Mod-ing My Vintage Modified

[t_ross33]

Can't leave well enough alone, so I finally placed my order with Guitar Fetish.

I am anxiously awaiting the following:

Wilkinson Compensated Bridge w/ 3 brass saddles

Lil' Puncher XL (Modern Vintage 10K) Bridge p'up

Dream 90 (8.2K) Neck p'up

And a push-pull pot which I am going to use to split the bridge p'up for single/bucker.

I find the Duncan Designed neck humbucker a little dark for my taste, and I've wanted to try a P90 for quite awhile. I much prefer the neck humbucker on my Washburn HB-30 for a smooth jazzy tone. A P90 should work good for chimey rhythm and still have a bit of growl.

The rail p'up should really crank in full 'bucker mode (I really like a bridge humbucker :dude and give a little push for leads, and still have the option for Tele spank in single coil/split mode.

I want to upgrade the bridge and saddles to smooth out the tone a bit.

So, for the price of one "brand name" pickup, I'm going to try my first mod. Wish me luck :rotflmao: Oh, and if anyone (**ahem** DVM) has any tips or even a wiring diagram, that would be wonderful :AOK:

Trev

 

[ted s]

Very cool Trev, looking forward to hearing about the finish.
Guitar Fetish is great stuff for a great price eh ?

 

[Robert]

Good luck! Hope it makes a screaming guitar.

 

[Algonquin]

Cool looking Bridge Trev.

Have fun with the mods. :AOK:

 

[Kodiak3D]

Can't go wrong with Guitarfetish.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I will be waiting to see the results. Sounds fun!

 

[markb]

If you want top P90 sounds from GFS I'd go for the Mean 90. The Dream 90 is an overwound strat-like single coil in a humbucker case while the Mean 90 has a more accurately sized coil under all that metal. I really like their range of pickups, they offer a lot of options at a good price.

 

[t_ross33]

If you want top P90 sounds from GFS I'd go for the Mean 90. The Dream 90 is an overwound strat-like single coil in a humbucker case while the Mean 90 has a more accurately sized coil under all that metal. I really like their range of pickups, they offer a lot of options at a good price.

I thought long and hard about what I was going for and I think the Dream 90 offers a good balance of what I'm looking for, especially for the country/country-rock/rock-country stuff that we do (I switch to my Washburn HB-30 or my bass player's early 80's Gibson LP Deluxe - with the mini-buckers, for the "Rock and/or Roll" sets) . Don't want to take my Tele too far over the edge Something with a little more oomph than a single coil, and not as dark as a neck 'bucker. I like a Strat neck p'up sound for some things, so I should be able to dial back the volume a bit and get in the ballpark.

That was my thinking, anyway. I may be wrong, but for $29.95 it's easy enough to change out if I want to go back to a full-on PAF humbucker or a Mean 90, or a TV Jones Filtertron.

I'll be sure to post pics of my adventures. Haven't wired up a guitar before, so this should be interesting. oke:

 

[Spudman]

Boy I'm really interested in the results too. Both of those pickups I've been interested in as well. I hope it turns out just the way you expect.

 

[markb]

Sorry if my dashed off contribution sounded like a criticism of your choice. I only meant to highlight the differences between the two pickups. I was going to drop a mini-bucker into my tele' but have decided I don't want to lose that fruity SC neck tone and now, like you I have a guitar with humbuckers for the grubbier stuff. Good luck with the wiring :AOK: .

 

[t_ross33]

Sorry if my dashed off contribution sounded like a criticism of your choice. I only meant to highlight the differences between the two pickups. I was going to drop a mini-bucker into my tele' but have decided I don't want to lose that fruity SC neck tone and now, like you I have a guitar with humbuckers for the grubbier stuff. Good luck with the wiring :AOK:

No worries. Just wanted to clarify my reasoning for choosing the Dream 90. I must say, I've never heard of a SC neck tone being "fruity" before, not that there's anything wrong with that :rotflmao:

I like a neck humbucker, but find that the Duncan Designed p'up lacks some of the clarity/definition that I want.

I'll keep you posted :AOK:

 

[just strum]

No worries. Just wanted to clarify my reasoning for choosing the Dream 90. I must say, I've never heard of a SC neck tone being "fruity" before, not that there's anything wrong with that :rotflmao:

I like a neck humbucker, but find that the Duncan Designed p'up lacks some of the clarity/definition that I want.

I'll keep you posted :AOK:

Hey, if it ends up you don't like it, we'll just wait to see the "Mod-ing My Vintage Modified, Modified" thread.:rotflmao:

 

[duhvoodooman]

Looks like a good plan, Trev. Should punch up the guitar some while maintaining its fundamental Tele-tude. We will, of course, require PICS & CLIPS!! oke:

 

[LagrangeCalvert]

Our drummers brother has a full set of lil' killers for the strat....if they sound anything like them your in business. The P90 is a great choice for a neck PU IMHO; Beefyness of a bucker and clarity of a Single coil.....mmmmmmmm great choices!

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Looks like a good plan, Trev. Should punch up the guitar some while maintaining its fundamental Tele-tude. We will, of course, require PICS & CLIPS!! oke:

Tele-tude, Hm, I like that! I think an economical modded tele has to be on the get someday list.

 

[Iago]

PLease a review and pictures after it`s done!

 

[t_ross33]

I Did It!!

My first mod project is complete (almost! - I forgot to ground one terminal on the volume pot so it goes from 100 to 50%, but not "off" *sigh* what a noob!).

I had to do some detective work to mash together the wiring diagram I received from GFS and one I got off seymourduncan.com but all in all it went together pretty easy! My soldering and wiring ain't purtty, but I thought I managed pretty well.

I was going to photo-document the project, but my wife left our digital camera at her work, and I just couldn't wait to get started

It's late, and I've only plugged in at "everyone-in-the-house is-sleeping-except-me" levels, but here are my first impressions:

:drool::beavisnbutthead::bootyshake:

The Dream 90 is absolutely creamy, it should be renamed the Cream 90, but then again, maybe not . I wasn't able to get any grind from it at the volume I'm restricted to at the moment, but I can feel it under the hood! Very musical, rich without being muddy and surprisingly quiet hum-wise. The Lil Puncher packs a pretty good one yet isn't so hot that I lose the Teletude. Splitting the coil works to get me back into classic Tele territory, though there is an expected drop in output level.

The two play very, very nice together and the middle switch position has none of the "honkyness" that the stock p'ups had when in tandem. I would certainly have no problem recommending this combination of p'ups.

The Wilkinson compensated bridge swapped in perfectly and I think the brass saddles have had an impact. Unplugged it had a sweet singing sustain without the "plunkyness" the stock bridge gave it.

I can't wait to open the gate and let the horses run! :rockon: I still have to do a bit of a setup, intonate and fine-tune the saddles. After that, I'd put this Modified Vintage Modified SQUIER Tele up against almost any "real" Tele.

Going to try to get some sleep now. I feel just like a kid on Christmas Eve. Maybe I feel a *cough* *cough* cold coming on

Pics and clips will follow shortly, I promise. She looks as sweet as she sounds.

Later, Boys and Girls!

Trev

 

[duhvoodooman]

Going to try to get some sleep now. I feel just like a kid on Christmas Eve. Maybe I feel a *cough* *cough* cold coming on

Way to go, Trev. Now you understand why modding can be so addictive! I find it to be a combination of enjoyment of the work itself and the satisfaction derived from a successful outcome. Your first project, but not your last, I'll wager! :dude: :AOK:

 

[mrmudcat]

Exactly what Vood said .great job ...and on to the next project!!!

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Cool Trev! Sounds like a great project! Clips please, and at least "as built" pics too.

 

[Bloozcat]

Sounds pretty cool Trev!

Now, repeat after me...

I'm not addicted to modding. I can stop any time I want to.

I'm not addicted to modding. I can stop any time I want to.

I'm not addicted to modding. I can stop....

 

[Algonquin]

Trev you bugger... you went to work didn't you:reallymad:

That's cool... we can wait for updates

Cheers :beer:

 

[Kazz]

Trev...I am sure you know by now...that it is very helpful to practice your soldering skills on scrap wires before getting started....cold solder joints can wreak havoc on a project.

That being said....my S101 Tele is looking better and better for such a project....I also have my eyes on a Washburn WI36 which is a Tele style guitar.

 

[t_ross33]

Pictures, pictures, pictures

Here she is in all her upgraded glory :AOK:

And one with her sister...

 

[markb]

That's a really cool looking tele, Trev. How does it sound?

 

[t_ross33]

That's a really cool looking tele, Trev. How does it sound?

Thanks Mark, I'm quite taken with her
These upgrades have really made this Tele come alive! :dude: The Dream 90 is pretty much what you stated earlier, kind of an overwound Strat tone, but it has it's own qualities. Rich and creamy without being muddy. Nice harmonic overtones and the ability to growl when pushed. The Lil Puncher has a nice snappy Tele tone with just a hint of grind. The bridge/saddle combination has made a difference as well. This guitar is BRIGHT now! Not thin, but it really cuts through. The extra density of the brass saddles and a better quality bridge plate add tons of sustain and a bright, musical quality that wasn't there before. The volume and tone controls definately play a bigger part in shaping the tone now.

It has messed with all the patches I have programmed into my GNX3K :thwap: but a small price to pay. :AOK: I'll have to spend some time tweaking them. Many of the amp models I didn't care for before have suddenly perked up, so I have some homework to do...

I'll try to get some clips recorded for y'all.

Trev

 

[t_ross33]

Clips

These are really rough, but the best I can do in the time available :whatever:

Here's the Dream 90 neck p'up through a 59 Bassman model and into my laptop using "Reaper".

http://www.box.net/shared/m7u8vnxus4

Here's the Lil Puncher bridge, full bucker mode through a 65 Twin model

http://www.box.net/shared/iy71grbqc0

Please excuse the sloppy playing, I've been drinking a 7-11 Slurpee and my fingers is cold :thwap:

Trev

 

[just strum]

Please excuse the sloppy playing, I've been drinking a 7-11 Slurpee and my fingers is cold :thwap:

Trev

We had a guy here last night with a different excuse.

Very nice looking tele and strat. I have to go listen to the clips, but I wanted to comment on the looks.

 

[bigoldron]

The Tele and Strat are both nice! That Tele really looks awesome and, yes, she does have a nice, nasty little growl there. Don't sweat the clips. I'm just glad to know I'm not the only one who screws up - especially when trying to record something.

 

[t_ross33]

Who screwed up? I MEANT to play like that

Yeah, I don't know what it is. My playing is usually much more fluid, maybe it's all in my head - i dunno. But as soon as I press the "Record" button, it seems something switches in my head too and I get all fumble-fingered.

At any rate, just wanted to put some noise out there so you good folks can get a taste of the new p'ups and imagine what it would sound like in the hands of a master like Robert or Spuds :master::rotflmao:

Trev