@@ScottPoleyMusicAnd shielding makes far more difference that tuners. I have never wittnessed tuning instability bc of tuners. It is virtually always the cheap plastic nut.
Excellent video! Straightforward. Appreciated the slow zoom ins in the video, the clear pictures showing the products and putting the price. Keep making great videos!!!
I first started soldering electronics and tiny motors and such when I was 10 years old. It's simple to do (clearly as a 10 year old can do it). But if there's any piece of advice about soldering is: PREP PREP PREP. As long as you prep the working area well, you can't fail. Cover anything. Keep everything you need in comfortable arms length. Take your time.
Seems like you need a "how to solder" video, mate. It's neither rocket science nor heart surgery. It's heating up shit to make it liquid-y and when it gets cool again it solidifies and attaches shit to other shit.
I have one in my other Tele Martin, it’s a good mod. I have to admit, I don’t use that extra position on anything 🤣 maybe it’s just the combination of the pickups in that guitar. It is a very good mod though.
I have one in my other Tele Martin, it’s a good mod. I have to admit, I don’t use that extra position on anything 🤣 maybe it’s just the combination of the pickups in that guitar. It is a very good mod though.
I'm glad I came across this! Thank you for making it! I have a very inexpensive Harley Benton TE-20 and I absolutely love it. I've already modded it with Hipshot locking tuners, a new string tree, Tusq XL nut, and compensated brass saddles from Gotoh. It's made a world of difference. HOWEVER...it is only a top-loader! Yes. It's so cheap that the bridges are top loaders. It doesn't sound bad at all. But for the sake of authenticity and sustain, I'm having our local luthier drill (carefully, carefully) holes needed for ferrules (also from Gotoh). I also purchased a genuine Fender ashtray bridge for it. I'll probably rewire it with a harness next, complete with the treble bleed circuit. Thanks again for all these great tips, Mr. Poley!
Awesome Michael, some vintage Fender Tele's had top loading bridge. Good luck with your modifications and keep your eyes peeled on my channel for a video about a Harley Benton guitar I just picked up 👍
Cool. I have a butterscotch Player Tele with these “Plus-Deluxe” upgrades by me - Vintage Fender bridge and tuners, Wilkinson's compensated saddles, Mojotone ’52 Quiet Coil pickups, Lucky Dog gnarly knobs, angled-switch cover-plate, and a three string tree to stop the g-string ring behind the nut. It's a great guitar. I love the satin back/glossy top maple neck. For me it just blows away anything else under a grand. And I prefer it to the American series which I can afford to buy if I wanted to.
This video is good motivation Scott, the bridge ground wire has been knocked off and my Tele buzzes so bad it's unusable so I might as well do a proper job on her.
gotoh is the go-to for me hardware-wise, it is a no-nonsense, simple and works, never-fail-you company. basic design, not fancy, not innovative most of the time but rather tried-and-tested design, and you hold it and you have that quality built feeling in your hands, than you install the part and it just works. never ever has anything gotoh failed me. i mean gotoh stuff that i bought from reliable sources. whatever aliexpress sells as gotoh, i am not sure it really is that. i have no idea what the deal with those are but probably not real? i don't know.
I have just assembled a couple of guitars that have a 'through-body ferrule-block'... They cost around £20 (from Grainger guitar parts here in the UK). The only real downside, is you need to rout a recess in the rear of body, but if you have a router, you can also get hold of the templates required and it's not too difficult to do... I did a trial run on a couple of pieces of wood before actually touching the guitars. I am not certain how it will effect the tone/sustain of the guitar (I haven't wired them up yet!), but apparently, it does make a difference... It kind of makes sense, especially if the guitar body isn't made of a particularly dense 'tone wood'. Maybe, the 'experts' out there could enlighten me. PS. I just thought they looked really cool!
I watch a lot of demos of guitars. And I can never understand why people say change those three saddles for better intonation. Have been playing them on my thinline when they FIRST came out around 70 and never had a problem with them, in fact I have recently bought two new teles, a Fender performer. And about to receive a classic vibe 50s squire (yes I know cheapo} but they sound pretty good for an old knock about, and in both cases the three saddles bridge, AND the old tuner machines were the attraction, accept on the performer, which has looking tunersvv, OK. But I really prefer the old ones, cut the string, put it straight down the centre of the tuner, no nasty spikes sticking out. Never had a string slip out of tune. I know why people think the newer six saddles are better, but not in my experience. But thanks for the ideas about the electrics, the could prove to be a problem with the Sqire cv, time will tell
I'm not far behind you Ted, the only reason I changed to the compensated saddles was playing detailed chords, high up the fingerboard, in a studio context. Other than that the standard saddles have served me well for years. Thanks so much for your comment. Good luck with your new Tele 😎👍
Problem with the old tuner machines is you can't quickly change a broken string whether at a gig or rehersal unless you carry a pair of clippers on you 24/7. They're the first thing I change on my Fenders that came with them. Modern tuners are FAR superior for gigging musicians.
The 3 barrel bridge on my vintage reissue telecaster is awful. When I got it from Fender, the intonation was the worst I’ve ever seen on a guitar. $2000 guitar, couldn’t play any chords. The 12th fret was closer to one half step above. I adjusted it the best I possibly could, but with barrels it’s always going to be a balance between the two strings that rest on them. unfortunately on my guitar, it was off by way too much and sounds out of tune. The funny thing is I can wiggle the barrels when the strings are loosened and it changes the intonation. The intonation changes organically every time I change the strings. A big fat “no thanks” from me. I’m going to mod the crap out of it until it’s finally playable. Just a bad guitar unfortunately. I have other telecasters, strats PRS, Charvel, hell even a Danelectro. They can all be set up to play great. But not that vintage reissue Tele… lesson learned, don’t buy direct from Fender. And don’t spend $2000 on a guitar with worse specs than a guitar less than half its price!
IME, the Gotohs aren't any more intonatable than the compensated Wilkinson saddles or even the slanted brass barrels. What they do offer over those is the slot that each string rides in. Those keep your strings from sliding up and down your saddles when you do bends, for example. In fact, that's why I bought them. Tired of hearing the high E ping when I do bends.
I've got a really cheap chord tele, but I love it, if you know the model it's all matt black, I want to change all the hardware and electronics, any ideas? Thanks mate
Honestly Tony, if you love it the way it is, why change anything? I'm always an advocate of improvements but equally I'd be cautious of spending alot of money on modding a relatively inexpensive guitar. General recommendations are Gotoh hardware, they make great stuff and it's good value. I'd keep your eye out on the used market for pickups and pickup (pun intended) a bargain. Good luck 👍
I'm using the TBX Tone Control on my Tele, how does that compare to the simpler treble bleed? Both are meant to enhance the tone and use a resistor and a cap.
Hey J Man, I’m not disagreeing with you. Changing a pot with a better one isn’t exactly a seismic shift in tone. However, from experience, better quality electronics (pots, switch, cable, jack) produce less noise and increase a guitar’s reliably & longevity. I think good quality electronics are worth the upgrade if you’re wanting to use a guitar a lot - it’s definitely worth doing if you’re planning to buy expensive replacement pickups. However, I know a lot of people would agree with me and that’s totally cool too 👍 thanks for your comment.
Never trust a guy with a Mother of Toilet Seat pickguard on his "bathroom" Sonic Blue guitar. CTS pots are made in Asia, "good capacitors" are capacitors with low tolerance from the wanted capacity value, Never care about the "vintage" bullshit when you talk about Electronic components. The newer, the better. There's no emotion or Legacy in the Electronic components industry. Do what you want with your guitar, no body cares about your Orange drop caps until you're a Legend
I’m certainly not a legend, frankly anyone that claims to be deserves to be slapped. I’m simply sharing the modifications that make my guitar work for 100+ shows and many recording sessions per year. All the electronic modifications I suggested are to fit good quality, efficient modern components, tested to an exacting tolerance. Non of my ideas are new - Danny Gatton pioneered most of them. As for the blue - I like it 😎 who cares what colour it is if it sounds good and you make money from it? 👍
Shield the cavities while you are changing the pots. It helps !
Good idea Barry!
@@ScottPoleyMusicAnd shielding makes far more difference that tuners. I have never wittnessed tuning instability bc of tuners. It is virtually always the cheap plastic nut.
Excellent video! Straightforward. Appreciated the slow zoom ins in the video, the clear pictures showing the products and putting the price. Keep making great videos!!!
What a lovely comment, thanks Cesar. I have a similar video coming out about Les Paul’s soon that I’m going to make on tour.
We need a "6 cheap mods with no soldering" video.
I can do that! Soldering isn’t so bad though - it just takes a bit of getting used to.
I first started soldering electronics and tiny motors and such when I was 10 years old. It's simple to do (clearly as a 10 year old can do it).
But if there's any piece of advice about soldering is: PREP PREP PREP. As long as you prep the working area well, you can't fail. Cover anything. Keep everything you need in comfortable arms length. Take your time.
As a fellow junior soldering geek, I fully endorse this message 👍🤣
Seems like you need a "how to solder" video, mate. It's neither rocket science nor heart surgery. It's heating up shit to make it liquid-y and when it gets cool again it solidifies and attaches shit to other shit.
Great advice and the correct pronunciation of the brand ‘Neutrik’ get’s a bonus point!
Hahaha thanks!!
Straight to it. That's the ticket. Thanks for the info, mate.
Love that! Thanks 🙏
Awesome tips that I was not aware of! Thanks!
Thank you for your comment Gabriel 🙏
add a 4 way switch, puts your pickups in series instead of parallel gives you a nice beefy tone
I have one in my other Tele Martin, it’s a good mod. I have to admit, I don’t use that extra position on anything 🤣 maybe it’s just the combination of the pickups in that guitar. It is a very good mod though.
I have one in my other Tele Martin, it’s a good mod. I have to admit, I don’t use that extra position on anything 🤣 maybe it’s just the combination of the pickups in that guitar. It is a very good mod though.
Agree 100%. Nice, to the point, video.
Glad it was helpful!
I'm glad I came across this! Thank you for making it! I have a very inexpensive Harley Benton TE-20 and I absolutely love it. I've already modded it with Hipshot locking tuners, a new string tree, Tusq XL nut, and compensated brass saddles from Gotoh. It's made a world of difference. HOWEVER...it is only a top-loader! Yes. It's so cheap that the bridges are top loaders. It doesn't sound bad at all. But for the sake of authenticity and sustain, I'm having our local luthier drill (carefully, carefully) holes needed for ferrules (also from Gotoh). I also purchased a genuine Fender ashtray bridge for it. I'll probably rewire it with a harness next, complete with the treble bleed circuit. Thanks again for all these great tips, Mr. Poley!
Awesome Michael, some vintage Fender Tele's had top loading bridge. Good luck with your modifications and keep your eyes peeled on my channel for a video about a Harley Benton guitar I just picked up 👍
Putting good pickups in Squiers and Epiphones etc but still using the existing electrics isn't a great idea!
@@Ronno4691 I quite agree with you there. Upgrading the electronics and wiring in any guitar is always a great mod.
Cool. I have a butterscotch Player Tele with these “Plus-Deluxe” upgrades by me - Vintage Fender bridge and tuners, Wilkinson's compensated saddles, Mojotone ’52 Quiet Coil pickups, Lucky Dog gnarly knobs, angled-switch cover-plate, and a three string tree to stop the g-string ring behind the nut. It's a great guitar. I love the satin back/glossy top maple neck. For me it just blows away anything else under a grand. And I prefer it to the American series which I can afford to buy if I wanted to.
Sounds like one heck of an instrument!! The player series are incredible guitars even without the modifications. The 3 string tree is a winner too.
This video is good motivation Scott, the bridge ground wire has been knocked off and my Tele buzzes so bad it's unusable so I might as well do a proper job on her.
Excellent Andy, you can achieve so much with very little cost. Good luck 👍
gotoh is the go-to for me hardware-wise, it is a no-nonsense, simple and works, never-fail-you company. basic design, not fancy, not innovative most of the time but rather tried-and-tested design, and you hold it and you have that quality built feeling in your hands, than you install the part and it just works. never ever has anything gotoh failed me. i mean gotoh stuff that i bought from reliable sources. whatever aliexpress sells as gotoh, i am not sure it really is that. i have no idea what the deal with those are but probably not real? i don't know.
Couldn't agree more. Gotoh don't sell a bad product to the best of my knowledge!! 👍
Puretone jacks are amazing. I always put them when I buy new guitars. They’re just so tough and strong holding.
They're incredible, I need to put an order in for some more!!
I have just assembled a couple of guitars that have a 'through-body ferrule-block'... They cost around £20 (from Grainger guitar parts here in the UK). The only real downside, is you need to rout a recess in the rear of body, but if you have a router, you can also get hold of the templates required and it's not too difficult to do... I did a trial run on a couple of pieces of wood before actually touching the guitars. I am not certain how it will effect the tone/sustain of the guitar (I haven't wired them up yet!), but apparently, it does make a difference... It kind of makes sense, especially if the guitar body isn't made of a particularly dense 'tone wood'. Maybe, the 'experts' out there could enlighten me. PS. I just thought they looked really cool!
Very interesting, never seen that. Thanks for the tip Ian!
I watch a lot of demos of guitars. And I can never understand why people say change those three saddles for better intonation. Have been playing them on my thinline when they FIRST came out around 70 and never had a problem with them, in fact I have recently bought two new teles, a Fender performer. And about to receive a classic vibe 50s squire (yes I know cheapo} but they sound pretty good for an old knock about, and in both cases the three saddles bridge, AND the old tuner machines were the attraction, accept on the performer, which has looking tunersvv, OK. But I really prefer the old ones, cut the string, put it straight down the centre of the tuner, no nasty spikes sticking out. Never had a string slip out of tune. I know why people think the newer six saddles are better, but not in my experience. But thanks for the ideas about the electrics, the could prove to be a problem with the Sqire cv, time will tell
I'm not far behind you Ted, the only reason I changed to the compensated saddles was playing detailed chords, high up the fingerboard, in a studio context. Other than that the standard saddles have served me well for years. Thanks so much for your comment. Good luck with your new Tele 😎👍
Problem with the old tuner machines is you can't quickly change a broken string whether at a gig or rehersal unless you carry a pair of clippers on you 24/7. They're the first thing I change on my Fenders that came with them. Modern tuners are FAR superior for gigging musicians.
I bet you changed your mind about that CV once you had its. Good luck 👍.
The 3 barrel bridge on my vintage reissue telecaster is awful. When I got it from Fender, the intonation was the worst I’ve ever seen on a guitar. $2000 guitar, couldn’t play any chords. The 12th fret was closer to one half step above.
I adjusted it the best I possibly could, but with barrels it’s always going to be a balance between the two strings that rest on them. unfortunately on my guitar, it was off by way too much and sounds out of tune. The funny thing is I can wiggle the barrels when the strings are loosened and it changes the intonation. The intonation changes organically every time I change the strings.
A big fat “no thanks” from me. I’m going to mod the crap out of it until it’s finally playable. Just a bad guitar unfortunately.
I have other telecasters, strats PRS, Charvel, hell even a Danelectro. They can all be set up to play great. But not that vintage reissue Tele… lesson learned, don’t buy direct from Fender. And don’t spend $2000 on a guitar with worse specs than a guitar less than half its price!
Cool
IME, the Gotohs aren't any more intonatable than the compensated Wilkinson saddles or even the slanted brass barrels.
What they do offer over those is the slot that each string rides in. Those keep your strings from sliding up and down your saddles when you do bends, for example. In fact, that's why I bought them. Tired of hearing the high E ping when I do bends.
Absolutely JC, many good reasons to use them.
I've got a really cheap chord tele, but I love it, if you know the model it's all matt black, I want to change all the hardware and electronics, any ideas? Thanks mate
Honestly Tony, if you love it the way it is, why change anything? I'm always an advocate of improvements but equally I'd be cautious of spending alot of money on modding a relatively inexpensive guitar.
General recommendations are Gotoh hardware, they make great stuff and it's good value. I'd keep your eye out on the used market for pickups and pickup (pun intended) a bargain. Good luck 👍
disconnect the neck pup from the tone pot....instant improvement in neck pup clarity and output.
Aaah the Roy Buchanan trick.
I'm using the TBX Tone Control on my Tele, how does that compare to the simpler treble bleed? Both are meant to enhance the tone and use a resistor and a cap.
The treble bleed lives on the volume pot and keeps the tone as you turn the volume down. It’s simple but effective.
@@ScottPoleyMusic I think I'll try that on my junk strat then.
I knew that you were worth following when you pronounced “neutrik” properly....
🤣🤘 YES!! Comment of the day, congratulations!!
Changing a pot makes no difference at all.most of you upgrades do nothing for the tone.
Hey J Man, I’m not disagreeing with you. Changing a pot with a better one isn’t exactly a seismic shift in tone. However, from experience, better quality electronics (pots, switch, cable, jack) produce less noise and increase a guitar’s reliably & longevity.
I think good quality electronics are worth the upgrade if you’re wanting to use a guitar a lot - it’s definitely worth doing if you’re planning to buy expensive replacement pickups. However, I know a lot of people would agree with me and that’s totally cool too 👍 thanks for your comment.
Never trust a guy with a Mother of Toilet Seat pickguard on his "bathroom" Sonic Blue guitar.
CTS pots are made in Asia, "good capacitors" are capacitors with low tolerance from the wanted capacity value, Never care about the "vintage" bullshit when you talk about Electronic components. The newer, the better. There's no emotion or Legacy in the Electronic components industry.
Do what you want with your guitar, no body cares about your Orange drop caps until you're a Legend
I’m certainly not a legend, frankly anyone that claims to be deserves to be slapped. I’m simply sharing the modifications that make my guitar work for 100+ shows and many recording sessions per year. All the electronic modifications I suggested are to fit good quality, efficient modern components, tested to an exacting tolerance. Non of my ideas are new - Danny Gatton pioneered most of them.
As for the blue - I like it 😎 who cares what colour it is if it sounds good and you make money from it? 👍
Cool