After upgrading the p'ups in my Strat to Tex-Mex's and the successful completion of my Tele build project, I'm itchin' to mod something else. Next to go under the knife is going to be my "Modified" Vintage Modified (a little history HERE)
Currently sports a GFS Lil puncher Modern Vintage p'up in the bridge and a GFS Dream 90 in the neck. I really like the Dream 90, but I find I don't use it that much live. I've been GASing for a Nashville Tele for a while so...
Middle and neck p'up from my MIM Strat (see above) and add black covers - may need to route body for the middle p'up
New black/white/black pickguard - Nashville configuration
Fender "Delta" no-load 250K Tone pot - takes the tone pot and cap out of the circuit on "10"
50's Vintage wiring mod (connect the tone to the output of the volume pot instead of the input)
5-way switch (bridge/bridge North coil and middle parallel/middle/middle and neck/neck)
Black Strat volume and tone knobs (just to be different)
NASHVILLE BLACKOUT - should be a tone monster! Once all the parts get here I'll break down the Tele and start with the pics. Stay tuned.
Electrics: Hagstrom Ultra Swede (Gold Eagle Burst) Gretsch 5120 Electromatic (Orange) Custom Nashville Blackout Telecaster (Black, Stat mid/neck p'ups; Lil Puncher (Modern Vintage) bridge p'up; Wilkinson Compensated Bridge w/ 3 brass saddles, Warmoth Vintage Modern Birdseye Maple Neck) Fender MIM Stratocaster (Blue Agave, Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Tex-Mex p'ups; GFS Trem/Block Kit) Highland Spitfire (semi-hollow, flame maple top w/ bubinga inlay)Acoustics:Washburn D10CEQSB, Yamaha FG160E
Bass: Westone Spectrum ST, Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic Active
Amps: Vox NT15H/V112NT Night Train, Peavey Bandit 112, Hartke HyDrive 210C Bass Amp, Vox DA5
Stripped down and masked off. Ready for surgery.
Just a little off the top...
Tools of the trade...
A little bit lighter now...
Getting all wired up...
Electrics: Hagstrom Ultra Swede (Gold Eagle Burst) Gretsch 5120 Electromatic (Orange) Custom Nashville Blackout Telecaster (Black, Stat mid/neck p'ups; Lil Puncher (Modern Vintage) bridge p'up; Wilkinson Compensated Bridge w/ 3 brass saddles, Warmoth Vintage Modern Birdseye Maple Neck) Fender MIM Stratocaster (Blue Agave, Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Tex-Mex p'ups; GFS Trem/Block Kit) Highland Spitfire (semi-hollow, flame maple top w/ bubinga inlay)Acoustics:Washburn D10CEQSB, Yamaha FG160E
Bass: Westone Spectrum ST, Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic Active
Amps: Vox NT15H/V112NT Night Train, Peavey Bandit 112, Hartke HyDrive 210C Bass Amp, Vox DA5
Introducing the "Nashville Blackout" Tele
One tiny issue with how I have it wired up... the number 2 position doesn't split the bridge humbucker coil (for bridge/middle in parallel) I have to do some more digging to find a wiring diagram. I was going to use the Fender HSS diagram, but I have to use a PCB style switch (with the solder terminals in a row) as a Strat style blade switch will not fit in the control cavity.
Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the tonal options available. A fun way to spend an afternoon
Electrics: Hagstrom Ultra Swede (Gold Eagle Burst) Gretsch 5120 Electromatic (Orange) Custom Nashville Blackout Telecaster (Black, Stat mid/neck p'ups; Lil Puncher (Modern Vintage) bridge p'up; Wilkinson Compensated Bridge w/ 3 brass saddles, Warmoth Vintage Modern Birdseye Maple Neck) Fender MIM Stratocaster (Blue Agave, Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Tex-Mex p'ups; GFS Trem/Block Kit) Highland Spitfire (semi-hollow, flame maple top w/ bubinga inlay)Acoustics:Washburn D10CEQSB, Yamaha FG160E
Bass: Westone Spectrum ST, Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic Active
Amps: Vox NT15H/V112NT Night Train, Peavey Bandit 112, Hartke HyDrive 210C Bass Amp, Vox DA5
Cool! Looks like it rocks! I like the swapped plate and knobs too.
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson
That's a bad-*ss Tele! Looks great, I do love the playing cards too
Great work!
That's freakin' sweet! I love it.
-Sean
Guitars: Lots.
Amphs: More than last year.
Pedals: Many, although I go straight from guitar to amp more often lately.
Cool! I don't think I'd have the guts to do that routing. Now you just need to play this with it:
Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
"I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn
Or this one. A couple beautiful parts.
Or this one. Watch Prince on his tele at the end. Nice tele too.
Looks awesome! Great work.
Got the switching pretty much figured out. Still wasn't able to figure out how to split the coil in the No. 2 position (and I wired it every way from Sunday)... BUT I did figure something else out. In my search I discovered that many (most? all?) GFS humbuckers use Seymour Duncan wiring. A wiring diagram on the SD site for an HSS config mentioned that the "green" and "black" wires should be reversed if using it with Fender pickups. I reversed the wiring and PRESTO! the No. 2 position quacks like a duck! Sweet, sweet tones, lots of options. Bright and punchy without being ice-pick piercing, quacky in 2 and 4 and lots and lots of twang when you need it.
Still my No. 1. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this mod. Oh yeah, I also added a "Custom" neck plate from Greasy Groove. I figured it was only appropriate as the only original thing left is the body (and even that has been routed out for the middle p'up).
I'll try to get some better pics up... and maybe even some sound clips.
Electrics: Hagstrom Ultra Swede (Gold Eagle Burst) Gretsch 5120 Electromatic (Orange) Custom Nashville Blackout Telecaster (Black, Stat mid/neck p'ups; Lil Puncher (Modern Vintage) bridge p'up; Wilkinson Compensated Bridge w/ 3 brass saddles, Warmoth Vintage Modern Birdseye Maple Neck) Fender MIM Stratocaster (Blue Agave, Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Tex-Mex p'ups; GFS Trem/Block Kit) Highland Spitfire (semi-hollow, flame maple top w/ bubinga inlay)Acoustics:Washburn D10CEQSB, Yamaha FG160E
Bass: Westone Spectrum ST, Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic Active
Amps: Vox NT15H/V112NT Night Train, Peavey Bandit 112, Hartke HyDrive 210C Bass Amp, Vox DA5