J J Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 I just got a new pickguard today (brown tortise) and it doesn't have the two screw holes for the neck pickup. I looked at several different types of telecasters on the internet and some have those screws and some dont. So what should I do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted January 18, 2004 Author Share Posted January 18, 2004 nevermind it seems that this pickguard doesn't fit my telecaster very good the curve where the metal plating meets the pickguard is way off so i guess i just wasted my money unless i can find some way to do it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 The "classic" Telecaster design (the originals, and the majority) utilizes a direct-to-the-body mounted pickup in the neck position, where the height adjustment screws are beneath the pickguard. Are you replacing a pickguard, on a guitar that uses a pickguard-mounted neck-pickup? If so, just use the old one as a template to locate the new screw-holes. __________________________________________________ Edit: Ah, I started to post this before your second post showed up. Sorry! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 Make sure you get the holes to line up perfect, and use a nail to punch a start hole (just a small depression) so that your drill doesn't move around on you when you start to drill the hole in the guard. Drill the hole slowly, allowing the drill time to cut, and it's best to use a drill press if you have one. Where the guard meets the control plate you can use a 1/2 round wood file to get a good fit between the plate and the guard. File slowly and check the fit often, like every couple of file strokes. I've custom fit a new pickguard or two... BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teahead Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 I had to specify that my Tele had the two screw holes for the neck p'up when I ordered my new scratch plate, and it still arrived without them! The modern US Standards have these screw holes, where 'vintage' styled Teles don't. Do yourself a favour JJ, search for a good supplier who knows what you need for your guitar, and spend as much as you can, a cheap plate will cheapen your guitar because of the ill fitted look. Also, the plate may not look suitably drilled or cut, but you may find that this evens out after installation. I know mine seemed a terrible fit, but somehow it looks fine once in place. Pedal Clips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 The black pearl pickguard I put on my Tele was a Fender Custom Shop guard, and I still had to do a bit of filing to get it to fit properly. The fact is that each guitar is different so each pickguard is going to require some work making it fit. You'd think that with CNC machining technology being used to build guitars, the pickguards, necks, bridges, etc. would line up perfectly. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 bluestrat, You'd think that with CNC machining technology being used to build guitars, the pickguards, necks, bridges, etc. would line up perfectly. They should be able to hold an assembled tolerance of +/- .020" VERY easily, even on wood and plastic parts. It's only a build up of a half a dozen dimensions as I see it. Parts designed to assemble with this much "play" at interference points should just screw together. Henry Ford had a purty good idea! Sounds like they need a good Manufacturing Engineer and some DFM (Design For Manufacturability, yet another TLA in a long list of TLA's ) on their (Fender and the PG mfg.) manufacturing processes. Dave the Available Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 Maybe it's simply a machine setup problem? If they're drilling the pickguard holes without center drilling them first, the holes aren't going to line up because the drill will "walk" across the top of the material before it settles in and cuts the hole. The center drill is very rigid and won't bend or move off center. If it's gotta be accurate, it needs to be center drilled. 3 years of tool and die shop experience speaking here. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Keelan Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 Take a look at http://www.pickguards.com/. You can send them a tracing of your current pickguard and they will match it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 buestrat, It could also be that they're "registering" off the wrong (but easy to register) feature. There should be a "critical" relationship between the hole pattern, control cut-out and pickkup cut-out. At +/- .005 per each position, that would be +/- .015", with .015" clearance at the pickup and cutout, it sure seems as though that would work. If the drill is "walking", guide bushings should be used, they're chaper than two operations and just as good, or even better than "spotting" for high volume production. BTW, I ran an engine lathe for piecework at the age of 13 (1958). I never got good enough (in my, or my father's, mind) to be "good". I could work to +/- .001, SOMEtimes, with SOME features +/- .0005, but no better. My nemisis was tapered holes. I did a tapered hole (maybe 1.5" to 2"?) on a batch of Master Arbors for US Motors. The tolerance was somethin' like +.001, -.002 and we had a Plug Gage for checkin' it. Boy, that hole opened up a last on the last cut of a coupla thou. I was routinely around '0' to +.0015. "On the high side..", but mostly usable. My Dad usually kept me on less critical work like, (relatively) rough mill work, Radial Drill became my "specialty", I was fast at pulling the tools and replacing them "on the run" (spindle moving) in the quick change chuck (tap drill, then 5/8-11 tap). No spotting, no pilot drill, just guide bushings on a fixture, ram a 1/2" (or whatever the tap drill is) drill through with lots of oil and smoke, change, tap, next piece. I decided to do somethin' easy like be an engineer (toot, toot ). Now I may have to work for a living again Dave Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted January 18, 2004 Author Share Posted January 18, 2004 Originally posted by Bob Keelan: Take a look at http://www.pickguards.com/. You can send them a tracing of your current pickguard and they will match it.by that do you mean i send them a tracing of the pickguard i just got and they'll trade me that for something i want? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Keelan Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 no. send a tracing of the pickguard that fits and they'll duplicate it. i'm afraid you're stuck with the one that doesn't fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 no. send a tracing of the pickguard that fits and they'll duplicate it. i'm afraid you're stuck with the one that doesn't fit. Sounds like a lesson to be remembered If I ever get a Tele, and if I ever change the PG on it, I think I'll send a tracing and save myself some heartache. JJ, thanks for the lesson. I'm just sorry that it had to cost you money Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 Originally posted by Dave th Dude: no. send a tracing of the pickguard that fits and they'll duplicate it. i'm afraid you're stuck with the one that doesn't fit. Sounds like a lesson to be remembered If I ever get a Tele, and if I ever change the PG on it, I think I'll send a tracing and save myself some heartache. JJ, thanks for the lesson. I'm just sorry that it had to cost you money Yea it's a real bummer, sucks cause im broke too Well i guess im gonna have to scape up some money somewhere and buy anotherone maybe Let my bad luck be a lesson to others who are going to buy a pickguard for their telecaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Actually, if the pickguard manufacturer used a short "jobber" length drill, they could forget about center drilling the holes, as long as they chuck up on the drill bit so that there's just about 1/2" or so sticking out of the chuck. I actually got very good at running a Bridgeport vertical mill and a surface grinder, but I couldn't hold tolerances better than .0001" on the grinder, and I wasn't as efficient with my time as I should have been. JJ, Where is the pickguard loose? Are the holes close to lining up? You might be able to make it work, with the right tools and a little, er.... lots of patience. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 Originally posted by bluestrat: Actually, if the pickguard manufacturer used a short "jobber" length drill, they could forget about center drilling the holes, as long as they chuck up on the drill bit so that there's just about 1/2" or so sticking out of the chuck. I actually got very good at running a Bridgeport vertical mill and a surface grinder, but I couldn't hold tolerances better than .0001" on the grinder, and I wasn't as efficient with my time as I should have been. JJ, Where is the pickguard loose? Are the holes close to lining up? You might be able to make it work, with the right tools and a little, er.... lots of patience. Well you see when i line up the new pickguard on my guitar, the wholes in the pickguard are just about 1/16'' away from the wholes in my guitar. So therefore, if I try to drill another whole into my guitar, it might make the wholes that are in it bigger than they are now. I just dont wana F*** up my guitar. Im gonna see if a buddy of mine wants to come over tomarrow and we'll see what we can whip up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 If you've got to "move the holes", move the ones in the pickguard by filing at the spots where the pickguard is hitting the neck, bridge, control plate, etc. If you mess up your guitar, you can't fix it, but if you mess up the pickguard you're out a relatively small amount of money, say $40 at the most. If you have to leave a gap between the pickguard and something else to get the screw holes to line up, you can file enough of the pickguard away to make the gap even all the way around. Good luck, and I hope some of this helps. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 Originally posted by bluestrat: If you've got to "move the holes", move the ones in the pickguard by filing at the spots where the pickguard is hitting the neck, bridge, control plate, etc. If you mess up your guitar, you can't fix it, but if you mess up the pickguard you're out a relatively small amount of money, say $40 at the most. If you have to leave a gap between the pickguard and something else to get the screw holes to line up, you can file enough of the pickguard away to make the gap even all the way around. Good luck, and I hope some of this helps.Alright im gonna try doing this tomarrow I'll tell you if I have any luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J J Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 i got the sucker on finally. I had to do a little bit of screwing into my guitar but it's in and it looks fine and plays fine, so im happy to say, im satisfied Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Originally posted by J J: i got the sucker on finally. I had to do a little bit of screwing into my guitar but it's in and it looks fine and plays fine, so im happy to say, im satisfiedCongrats!! BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Geezer Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Originally posted by Dave th Dude: bluestrat, Sounds like they need a good Manufacturing Engineer and some DFM (Design For Manufacturability, yet another TLA in a long list of TLA's ) on their (Fender and the PG mfg.) manufacturing processes. Dave the Available Dave...send em your resume LynnG Lynn G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Originally posted by guitar geezer: Originally posted by Dave th Dude: bluestrat, Sounds like they need a good Manufacturing Engineer and some DFM (Design For Manufacturability, yet another TLA in a long list of TLA's ) on their (Fender and the PG mfg.) manufacturing processes. Dave the Available Dave...send em your resume LynnGYeah, you'd only have to move to Scottsdale, AZ, and it's nice down there this time of year. The only problem is in the summer... Take your oven mits to work with you so you can get back into your car at 5pm.... BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 I wouldn't mind, but I haven't seen any job posting for those guys. Maybe I'll go and skulk around their site a little .... Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Fender site, Employment Opportunities "Sorry, there are no opportunities available at this time." Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 but ..... http://www.fenderusa.com/store/fenderstore.php?ISC=1&product=0999101406 I couldn't get the image to post, but still BTW JJ, glad to hear you got it straightened out. I know how frustrating it can be. Just think of it as a "character building exercise". Maybe you could even write a song 'round it ... Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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