NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by sookwinder » Mon Mar 20, 2017 12:36 am

Despot wrote:Part of me keeps thinking "why are you spending more money on this guitar"?
Kevin ... you do not need to answer or justify this....
I have been there .. correct strap pins for an epiphone, correct string retainer for a 66 Jag, correct ceramic saddle for a gibson acoustic... are but three of my dalliances into getting guitars vintage correct and at the same time sounding awesome
relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Despot » Tue Mar 21, 2017 12:56 am

You make a logical point as ever David - and that's the part of me that's chasing down the bits and pieces for this. If I end up back with the repro pickup I'll at least be able to say that I tried a few original pickups and preferred the repro (and it really does sound pretty good ... so there's a high likelihood of that). It'll also satisfy my curiosity about how this guitar would sound as it did originally before people started messing with it. I'm not so much of a purist that I'd prefer to have an original/period correct pickup that I like less than a repro - it's a thing to use/play after all. But I need to satisfy that curiosity...

I think the other reason I'm content to spend a bit more on sorting out some of the issues with it is that I know I'm keeping it. Sure, I could find one that's 100% straight ... but I've played a lot of telecasters. I've even had some really nice old ones (that '70s Custom I had was sweet) as well as some beautiful modern ones. None of them have meshed with me the way this one has - I've pretty much been playing it every day since I got it. Sure ... a lot of that is that it's new to me, and so I'm still figuring it out. It'll never replace my Jazzmaster ... but I think it might de-throne the ES guitars for a while.

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Homeless Blueless » Tue Mar 21, 2017 6:45 pm

Despot wrote:... but I've played a lot of telecasters. I've even had some really nice old ones (that '70s Custom I had was sweet)
The Tele Custom is gone too! You are a ruthless man, Despot. I was going to ask you how you like your new 60's straight tele compared with the 70's WRHB neck version!

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Despot » Wed Mar 22, 2017 12:15 am

Yep - the Tele Custom and the custom shop '62 Custom Telecaster are both gone.

I actually had a chance to play this beside that old Tele Custom (this came from the same store that I sold the Tele Custom to). What is surprising in terms of weight/resonance is that both guitars weighed about the same, and both were super vibrant to play unplugged. The Tele Custom even has a nicer neck profile (well ... for me - I like really chunky necks). But the feel of the neck on the '66 with the lacquer worn down is far nicer than the poly neck of the Custom.

The WRHB in the neck is interesting compared to the straight Tele pickup. The tele pickup has that bell like quality - the sound you've heard on a heap of old records. The WRHB has a bit of that too, but what it sounds most like to my ear is a really good Gibson T-top/patent number. They're not the same for sure - the WRHB is voiced a little different - but that same clarity is there. It sounds a lot like a slightly brighter version of the neck pickup in the '68 ES335 (and I mean that as a compliment).

If I had the cash or space I'd happily have both - they do different things (and the bridge pickup in that Tele Custom is great - super bright without being brittle, just how I like bridge pickups). But I don't - so I'll just keep playing the hell out of this!

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Ursa Minor » Wed Mar 22, 2017 6:22 am

I wonder if you'll end up being happiest with the repro pickup. Wouldn't be a problem in my book. Go with what's most inspiring. Or you could try a rewound vintage, but I don't think I'd rewind one unless it was dead or problematic.

Interesting read comparing your two previous teles. Teles have always been a struggle for me. Hard to find one thats perfect for me, but maybe I'm just not a tele guy?? I want to be. :'( Suffice to say I haven't played that many high end Teles and pretty much stayed away from vintage ones.
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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Despot » Wed Mar 22, 2017 6:40 am

I've got a rewound vintage pickup on the way Nick - I got a reasonably good deal on a '69 pickup (rewound) and '69 bridge/bridge plate. It's just left the US according to tracking and I might even have it before the weekend (in which case I'll be installing it).

I'd be happy to go back to the repro if this one doesn't work out - but I'll also be happy to have scratched that itch of curiosity that has me looking for a good/old pickup to see how it stacks up.

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Ursa Minor » Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:22 am

Despot wrote:I've got a rewound vintage pickup on the way Nick - I got a reasonably good deal on a '69 pickup (rewound) and '69 bridge/bridge plate. It's just left the US according to tracking and I might even have it before the weekend (in which case I'll be installing it).

I'd be happy to go back to the repro if this one doesn't work out - but I'll also be happy to have scratched that itch of curiosity that has me looking for a good/old pickup to see how it stacks up.

Gotta scratch that itch! I know how that goes all to well. :whistle:
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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by HNB » Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:35 am

You have to feed the curiosity. The nice thing with guitars is if you change it and don't like it, you could always change it back to the way you liked it best. :)
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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Despot » Tue Mar 28, 2017 5:29 am

Well the bridge and pickup arrived today and both look okay - I'll post up photos later when I get a chance. The bridge plate is worn but in better condition than I expected from the ebay photos and won't look out of place on the body (given how the body itself is pretty well worn in).

The pickup looks to be wax potted (which should mean no microphonic issues) and the original thread has been used to cover the wire again - so it looks right too.

Hopefully it sounds good as well. Let's see. If not it'll be a case of going back to the repro pickup, but it's worth trying out first as it'll put the guitar back, as close as possible, to how it should be.

I'm happy how this worked out - the bridge with the pickup was pretty much the same price as just buying the bridge off one of the parts gougers on ebay ... so I'm looking at it as a happy bonus if the rewound pickup turns out to be decent sounding.

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Despot » Wed Mar 29, 2017 3:26 am

Aaannnd ... the rewound pickup turns out to be fantastic!

Aw damn. I was sort of hoping there would be no improvement with the rewound pickup, because I've been using the Arlo pickup and I've gotten used to how full and thick it sounds. The rewound pickup is great, but totally different. It's not thin or brittle, but it's ultra bright - this is the sort of endless treble Tele bridge pickup that I've heard on demo videos. It's not as full sounding as the Arlo pickup, but it still sounds damn fine.

So now it's decision time ... whether to leave in the rewound (and vintage appropriate) bridge pickup, or else put back in the repro pickup. Either would work and sound good, but the change makes quite a difference to how the guitar sounds not just in the bridge, but in the middle position as well. I think the middle position with the rewound pickup actually has a bit more character ... but the repro bridge pickup is probably a shade 'better' (whatever that means) to my ear.

Hmmm... I guess I can always swap back, so I'm going to go with the rewound pickup in it for a while and see how it beds in.

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Ursa Minor » Wed Mar 29, 2017 6:08 am

Whats the harm in keeping both. Seems like they're different and cool enough to justify both based on your tastes. You have a no regrets, players Tele - so why not swap them out to your tastes. Seems to me you stand to learn a lot more from both pickups the longer you have them.
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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Despot » Wed Mar 29, 2017 11:47 pm

Ah yeah Nick, you're right - I can live with the rewound pickup for a while ... after all I know what the other one does. In the end there's nothing here that can't be reversed with a soldering iron.

I was originally a bit dubious about the neck routing ... but I now realise that it does mean that should I want to mess about with a non-original pickup for the neck position (I have a 'spare' patent number sticker pickup, and I'd be curious to see what an old mini-humbucker would sound like in there). I'm in no rush to do that ... but it's an option.

The more I play this (admittedly before the pickup swap) the more I'm starting to think that this guitar is going to be my second to the Jazzmaster. If that's the case then I'll tinker with it until I get it exactly how I want it - originality be damned at this stage with a guitar that's been modded so much. The only caveat will be that there can be no permanent changes to the guitar.

What's really surprising me as well is how much I'm finding it a joy to play - considering that the only reason I have this guitar is that the original buyer didn't like the thinner neck profile, and I usually feel the same way about skinny necks ... this neck feels great. Would I prefer a neck that's identical to my Jazzmaster (that '63 profile)? Yeah ... but this works more for me than I expected.

There is a bit of adjustment required for me - having spent so long playing Gibsons the flatness of the neck to the body on the Telecaster always takes me by surprise ... even the Jazzmaster has a slight angle to the neck/body join (shimmed for better break angle). The Tele doesn't need that, so it's a fully flat join. It's a really small thing, but it's the first thing I notice whenever I start playing.

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Hellopike » Wed Apr 05, 2017 5:29 am

I realize I'm a bit late to this conversation, but I'll add my thoughts to it. I'm a Telecaster enthusiast first, and if I were i your shoes I'd put the rewound '69 in the guitar, call it a day and put the repro bridge pickup in another body and build a hot-rodded partscaster esquire- no switching, just volume and (maybe) tone (your call). And if you use a new body, don't bother with a pickguard.

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Despot » Wed Apr 05, 2017 6:02 am

I've come to the same conclusion (leaving the rewound '69 in there). The more I've played it the more it sounds 'right' to me. And the balance between the neck and bridge is perfect - the middle setting sounds great.

I'll have a chance to compare mine to a straight '67 Telecaster tomorrow night - it'll be interesting to see how it compares or differs.

What I could see myself doing is picking up an AVRI or AV '52 Telecaster at some stage (I have a serious soft spot for butterscotch '52s) ... and I'd happily put the repro pickup into one of those as it sounds a lot more like a '50s pickup than a super bright '60s one.

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Re: NGD - 1966 Fender Telecaster (player)

Post by Telliot » Wed Apr 05, 2017 7:27 am

Good choice. By your decision I'd keep the repro in it, especially if it plays so well with its neighbor. I'm really happy for you. There's no substitute for the 'right' guitar, and in my opinion it doesn't get more right than a great Telecaster.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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