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My Telecaster project


bbrraadd

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Hello everyone,

I'm a bass player but I've played and recorded nice jangly Fender Telecasters. One I played had a stratocaster neck.

 

I'd like to build a telecaster with a stratocaster neck. I have some questions.

 

Will all fender strat necks fit on all fender telecaster bodies?

 

What is a "Fat" telecaster, does that have only to do with pickups from the factory? If i get a "Fat" body, can I still put a chrome lipstick pickup in there with the proper pickguard?

 

To mimic an older telecaster, i should not have strings thru the body correct?

 

 

Sorry for the dumb questions, but thanks for the help in getting started.

 

Brad

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FIrst off, Fender has made SOOOOO MANY variations of Strats and Teles, that I don't think you can get a definitive answer, kinda trial and error , but that's what make building a FrankenStrat or Frankentele fun.

 

Fat usually means it has a Humbucker instead of single coil.

 

and IMHO, if it's not string thru body, it's not a Tele (I know guys, some of the Squires and older models didn't - just my feelings)

 

Good Luck tho'

Lynn G
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I'd take advice on this one.

 

It's my understanding, that because the heel of a Tele neck is flat, but the heel of a Strat neck is curved, a Strat neck cannot be intonated properly on a Tele body, but a Tele neck *can* be intonated on a Strat body.

 

Does anyone verify?

 

G.

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Geoff is correct. Strat necks and Tele necks are not interchangeable.

 

I believe a lipstick tube PU is somewhat wider than the normal rout used for the humbucker in a "fat" tele. You might need to make the rout wider to accomidate it.

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There are also differences among "lipstick tube" pickups; those like the original Danelectros have a unique (read: weird and nothing like anyone else's) mounting design, while some modern versions are made to fit a Strat style's 'screws-by-the-sides-of-the-pickups' design more easily. The route would still probably have to fit, though.

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Originally posted by CaevanO'Shite:

There are also differences among "lipstick tube" pickups; those like the original Danelectros have a unique (read: weird and nothing like anyone else's) mounting design, while some modern versions are made to fit a Strat style's 'screws-by-the-sides-of-the-pickups' design more easily. The route would still probably have to fit, though.

Speaking of routing, lipsticks for Strats are longer than those for Danelectros.
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Hello everyone,

thanks for all the tips and help.

 

I think I can get a good deal on a USA Fender tele Fat body and I don't mind doing some routing to make room for whatever pickups I find.

 

I'll probably just skip the strat neck and go with a tele neck.

 

I'll keep you all posted

 

Thanks again all!

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Originally posted by Gabriel E.:

Geoff is correct. Strat necks and Tele necks are not interchangeable.

 

I believe a lipstick tube PU is somewhat wider than the normal rout used for the humbucker in a "fat" tele. You might need to make the rout wider to accomidate it.

Just so you know my Tele cost me around $800 from Warmoth. That includes someone wireing it and assembling it. It also includes MUCH better hardware and pickups (locking tuners, seymour duncan's, etc..)than you'll find on an American Tele. Don't buy a "fat" tele if you're just going to switch out the humbuckers. The hole will be too big for mounting single coils. If you want single coils buy a guitar routed for single coils. And I think you are talking about the chrome cover on a single coil(like most tele's have as the neck PU)not "lipsticks", which are quite different(like on old danelectros). Oh and if you go with Warmoth you CAN put a strat neck on a tele body. I think it would be worth a phone call, all those guys are very helpfull. Tell them what you want and they will build you it for less than Fender. :thu:
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Originally posted by Museeip:

And I think you are talking about the chrome cover on a single coil(like most tele's have as the neck PU)not "lipsticks", which are quite different(like on old danelectros).

In the old days, tele neck pickups were called "lipsticks" by some folks, because of the chrome cover. It wasn't a widely used nickname, but some folks called them that. I ran across that term applied to Teles in Arkansas, in the late 60's. Maybe it's a southern thing or something.

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Originally posted by Picker:

Originally posted by Museeip:

And I think you are talking about the chrome cover on a single coil(like most tele's have as the neck PU)not "lipsticks", which are quite different(like on old danelectros).

In the old days, tele neck pickups were called "lipsticks" by some folks, because of the chrome cover. It wasn't a widely used nickname, but some folks called them that. I ran across that term applied to Teles in Arkansas, in the late 60's. Maybe it's a southern thing or something.
I think it was because they sort of resembled the Danelectro lipstick tube pickups...even though they aren't the same thing. The Danelectro lipstick tube pickups are actually in real lipstick tubes, by the way (hence the name).

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Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

The Danelectro lipstick tube pickups are actually in real lipstick tubes, by the way (hence the name).

The originals are. The reissues and Seymour Duncans only look as if they are. :P

 

As I've said on another thread, that lipstick story just kills me. Danelectro bought a warehouse full of listick tubes from a failed manufacturers and... I don't know. I just love the lateral thinking involved.

 

Back then, people INVENTED a cheaper solution.

These days all we do is import a cheap-ass copy from China.

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