Possible tele mod/build project for my son. Whad'ya think?

[sunvalleylaw]

My 13 year old son is ready to upgrade his guitar. He has been playing a strat knockoff (Fullerton ST-3), and wants to move up. He likes my CVC tele, but wants a 'bucker or similar at least. Plus he also really likes the light feel and sound of my buddy's Rickenbacker semi triple. So I am considering finding either a CV Thinline or Squier Vintage Modified thinline http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0301240544 to mod with TV jones pups like that cool Twang King Jim reviewed. What do you think of that project? I will of course have to see how they are routed to see if it will work. We would also take a look at putting a Bigsby B5 on it to further copy that Twang King.

I know TV Jones in a tele is not the same as a Ric, but I think it would be a good versatile guitar for him based on Jim's Twang King vid, if that would be close to what we would end up with.

I would describe his tastes as between pop punk to roots oriented rock. Not a huge gain guy, but likes to rock out some.

I really need to get him down to GC with some time for him to play a few guitars to make sure what he likes. but it seems a cool idea!

[Eric]

That sounds like a neat project. Aren't TV Jones pickups a little pricey though? Also are they humbuckers? Maybe if you could detail the exact config a little more, I could picture the outcome better.

Teles have sort of become a hipster guitar, so I think they're one of the 'cooler' guitars out there these days. I imagine that sort of thing would be a plus to a teenage guitarist.

[sunvalleylaw]

He does like that tele look. And I like the idea of him playing that scale. Yes, TV Jones pups are a type of humbucker. And they would likely cost as much as a used squier thinline at least. But as shown in Jim's Twang King thread, they can be very versatile and have a great set of sounds.

I think the most likely alternative would be a Blacktop tele or other vintage modified Squier with a bucker. But then he would miss out on the lightening aspects of the thinline. It is one of the things he really likes about my buddy's Rickenbacker, how light it is. Tele's are not known for being real light, but I bet the chambered or thinline models are a bit lighter.

[Eric]

But then he would miss out on the lightening aspects of the thinline. It is one of the things he really likes about my buddy's Rickenbacker, how light it is. Tele's are not known for being real light, but I bet the chambered or thinline models are a bit lighter.
True -- light guitars are not to be underestimated.

Would you consider putting a different humbucker in it, either just in the neck or in both positions? I would think a neck humbucker would cover most of what he'd need one for (smoother, fatter sounds), and he'd still have the bridge for more tele-ish stuff, provided he'd use it for that. I guess it depends on what he'd really like. If he's just after a double-humbucker guitar that looks like a tele, they do make stuff like this:

http://www.guitarfetish.com/XV-610-Semi-Hollow-Dream-180s-Pearl-Pickguard_c_209.html

and while it's probably not up to CV Squier QC levels, people generally have good things to say about them. I'm guessing you could find similar models from other manufacturers too.

Back to your original point though, which models of TV Jones pups were you looking at?

[Tig]

Sounds like a great project (I can see doing the same for myself!). I'd consider putting just the TV Jones in the neck of a CV Tele, since it is already routed for a humbucker, while keeping the bridge stock. Otherwise, you'll have to make some radical bridge changes.

I agree about first letting him test a few guitars for the different sounds.

[Tig]

While these aren't TV Jones, they still might be worth looking into.
http://store.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Retrotron-Series_c_99.html

Perhaps their "Hot Liverpool Overwound Alnico Humbucker (http://store.guitarfetish.com/Hot-Liverpool-Overwound-Alnico-Humbucker_c_118.html)".

[oldguy]

Steve, do you think he'd consider one of the Agile models patterned after the Ric?

[sunvalleylaw]

We looked at that. That could be another possibility. or the MIM Blacktop Tele could be a contender. That would not be light, or have that lighter sound though. I just discovered that the VM thinlines are not routed in a way to accept a bucker or minibucker, so that mod is out. I think we will find a time to go to the store and have him play some and see what he likes. Meanwhile, he has his fully, a borrowed Ibanez LP knockoff with volume pot issues, and he can try my tele and vik to see what he enjoys. So far it has been the tele.

[duhvoodooman]

I know the CV '50s Teles are routed to take a humbucker at the neck, but I read that the Thinline model is not.

That Xaviere XV-610 Eric mentioned might be a good option.

[sunvalleylaw]

@DVM Yeah, I figured out the thinline teles weren't routed that way. Too bad. I am going to take my Derek to the guitar store and let him see what speaks to him anyway.

I may consider doing your tele mod to my CVC using a TV Jones or TV Jones style pup in the neck. That could be cool.

[Duffy]

I just had my CV fifties sunburst strat's pickguard off yesterday to put on a new five way Fender switch with the bridge tone mod - switch was shot and did the bridge tone mod because I want all my strats that way. Inside the body was routed out for a neck and bridge humbucker even though it is a sss guitar; it was totally painted well with shielding paint as well in the routs.

Therefore, I CV fifties strat could easily be turned into an awesome, awesome super strat with two real nice aftermarket humbuckers above and below the stock single coil. I can imagine some awesome possibilities both tonally and visualy. I could turn that CV into one outrageous hot rodded super strat that would be as fun to play as it would be to look at. Transforming a real nice guitar into a spectacular guitar is a source of pride and joy, needless to say, and adds to the fun of playing and appreciability factor - in addition to the cooeficient of cool.

Moding out a guitar of your choice aside, a Blacktop tele is one awesome guitar. I have played two of them thru a variety of amps and they both sounded highly impresive, no coil tapping, but totally impressive; with real good, hot pickups. I own the black strat Blacktop with a maple fretboard and it is a very well made MIM guitar with all the good things going for it, at a very amazing price. Here they still sell for 448.

I think there is something to be said about a guitar that was designed by experienced engineers and built of quality selected parts in order to produce a particularly attractive model. Although it is fun to mod guitars and make them your own, I usually only do so after lots and lots of thought, so that I come up with a product that is really personally satisfying and a significant improvement over the stock item. Right now I would like to pick up a used MIM strat and mod it to my liking, but they are hard to find around here.

I'd say of the above choices that, I, personally only, would be very happy with the stock Fender Blacktop Telecaster. It comes with a lifetime warranty and is an excellent design, produced of high quality components. The two that are at the shop by me have super beautiful quater sawn necks that are a joy to look at. I have been looking closely at the necks on prospective guitars lately and I like a nice straight grained neck, preferably with some beautiful flame or birdseye or evidence of quarter sawing in it. The micro blockiness of the grain in the neck of my CV fifties sunburst with the tinted neck, and the blockiness coveering the headstock, is a thing of beauty. I totally like the white neck on my Lake Placid
Blue CV fifties strat and the neck is very straight grained, but it does not have the tint or high level of blockiness in the grain pattern. The contrast between the two is beautiful and the Texas Special CS pickups on the LPB one, along with the brushed nickel locking tuners contribute to its uniquely beautiful vibe and presence, and it plays and sounds better than it looks. I'm lucky to have some spectacular strats, but I have put a lot of work and some money into almost all of them. The more personalized I make them, the more I seem to appreciate them, and the better they seem to sound. It might be psychology and the physical taking on of ownership of something you, to some degree, crafted. It then may become a pool into which your creative art is dipped into and reflected from - even drinking of its tasty essence. I mean hey, it is a romantic passtime, making music, to many isn't it? Then again a brand new guitar, crafted by artists, that rings like the bells of heaven and roars like the wilds of the Savanah or a roaring Freight Train is a thing of immesurable beauty and gratification. It's a quest of unknown proportions without a detailed parts list; kind of like a lost pirate's map written in an unknown language and filled with long ago renamed places. It's there, right there in front of us, but yet so hard to find.

Good luck. I don't think you can go too wrong with the Blacktop or the Squier thinline tele and modifying it - they are both two of the guitars that I have played that have definitely struck a chord in my heart and I'm lucky enough to own one of them today. I can remember fondly the days when my father would present me with gifts like that; gifts that had that special value added quality that words can't describe and money can't buy.

[Tig]

Steve, if you need a pick guard for a Fender/Squier after you install different pickup(s), check out Warmouth.
http://www.warmoth.com/Pickguard/GuitarPickguards.aspx

They have all kinds of configurations covered.

[wingsdad]

Steve,
Should you get to GC to have Derek try out different gits, if a light, probably semi-hollow Tele with a neck bucker is one of the candidates, I'll throw this suggestion on the table:

G&L Tribute Series ASAT Classic Bluesboy (http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/guitars/ASAT_Classic_BBSH/index.asp)

I know that at about $750 new (per MF, a/k/a GC) it's way off your budget's radar, but should they have one on hand used in good shape, it might be in the $400 or less range. Given the predispostion to cop a $200 axe and then toss 100 bucks in mods into it, making it a $300 axe, it wouldn't be that far off. IF they have any at all, consider a test drive.

As you know, I have a USA-made Bluesboy with the Duncan Seth Lover in the neck spot, but the USA-made G&L pups in the Tribby version...same bridge pup as mine, with a G&L alnico mag bucker...are top notch. The 9" fretboard radius of the Tribby, might feel pretty comfortable in young hands, between the vintage Fender Tele 7.5 of my USA BB and the typical 12 of a Strat.

[sunvalleylaw]

Wingsdad, you know that one is on the list. In fact, I just forgot to mention it as a possibility. I was thinking around 400 to 450 was a good range to find something. If he wants to pursue it, I am willing to go up to good quality asian or MIM equivalent ala the Blacktop series type of guitar. That Tribute Bluesboy is a good candidate, and I like that 9.5 radius. I don't think a true tele 7.5 is where he wants to go. I am not sure we can find any in Idaho, but we will have a trip to Washington coming up, and a road trip to get there with him that takes us through california and oregon. So we may find an opportunity to try one. We used to have a store right here in Ketchum (Sun Valley) that carried but USA line and Tribute G&Ls. Unfortunately, it is long gone. Actually, setting up a good testing day on our trip this year would be a good plan.

[kiteman]

This could be a good project for you and your son. :)

http://www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/index.php?model=tlk1

[marnold]

Good call, kiteman. A Carvin kit would be awesome. They're ridiculously inexpensive for what you get too.

[Duffy]

I played that goldish colored, maybe blizzard pearl, Vintage Modified Squier semi hollow telecaster a few times and it was REALLY nice, stock.

I believe the TV Jones pickup has a VERY country sound to it. I played a Gretch LP type one with a bigsby once and was totally surprised at how much I didn't like the way it sounded, because it sounded super country-ish, like in hee-haw. I'm sure a lot of people like that sound, but it was a surprise to me for a guitar that looked like a real rock machine. I wouldn't buy a TV Jones pickup without first playing one.

I like rock and blues and not much country, so I prefer a humbucker that sounds relatively traditional or hot, even active. I have a Blacktop strat and the humbuckers on it are hot enough to be very satisfying to me without thinking about replacing them. I have played the Blacktop tele a few times, a few different ones and they were all built really well with beautiful quarter sawn necks and the great sounding traditional type PAF humbuckers, maybe a little on the hot side but not super screamers. With this guitar you, obviously, get two different humbucker tones, which I like to have: the treble bridge tone and the mellower neck tone.

I have a tele with a full sized covered humbucker in the neck and a traditional tele bridge pickup and it is antique sunburst and has a very high cooeficient of cool, plus it sounds really good and has two completely different sounds. I traded for a really nice G and L ASAT semi hollow tele with maple fretboard - actually a one piece neck/fretboard made of one piece of maple - that sounds great, plays great, and looks great. These might be able to be found at a real good price new at a place that has been sitting on them for a while, or even found used reasonably priced. The G and L is made from a mahogany body with about a half inch thick slab of burled swamp ash for the top, and mine is antique burst. Very beautiful. If it is routed for a humbucker I don't know, but I know that a good guitar tech will have the equipment to rout the top and the pickguard to mount a humbucker and this would not be an unreasonable cost if you have a regular guitar tech and bring in the pickup of your choice and the necessary mounting materials. This goes for any tele you might want to have routed for a humbucker. Around here it would probably cost less than fifty dollars to get it done. This would include having it done right with the necessary electronics work to the circuit to balance out the two quite different pickups.

This is where the Blacktop, to me, is a good design - because it has two of the same type pickups that are well balanced between each other.