Upgrading wiring in Mexi Telecaster - will stock plate and knobs fit?
- Thread starter skiltrip
- Start date
shadowfire90
New member
Re: Upgrading wiring in Mexi Telecaster - will stock plate and knobs fit?
if the originals were also CTS pots absolutely. The only time I had to widen holes on a tele was a cheap douglas or similar copy from China.
Some upgrades I'd suggest
1950s capacitor hook up - capacitor values up to you - smoother volume drop, more punch
a 4 way or super 5 way blade selector switch - more sounds
copper shield it if you don't see flat black paint inside the guitar
if you stick with modern wiring (not 50s)
A lot of the guys I know who play teles hate the idea of push pull pots and I'm sure the pots have already been bought but some suggestions
Fender no load tone control - brighter sound, less compression even if you went with say a 0.1uf capacitor like those who want a 1950s sounding tele.
or
Fender TBX tone control. - extra versatility
For capacitors you can do some tone chasing with as well. They alter the resonant peak of your guitar which dictates how bright the pickups can go. This is a great video on it if you've always wondered how pots and capacitors work. Dylan also has a great video on 5 myths about pots. Some people still believe larger pots is a better sound.
at 10
a smaller capacitor will be brighter , less compression - smaller is anything below 47nf (0.047uf) , so 10nf , 22nf and so forth. I use nano farads as it's easier to wrap our minds around
a larger capacitor will be warmer, more compression - the capacitor would have to be 56nf (0.056uf) to 100nf (0.1uf).
as you turn towards 0
a smaller capacitor cuts less frequencies
a larger capacitor cuts more frequencies
if the originals were also CTS pots absolutely. The only time I had to widen holes on a tele was a cheap douglas or similar copy from China.
Some upgrades I'd suggest
1950s capacitor hook up - capacitor values up to you - smoother volume drop, more punch
a 4 way or super 5 way blade selector switch - more sounds
copper shield it if you don't see flat black paint inside the guitar
if you stick with modern wiring (not 50s)
A lot of the guys I know who play teles hate the idea of push pull pots and I'm sure the pots have already been bought but some suggestions
Fender no load tone control - brighter sound, less compression even if you went with say a 0.1uf capacitor like those who want a 1950s sounding tele.
or
Fender TBX tone control. - extra versatility
For capacitors you can do some tone chasing with as well. They alter the resonant peak of your guitar which dictates how bright the pickups can go. This is a great video on it if you've always wondered how pots and capacitors work. Dylan also has a great video on 5 myths about pots. Some people still believe larger pots is a better sound.
at 10
a smaller capacitor will be brighter , less compression - smaller is anything below 47nf (0.047uf) , so 10nf , 22nf and so forth. I use nano farads as it's easier to wrap our minds around
a larger capacitor will be warmer, more compression - the capacitor would have to be 56nf (0.056uf) to 100nf (0.1uf).
as you turn towards 0
a smaller capacitor cuts less frequencies
a larger capacitor cuts more frequencies
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Re: Upgrading wiring in Mexi Telecaster - will stock plate and knobs fit?
It should all fit, but if not a replacement plate is like $7-10. Knobs are solid shaft with a lock screw, so those should fit anything.
It should all fit, but if not a replacement plate is like $7-10. Knobs are solid shaft with a lock screw, so those should fit anything.
ItsaBass
New member
Re: Upgrading wiring in Mexi Telecaster - will stock plate and knobs fit?
Probably, but it might depend on what year Mexican Fender. They used to not be as good as they are now, so older ones might have used cheaper/smaller pots.
Every MIM Fender I have (my earliest is '04) came stock with CTS pots, and the wiring and components were good enough not to need preemptive replacement.
In other words, I would think twice about replacing the entire wiring harness, because unless there is a specific problem, you probably don't need to. Pickups are a matter of preference, but in terms of component quality, you'd need to make a step up beyond CTS pots to make the swaps worthwhile.
Probably, but it might depend on what year Mexican Fender. They used to not be as good as they are now, so older ones might have used cheaper/smaller pots.
Every MIM Fender I have (my earliest is '04) came stock with CTS pots, and the wiring and components were good enough not to need preemptive replacement.
In other words, I would think twice about replacing the entire wiring harness, because unless there is a specific problem, you probably don't need to. Pickups are a matter of preference, but in terms of component quality, you'd need to make a step up beyond CTS pots to make the swaps worthwhile.
Last edited:
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Re: Upgrading wiring in Mexi Telecaster - will stock plate and knobs fit?
Caps don’t have anything to do with compression. The cap value sets the cutoff or corner frequency and that’s all. The setting of the tone pot determines the amount of audio above the corner frequency that is rolled off. It’s slightly misleading to say larger caps cut more frequencies. A larger cap affects a greater range of frequencies and the pot affects how much is cut.
Also it sounds a bit misleading to say caps/resonant peak dictate how bright pickups can go. The design and construction of the pickup dictates how bright it can go. If a pickup can produce energy at 4khz, then it can always produce energy at 4khz regardless of the resonant peak. A passive tone stack in a guitar can only remove frequencies, not add brightness that is not there to start with.
Caps don’t have anything to do with compression. The cap value sets the cutoff or corner frequency and that’s all. The setting of the tone pot determines the amount of audio above the corner frequency that is rolled off. It’s slightly misleading to say larger caps cut more frequencies. A larger cap affects a greater range of frequencies and the pot affects how much is cut.
Also it sounds a bit misleading to say caps/resonant peak dictate how bright pickups can go. The design and construction of the pickup dictates how bright it can go. If a pickup can produce energy at 4khz, then it can always produce energy at 4khz regardless of the resonant peak. A passive tone stack in a guitar can only remove frequencies, not add brightness that is not there to start with.
Re: Upgrading wiring in Mexi Telecaster - will stock plate and knobs fit?
Do it!!! I do this all of the time. You may have to widen the holes, but that’s easy. Buy yourself some pushback wire and orange drop caps for extra mojo. Push pull pots for out of phase just because. You’re already in there, so why not.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Do it!!! I do this all of the time. You may have to widen the holes, but that’s easy. Buy yourself some pushback wire and orange drop caps for extra mojo. Push pull pots for out of phase just because. You’re already in there, so why not.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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