Another idea for my Charvel

[marnold]

I was thinking about my "ultimate guitar" idea in the other thread. The problem is to get the guitar I really want, I'd have to spend more than I can afford. So my thoughts drifted back to my Charvel Model 7 that's been suffering from lack of use in the corner of my office since I got my '51. My original plan was (in order):
1) Give it a lobotomy and install Fender Texas Tele pickups and a four-way switch. This was before those pickups doubled in price.
2) Repaint it to get rid of the blue finish that was crappily painted over the original hot pink.
3) Replace the neck with a Warmoth, Carvin, or a Jackson replacement from Roman guitars.

I've been doing some more research on the subject, including talking to a cool older guy at a local guitar shoppe (who am I kidding about old--I turned 39 today). After talking with him, I've thought of the following:
1) Give it a lobotomy and install DiMarzio Virtual (Hot) T pickups or GFS "Modern Vintage" Lil Punchers. I'm looking for a slightly hotter, more bluesy pickup than standard. The guy at the shop suggested wiring either a push-pull pot or a four-way switch that would allow for a Jerry Donahue (of the Hellacasters) setting that he has on his Teles. Basically it gives a Strat-like middle position tone.
I've never heard the GFS pickups, although the clips for the "Cool Vintage" version sound like a less-hot version of what I'm looking for. I've heard Robert's clips of the Virtual Ts. I like the bridge and middle sounds, but I think I'd like a bit more from the neck. Hard to tell through my computer speakers.
2) I hate the position of the volume pot (right below the bridge pickup). I'd consider either moving it or just yanking it and make the tone pot a volume pot. Honestly, I've never really messed with the tone controls on any guitar or bass I've owned.
3) Repaint it black to give it the blackout look I mentioned in my "ultimate guitar" thread. That would also be an easy paint job. I'd try to restore the binding to its original color too.
4) Replace the neck with a Warmoth, Carvin, or a Jackson replacement from Roman guitars.

There are some questions:
Q: Why tear apart a guitar that is relatively rare?
A: Considering the treatment its original owner gave it, it has very little value in its original form. The neck, which is prized by some, has a slight twist in it, making it impossible to intonate perfectly around the third fret or to remove all fret buzz.

Q: For the amount you would be sticking into it, you could get a decent Tele or Strat (like a Tribute by G&L) new. Why bother?
A: Well, I have kind of an emotional attachment to it--sort of a love/hate relationship. It _is_ my first guitar, after all. Once these mods are made, it will be a totally unique and pretty cool guitar. Probably too cool for me. By doing this, maybe I could justify the original purchase. :) I've looked at a bunch of new guitars with the features I would want. Some of them have many of the features I want. None of them have all of them--at least none in my price range, so some mods would still need to be made. The most expensive bit by far is the neck. We're looking at at least $200 for that.

Q: Won't your wife shoot you directly in the head for even considering this?
A: Well, if I told her that I wanted to stick several hundred dollars into that guitar right now, yeah, she probably would. But I've been talking about doing something with it for a long time. By going this route I can do bits and pieces of the work without a huge chunk of change being spent.

The guitar in question is the one on the right:

[Plank_Spanker]

Sounds like a great project! The pros as I see them:

You will have a great time doing the mods.

You'll know every square centimeter of that guitar by the time you're done.

You'll learn a lot about the mods, pickups, etc

The guitar will be exactly what you want it to be.

You have a great resource of knowledge to fall back on here.

Did I mention that you'll have fun? :D

Go for it.....................and post some in-progress pics here.

We'll have fun just looking at your work! :D

[duhvoodooman]

Hey, Marnold! Truly a memorable exercise in talking oneself into something. Impressive rationalizations skills ya got there, bud! ;) :D

[r_a_smith3530]

First off, I second what duhvoodooman had to say.

Now, that out of the way, check out Muy Grande's from Rio Grande Pickups. This may be exactly what you're looking for.

Rio Grande Pickups (http://www.riograndepickups.com/index.html)

Next, are you sure the neck is twisted, and that it isn't soemthing like a high fret or two? If it is the neck, before you start kickin' in huge wads of cash, take measurements of the pocket to make sure that it has the same dimensions as a Fender neck pocket. Some manufacturers built to different dimensions to stay clear of any possibilities of lawsuits. It would suck if you dumped a lot of money into the body and then found out that a Fender replacement neck wouldn't fit! Do your homework.

Not sure if you can do this, but when my friend builds a tele, he mounts the control plate backwards. This allows him quick access to the tone control, which he uses like a poor man's tremolo! It is a great no-cost mod.

Having spent the money at one time to have a Harmony Sovereign acoustic completely re-braced, I can totally understand where you're coming from. Good luck!

[marnold]

First off, I second what duhvoodooman had to say.

Now, that out of the way, check out Muy Grande's from Rio Grande Pickups. This may be exactly what you're looking for.

Rio Grande Pickups (http://www.riograndepickups.com/index.html)
I've heard a lot of people say good things about the Muy Grande's. I suggested them to the guy at the guitar shoppe too. Those would be more expensive, although not astronomically so. I was leaning towards the other two because they are hum-canceling.


Next, are you sure the neck is twisted, and that it isn't soemthing like a high fret or two? If it is the neck, before you start kickin' in huge wads of cash, take measurements of the pocket to make sure that it has the same dimensions as a Fender neck pocket. Some manufacturers built to different dimensions to stay clear of any possibilities of lawsuits. It would suck if you dumped a lot of money into the body and then found out that a Fender replacement neck wouldn't fit! Do your homework.
I've taken it to a luthier and that was the official diagnosis. It is very slight, but significant enough. Due to the cost involved, that will be the last change made and only will be done if necessary. Even if it isn't twisted, I might still look into a replacement. Many love that neck--I think it's just OK. If I could sell it and make a little back off it, that'd work. I definitely want to keep the reverse-swept pointy headstock. I think that's just a wonderful contradiction on a Tele body. Ideally, I'd like a bird's eye maple board.

Good call on the neck measurements. The Charvel model series necks are slightly bigger at the heel than Fenders: 2 1/4" vs. 2 3/16". People have put Fender or Warmoth necks on directly. I could put a bit of thick paper or something in the gap to fill it in if I felt the need.


Not sure if you can do this, but when my friend builds a tele, he mounts the control plate backwards. This allows him quick access to the tone control, which he uses like a poor man's tremolo! It is a great no-cost mod.
It doesn't have a traditional Fender-style control plate. However, it wouldn't be hard to flip the pots. Something to think about.

As an aside, I just found out that the bridge pickup isn't a hot rails. It's an OBL. I'm not really that familiar with them.

If you want to get a closeup of the loverly wiring job the previous owner did, check this image on my Box.net account:
http://www.box.net/public/eihfxghqai

[r_a_smith3530]

I've heard a lot of people say good things about the Muy Grande's. I suggested them to the guy at the guitar shoppe too. Those would be more expensive, although not astronomically so. I was leaning towards the other two because they are hum-canceling.

If you properly shield and ground everything, you should be able to keep hum to a minimum. Don't forget to ground the bridge. On a tele style guitar, you should be able to pass the wire through the tunnel for the lead pickup wires.



I've taken it to a luthier and that was the official diagnosis. It is very slight, but significant enough. Due to the cost involved, that will be the last change made and only will be done if necessary. Even if it isn't twisted, I might still look into a replacement. Many love that neck--I think it's just OK. If I could sell it and make a little back off it, that'd work. I definitely want to keep the reverse-swept pointy headstock. I think that's just a wonderful contradiction on a Tele body. Ideally, I'd like a bird's eye maple board.

Good call on the neck measurements. The Charvel model series necks are slightly bigger at the heel than Fenders: 2 1/4" vs. 2 3/16". People have put Fender or Warmoth necks on directly. I could put a bit of thick paper or something in the gap to fill it in if I felt the need.

Keep in mind that a tight neck pocket contributes greatly to sustain, as it is passing string vibration along the entire instrument. If you do go this route, using a narrower aftermarket neck, I would take the time to make "splints" out of either hard Maple or Ash, that would press fit into the spaces. It won't act the same as actually having the neck wood touching the body wood due to differences in grain structure and hardness, but it would be better than a blank, or your thought of paper. Whatever you do, do not fill the space with plywood or pine. The softness of those woods will kill tone.



It doesn't have a traditional Fender-style control plate. However, it wouldn't be hard to flip the pots. Something to think about.

As an aside, I just found out that the bridge pickup isn't a hot rails. It's an OBL. I'm not really that familiar with them.

If you want to get a closeup of the loverly wiring job the previous owner did, check this image on my Box.net account:
http://www.box.net/public/eihfxghqai

Yeah, with the look of that wiring job, flipping the pots is probably a very good idea. While you've got everything apart, paint the cavity with shielding paint. It is available from places like Stew-Mac and Guitar Reranch. It's not cheap, but what it does for your overall sound is worth the price. I've never heard of OBL pickups, so I can't offer you much advice there.

On my Reactor, I routed the original tele rhythm pickup cavity to accept a standard humbucker, then filled the cavity with an original late '50s Gibson PAF I came across. For the bridge, I chose a Duncan tapped Hot Lead, and then connected them using a 5-way switch. This allowed me get either the PAF, vintage or hot lead by themselves, plus combos of the two lead sounds mixed with the PAF. Very tasty!

[warren0728]

i think it is cool how you fretters mod and build your own guitars! very impressive....might have to try it myself someday....since i have sooo much extra time on my hands! :D

ww

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, me too. Well Warren, maybe we can get the Cub Scouts building and modding guitars too, when they are working on clone pedals. :-)

[warren0728]

Yeah, me too. Well Warren, maybe we can get the Cub Scouts building and modding guitars too, when they are working on clone pedals. :-)
sounds like a brilliant plan to me!! :D

ww

[marnold]

I found a site that had Rio Grande pickups for much cheaper than I originally found them--about $128 for the set plus shipping. That puts them in the running. I think I'm going to go with a four-way switch for bridge-parallel-series-neck switching and a push-pull for the Donahue mod. Anybody actually have a set up Muy Grande Teles who would be willing to post some clips?

[marnold]

OK, I was just thinking outside the box. As a matter of fact, I might not be able to locate the box right now. Tell me if this makes sense or if I'm totally out of my tiny little mind.

My thought was basically to turn my Charvel into a Nashville Tele. I'd have to have someone with some experience in this field route out a place for a middle pickup. Then I'd put in a five-way switch and do standard Strat switching.

If I really wanted to go crazy, I could put one of those Gotoh Tele humbucker bridges on there and have the bridge pickup be a genuine full-size 'bucker. I could put Texas Special or similar single-coils at the neck and middle. That way I could get Stevie-esque tones from the middle and neck and slam it to the bridge for more rock/metal tones. I could even put in a push-pull pot to tap the bridge humbucker a la my '51.

What thinks the collective? The key would be to find someone who can do the routing well without charging me an arm and a leg. If the route wouldn't be horribly presentable, I could slap a Nashville Tele pickguard on there.

[Big K]

my suggestion would be to find a buddy with a router and rout it yourself and install the pickguard... I put a Warmoth pick guard in my last tele (kind of a blue shell style that looked like abalone) they will cut the guard for any combination of pickups that you desire and have quite an assortment of colors available to make the finished product pop...