I have wanted a telecaster plus for a long time. My first ever wiring job/mod was to install all the Jonny Greenwood parts to my Fender Jagstang. Since then I have changed pickups and pots in the Jagstang, but my desire to have a Tele Plus stuck around. Many of my guitars have the added kill switch. I enjoy having the blue and red lace sensor pickups in my Fiesta Comp Mustang. I checked out the new versions. I like them except the body is pine which is super soft. I have been camping eBay for the right one to show up and I finally got lucky. (It can be hard to find them with a maple fretboard it seems from my looking.) This one is used, but in very good shape. It is a 1993 trans cherry finish one that is stock with it's chainsaw hard case. I am going to play with the humbucker switch when it comes in and decide if I will install the kill switch or not. I know I won't be installing a push pull pot. (I am not a fan of those... I have tried them.) Most likely I will do the kill switch. The guitars where I did coil splitting on humbuckers I tended to like the full humbucker sound over the split sound. I won't do any deciding until I play with it first. I will definitely install Duncan strap locks. I put them pretty much on everything because of dropping my Ibanez SDGR Bass one time. I like being able to play around and not worry about the strap falling off. Many of you probably know I am a tele fan. I love Jaguars, but I honestly have WAY more Telecasters or Telecaster like guitars to be honest. This will be my seventh Telecaster. (Eight if you counted my Telemaster.) I love how solid and simple Tele's are. They are a nice contrast to my Jaguars which have a bunch of sound options with all the switches and sound sections.
Anyways, here are the pictures. (It should go great with my Fender Eighty-Five amp and Shredmaster clone. Yeah I am a Greenwood fan.)
Nice acquisition on a classic in one of the rarer colors!
Looks like a proper player's guitar and it will be great to hear it with Teh Greenwouldz all in place, I'm sure than most of us would agree that it'll sound so different enough from your other Teles to warrant not thinning the herd...Well at least not just yet
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 2:49 am
by HNB
The sound demos I found on youtube do a great job selling it. That and pretty much every Radiohead album. I have a Vox Pathfinder 15R, so I don't have the full setup or anything, but I do have his distortion amp and effect. The Lace Sensor pickups are very interesting. When I first tried them out, I thought they were dull and sterile. Later in time I learned more about how much pickup height impacts sound. With them up higher they are beautiful. Pickup height makes a huge difference. (One of the things that I love about my Jaguars. I boost the bridge pickup height and it becomes a different beast all together.)
I can't see myself parting with this one. I have done like five builds trying to get something similar to this. To have a real one is a great early birthday present indeed. It should arrive on the 10th which is my 9 year anniversary and two days before my 35th birthday on July 12th.
Super psyched. Other than my 70's partmaster build, this will be my only US Telecaster as well. I have a Japanese SQ Squire Telecaster, a Affinity Squier Tele, two Peavey Tele like guitars, my newly made brown Warmoth body with Squier neck Telecaster, and my Telemaster.
I can't wait to get it in person and try it through my Champ. (And then my Eighty-Five.)
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:41 am
by theshadowofseattle
Jonny Griswald uses a Pathfinder 15r???
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:41 am
by theshadowofseattle
DO YOU HATE THE RED/RED DUALLY AS MUCH AS I DO? It's SO FUCKING MUDDY.
Re: Incoming Telecaster Plus!
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:43 am
by theshadowofseattle
HNB wrote: I will definitely install Duncan strap locks. I put them pretty much on everything because of dropping my Ibanez SDGR Bass one time.
SAME REASON I USE STRAPLOCKS. I had the strap come off the bottom horn of a bass, and the headstock swung up and busted my lip open.
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:06 am
by HNB
Not sure if you were trolling me or not, so I will reply like you were really asking. LOL
I believe Jonny plays through a Vox ac30 for his clean amp. I don't have an ac30, but I do have a Vox Pathfinder 15r which can get a similar Vox clean on a budget. Maybe some day I will splurge on a ac30, but I do like my Pathfinder.
I used to dislike the lace pickups until I moved them closer to the strings. Because they are constructed different from standard pickups, you can get them almost up to touching the strings without magnetic issues and it helps them sound much better then when they are low and away from the strings.
I know you can use Grolsch washers for straps and other things to keep straps on, but I have the Dunlop locks on almost all of my guitars and straps and I like it fine. I buy the strap buttons that can be used with the locks or with regular straps. Haven't had any issue with a guitar dropping since using them.
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:35 am
by NickD
Do you put them on your vintage guitars as well? I've steered clear on mine, the screw is generally larger than the original.
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:39 am
by Noirie.
When I tried using Grolsch washers on my Jaguar and Jazzmaster both of them had the strap buttons strip out. Whereas it was fine on my Affinity Tele.
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:42 pm
by theshadowofseattle
I've had more problems with button screws stripping with proper straplocks than with Grolsch washers.
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:25 am
by HNB
I only have the locks on my Mustang I just painted. Haven't messed with my other ones yet. I am concerned the finish on the vintage ones will react to my straps so I have just played those on my lap sitting.
Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:06 pm
by paul_
Guys, if your strap button screws want to pull themselves out they will, no matter what. Blaming the straplocks doesn't even make sense, like they should've just let the strap slip off the peg instead...?
I have a CIJ alder Jaguar and both strap buttons pulled out, one with no straplocks used whatsoever and one by the time it had Schallers. None of my Squiers have had this happen to them but then neither has my AVRI Strat. My basswood Jag-Stang never had this issue. IS IT A CHEAPO THING OR A FANCY THING?? It's neither. It's wood.
Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 11:55 am
by mezzio13
I hate to bring him up, but Gmorlan had a really nice Tele Plus in Violin-burst. HNB, this is a great guitar, although I do side a bit with Shad about the red/red being muddy.
Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:49 pm
by robroe
hot.
you know people buy guitars on purpose to be muddy.
i don't mind
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 8:41 pm
by HNB
Guitar arrived last night. I really dig it. The pickups are not muddy. I will do a vid in a bit when kiddos nap. It is a little on the heavy side, but not bad. The red burst is very subtle. The grain is pretty tight looking. Only a couple tiny chips in the body finish and one ding on the neck. The neck is interesting. It looks gloss, but it isn't sticky or anything. Probably because it is worn in more. Tuners seem ok. A little on the loose side, but they hold fine. The TBX pot is a little sloppy at the mid point, but works fine and I rarely use the tone pot on guitars anyways. The mini toggle works great. All the other parts work fine as well. Killer guitar really.
Beautiful guitar and it sounds great too. Now I have to drag mine out . It's got a GFS Lil Puncher in the bridge and a 9 dollar neck EY pick up ( which doesn't seem too bad.)
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:54 pm
by HNB
Replaced both pots. The volume was sloppy and the TBX was also loose feeling. What a nest of wires. Wasn't too bad. Just did one wire at a time. Here is the wiring finished.