CV Tele ThinLine project

[MAXIFUNK]

I've had 2 bridge pickups go bad on my CV ThinLine Tele. Fender is going to send me a replacement pup once they get the bad pup back.
So, I decided to completely re-do all of the electronics.I have no faith in the current junk at all in this axe now.

I bought a 4-way switch kit that comes with new Pots, Cap, Jack, & wiring.
Today I am going to order from Rose Pickups a Alba bridge pup & Bourbon neck pup.
I can not wait to get my road travel buddy back into working status again.

I'll update everyone once the project is completed.

Maxi

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Wow! I don't think I've ever heard of a pickup "going bad". There aren't any moving parts! Any idea what exactly failed - I'm curious?

[Tig***]

Rose Pickups = nice choice!

Oh, and

[MAXIFUNK]

They just went dead playing just find one second and silent the next second. The symptom was the same both times sound like the pup only have 0.25 volume level.

I Really have no clue as to why. That is why I thought it best to just gut the current electronics and install new stuff.
I love the feel of the axe and the sound was good but It will be great once the rose pups are installed.

[MAXIFUNK]

I love the over-wound Strat pups I installed from Ken @ Rose sheer tone monsters!!!

[Duffy]

Sounds like you might just wind up with an awesome telecaster. It is sometimes amazing what some decent pickups and electronics can do.

I removed the junk MIM standard tele pickups out of my Fender and replaced them with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro's. It transformed a guitar that sounded noisy and deficient in tone, into a really super nice guitar that I think is one of my favorite and best guitars. It is quiet, noise cancels in the middle switch position, and has a very beautiful tone. It sounds super nice thru my new Marshall amp. The stock pickups next to the Seymour Duncans, just sitting there for comparison, looked like the cheap junk that they sounded like - all plastic and cheap looking. The Seymour Duncans had the brass base plate and a deep chrome cover on the neck pickup. The wire was super nice and the appearance put the Fender stock junk to shame. The sound improvement was major.

Good luck with that. I hope it turns out to be a super nice guitar.

[NWBasser]

Wow! I don't think I've ever heard of a pickup "going bad". There aren't any moving parts! Any idea what exactly failed - I'm curious?

Actually they can go bad.

Over time, the wax potting can get brittle, vibrations/shocks can loosen the windings, windings break, etc. Unusual for new pickups though.

[Duffy]

I know what you mean about replacing the pickups and electronics.

I am happy with the wiring in my Classic Vibe Butterscotch tele. It is a great sounding and playing guitar. When I first got it, it put my MIM Fender 2011 tele to shame and made the MIM tele sound really noisy and toneless in comparison. The CV sounded very full and quiet with a great telecaster sound.

I finally decided what I wanted to do with the MIM tele, which I had not been playing because it was so noisy and toneless. It didn't even noise cancel in the middle switch position, which confused me because even my inexpensive Squier Standard tele noise cances in the middle switch position and sound very good.

I had thought about putting noiseless pickups in the MIM because the noise was so irritating to me. I know that some people don't mind the noise and figure it comes with the territory. It was my noisiest guitar and I couldn't seem to ignore it and when I did the tone always sounded sub standard.

My decision was to get a set of Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro's. I had faith that the SD's would sound great and I would wind up with a great sounding guitar on my first try at solving my problem.

I was right. The SD Alnico II Pro's wound up satisfying me with their quietness and great tone. They are very quient, almost silent, and they also noise cancel in the middle switch position for noiseless performance. I can't speak highly enough for these awesome telecaster pickups and I'd recommend them to anyone trying to find quiet pickups that have a really great telecaster tone. I personally think that my MIM sounds like a great telecaster should sound now. It went from hardly being played to being one of my favorite guitars. In my opinion the stock "hot ceramic" pickups were complete junk, and they looked like junk when compared, side by side to the Seymour Duncan ones I put in.

If I had it to do again I would have bought a Baja Telecaster instead of the MIM Standard.

Let us know how your project is turning out. I really like those CV Thinline Telecasters. Sounds like you are going to wind up with an awesome guitar.

[MAXIFUNK]

I finally also did this upgrade to the guitar and BOY am I happy with the results once again Rose Pickups did not disappoint. Fantastic sounding pup's every time I let someone try out this axe they tell me Rose Pickups never heard of them. But Man do these pups sound great. The four way switch is something I think I would add to any Tele at this point in phase out of phase selections are too cool to ignore. Now if only my fingers could make better use of these pup's but all in due time.