Squier telecaster questions

W

Willy25

New member
So it’s my first time owning a Tele ( used) and I noticed that the bridge pickup wasn’t working and I taped on the pickup with the screwdriver That I was using to adjust the height of it. So for some reason it started working, sorry for the stupid question but can the pickup be damage by doing that? I didn’t hit the pole pieces.

Also, it looks like the saddles where the screws won’t turn to fix the intonation. What saddles and tunners do guys recommend? And pickups for a Tele or the ones in there are fine?
 
You can't hurt a pickup doing that, unless you chisel away at it. First, make sure those screws won't turn Make sure you are using the right screwdriver size. Is there something wrong with the tuners, or the pickup? To know what pickup you might need, we'd need to know what you don't like about the current one, and what kind of sound you are after that you can't get now.
 
Mincer said:
You can't hurt a pickup doing that, unless you chisel away at it. First, make sure those screws won't turn Make sure you are using the right screwdriver size. Is there something wrong with the tuners, or the pickup? To know what pickup you might need, we'd need to know what you don't like about the current one, and what kind of sound you are after that you can't get now.
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Thanks for the reply!
I’m using the right screw driver that I use on my strats saddles. The E and A string turn but the rest won’t, the G moves a little but the saddle starts moving to the side and hits the others. Kind off odd.
I wanna play on this guitar from classic country to modern rock country. So I don’t know if these pickups are ok?
 
Willy25 said:
Thanks for the reply!
I’m using the right screw driver that I use on my strats saddles. The E and A string turn but the rest won’t, the G moves a little but the saddle starts moving to the side and hits the others. Kind off odd.
I wanna play on this guitar from classic country to modern rock country. So I don’t know if these pickups are ok?
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Don't know about your Tele, but typically, you don't adjust Strat saddles with a screwdriver. You adjust them with an allen wrench.

Or are you trying to adjust your Tele bridge saddles with an allen wrench?

That won't work either.

If it's a normal Tele, you probably need a tiny screwdriver! :eyecrazy::eyecrazy::eyecrazy:
 
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Willy25 said:
Thanks for the reply!
I’m using the right screw driver that I use on my strats saddles. The E and A string turn but the rest won’t, the G moves a little but the saddle starts moving to the side and hits the others. Kind off odd.
I wanna play on this guitar from classic country to modern rock country. So I don’t know if these pickups are ok?
Click to expand...

They are stock Tele pickups? They should be fine, unless you are after another sound. If you were after a more powerful sound, or a specific Tele sound from a certain era, you'd have some choices to make.
 
I feel like we're talking about adjusting saddles here rather than the pickup.

Can you show us on the doll... ahem... picture where you touched it? Green square, blue square, or red square?

SaZUVSZ.png
 
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Under string tension is not the way to be adjusting them, if that's what is going on. Especially trying to pull the saddle back.
 
Willy25 said:
Red square trying to adjust the intonation.
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Aha! All makes sense now. AlexR is right.

You can move the saddle back a little bit without detuning, but if you need to move it a lot you'll need to detune first then retune after the adjustment.
 
Thanks guys but It didn’t work..on my strat I don’t have a problem with it. I’ll just buy new saddles.

Sorry one more thing, if I play Hard rock or metal on this guitar, the bridge pickup has allot of bass. even lowering the bass knob on any amp, there’s still low end. I tried my strat ( has a humbucker) because I thought the problem was my interface or something but the Strats humbucker sounds tight.
 
just some lubricant on the saddle screws, and may not need to replace, if old enough could just be a touch rusty enough that it feels like it won't turn, but it will, and even if stripped a screw is cheaper than a new saddles, ........ahhh screw it just buy a new guitar! hahaha, kidding.

try a p-rail in bridge......but might not be a stock squire tele bridge if bassy, usually really chimey?
 
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dzdandcunfsd said:
just some lubricant on the saddle screws, and may not need to replace, if old enough could just be a touch rusty enough that it feels like it won't turn, but it will, and even if stripped a screw is cheaper than a new saddles, ........ahhh screw it just buy a new guitar! hahaha, kidding.

try a p-rail in bridge......but might not be a stock squire tele bridge if bassy, usually really chimey?
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Thanks I’ll try some lubricant.

its not bassy in other music genres just with high gain stuff. Wanted to try it because some guys on YouTube like ola Englund tried and it sound pretty good. And it had some twang lol
 
I'm curious...What does the rest of your rig look like (amp, pedals, etc.)? Also, what gauge strings are you using?

Teles are generally voiced to have fairly strong bass and peaky upper-mids, but your Affinity-level pickups probably aren't the best for high gain applications. You might consider upgrading the bridge pickup if you're planning on doing anything that requires an extra dose of clarity and tightness under gain.

As for pickups...

Perhaps take a look at the BareKnuckles Boot Camp "True Grit" for Tele. It's a little hotter than vintage and uses A5 mags instead of ceramic like your stock pickup. If you're in the U.S., there's currently a "warehouse deal" used one for $53 shipped:

https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Knuckle-...8454080&sr=8-1

Another option is to buy a low-cost Fender pickup pulled from a better model. The second one linked below (from a '60s Vintera) has a little more modern character, which you might appreciate:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Play...e/363080720614

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Vint...p/164142970069

And if you want noiseless, the Gen4 Fender Noiseless are probably the best "noiseless" pickups currently available for Tele:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Open-Box-Fe...k/274466038104
 
Masta' C said:
Teles are generally voiced to have fairly strong bass and peaky upper-mids . . .
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That's interesting. I've always thought of Tele's as being very bright and twangy. At least, as it pertains to the bridge. "Bass", is not a term I think of with a Tele. :)
 
Teles ARE bright and twangy, at least traditionally, but they tend to have both more highs and more lows than, say, your classic Strat. That said, they're not typically "bass heavy".

Honestly, I think it's probably a lack of low-end "tightness" that the OP is experiencing when he piles on the gain and poor definition from the entry-level pickups, which use low-cost ceramic magnets to boost output in place of adding costly wire to the coil. There are a lot of reports about the Affinity Tele pickups being either too muddy or too piercing and it looks like he got the former. Of course, he's also comparing the Tele to guitars with humbuckers, so it's important to keep expectations of what can be achieved in terms of "hard rock and metal" in check!

I'm curious (suspicious?) about the rest of the signal chain, as well, especially the amp/speakers he's using.
 
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Masta' C said:
I'm curious...What does the rest of your rig look like (amp, pedals, etc.)? Also, what gauge strings are you using?

Teles are generally voiced to have fairly strong bass and peaky upper-mids, but your Affinity-level pickups probably aren't the best for high gain applications. You might consider upgrading the bridge pickup if you're planning on doing anything that requires an extra dose of clarity and tightness under gain.

As for pickups...

Perhaps take a look at the BareKnuckles Boot Camp "True Grit" for Tele. It's a little hotter than vintage and uses A5 mags instead of ceramic like your stock pickup. If you're in the U.S., there's currently a "warehouse deal" used one for $53 shipped:

https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Knuckle-...8454080&sr=8-1

Another option is to buy a low-cost Fender pickup pulled from a better model. The second one linked below (from a '60s Vintera) has a little more modern character, which you might appreciate:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Play...e/363080720614

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Vint...p/164142970069

And if you want noiseless, the Gen4 Fender Noiseless are probably the best "noiseless" pickups currently available for Tele:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Open-Box-Fe...k/274466038104
Click to expand...

Thanks I’ll look into that..
im just using plugins, my strat doesn’t have that problem.
an example of something that I used today was an Engl amp boosted with an 808 and the cab was a Mesa cab with V30s miced with sm57
 
Masta' C said:
Teles ARE bright and twangy, at least traditionally, but they tend to have both more highs and more lows than, say, your classic Strat. That said, they're not typically "bass heavy".

Honestly, I think it's probably a lack of low-end "tightness" that the OP is experiencing when he piles on the gain and poor definition from the entry-level pickups, which use low-cost ceramic magnets to boost output in place of adding costly wire to the coil. There are a lot of reports about the Affinity Tele pickups being either too muddy or too piercing and it looks like he got the former. Of course, he's also comparing the Tele to guitars with humbuckers, so it's important to keep expectations of what can be achieved in terms of "hard rock and metal" in check!

I'm curious (suspicious?) about the rest of the signal chain, as well, especially the amp/speakers he's using.
Click to expand...

I have an affinity bridge pup I never even tried before I replaced, maybe just a year or so old..... it actually was surprisingly muddy after getting curious and wiring it up just to see, actually glad I did as I had planned on putting it elsewhere, saved me an unpleasant surprise.
 
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