Mix and match Tele vs Strat (First probject)

RubitsMan · Post by **RubitsMan** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 5:17 am

Hi, this is technically my first real "project" (pictures soon) and it looks like it has a chance of actually being completed!
Not really a expert in anything and I kind of take or leave things as they are for example I don't know as much technical details of sound as I'm sure many of you have but I know which guitars, amps, effects, and noise that is produced I like more. I'm more doing this for the sake of experience, a nice end product that maybe I'll pick up more, and I feel bad having these parts go to waste. I apologize for the length and tone of this but I'm pretty bored and thinking about this makes me feel like getting ideas out for suggestions so what better place?

Probably my first thread here, not really sure. But anyways I'm currently making a sort of Frankenstein parts guitar using the following one 2006(?) MIM Tele being used for different parts including the neck and pickups...
And one Black Fender Starmaster... or something, Basically a cheap Fender Strat body.
I also have an extra bridge, a cut up strat shaped plate with all the old knobs and 4 way pick up switch, plenty of springs, jacks, misc other pieces as well.

To explain the reasoning behind my desire to mix and match a decent tele with a cheap esque strat is this. That tele was my first Fender electric guitar, before it I had an Ion Strat rippoff. Don't get me wrong, I didn't have too much of a problem with sound but I always hated the weight of the guitar, the look of it, color, etc so IMO the Strat would be a suitable replacement for the body of a Tele but in noway is this my "type" of body (I like more of the Mustangs, Hi-Fliers, or other odd-one-out bodies.) Now after owning a RI Mustang, Univox Hi-Flier, etc I no longer hate the Strat as much as I did + I had a body, neck from first electric, and the Tele which I haven't played in forever + I like the Black look of it

My first main concern is pickups. The tele has a bridge pickup that is black plastic with the metal poles exposed, it's a nice pickup, bright, chimey, and great when distorted with pedals. Closest to the neck the pickup is an egg type shape with a metallic cover, I use the neck pickups in my different guitars frequently but have always prefered the sound produced by the bridge pups. My concern is do these actual pickups differ in brightness as much as they do when switched between the two, or is the position away or closer to the neck the major factor with the sound. If the answer leans towards the latter than I would like to use the neck pickup in the bridge position for my Strat as I think this particular one would look awesome and sound fine for my likings. I'm sure I can manage the electronics, seems pretty basic, wired a single coil with two wires and a jack into an old acoustic and somewhat lined the poles up with the strings, it works haha.

Second is the necks fitting in the gap of the body. The corners fit snug into the body but there's a small gap between the middles. The gap almost looks like some guitars who have the truss rod adjustment at the bottom like that, it doesn't look like it'd be a major problem in terms of playability though. (keeping in mind I've never had a proper setup or any adjustments by professional, always been straight out the box and maybe mess with levels and heights, I sort of realize now the stuff that would be nicer with proper adjustments but some other day for now.)

Third is scratch guard, I have a messed up Strat one and the Tele. Thinking of somehow combing the two to fill in the large gap at the bottom that the Tele guard does not stretch to, I like the pure white color on black in this case though, also plan on using the metal cylinder Tele knobs and the long metal plate if possible. If this is more work than it's worth then I will be making one from some material (more work but leaves some creative options.)

Paint is always something I've wanted to do but probably not for a while. Although I don't generally like black guitars (+ it's a Strat) it's kind of giving me a Nirvana Reading Festival vibe.

So like I said I'll post pictures when I get the chance, but until then anyone who bothers to read this with tips, suggestions, ideas, feel free to let me know, I'm open to anything..For example possibly using a Jaguar type bridge.

That's all for now, thanks.

RubitsMan · Post by **RubitsMan** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 2:08 am

Bump? I Really need to know about the pickups and if the neck should be alright.

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:47 am

you can put a strat neck in a tele body but not a tele neck into a strat body.

yes, tele bridge pickups and neck pickups differ significantly in sound and construction regardless of where they are placed on the guitar.

RubitsMan · Post by **RubitsMan** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:06 am

Hm any idea if the metal plate would cover the bridge pickup? Or is there a way to wire them together at the bridge to make what I believe would be called a humbucker?

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 3:45 am

RubitsMan wrote:Hm any idea if the metal plate would cover the bridge pickup?

you mean if the metal cover on the neck pickup would cover the bridge pickup? no, it's too small.

RubitsMan wrote:Or is there a way to wire them together at the bridge to make what I believe would be called a humbucker?

yeah, you can wire them together as a humbucker. it's called series wiring. here's how to do it with a 4-way switch: http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wi ... c=tele_4ws

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 4:10 am

i'm pretty sure he's asking if the tele bridge plate would cover the bridge pickup region of a strat. i would assume it would be damn close, but i'm certain it would be god damn ugly.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:40 pm

Mages wrote:you can put a strat neck in a tele body but not a tele neck into a strat body.

Never knew that. What's the reasoning?

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 4:09 pm

hotrodperlmutter wrote:i'm pretty sure he's asking if the tele bridge plate would cover the bridge pickup region of a strat. i would assume it would be damn close, but i'm certain it would be god damn ugly.

They can look cool:

SKC Willie · Post by **SKC Willie** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 4:39 pm

hotrodperlmutter wrote:but i'm certain it would be god damn ugly.

+1

There is nothing about that guitar that I like.

RubitsMan · Post by **RubitsMan** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 4:59 pm

Haha no, not the bridge itself, I'm not going to be using the Tele bridge. I was wondering if, like in the signature above me, the pickup all the way to the right by the neck has that metal enclosure on it. Will this be able to fit over the pickup closer to the neck?

This probably doesn't matter anymore because I'm most likely going to make a humbucker. Would it matter which pickup is where in the humbucker so I could put the metal enclosed neck pickup below the other for looks?

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 5:56 pm

right, that's what I thought you meant. no, the "metal covered" pickup is probably the smallest pickup Fender makes; the cover will not fit over any other kind of Fender pickup. just for future reference:

The pickup with a metal cover is called the Telecaster Neck Pickup
The pickup with no cover surrounded by a metal plate is called the Telecaster Bridge Pickup

I would recommend you just leave the pickups where they are and then simply wire a position on the switch that combines them as they would be on a humbucker. This is called series wiring.

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 5:59 pm

Ankhanu wrote:
Mages wrote:you can put a strat neck in a tele body but not a tele neck into a strat body.
Never knew that. What's the reasoning?

the butt end of the tele neck is flat like, not rounded like the strat neck.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:26 pm

Aaah, right, I knew that, but it's a detail that I never kept track of.

RubitsMan · Post by **RubitsMan** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:40 pm

Oh okay, I was always under the impression that they would have to be beside eachother when wired to create a humbucker for the proper sound. So it will basically be the same pickup selections but an additional option of turning them both on together?

Also Mages, is there a version of that diagram that shows how to disenclude a tone knob?