Upgrades to a '62 Tele Custom

[sympomaniac]

So I'll probably be getting a Jap '62 reissue Telecaster Custom tomorrow - I was gonna get the Highway 1 Texas Tele, but this came into the shop by mistake and begged me to buy it!!

I'm gonna get a pair of 1/4 Pounders to go in it, and was wondering about a coupla things:

1) How easy is it to make the pair of QPs hum-cancelling in the middle position? am i right in thinking they need to be RWRP? If so, are they already like this, or can i make them lile this?

2) If i go for a tapped pair, I should be able to use a coupla push/pulls to give each pup individual control over full/tapped output shouldn't i...? Is this as easy as it sounds?

Cheers for any help guys, and if anyone has any advice on hardware/electronics upgrades on these recent Japanese reissues, I'd love to hear them.

Chris

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Upgrades to a '62 Tele Custom

I just put new pickups in my MIJ '62 RI Tele Custom. I went with a Jerry Donahue bridge pickup and a Strat neck pickup: Antiquity Surfer.

This guitar sounds absolutely killer! Maybe better than my real '54 and CS '53 Tele.

Ah heck, I'll just say it: it DOES sound better than my '54 Tele and '53 Custom Shop Tele.

If your guitar is routed for a Strat or humbucker pickup under the pickguard (and many are) go for a Surfer neck and either the Jerry Donahue bridge or a Tapped Tele Hot.

You'll be very pleased with the results.

Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Upgrades to a '62 Tele Custom

1) How easy is it to make the pair of QPs hum-cancelling in the middle position? am i right in thinking they need to be RWRP? If so, are they already like this, or can i make them lile this?

The neck will be RW/RP. Should be fine.

2) If i go for a tapped pair, I should be able to use a coupla push/pulls to give each pup individual control over full/tapped output shouldn't i...? Is this as easy as it sounds?

Easy. The cool way to do it is to go for a Tapped bridge pickup but a standard neck pickup. Then replace your 3 way switch with a 5 way switch. You'll get:

1. Bridge Pickup (tapped)
2. Bridge Pickup (tapped) and neck pickup
3. Neck Pickup
4. Bridge Pickup (full) and neck pickup
5. Bridge Pickup (full)

That's how I'd do it.

If you want to go for a tapped neck pickup you'd want to replace your tone pot with a 250K tone pot with a DP/DT push/pull switch. Run your neck pickup outputs to the DP/DT switch and the output of the switch to the terminal on the 5 way switch for the neck pickup.

Then you'd have a Tele with 8 available tones.

:dance: or :smack: ??? Probably: :dance: :laugh2:

Lew