In other words, YOU were agreeing with ME. And I appreciate that, thanks.

And since I liked Swedish Luthier's idea about the pickup construction, I made sure to give him credit when I reiterated and included it.

I don't wave flags, I don't thump my chest, and I don't beat the band. That's your style.

I simply don't need to.

You're out of your league with me. How about we get back to discussing building guitars?

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Dude, you are out of control with your bad self. :D:DB)

You're no big deal to me either way really <yawn>.

Chill out, settle down, and enjoy the place for a change. :D

Do you suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension or something?

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ooooooooook

now back to talking bout guitars

I for one have a query about what body wood gets the most twang out of a tele. I am a believer in the pickup + brige = 80% of the tele sound thang.

but just for the hell of it...

pine?

ash?

alder?

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ooooooooook

now back to talking bout guitars

I for one have a query about what body wood gets the most twang out of a tele. I am a believer in the pickup + brige = 80% of the tele sound thang.

but just for the hell of it...

pine?

ash?

alder?

I like nice Swampy Ash teles for some reason.

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btw. my scandinavian friend :D do you sel those p90 tele hybrids?

If the question is if that pickup on E-bay is mine, the answer is no. If you would like me to make you one I would be very happy to do that. Mind you, that price you got on that E-bay pickup is a god one. I would have to charge you 60€ ex shipping. The main difference is that I custom wound every single pickup to your specs. You can even get the top bobbin flange in your favourite pick guard material (that’s an extra). On the other hand I don’t do the coil cutting option.

I won't go for the saddle swap option....

I'd like to know what's the difference between those Wilkinson three saddle bridges?

http://www.hosco.co.jp/HOSCO_ENGLISH/Pages...wilkinson3.html

and

http://store.guitarfetish.com/wicotebrbrsa.html

the first will cost me almost double as much as the second one...

do I still have the danger of the problem that if one string breaks the other one on that saddle will detune automatically?

The first one gives you true individual intonation. The second one is an approximation (ok, like all intonation). The second one will NOT work if you use a wound G-string.

ooooooooook

now back to talking bout guitars

I for one have a query about what body wood gets the most twang out of a tele. I am a believer in the pickup + brige = 80% of the tele sound thang.

but just for the hell of it...

pine?

ash?

alder?

@SL:

- I'll sleep some nights over it but it doesn't really seem to be a bad offer you got there as well... what does he mean by saying 'DC resistance is approximately 9.2K (7.2k tapped) - Switch between Twang and Krrrrang!'?

Is it a bucker? being noiseless .... uhh ho tempting... p90 ish noiseless switchable to a tele SC fitting a standard tele bridge ohhhh... what's the shipping from sweden to germany? will I pay taxes on that one? would you do the tapping option? could I do that myself? like splitting a HB?!

so... the more modern looking swivel saddles are worse than the vintage looking otehr wilkinson ones? I guess I'll go for the better one...

@azz: Walnut body, goncalo alvez top, padouk neck, ebony fretboard..... how twangy does that sound? B):D

p.s. is it that hard to get the ferrules in line?

Edited by TheCross
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what does he mean by saying 'DC resistance is approximately 9.2K (7.2k tapped) - Switch between Twang and Krrrrang!'?

Is it a bucker? being noiseless .... uhh ho tempting... p90 ish noiseless switchable to a tele SC fitting a standard tele bridge ohhhh... what's the shipping from sweden to germany? will I pay taxes on that one? would you do the tapping option? could I do that myself? like splitting a HB?!

What he does is this:

Solder the starting point of the wire to a fixing point (where you later attach the wire to the controls, don’t know the name of that), wind a couple of thousands of turns to 7.4k, solder the end of the wire to the next fixing point. This is just like any normal SC. THEN he continues to wind a few more thousands of turns and solder the new end to a third fixing point. So if we call them point 1,2 and 3 the pickup gives full power when connecting point 3 to ground and point 1 to “hot” (ie vol pot or switch). This configuration gives you more of the sound of a P90. Then if you add a switch that connect point 2 to ground you will get a slightly thinner, more vintage Tele-like sound. This is called coil tapping. Remember that this is just to get you an idea of in what territory the sound is heading. You cannot get “true” P90 or Tele sound from this type of pickup.

So these are not HBs that can be split or connected in parallel. They are about as noisy as any SC would be in that particular guitar.

To do the coil tapping I would have to modify the way I build these puppies, but it might be a nice learning experience. I am willing to give it a try.

p.s. is it that hard to get the ferrules in line?

Yes, but I think I have seen a tutorial in the main pages, or elsewere. Try to Google it

Don’t know if this is the appropriate place for a real business discussion. If you would like to do business, I suggest that you send me a PM. If a moderator thinks that we are out of line here pls let me know.

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  • 4 weeks later...

just wanted to know some more stuff about the tele bridges I wanted to buy w/o making a new thread so I hope someone will find his way in here.

so my wishlist is:

a) rather classic tele tone

:D proper modern intonability

c) good price

so should I use this bridge:

1)

http://cgi.ebay.de/FENDER-USA-Tele-50s-RI-...1QQcmdZViewItem

this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-USA-Fender-Teleca...1QQcmdZViewItem

together with these:

http://cgi.ebay.de/Wilkinson-Swivel-Bridge...1QQcmdZViewItem

will this be better intonable than the first one?

are those two additional srew holes so efficient that I should pay more for it?

-> http://cgi.ebay.de/FENDER-Tele-Vintage-R-I...1QQcmdZViewItem

What's the old ashtray bridge cover doing to the tele tone?

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I think you're overanalyzing the situation. A Tele is going to sound like a Tele if it has that style pickups and bridge. From there you can tweak this and replace that and at the end of the day you're still going to have a Tele. I'd bet money that there's not one person in ten who can tell the difference what the saddles are made of and if the pickups have Alnico 2 or 5 magnets just by the sound, especially when the amp contributes so much to the final sound.

Just buy some parts and build something. If you don't like it, change it.

And the ashtray? If you see someone playing with it attached, ask them how it affects the tone. :D

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will this be better intonable than the first one?

are those two additional srew holes so efficient that I should pay more for it?

-> http://cgi.ebay.de/FENDER-Tele-Vintage-R-I...1QQcmdZViewItem

I gotta agree with marksound...quit fussing and just build the damn thing already.

but I was silly enough to plunk down for the above bridge plate. Well, silly...I already had saddles, I wanted a plate with the name 'Fender' stamped on it (I'm cured of that kind of brand fever now though), this one came up, I bought it.

The plusses: It's a magnetized plate, the way they're 'supposed' to be. And it has 'Fender' stamped on it.

The minuses...well, it has the name 'Fender' on it-- and you're not building a Fender, are you?

Otherwise, if you know how to drill, you can put your own holes in there. And you can make the lip mod too, if you want. Just file away. That's how people originally did this.

As for the rest ---if you're the type that can't stand if a guitar is a wee bit out of tune when you're noodling on the 19th fret, then you ought to look into a 6 barrel bridge where you can get your intonation perfect. Otherwise, there's nothing to stop you from modding the saddles to get the compensation effect --just open up the holes a little so you can shift them about.

Or just throw money at it and by giantguitar's full bridge and saddle assembly --it's only 39 bucks and you'll be done with it.

For what it's worth, I really didn't have much trouble with intonation when I had "normal" barrels. I'm not that fussy about that kind of thing, of course, but I believe this one is kind of a non-issue.

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no I didn't want to be too picky. but all that magnetized, compensated, swivel, aluminum, lip no lip, lip +2, stuff confused me.

so now I got some questions. the bridge plate can be as cheap as possible.... something like this(I wasn't sure if I'll go black or chrome hardware wise but I tend to use black hardware, so...):

could I use this as a three barrel bridge with the wilkinson swivel barrels?

or should I rather go for this one?

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...A%3AIT&rd=1

OR would the difference between these barrels be so minor that the extra money wouldn't be worth it?

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...A%3AIT&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.de/Wilkinson-Swivel-Bridge...1QQcmdZViewItem

?! :D

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bump

It's just that we're all waiting for you to make a decision. It's just not possible for us to hold your hand on this one. You're just going to have to bite the bullet and go for it.

If it helps any, it's just that it's really not a big deal. Even the stock Fender plate and saddles will be fine.

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Everytime this tele thread pops up, I'm struck by the idea of building an ash V with tele p'ups, bridge plate and control plate. (The real tone lies in that metal control plate, doncha know) For no other reason than I don't have a tele or a V, and they're both on my "someday" list.

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Everytime this tele thread pops up, I'm struck by the idea of building an ash V with tele p'ups, bridge plate and control plate. (The real tone lies in that metal control plate, doncha know) For no other reason than I don't have a tele or a V, and they're both on my "someday" list.

That's precisely what's so cool about the whole telecaster thing --you can take any body shape you want.

The moment you put that bridge plate on there (and to a lesser extent the control strip) it becomes a telecaster.

The Cross-- you need to understand that the intonation 'problem' is relative. It all depends on YOU.

If you're the type that gets a cramp in his butt because a note is off by a wee tiny little bit, then by all means, you need a fully intonatable guitar. That's not a bad thing-- but it IS a personal choice.

It's probably essential that a shredder guitar is totally intonated, because of the nature of what that kind of guitar playing is all about.

For other music styles, well, most people can't really pinpoint the difference anyway. And for some of us, that intonation 'problem' is part of what gives the guitar its rock n' roll character.

So the big question is: where do you fit in? If you're the ultra-intonated type, then by all means, gets a six-barrel tele bridge. The difference in tone between that and a three-barrel bridge? Hard to believe. It's mostly about the look.

If you're only agonizing about this one because you think the guitar is SUPPOSED to be intonated (i.e., you're only worried about what other people are going to think), then stop worrying about it. The classic telecaster bridge has performed really well for nearly 60 years now!

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