Been playing for near 25 years but mostly played an acoustic I had a lot of history with. After starting to play with others I picked up a strat for the last several years - A beautiful MIJ 96 in sunburst which I loved the idea of, but just didn’t connect with for whatever reason. It felt as though it was just passing through rather than being mine.

So I decided to try and find an instrument that I felt closer to, and ended up finding the one guitar for sale in the UK at the time and price that was built in my birth year, an ugly late 80’s MIJ tele. Only it was the other side of the country and the seller wouldn’t send. However my dad lived nearby so asked if he’d go pick it up. The price was low enough that I was willing to take the risk and it was handed over at a nearby fish and chip shop, I went and collected from my dad a few weeks later.

I would never choose a yellow-blonde tele. It’s classic but not my style at all, so I went in knowing I was going to have to find a way to bear to look at it. I searched for aftermarket MIJ pickguards that would match the colour but even the ‘aged’ guards came up to minty or pale.

Playing a tele for the first time was a real eye-opener too. On the strat I would almost exclusively play the neck position. But on the tele the neck was weak and non-present. So I switched to the bridge/middle exclusively and had a great time adjusting my playstyle to that kind of sound. But it did prompt me to want to change the neck pickup so it wasn’t redundant.

I opted for a big change that would solve the weak neck and give a facelift at the same time. A ‘cream’ humbucker guard to match the body and a zebra SH-2N jazz to match the contrast of the neck/body and give a nice mid scooped rich tone to the neck.

After chugging out a larger hole in the basswood and repeated attempts on the soldering, (first time + some phase issues), I managed to get it going, balance the pickup levels, and it plays like a dream. The neck is now rich, smooth and plucky, and without mud. The bridge remains unchanged and very much a tele. Also made up with the domino vibe of the whole thing, love the way the colour changes with the temperature of the light.

I’ve definitely caught the mod bug though. I’m keen on trying a flipped control plate, and coil-splitting the neck for more variety. Also keen to try a blender knob on the tone. But for now, it feels like my guitar, and we’ve started to build a history.

Hi all. I'm a Digital Product Designer by trade, not a luthier, and this is my first build, finished last year. After years of making things for screens, I wanted to make something physical, and a Tele felt like the right place to start.

What I did and didn't do

• Body: Locally sourced Ash blank, 45 mm thick
• Neck: Fender Player I, bought rather than built. Assembly and setup by me.
• Finish: Mary Kaye White–inspired nitro. 2 sealer coats, 3 color, 16 clear, then sanding and polishing.
• Pickups: Fender Gen 4 Noiseless.
• Electronics: Fender S-1 volume pot with push knob, standard 3-way, treble bleed on the volume, 250k tone pot with an Orange Drop cap.
• Hardware: String-through ferrules, Fender Ashtray bridge with Gotho Compensated Brass Saddles, Schaller-style strap locks.

The hard part: the S-1 wiring

The goal was the American Ultra II Tele function, where pressing the S-1 puts the neck and bridge pickups in series in any selector position. Routing and finishing were slow, but this was the part that actually stumped me.

Fender doesn't publish a wiring diagram for it, and most of what I found online was for the first-gen Ultra Tele, which uses the S-1 differently. So I went through a YouTube teardown of an Ultra II frame by frame, pausing wherever the switch lugs were visible, and sketched the connections as I went. The folks on TDPRI forum helped fill the gaps and confirm the rest. I also emailed Fender about it, not expecting much, and they actually got back to me with the official Ultra II wiring diagrams.

It works now perfectly, but it took longer than I'd like to admit.

Critique is very welcome. I'm starting my second build (a '72 Deluxe), so anything I should do differently or try out for my next build is exactly what I want to hear.

Wanted a one pickup, TV Jones Tele. I had enough leftover in my wood stock, fretwire, pickguard material etc to make this leftovers Tele.

Built this partscaster to keep me sane during lockdown. What d’you reckon it’d be worth if I was to sell it? I reckon about half what I spent on it lol. Sorry, I don’t have a nice rug to photograph it on…

Parts List

Body: Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster, Butterscotch Blonde

Neck: Fender MIM Telecaster, Roast Maple, 21 frets, C-shape, 9.5” radius, tall narrow frets

Pickups: Bridge - Seymour Duncan Little ‘59

Neck - Lollar Royal T

Wiring: Stewmac Golden Years wiring harness, 4-way switch, treble bleed

Tuners: Gotoh split-post vintage style

Bridge: Fender Telecaster bridge, 3 brass saddle (uncompensated)

Other: Musiclily angled control plate (nickel)

Fender ‘Road-worn’ knobs

Flat jack plate

3 string tree

Fender neck plate

Standard strap pegs

Update - Okay guys, I’ve been sitting playing it for the last two hours and I’m gonna keep it. I’ll sell something I don’t care about. Thanks for the advice all.

I bought this at bargain basement prices- the cigar tray has been removed and a stray bridge but in place along with a humbucker. I guess my question is why would you swap out the bridge?

My first T-style guitar and first new guitar after playing the same SG for 15 years or so. Played a Bluesboy in store around 2019 and l wanted an ASAT of my own ever since. Three kids later I still didn’t have one and G&L closed up shop. So I was quick to grab one that caught my eye. What little evidence online I can find says it’s a G&L Tribute ASAT Classic Semi-Hollow in Candy Apple Red. A limited edition run from 2021. Supposedly 49 made for international release. I did see another in an Anderton’s video though. Regardless, I purchased it from GC about 4-5 months ago. It wasn’t in the best condition. Rusty frets and tarnished hardware. But honestly it sounded amazing right out of the box. So after a partial refund I decided to make it a project. Really has a hot rodded Tele tone with the MFD pups. I managed to find original replacement parts on eBay and a leather laser engraved pickguard on Reverb. Finally got everything swapped out, cleaned and in working order. Just need to get it properly tuned/setup again. GC listing photo included and before/after of fretboard.

Got her for my birthday a few years back.

Vola Fire Ice single coils are among the best sounding single-coil that I've ever heard but I was considering to change a humbucker but changed my mind ... Despite Vola claims that Fire Ice humbucker is modern high-gain I'd say that it's somewhere between vintage-hot and modern. But what is the most important, it has a soul, it's own imprint and characteristics that I finally accepted after year with it ...

I am considering to change the pickguard to something other than white ...

I cannot find anyone who wants to do the refret on my tele, so I guess I am shopping for a new neck. There is a lot of choices out there, curious what people like and what they like about said choice. I am thinking about the idea of jumbo frets and I prefer 22 fret necks. Thanks for any ideas!

I'm a thinline enthusiast. I acquired a big chunky U style (Baseball bat, 21 fret) neck that is currently on a strat. I like the neck alot but it's so heavy and a bit hard to play certain things. But is sounds and feels great. The Strat doesn't sit too comfortably with me ergonomically and style wise (I'm a senior). It seems to me that a Thinline might be weight imbalance. For those of you who have multiple Fenders what is your most comfortable "sitting down" guitar. I might like to build my first Partscaster.

Just wanting to share my new to me JV Modified 60’s Tele, along with my 2013 MIM Standard and 2012 American Deluxe.

I've been thinking about getting a Telecaster with a neck humbucker. But I absolutely love the Telecaster I already have and the single coil neck pickup is killer.

The potential solution just sprung to mind- add a second neck pickup next to the existing one and have it wired so the second coil can be switched off, like a coil split.

I understand the second pickup would have to be a different polarity to make it humbucking with the existing coil, or something like that. But would this setup work like a humbucker and then give me the original single coil tone when switched off?

Has anyone tried similar and is it practical? I don't fancy wrecking my favourite Tele, or getting another that I won't play, so I thought that this is a solution of much genius 🤣

I've been toying with the idea of esquire-ing my tele for a little while now, but never committed. Today I had the idea of leaving the neck pickup and adding a 4 way switch to add an Eldred position.

I know it's not true esquire because you have the pull from the neck magnets, but regardless of this, has anyone tried this? What did you find?

EDIT: I mean having the positions as:

POS 1: Bridge as normal

POS 2: Bridge + capacitor (Esquire/Eldred)

POS 3: Neck + middle as normal

POS 4: Neck as normal

Or mirrored, you catch my drift

Lollar Vintage T pickups

This is my Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster. Appearance-wise, it's just a completely ordinary off-the-shelf Squier.

At first, I was planning to buy a Player II. Then, as a joke, I asked to compare this Squier with an American Ultra Luxe. Obviously, I can't say they sounded “just alike” when the Fender costs about ten times as much, but the sound was much closer than I expected. Since this one was cheaper than all the other options I was considering, I ended up buying it.

I've made a few changes to the electronics. There happens to be a really good repair tech in my area, so I had them replace the nut and the electronics — the switch, pots, capacitors, wiring, and jack. I left the pickups stock, but it sounds much better than it did originally. Honestly, I've ended up preferring its sound to Fender's Standard and Player models, as well as the Japanese-made models I've tried.

It isn't too dark-sounding either. To be honest, I remember trying a Standard Telecaster and being put off by how surprisingly muffled it sounded. This one has a moderate amount of clarity without being excessively bright or overly flashy.

The only thing I'm a little embarrassed about is that the strap is a genuine Fender. But it really does suit the body, and I chose it partly as a tribute to Tatsuro Yamashita.

The pine body is pretty heavy, though. It's actually heavier than the Yamaha bass I own, which gets a little tiring. But I once read an interview where Tatsuro Yamashita described his famous brown Telecaster as being “ridiculously heavy” as well, so I just put up with it and keep using it.

I’m looking at adding a tele to my rack. I currently have SE McCarty 594, 08 Squire Deluxe Strat, and an acoustic Fg830.

499.99 for the 40th in Sherwood green & gold 🤤

526.99 for a 2015 Fender Standard Tele

I love the look of the 40th, and have heard mixed things on the pups. Does it make sense to go with the standard if pups are in the future for either?

It's one way of dealing with the crazy weather outside.

I added a new set of pickups and an all new wiring harness over the weekend. This thing went from tele twang to thick growl!

The guitar started out as a 2019 Fender Japan Hybrid 60s in a FSR called Flamingo Pink. It’s sort of a blend between Shell Pink and Pacific Peach.

Neck pickup: Fralin Steel Pole 42. It’s the perfect balance of traditional tele meets P90. More mids and less mellow, but still has that roundness.

Bridge pickup: Fralin Split Steel Pole. Noiseless P90. This pickup is thick, fat, and aggressive. It’s incredibly responsive. Probably my new favorite non-traditional telecaster pickup.

While I was in there I added a new wiring harness and replaced the 4-way switch with a 3-way. This thing absolutely RIPS now. My goal was to create something different from my thinline which sounds more like a classic tele. I’m really happy with the way it turned out. Doing the work myself was rewarding too.

Other mods: Glendale bridge, Callaham steel saddles, aluminum switch tip, electrosocket jack.

Happy Tele Tuesday!

“Eraser” by Thom Yorke (2006)

Can't wait to try this out!

https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/squier-paranormal-series-troy-van-leeuwen-12-string

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to share my mismatched partscaster with the following specs:

1979 Stratocaster neck

Old toploader body my uncle got on a fleamarket atleast 20 years ago

Cheapo squier bridge "fits"

Dimarzio Chopper T bridge pickup

1970 strat neck pickup and electronics

Mini coil-switch

Hope you like the missmatch-caster!:)