Caevan O’Shite

Not at all. ESPECIALLY as restoration, repairs, and even modest upgrades can be done very cost effectively here. It would be worth it to make it as playable as can be even if you intended to sell the guitar for a reasonable low price, or even give it to a beginner or intermediate player that had a tight budget to work with. Or, to keep for yourself. If it can be made decently playable, it's worth it. I'm gonna say it again, plus more- keep those control-knobs, and also the pickup-covers, as they are. The way they've aged, slightly yellowed, even acquired some grungy dirt ("Mojo"! ), and contrast with the pickguard, is generally DESIRABLE, it imparts a pseudo "vintage" appearance. If a similarly hued switch-tip were added, even better. 'S just cosmetics, but that does have its place and appeal! Get a Tri-Flow Pin Point Lubricator from Stewart-MacDonald; GREAT stuff, a clear and penetrating lubricant which includes liquid Teflon. That applicator tube of it will last you the rest of your life, and someone else's. Apply a tiny dab to each nut-slot and saddle-notch, from their back-sides so as to minimize the amount of the lubricant that might wick up into and under the winding on the wound-strings. Also apply it to all points of contact for the strings, like under string trees the string-through holes, in the inertia-block (but NOT the tuner-posts); and mechanical contact/friction-points, such as the fulcrum-points for the trem-bridge, even the spring-claw and spring-holes in the block (but NOT any of the electronics). This will aid tuning stability, especially if the trem is deployed at all. 500k seems to be an odd choice for single-coil pickups; if the guitar seems too bright and strident, swapping them for pots with a 250k value would make them sound warmer and more 'natural'. But if you like the way it sounds as-is, then by all means keep 'em! As for the value of the capacitors on the tone-pots, you've got some room to play with to tailor the effect of the Tone controls, if you like- and inexpensively. Do NOT concern yourself with expensive, large, fancy capacitors here. Often people install huge caps that were really intended for the likes of the innards of a tube-amp; when any such were used in '50s vintage Fender guitars, it was only because that's what they had on hand at the time. ANYWAY, the lower that mfd value, the less of the upper-mids and mids will be removed as the Tone-knob is rolled back; the higher that value, the darker the Tone-control will sound as it is turned-down, removing a deeper, steeper cut of the upper-mids and mids. You could even use different value caps on the two Tone-controls if you so desired. A .0015mfd cap will shave off only the treble, leaving the upper-mids and mids intact to the point of sounding like a mid-boost if used in conjunction with the Volume-knob going up and down to clean-up and dirty-up to "play the amp". Crank the amp a bit: guitar Vol-up, Tone-down, perceived "mid-boost"; guitar Vol-down, Tone-up, cleaner and brighter. A .0022mfd tone-cap will be similar, but a little darker, with a little more of the upper-mids removed as the knob is rolled down. .047mfd, .050mfd, darker and more 'standard', 'typical', 'normal'; 'classic', even. Higher values get darker and woollier. Classic/Retro Jazz blanket over the amp? Step THIS way... In any of these, when the Tone-control is all the way up, there should be no difference. As for switches, wiring options, pickups- if you really decide to go down those rabbit holes and potential money pits- we're your Huckleberry...

Keep the Volume and Tone knobs, and just as they are; they look nice, they look vintage, they look like relics (in the genuine sense of the word). Don't replace or even clean them! There's a good chance that the pots and switch need to be replaced, though, what with the sea salt air and humidity exposure. At the very least, clean the existing pots and switch properly with CAIG DeoxIT Pot & Switch Cleaner.

That's awesome! The first city and venue that we'd checked, the one nearest me, had sold out quickly; but then we found and snagged two tickets for good seats at the Eastman Theater in Rochester, NY this coming October 19, a Saturday. Woot!

Wow! You played with a pair of real a$$h0l3$ there!

Just to remind everybody, refresh memories and offer a taste of what's to come:

WOOT!! We found and snagged two tickets for good seats at the Eastman Theater in Rochester, NY this coming October 19, a Saturday. Elizabeth ("Caevs Grrrl" here 'bouts) is booking a hotel as I type... Look into that and get tickets as soon as possible, if they're still available and you can swing it. You don't want to miss this!

I was very upset that the tickets for a concert near me had sold out before I had a chance.

I've effectively faked my way through "Peter Gunn" a few times or so over the years... That's one of THE CLASSIC Guitar Riffs, like "Smoke on the Water", "Day Tripper", "You Really Got Me", "Satisfaction", "Who Do You Love?"...

Hats-off. One of 'Our Founders', if you will. A seminal stylist and great influence to many. He made his mark...

Initially, I'll be putting a set of DR Pure Blues 10's on the Telebastard (but always 11's for my Les Paul). I might eventually go to 11's on the Tele as well, or, who knows, maybe even '9s. Later, further on down that road, I'm planning on making mixed-sets for both the Tele and the Les Paul, using the same DR Pure Blues wound bass strings, but brass-plated plain-steel strings from Thomastik-Infeld for the plain trebles, the ones T-I includes in some of their Jazz sets. They're super smooth feeling and subtly, slightly rounder and warmer sounding; very subtly so, but enough so that I like 'em. The DR PB wound-strings are a little brighter with more upper-midrange, harmonic-overtone "swirl" ("low keys on a piano"), attitude and edge than the similar "Jazz Wound-Round" strings in T-I's BeBop Jazz sets, so mixing these wound/bass and plain/treble strings froim these two makers is a total Win-WIN for me! Fussy and cork-sniffing, I know, but I like 'em!

If I understand you correctly, with the plate "reversed", that'll result in the layout being Tone - Volume - Switch, front-to-back. Usually, with this "reverse" arrangement, players have it Volume - Tone - Switch, front-to-back, making it all the easier to perform volume-swells with the little-finger on the Volume=knob.

If the fancy trick switch that I have would still fit within the cavity with the angled-slot, I'd have BOTH the 3/8" Over location AND the Angled Switch Slot on the plate! I really like the way that the angled switch arrangement ergonomically follows the range of motion of the hand when using the switch; it places the switch-tip just a smidgen closer to reach, with just a little less reaching down and around the control-knobs. It's a small difference, but an actual difference. With the "Reverse Control Plate" orientation, the 3/8" Over locating for the control-holes places both the Volume and the Tone knobs within easier reach for swells, faux-wah, and on-the-fly adjustments, a little more like they are on a Strat. A bit more room around the selector-switch is an added bonus! It might be better yet to forego the plate and top-routed cavity altogether and go with custom hole and slot locations and a rear-routed control-cavity, but I love the classic, vintage look of the original Broadcaster/Telecaster design. Plus, it's fun to find ways to tweak all that within the limits of that original design and look, like hot rodding a classic car while still looking mostly stock! A "sleeper"!

You can NOT go wrong following Lindy Fralin's directions! He's a Grand Master Expert. Are you going to rearrange and rewire the original stock pots, switch and pickups in your G&L guitar? Or, are you replacing any of those?

You'd probably have to desolder and resolder the wiring so that you can swap the locations of the Tone and Volume pots. Not terribly difficult, but neatness and precision count, as does not overheating the pots and wires. You might need longer wires for some connections to reach and not be strained. Keep the Volume-pot the volume-pot, and the Tone-pot the Tone-pot; don't just change the wires around, the pots MAY have tapers and values chosen for their respective duties. You can leave any capacitors and resistors on those pots in place, as-is (the tone cap, any "treble bleed" caps or caps and resistors), and just relocate the pots and rewire. So desolder and remove the wires, swap the locations of the Tone and Volume pots on the plate, and then rewire everything. Make a detailed diagram of all wiring before you take it apart, and also a diagram of how it will be rearranged, so that the connections, the actual circuit wiring, is the same even though you're moving things around.

Those ARE cool. As a matter of fact, I have at least two Tele control-plates here. One is even the same one from Stew-Mac that you posted about there; unfortunately, the large body of the 3-Way/6-Position Switch won't fit within the cavity when angled like that. The other one is from Rutters Guitars; while the switch-slot is straight, the center hole for the middle control is moved 3/8" further from the switch to allow more room between the knob and the switch-tip. I can't remember if I got nickel or chrome. I also got a Black-Nickel plated knurled-knob for the switch-tip, from Rutters. Rutters 3/8" Over Control Plate for Tele

=IF= I even used picks, my own personal preference would be for a very thick Jim Dunlop "Big Stubby" Jazz pick, or something similar . =IF=.

I have long been a proponent of volume-swells (by numerous means) and the volume-knob "playing the amp" approach. I'll probably start with a .0015mfd capacitor on the tone-pot, to shave off just the high treble while leaving much of the upper-mids and mids intact and unmolested. Later, I will likely install a push/pull tone-pot so that I can switch between that .0015mfd cap and, say. a .047mfd cap for faux wah, truck horn honks, and such classic Tele tricks. I think that it had probably been done before he was doing it, but I could be wrong. Either way, h deserves kudos and acknowledgement.

👆 THIS, and well said. Worded better than the way I posted, "Picking dynamics need to be able to come through. Working on your playing to get that tone and attitude is just as important here as the guitar and pickups and everything" above here And I defer to Kuru in the matter that a medium to heavy pick might serve best here, rather than the "medium to light" pick I suggested- although that's certainly up for experimentation and individual preference! The bottom line- punchy hot-side-of-medium-gain, Marshall-esque closed-back cab character, projecting attitude. By the way, I believe that the recording was released in 1984, originating in in Romania. Gear available was basic but good, classic stuff. Things were probably kept very simple.

As others have noted above, this is VERY 'AC/DC' sounding, and a Gibson-y dual humbucker guitar with a Marshall-style amp or modeler/IR or a Marshall-voiced Overdrive pedal will get you there, and then some. The speaker-cab should be a closed-back 4x12 or 2x12 type (though a closed-back 1x12 will do), or IR's of those if going modeler/IR. It really sounds like a closed-back cab to me. Lots of mid, moderate lows, and slightly dark highs. Don't overdo gain/distortion. Picking dynamics need to be able to come through. Working on your playing to get that tone and attitude is just as important here as the guitar and pickups and everything. No reverb or echo, unless it's VERY little of it and VERY subtle. What's heard in the recording is room/mic sound where it was recorded. I don't think ANY pedals were used there. Moving where the pick hits the string, just a little up or down the length of the string, along with adjusting the angle of the pick and/or letting a little of the thumb or finger that's holding the pick touch the string just a little, can create harmonic-overtones and create what you're perceiving as "modulation" there. Fast picking with a medium of thin pick on light gauge strings (probably 9's) adds to that; lighter strings will sort of wiggle and 'yelp' that way. (Personally, I prefer heavier strings, but light strings do things that heavier strings won't, and vice verse... ) A subtle amount of harmonic-feedback from playing the guitar fairly close to the amp and speaker can also add to that, though I'm not so sure that this is happening there. What gear do you have already to work with, onion? What guitar(s), amp(s), pedals, etc.?

That's actually not a stain at all, but just Roasted Swamp Ash, which is made darker by the *roasting process; ANY finish or oil added makes such roasted woods even darker. This has Clear coats topped with a transparent Vintage Tint. *(Torrefaction, in a vacuum kiln, to remove moisture, sap, and impurities.) As for electronics, that's all already covered. Pickups are a Lindy Fralin Blues Special Tele set, Hybrid Stagger. I have two different sets of Volume and Tone pots to choose from, a LOT of tone-caps of different values and types, and that Free-Way 3-Way/6-Position Switch that adds Parallel/Out-of-Phase, Series/Out-of-Phase, and Series/In-Phase to the usual three with a sideways click. Rutters Cup concave output-socket that looks vintage, is secured by screws, and allows me to use my favorite right-angle plug cable. Some of my favorite straps and StrapLoks, check. I love EMG's! And I really LOVE the SPC, as well! I just wanted to go passive and vintage-y with this axe, and also have the controls all appear stock and vintage/traditional/standard. The wiring, pots, and- most especially- the tone-capacitor value will allow me to get a perceived 'mid-boost' when the amp or modeler/IR is cranked, and the guitar's volume-control is full-up and the tone-control is rolled back juuust a smidge. Then when the volume-knob is rolled-back to clean-up and the tone-knob is maxed, it'll sound clearer and brighter and ever so slightly 'scooped' (but only because the higher treble is restored on top of the mids). Pedals that I've chosen dovetail magnificently with this dynamic and midrange-content approach. This tone-cap value and wiring-scheme is not quite as pronounced or complex as everything that the SPC does, but it's pretty cool none the less. I'm probably going with a " '50s Les Paul wiring" adapted for a Tele, or possibly " '60s Tele wiring". The actual wiring difference is VERY simple, so I'll easily try both, as well as comparing all those caps... I'll use some mini alligator-clips and long lead wires to quick-change and compare. I will go with the 'reverse' control-plate arrangement, Volume - Tone - Switch front to back. I just might go with a push/pull tone-pot later on, if I decide to be able to switch between two very different vale capacitors on the tone-control.

Will check in later, hafta get around for work...

I know, right?! I told Warmoth what I wanted, and they delivered. One-Piece Roasted Swamp Ash body with Vintage Tint; and a One-Piece Roasted Quartersawn Maple neck, with a " '59 Roundback" ('59 Les Paul patterned) profile, 10" - 16" Compound Radius and Stainless Steel frets. The pickguard's lacquered Bakelite. I do appreciate your wanting to help. I have one, it or glasses, etc. no longer helps that much, deteriorating retinas, rods and cones, the last time I was in a Doctor's office concerning it my vision wasn't nearly so bad yet but before I was out of the room, let alone the premises, a call from the Doctor to the DMV had my Driver's License already suspended. I also used to be an exceptionally excellent Mil-Spec Solderer, if I say so, myself. Please take no offense, I really don't want to discuss that (my vision deterioration) here. Thank you for caring.

It's turned into a LO0O0O0O0NG Time since I first posted here about my Tele build project, dubbed the Fiender Telebastard. Most of the way through the necessary parts and tools purchases, I unexpectedly found myself out of a job, followed by additional financial surprises- going abruptly from being able to spend like that proverbial Sailor, to having to put that guitar-build on hold. That hold-time in turn grew longer and longer... Now- further updating you all with the following being like ripping off a Band-Aid for me- AND I REQUEST THAT IT ABSOLUTELY NOT BE A TOPIC OF ANY DISCUSSION HERE, I DON'T want to talk or read about it here, PLEASE DON'T EVEN OFFER ANY WELL-MEANT "I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT" POSTS... My vision is failing, it got bad and then worse and then rapidly much worse. There's pretty much nothing to be done for it. Please, let's NOT discuss any of THAT here. Thank you. Don't feel sorry for me at all, either, I had exceptionally superior vision for more than half a Century, that's how I see it (pun intended); I get frustrated, but I don't feel sorry for myself. Of COURSE, I'll be GLAD to talk guitar stuff and related whatsuch! 🙂 It's simply that it'll be difficult or even impossible for me to do some tasks in continuing and completing the Telebastard project, and it makes no sense for me to buy some tools that I thought I'd continue to use after this, but now won't. I WILL continue and I WILL complete it, it'll just require my having someone else do certain things, particularly soldering up the many tiny connections on the fancy 3-Way/6-Position selector-switch, filing on the nut-slots, etc., fine work that takes a sharp eye like I used to have. I'm gonna have a Hell of a fantastic guitar! Yay! It'll just take a few different detours than I expected, that's all.

Nice! I bet I'd enjoy that axe, myself. Well done, Sir!

W O W . WHAT a milestone. What sad news, even though he certainly had a very long, very good run, and then some, part of history with a bunch of other seminal, very influential luminaries. Hats-off. Only Jaimoe is left.