72 Custom Telecaster Pots

Stuart · Post by **Stuart** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:44 pm

Been meaning to replace the pots in my 72 RI for ages, having read all over that it is worth doing. Am I right in thinking only the wide range had a 1 meg pot and the single coil 250k? I've been googling but most people doing this mod have the two humbucker deluxe, not the custom.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:45 pm

They're all 250K, in the Custom and Deluxe.

Stuart · Post by **Stuart** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:48 pm

paul_ wrote:They're all 250K, in the Custom AND Deluxe. I'd replace the WRHB pots with 500k or 1meg, I did my copy this way.

Not on the old ones, only in the reissues. The deluxes definitely had all 1 megs. I'm pretty sure the single coil would sound mad with a 1 meger, so I'll leave it as is. Unless anybody knows different.

sp3k · Post by **sp3k** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:53 pm

I've heard of this mod, what is it suppose to do to the humbucker? does it make a difference if vol and tone knobs are normally at max?

Stuart · Post by **Stuart** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:58 pm

It makes it sound brighter, less muddy. More like a humbucker. More like the guitar the RI is a reissue of. I've been meaning to do if for a couple of years but as up until recently it has been my main guitar I've not got round to it (even if it is probably only a 20 minute job

).

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:18 pm

Stuart wrote:Not on the old ones, only in the reissues. The deluxes definitely had all 1 megs.

I'm afraid not sir, the originals had all 1megs, the reissues never have (unless you only mean the Japanese ones, which I have no idea about). MIM Fender operates on the "whatever's clever" principle. They've mostly used all 250K pots for both guitars, though there are reports of 500ks being used on RI Deluxes. No 1megs from the factory.

wiki wrote:It is in fact an ordinary humbucker placed in the larger Wide Range Humbucker casing, and the gap is filled with wax. This is one important reason the reissue Deluxe sounds different from the original guitars. Another reason is the use of 250kΩ volume and tone pots, while the original used 1 MΩ pots. Using 250kΩ pots with very hot humbuckers results in a dark and muddy sound; a common remedy is to replace the controls with 500kΩ pots, which is generally agreed to improve the sound of the reissues.

IPlayMetronome from HC wrote:I have a 72' custom that had a "widerange" HB in the neck and all my pots were 250k,thus sounded like crap.

Here are the parts lists on Fender's site as well.

TELE CUSTOM RI
http://support.fender.com/service_diagr ... A_SISD.pdf
Item 12: Control pot, 250K (4)

TELE DELUXE RI
http://support.fender.com/service_diagr ... A_SISD.pdf
Items 12-15: all pots separately listed as 250K

Stuart · Post by **Stuart** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:47 pm

paul_ wrote:They're all 250K, in the Custom and Deluxe.

paul_ wrote: I'm afraid not sir, the originals had all 1megs,

You can't have it both ways. We are some how talking at cross purposes (though I'm not sure how quite). I'm asking, in order to make my mexi RI the same as the real 72 do I need to put 2 megs in for the single coil as well as the wide-range. I know it currently has 250Ks

George · Post by **George** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:47 pm

I'd try 500K or 1Meg volumes, with no-load 500K tone pots. It's a common complaint that 250K is too dark.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:15 pm

Stuart wrote: We are some how talking at cross purposes (though I'm not sure how quite).

Oh sorry, you never mentioned the originals in your first post, I was only talking about RIs having all 250k and when you said "not on the old ones, only the RIs" I sort of took it backwards like "you're talking about the originals, whereas I mean the RIs". I now see what you meant. Need more/less coffee, can't tell.

Anyway I used 500k on my WRHB and 250K for bridge pickup and was pretty happy with that, though a lot of teles come with all 500k pots now anyway (standard style ones) so you could always just try all 500k pots like an Epiphone guitar and see how that is. Replacing one for less trebz on the bridge unit wouldn't be hard after that if you don't like it. I've never heard a neck position WRHB RI through a 1meg pot (except on Mike's Deluxe vid) but it's gloriously thick while glassy-sounding right now so I'm happy enough with 500k.

Stuart · Post by **Stuart** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:02 am

paul_ wrote:
Stuart wrote: We are some how talking at cross purposes (though I'm not sure how quite).
Oh sorry, you never mentioned the originals in your first post, I was only talking about RIs having all 250k and when you said "not on the old ones, only the RIs" I sort of took it backwards like "you're talking about the originals, whereas I mean the RIs". I now see what you meant. Need more/less coffee, can't tell.

Anyway I used 500k on my WRHB and 250K for bridge pickup and was pretty happy with that, though a lot of teles come with all 500k pots now anyway (standard style ones) so you could always just try all 500k pots like an Epiphone guitar and see how that is. Replacing one for less trebz on the bridge unit wouldn't be hard after that if you don't like it. I've never heard a neck position WRHB RI through a 1meg pot (except on Mike's Deluxe vid) but it's gloriously thick while glassy-sounding right now so I'm happy enough with 500k.

Cool cool.

The wikipedia which for some reason I've never thought to look at before says that the volume was 1meg and the tone was 250K, although it is not referenced. I've got 1megs in the house so I'll put some in. Its just as case of how many and where that is causing the head scratching. I suppose I could just add them one by one, and test each time.