Can a Telecaster be routed for SC and HB?

[PFDarkside]

Assuming a traditional-ish Telecaster layout, meaning pickguard and bridge with pickup mounting plate, can you route for both Telecaster Bridge and Humbucker, and swap back and forth between each bridge style?

Currently my Telecaster body is routed for S/S/H, meaning it can easily be converted to Nashville style with a Strat in the middle or any pickup in the neck as long as it is pickguard mounted. (Body mounting a Tele neck would need some blocks or something to build up the floor).

A lot of the H/H Telecasters end up using a strat style flat mount bridge with a ring for the Humbucker. If you routed for and swapped to a traditional “all in one” bridge that includes a Humbucker sized hole, would the Routing be too large to go back to the traditional Tele bridge?

Just brainstorming and talking here... I had been thinking about going Quarter Pounder or Lil59/SM1-N, but then I started thinking what a full Humbucker in the bridge would be like.

 

[idsnowdog]

Enlarging the telecaster bridge route to fit a humbucker is pretty simple. However, the telecaster style bridge pickup sits diagonally in the route and overlaps the dimensions of the humbucker slightly. So you need a bridge with large enough flanges to cover the holes. Otherwise you will have gaps.

 

[Mincer]

I would think there would be gaps, too. Why do you want to switch from one type to another?

 

[PFDarkside]

This is kind of a hot rod telecaster, so I’m just going through the mental exercises. If I tried a full size HB and I wanted to go back, I want to make sure I can’t the extra HB routing.

Sounds like it’s close or might be an issue. Also, would make sense if that’s why even “universal” style routing on this body only includes the traditional Tele bridge.

(For example on my Strats, every one except the vintage style ones are HSH even if I only have it loaded SSS or HSS. Just options for the future)

 

[idsnowdog]

It can be done but the bridge needs to be large enough to cover the hole. The Telecaster bridge pickup's route projects from the top left and lower right corners of the humucker route. So you need to measure carefully to make sure the bridge plate has its route in the correct place. When I built my Tele I bought a "Johnny 5" style bridge but the pickup placement was too far back. So I had to buy another bridge with the route further forward while still covering the hole from the original pickup.

https://www.tdpri.com/threads/tele-b...routing.88761/

 

[PFDarkside]

Thank you. Makes sense... I’ll have to grab the drawing for the original Fender bridge and a replacement to compare.

 

[idsnowdog]

Thank you. Makes sense... I’ll have to grab the drawing for the original Fender bridge and a replacement to compare.

Bridges vary quite a bit so will need to measure.

 

[NegativeEase]

You can do it, but honestly -I'd still go Lil 59 stacked humbucker that fit's into a SC bridge spot. Its a lot of trouble for something that amounts mostly to aesthetics on the guitar IME

 

[PFDarkside]

Bridges vary quite a bit so will need to measure.

True. And that difference will affect the pickguard cutout too.

You can do it, but honestly -I'd still go Lil 59 stacked humbucker that fit's into a SC bridge spot. Its a lot of trouble for something that amounts mostly to aesthetics on the guitar IME

Not a bad thought. In the Duncan line we’ve got the QP, Hot Rails and Lil59 available for beefier bridge options.

 

[Ace Flibble]

+1 on just using a Tele-sized humbucker. The Tele Hot Rails in particular is the biggest-sounding 'little' humbucker I've heard from either Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio. It's even more like a full-size humbucker than the Strat version is. In fact in general, I find Tele-size humbuckers to be more convincing than Strat-size ones. The Tele HR does better when split or parallel than the Strat version, too, so you don't necessarily have to actually swap pickups out to change between the normal Tele and humbucker tones.

Or you can do what I did: get bored of flicking switches, get bored of changing pickups, get bored of routing bodies, and just install Hot Stacks in every Tele. They do a good job of producing a Tele tone when played clean, with just enough extra mids and smoothness that they sound like a bright humbucker under gain.

But yes, you can get standard Tele bridges that do just cover a humbucker routing, but I can't recall the brands off the top of my head and it's been a good decade or so since I last installed one. Lots of people want to swap their standard Tele to a full humbucker; very few people want to switch over the other way around. I did it a couple of times on my own guitars (that are all now back to full humbucker bridges). Those bridges do exist, but like I said, it's been too long to recall; search hard and they're out there, somewhere.

 

[dystrust]

Not a bad thought. In the Duncan line we’ve got the QP, Hot Rails and Lil59 available for beefier bridge options.

Don't forget the Hot Stack for Tele. I have one in my Tele along with a SM-1 in the neck, and I just ordered a new guard with a Classic Stack Plus in the middle.

 

[Securb]

If you want a Tele humbucker bridge I have one in black with modern saddles you can have. I ended up using a Tele sized DiMarzio Super Distortion in one guitar and Hot Rail in another Tele. Both sound amazing.

 

[Mincer]

Don't forget, you can also use a Pickup Booster pedal with a regular Tele pickup, and not have to worry about swapping the pickup at all.

 

[PFDarkside]

If you want a Tele humbucker bridge I have one in black with modern saddles you can have. I ended up using a Tele sized DiMarzio Super Distortion in one guitar and Hot Rail in another Tele. Both sound amazing.

Thank you for the generosity. This guitar I’m thinking of is orange/chrome right now. If I kick off the dark/metal Tele I would love to take you up.

Don't forget, you can also use a Pickup Booster pedal with a regular Tele pickup, and not have to worry about swapping the pickup at all.

That’s true, but making changes is fun.

 

[Artie]

Assuming a traditional-ish Telecaster layout, meaning pickguard and bridge with pickup mounting plate, can you route for both Telecaster Bridge and Humbucker, and swap back and forth between each bridge style?

This is exactly what I did with my Peavey Tele. It came from the factory routed for a humbucker. I made a custom brass plate to go underneath for the Tele bridge single. I'll try to locate it tomorrow and post a couple pics.

 

[NegativeEase]

Don't forget, you can also use a Pickup Booster pedal with a regular Tele pickup, and not have to worry about swapping the pickup at all.

Please tell me more about your experience with a pickup booster making the output of a single coil sound humbuckerish with the impedance, compression, gain etc .

I've never used any preamp device that I didn't build or came with an active set.

Can you get to full humbucker interaction land with a pickup booster pedal? -or just the tone?

 

[Mincer]

If you are talking about hitting the amp harder and allowing the compression to happen...yes. Also, it will lower the resonant frequency of the pickup sounding more like a humbucker than just a loud, bright single coil. It really works well.