palecriminal

That's a really cool idea, though. I think it would be great to reproduce one of those M C Escher prints in a similar fashion. That would be awesome.

I don't have the tools necessary, or the experience with woodworking to fashion bodies and necks from scratch. I was wondering if anyone out there has purchased bodies, necks, etc, from suppliers like Allparts, and assembled their own that way. Were you happy with the results? Etc. Band saws and such scare me. I like having all of my fingers!

I would like to thank everyone who had helpful advice, comments, etc. The thing is working as well as when I bought it, but it sounds much better. Anyone considering the muy grande pickups as a replacement for the stock ones isn't going to be disappointed. As regards the fretboard overhang, from what I've read on this site, the mexican teles with the 21-fret necks don't have it, but the Highway 1 teles made in america have 22 frets, with the 22nd fret extending over the pickguard. I don't know about the top of the line telecasters, because they hang them up on the wall at Guitar Center higher than I can reach. (hee hee) Here in knoxville, Guitar Center is the only place to go for genuine Fender stuff (new). There is a really cool shop called Music Room Vintage Guitars which has used axes, which is where I got mine. (I hope it is OK to give them a plug!) Thanks Again, Y'all!!

Damn... that's mighty pretty. I'd get into building bodies and such from scratch myself, but I think I need all ten of my fingers for playing. I did get a B+ in woodshop, though.... hmmm

Picking out of that line up is really hard. They are all great. My personal fave isn't listed. He's a bit less popular, and often (mistakenly) considered derivative, but I'd go with Robin Trower. He's way cool. BUt then, I'm an old fart, and I don't even know who Trey Azogthoth is! And what about Jerry Cantrell?? Oh by the way, Page was very good live. Considering that he was out there by himself, and the albums had many guitar parts on them, it's not fair to compare his studio work with his live stuff.

OK. Here you go 1. There are a number of telecaster pickup combinations which are made by fender as STOCK telecasters. There are ones with TWO HUMBUCKERS, stock. There are ones made with a THREE PICKUP ARRANGEMENT, STOCK. They all sound different. 2. Adding higher output pickups to an instrument is a common practice. It is so common, in fact, that Fender themselves make after market pickups which are hotter, quieter, etc. e.g. vintage noisless 3. The way a telecaster is built, you have to remove the entire bridge to change the bridge pickup. Due to the fact that the fretboard sticks out about 1/8-1/4 inch over the pickguard, you have to loosen the neck in order to take off the pickguard. Which you have to to in order to access the neck pickup. (rude statement has been deleted... soo sorry) Mickguard's suggestion regarding shaving away that portion of the pickguard which goes under the fretboard was a bit of good advice. If I decide that the new pickups aren't the sound I really want, I won't have to take the neck off to do any further work. Get It? The neck not seating in the cavity properly is not due to it sitting on the pickguard, as it is only the fretboard which extends over it. The problem came about because of the removal and subsequent reattachment of the neck. Which, incidentally, I corrected, again using Mickguard's advice as regards a couple of clamps to hold the neck firmly in place while I reattached the screws holding the neck to the body. 4. As regards what a telecaster ought to sound like, What about Albert Collins? HMM? His has the aforementioned two-humbucker configuration and does not sound anything at all like merle haggard. Furthermore, just FYI, A great deal of the guitar work on the Led Zeppelin albums was done on telecasters. Jimmy Page definitely doesn't sound like Merle Haggard, or the Stones, or anybody else for that matter. peace

I got the muy grande, and except for the difficulty getting the neck to go back wjere it belongs, the installation went flawlessly. The sound is great.

Sand or shave away the part of the pickguard that fits under the fretboard, that way it won't get in the way anymore and you won't have to loosen the neck either. When I mount a bolt on neck I use a couple of those pump action clamps to hold the neck in place while I'm inserting the screws. That way I'm sure the neck is tight in the pocket, I don't have to fight with the screws to get it tight. Thanks, I'll give it a shot. I just worry a little bit about getting crazy with irreversible modifications, because I might make a boo boo, and then I either need a new neck or another guitar. ouch

I got the new pickups installed fine, and it makes a real difference. there's a fatter midrange in the bridge pickup, and the neck pickup is just a little sharper. I was having a bit of a problem with there being a really sharp screeching when I used distortion. Not when I played notes or chords, but especially when I would hit a chord and then mute the strings quickly. It was like an artificial harmonic. there is a little less of the super high frequency and I haven't had the problem. The only problem I have now is that the neck won't go back in the exact same place. It's just slightly misaligned. Tou have to loosen the neck in order to remove the pickguard, and when I put it all back together, it seems that the heel of the neck sits up a little bit higher. Now, when I hit the high E or B strings above the twelfth fret, they make contact with the 21st or 22nd fret (I forget how many it has). It's not as noticeable until I bend a note 1/2 or whole step. Any suggestions?

I like the tele sound. I have a highway one tele that I got used (but in very good condition) for $500. I thought that it was a great deal. I paid $650.00 plus tax and case for an epiphone les paul standard 2 years ago, and the difference between good 'ole american craftsmanship and a chinese les paul was enormous. That said, I wanted to do a little hot rodding myself, so I got a set of Rio Grande tele replacement pickups. I'm fixin' to install them now. I'll let y'all know how it turns out. As regards the discussion about trying to make a tele sound like something other than a tele, what does a tele sound like anyway? Given all of the various pickup combinations that fender has made available over the years, I should think that there really isnt a "tele sound." Albert Collins' tele has two humbuckers on it. Then there is the nashville tele setup, which has three pickups, as well as the prototypical two pickup telecaster. I figure that really, one should start out by finding a guitar with a really good neck. After that, the electronic choices can be narrowed down to personal preference and style considerations. You can always get a graphic eq to smooth things out how you like it. I had an old squire strat that I stuck a set of fender vintage noisless pickups on and that sounded great. Too bad it got stolen.