Humbucker Telecaster (Sold 11-2011)

After building the black telecaster it didn't take long before I found a nice new telecaster body and matching neck on Marktplaats. Both in real good condition. Not having any specific plans I didn't hesitate buying the set. The body was a nice looking 2-tone sunburst body, and the neck had an 'aged' high gloss laquer. With the neck came six vintage looking tuners of quite good condition.

Overall, real good stuff to start a new project with.

I remembered that I had a nice set of two humbuckers laying around, that I had bought from the UK a few months earlier. Very nice looking humbuckers in a cream color. By now an idea was forming inside my head. A telecaster with two humbuckers. Searching the internet about humbucker wiring I stumbled upon the Seymour Duncan site. The make the guitar more versatile I wanted to make the humbuckers splittable. The Seymour Duncan site contains tons of wiring diagrams and soon I found what I was looking for. This diagram. Switchable humbuckers that both have a split coil, series and parallel option. Three sound options for each pickups. Cool!

For that I needed two on-on-on mini switches that I wanted to use in combination with a 'normal' Fender Telecaster three-way switch. This would give me 3 + 3x3 + 3 = 15 sound options! All this would have to be fitted in the standard (not too big) Telecaster control plate. Therefor I choose to order mini-pots instead of the bigger ones. The two mini-witches had to be places in between the tons and volume pot. I hoped this would turn out to fit. I ordered the mini-switches, a fender three way switch, two mini-pots (500K), an 0.47 capacitor, a Tele bridge fit for a humbucker, an input jack + plate, string-through-body string ferrules, locking strapholders and new screws. At first I had to modify the body to make it fit for humbuckers. For this the old fashioned chisel combined with the Dremel multi-tool came in handy.

I still had a new white pickguard in store which matched perfectly with the body. I decided to use a chrome frame around the humbucker. This would match nicely with the chrome Telecaster bridge.

This was a first impression.

Then all the parts came in:

Wow! Time to finish the rest of the project.

I now had to measure in the exact position for the bridge. This is a very precise job.

I also drilled the holes for the string-through-body system. It's my opinion that this belongs on a Telecaster.

Afters deciding the neck, bridge and pickups positions it was time to start thinking about the electronics.

In the control plate I had to drill two holes to fit the mini swithces.

At first I shielded all the cavities with copper shielding tape.

Then the wiring could begin. The pots and witches just fitted in the control plate so there wasn't very much space to do the soldering.

I combined the standard Telecaster three way switching with the Seymour Duncan wiring diagram for wiring up the humbuckers and mini switches.

It took a steady hand and some time, but than I had it fixed.

After the wiring job, the big moment arrived. Would it work??

I tested it by ticking on the pickups and try all the switches and pots.

Well, that worked.

I couldn't wait to put all the parts together, put stings on the guitar and play.

Would it produce the sounds that I hoped it would?

Well...... it damn well did!

Beautiful single coils sounds, combined with humbucking sounds. Really really cool!

Everything I hoped to achieve.

And well. The finished guitar also looks cool doesn't it?

I am very happy with my new finished project. Time to test it out in the band very soon.

And finally, a small impression of the sound of this Telecaster:

Clean channel of my Laney LC15:

Lead Channel of my Laney LC15: