Crusader

Got some string trees and I even got me a nice new case!

Imperial vs metric, I think you might be right. The Super switch is def wider

(However I thought it would grip from the thickness, not the width)

Hi guys,

When I try to put a switch tip on the Telecaster its like there's something missing inside or broken (although I haven't seen any bits fall out) These are genuine Fender which came in a bag of two. Is a Tele switch different or something? I just used a generic one branded "Alpha"

On 9/29/2023 at 3:29 PM, Asdrael said:

I knew I saw this somewhere, was looking for it the other day. Countersinking the ferrules to be flush; I didn't know it was a thing when doing mine

59 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Because, for me, they never were gap free.  Oh, the dashed hopes!  Oh, the anguish!                 

I know that feeling!

Well I got it all together now but I had a ton of hassles

I routed the neck pickup well too deep, and it was too far forward. I thought Tele neck pickups were right on 3/4 of the scale

The wiring channel went too far, into the area where I need to put the pickup screw

The wider neck goes over the pick guard so the neck has to come off to get the pick guard off to adjust the neck pickup

I had to router the end of the neck so it clears the pickguard and I went too far and made a little nick in the neck

I installed a switch that turned out to be faulty, fortunately I had another one

Now the story in pictures.......

Some of the parts that went into it. The genuine Fender Volume and Tone pots came supplied with 22uf caps (Oh why?) So I rummaged through my parts and found just one

So here it is all finished, but to add insult to injury I snapped the string tree screw. So thats a little a little job for later

I know a guy who has a Tele and its where I got all my Tele specs from. I didn't notice if the ferrules were flush or not. Its some kind of anniversary model (60 iirc) After a quick google they were non-flush during the CBS era

So some Tele's do and some Tele's don't. I was thinking if I got them to be flush I could get them to line up more accurately, but I have too many things to do!

9 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

You don't countersink them?

What? that's even more work!

Getting a lot of work lately due to another carpenter going off to live in Cervantes. However I still manage to get some progress on important things now and then, and I don't mean mowing the grass

Here's my effort at drilling String Ferrules. I think I need a drill press that can reach far enough to drill the body, never mind......

Not perfect but its done

If I do any more Fender style guitars I don't think I will bother with Ferrules. Its nice to think you're getting more vibration into the wood but its quite a hassle to do and I keep forgetting they're there. Like when putting the guitar on a table top. I wonder why its rocking and suddenly realise the ferrules are probably scratching the table!

On 9/28/2023 at 3:54 PM, avengers63 said:

I decided to wire the pups in parallel according to DiMarzio's instructions. These are hot pups, so there's room to lose a little power. What I gain is a little bit of twang. I exchange power for character and brightness.

 

I have thought of doing that with my 59 Reissue and just do away with Single Coil switching

I've bought a couple of Gibson "Non wire" ABR-1 bridges recently which have un-notched saddles

https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/all-hardware-and-parts-by-instrument/electric-guitar-parts/electric-guitar-bridges-and-tailpieces/tune-o-matic-bridges/gibson-historic-non-wire-abr-1-tune-o-matic-bridge/#mz-expanded-view-1218363792368

On 9/9/2023 at 5:52 AM, ADFinlayson said:

Really happy with how this has come out. 

I would be too, looking good!

On 9/13/2023 at 2:03 AM, ShatnersBassoon said:

When you start building acoustics, it’s serious business!

Totally agree with that!

Be patient and make plans either full sized or 50% or what ever you prefer

Here is a diagram I made for a project to give the idea

On 7/11/2023 at 5:06 AM, curtisa said:

The scheme I provided uses an Oak Grigsby-style

Yes after a Google mine looks the same. I took one look at it and scared the crap out of me LOL! so I used a regular switch thinking its "just for now" but........

When I was putting this Strat together the Push-Pull pot was literally the only 250k pot I had so it went in and its doing the B&N job for me. I had all sorts of ideas (ie.) that I might chuck the Tele bridge out in favour of a Humbucker one day, but now its all together, no way, that Tele Antiquity is staying right where it is! And this monster of a switch will go into some future project! 

On 7/9/2023 at 4:32 AM, Alex M. said:

 Sometimes I do it by simply swapping the middle and bridge pups. No soldering, just a screwdriver.
The super switch is not the usual 5-way switch that is installed on standard strats. But soldering while maintaining positions is also possible on a standard switch.

Hi Alex, I tried the Bridge in the Middle position but I kept knocking it and it was just weird so I used a Push-Pull switch and currently have 6 combinations. This is okay but it has the ability to have all 3 pickups on at the same time, which I don't like

Being my own guitar I can try different things as much as I want. I haven't tried Curtisa's wiring suggestion yet, but can you really get the desired combinations with a regular switch?

Yes the fretboard does look a bit high to me (but not much) Here's some photos of my 59 Reissue LP, hope they help, keep in mind your bridge may have different dimensions

Line of top of frets is 14mm at the bridge

Looking at it another way, the underside of the 4th string is 16mm, in other words the height of the saddle. But also note how much space there is between the body and the bottom of the adjusting wheel, its about 5mm

Hi everyone

When I put my Strat together I found I only had one 250k pot. So I used a 500 in Tone. If I just turn it down a bit will that be exactly the same as having a 250k pot, or is there some weird science that will make it not quite the same?

More progress on My Strat, a few photos

I was aiming at 23 but just under 22 is good, and 24mm at the 12th fret is also good

In past projects I have messed up and gone under 43mm at the Nut, I am very happy about this one. Nice and wide all the way

The finished Neck

My so-professional spray booth. Sunny day in the winter, no bugs flying around, just perfect

Was going to use cream covers but went with all black, I only have one cream Vol control

Couldn't find any suitable springs so I used foam from some packaging. Not sure its the best idea but its okay for now

And finally the back cover

All done except the finish is a bit rough. Used Tele knobs and it keeps the Tele theme going very nicely. I think I will call it "Stoutocaster"

The plug looks pretty good I reckon, nice work

Thanks Bizman, I have only two controls but I will study the diagram to see what I can get from it

cheers

Hi, I have a Strat 5-way Super Switch and I've googled for answers but I'd have to read a few days worth of material

All I want to do is get Neck and Bridge instead of Neck and Middle

You can get this by wiring the Bridge to the middle position but it would lead to confusion

So can the Super Switch get the desired options and keep Bridge pu in back position?

Cheers

Dang! everyone else's work looks so good compared to mine....

Thanks for the replies, all good advice although I'm pretty sure I checked the flatness just before putting frets in. Also, putting frets in might cause some back-bow, but I imagine that would result in all the frets being high...? Could it be (look at first photo) it looks like a lot has been taken off but is actually consistent with the tiny gap under the fret?

12 hours ago, Asdrael said:

........and I am already saying my next build will be better

And the next 20 LOL!

Man those inlays, how tf do you do those things? Trace around with pencil and go free-hand with a Dremel? I have no patience nor the concentration levels to do such things!