Well that's hilarious. I ordered one of these with mods on Reverb a few days back. Thought I would find a video to watch of the Barden soapbars. Came across this one. Started watching and thought "hey that's the same guitar"! Cross referenced the serial numbers and yes indeed, it is the very one. Can't wait to play it.
How do you like it? I'm looking to replace this same hardware and redo pots and wiring too! Mine is white. Going for all white with black accents! Let me know how you like it!
Hi! The SD are super bass heavy and can lack clarity in certain situations - but overall they do sound great! Although the pickups are not worlds apart the JBEs do tighten up the bass a lot which is much better for higher gain playing or any style where clarity is requiered :)
Fender should take note and use chrome for the red, black for the natural because that looks awesome. The little hints of chrome remaining with the bushings combined with the pickup selector trim make a nice highlight. For tone, I thought the Duncans were way too hot, yet I find I still prefer their tone. Anyway, great project video, thanks.
Hi Darrell, Unfortunately the links to the parts aren't functioning anymore and I have some questions concerning the parts used. Is the Bridge the 4MM or the 6MM version and if you wouldn't mind keeping the string trees would the non staggered machine heads do the trick ?
These kind of non-permanent mods are great because if you went to sell the guitar later, you could return it to stock and reuse the premium parts you bought instead of just eating the cost of them. Great video!
Love that you've recognized both this guitar's remarkable design but also addressed its shortcomings! So appreciated that you've put the time and work into all the research and set up for us. Inestimable value for anyone seriously interested in this underestimated guitar
Steven van Demsky Turn the gain down and learn to use your volume controls. Guys like Phil X and Jared James Nichols and others before them have been making P90’s work for decades
Excellent, Darrell!! I'm a big fan of the "Natural & Black" aesthetic, so the Tele looks great once the mods are done. I especially like the new tuning machines. As a non-professional, the new pickups sound more “crisp” to my ears. I use that word advisedly - don't know if "brighter" really works, but for me, "crisp" is a good descriptor. So… looks great, sounds great - as mods go, this one's a winner.
I love your channel and I’m a big fan of that particular tele. I think the best mod you did was the tuning pegs, they look a lot better. I’m not convinced by the pick up change or the new bridge/tailpiece hardware, but I appreciate you showing us what you’ve done. Many thanks.
It looks really good with those changes! As for the pups, I have to say the original SDs were definitely hotter and had a bigger sound, but, I'd have to go with the JBEs if for no other reason than they are dead quiet (they do sound really good, of course). That is a pretty cool guitar overall.
Big D, thanks for all the how to videos, which gave me the courage to do my own build. Just finished a Tele Warmouth body and neck, Lollar Special pups, Hipshot tuners, and some stock hardware from a used Tele body. Took a while for all the parts to arrive, and two weekends taking my time with assembly. Just strung it up, having some lunch watching this, next I go plug it in for the first time.
Thanks! I only have a small practice amp to run it through right now, but all the copper tape shielding seems to have paid off, hum is negligible on neck and bridge settings, and the Obsidian Wire four way switch was a breeze to connect with no soldering. Thanks again for all you do.
Darrel, the bridge's part number seen in the video was PS-8843-BN, the US spec Black Nickel. My guess is that the RESOMAX NV2 6MM TUNE-O-MATIC (STRING SAVER EQUIPPED) would have been the correct Import spec choice. In your choice of colour it would have been : PS-8863-BN So this guitar is entirely Import spec parts, proven by the fact the Ratio Tuners did not require the Fender 2 pin adapter (PRT-952-201-C0), which sadly is not in the box with the Tuners, and what actually lead me to re-check this video to understand why my Fender Mexico neck didn't line up with the Ratio Tuners. So for anyone else, if you are going to use parts for this Indonesian made Fender, when choosing, pick the Import spec parts. And you can skip the tuner adepter, this is Squire spec 2 pin tuner hole.
I think you kind of glossed over a huge head ache. When you unsolder the the original pickups you should attach some scrap wire to the old pickup leads before you pull the pickups out. And then cut that attachment and connect it to your new pickup wires so you have a way to pull the new pickup wires through the holes in the body and into the cavity where the pots are. Much easier than trying to push the new pickup wires or fish something through the holes after the old pickups are gone. But the new guitar looks beautiful. I would love one!
Great advice! Thankfully this guitar has a huge channel for wiring (similar to a Les Paul). For designs with tight wiring channels that is a really good idea :)
Having just neglected to do this very thing, good point and great suggestion! My Warmouth body has the Pencil thin bridge channel tunnel and I had a three wire Lollar pickup to install. Had to use forceps and it took multiple tries because the fabric wire covers kept catching the wood in the channel.
Great video Darrell! I have that guitar and I magree with you that the first thing that must go are the machine heads. I wish you could show the head on the back and how the old tuners looked like, I have to find something similar to what you used in Australia . The link to Graphtech takes to their home page, I’m wondering what model you used here, thanks.
Good work DB, as always. Do you have a Wall full of Strats and Wall full of Les Pauls to go along with your Wall full of Tele’s? Hahaha. You’re a lucky man, amigo.
The JBE, from what I could hear, has a more balanced output, which gives it a bit more gainy sound along with the clarity over the SDs. Both sounded good to me. You could wire up a master bass contour and master tone, and that would give you some more range to your sound.
I would call that a very productive afternoon's worth of work. Looks significantly better and those pickups sound fantastic. You may have sold me on them, in fact.
I don't have enough experience with P90s, but the Noiseless seem closer to actual P90s as opposed to single coil Noiseless versus vintage, I could be wrong. Overall, very nice upgrade to a nice second hand find...
awwwesome mod video. Thanks! The link to the graphtech bridge doesn't work.... getting my JA-90 in a few days... wanna be sure I get the right graphtech bridge components... which ones do I need? thanks again.
Awesome video. Love the channel. And I really like the mods you did to this guitar. The hardware make this look a thousand times better. Though p90s are amazing pickups, like a mix between single coils and hummies. But all I can think about when I hear those chords is my first electric guitar. It's an Epiphone LP special 2 with a stock Dean bridge hummy in it. And I play all styles, blues, country, metal, rock, Aussie pub rock, etc. And it sounds extremely cheap. Which is why I'm changing to a Super D from DiMarzio. But I always stop what I'm doing to watch your videos, they put me in a good mood and encourage me to play differently.
Those JBE pickups have brutal mids. But the noise of the SDs is unacceptable for someone like me, who hates single coil noise. I guess a little scoop on the mids with an EQ would solve the hot mids problem for me. Maybe I get that first and mod it your way. The black hardware is awesome.
That sunburst tele over your left shoulder looks like it has a GFS dream 90 in the neck...(which I have just put in my modified squier strat) would love to see a comparison of the various “P90s” out there from cheap to expensive. Lots of opinions out there vs original P90s but you are the best at doing honest and objective comparisons. 👍🏻
@Darrell, Unfortunately the links to the parts aren't functioning anymore and I have some questions concerning the parts used. Is the Bridge the 4MM or the 6MM version and if you wouldn't mind keeping the string trees would the non staggered machine heads do the trick ?
@@JackDawson-ey8og I got an answer from a Graph Tech rep. The bridge used here is the 4MM version. As for the tuners I have purchased the non staggered locking tuners and they work as a simple replacement and no need to replace anything else.
You could check the Stacked P90's at some point, they're amazing pickups. Only downside is that you might need to deepen the pickup pocket a bit, but it's totally worth it, if you like P90 pickups, having no hum and also tonal options.
The new ones are really thin. The whole thing with p90s is that they run hot at full volume so… yeah that’s the deal you’re essentially overdriving the circuit or juicing the poles at full volume. That’s how you know you have a good response. That’s also why they “clean up” so well at 3/4 volume and are essentially like a regular single coil and there is minimal hum. I would think of a p90 as a sort of early version of a “double tapped” single coil for that reason. Treat the 3/4 volume as full volume and control the volume on your amp and you’ve fixed your hum. You want to control the “drive” sound on the guitar. That’s the point of the p90
Great vid ! Thank you so much. I also found the original nickel gear a bit weird... Please, can you provide the product code of the bridge and tailpiece you used (PS-88**-BN ?). Thanks in advance
Darrel that was so good hard to choose I’m p90 biased. Learning lead after years of acoustic picking. Any tabs would be so helpful live your style of rock snd roll now going to listen to your blues playing. Wicked.👌🎸
I like the sound before and after, so the elimination of the hum seems worth it to me. Love the new look. And the new bridge and tuners should help it stay in tune. Nice upgrades!
Cool project Darrell. I'm not even usually a fan of black hardware but this looked great! I will say that I think the P90's sounded better too (to my ears anyway) but I can understand the annoyance with the hum. The new pickups did sound good too and I think you'll be able to get some really great use out of them.
I am a diehard Seymour Duncan fan and have many variations in my guitars. I'd have to say I still liked the tone of the SD's the best, but the JBE's sounded very good. I'd love to hear your take on the Seymour Duncan Antiquity HB set sometime. I have a new Explorer with that Alnico II set in it and it sounds spectacular. Your blue LP would be a great mod candidate 😁🎸👍Great video as always. God bless and rock on!
Nice! New p/ups still sound 'hum buckerish', but only slightly so. Defintely clearer, and more articulate. For P90's those Duncans sounded a bit muffled! (Which shouldn't happen really!)
Ohhh............. those pups are boutique priced. They do sound saweeeeeet though. Virtually identical to the P90. Just a tiny bit less gritty than the really deal. Thumbs up!
Super helpful Darrell. Thank you. I am considering similar mods so it was helpful to see you do them. I'm still not quite sure what the specs are for the tuners. I have replaced tuners on my Gibson guitars but am not as familiar with these. Also researching all of the P90 options. Thank you!
Mr. Braun should try Kinman pickups. They are twice the price of other brand single coils but the perform beautifully. Takes 2 to 3 weeks to get them though, made in Australia.
Hi Darrell: I'm planning to spec out all the hardware you used and build guitar with a Fender JA-90 body. Great video. I want to do exactly what you do but starting with guitar body, not the whole guitar. My problem is pinpointing the exact hardware you are using. Been browsing on Graphtech sight and am getting loss without all the options, especially the bridge. Can you either list the model numbers of the hardware, espeically the bridge. Thanks.
That was a very interesting mod of a very interesting one off tele guitar by Fender, whom I think only offers rail style pickups in its Richie Kotzen signature model.
I liked the Seymour in the neck better but was surprised I liked the other in the bridge. While at it, I'd put nicer knobs on it too. They look outdated on that, otherwise, I love the black hardware. I have staggered tuners and string savers on all my fenders. I love that guitar, nice job.
🚩 Darrell, your Killin Me with the Tell videos. WANT So Bad.. it Hurts. Not sure I can get thru this video, but will save, cause "It's You"! Love to ask you questions!
Ok, Darrell, time for contrast -- which, I'll admit, doesn't go clear through. I have no problem with the pickups you selected; they sound pretty good or perhaps great, and I have as big an objection to hum and noise as yourself, if not bigger. Not being as affluent as yourself, I would have had to opt for more humble bridge, tail, and tuner hardware. The income delta also would have mandated my being VERY careful with regard to the mounting holes and their match to the new hardware. (That said, I have a penchant for using existing hardware when possible, as you had to do.) I don't have as much of a problem with the chrome hardware as you, but I agree that black looks better. The difference is that I would have gone with something from Guitar Fetish; more than likely, I would have used their locking brass bridge and tail system, since I'm still experimenting with the (hopefully positive) effects of adding mass on the tone and sustain of the guitar. If I didn't use those, I would have used Tone Pros parts. I'll own to the fact that I haven't tried the tailpieces of either system, but I have used each bridge. Indeed, my best guitar came stock with a Tone Pros TOM-style bridge, and the closest to "modding" that guitar that I have come is replacing that bridge with the very same model. The hardware on that guitar is gold-plated, I bought the guitar used, and the bridge's plating was quite worn when I got it. I agree that that's not really a mod; it's a repair -- of appearance, as the original bridge worked as well as ever and just LOOKED like crap. I finally decided I couldn't stand that worn look, because bare ZAMAK is not pretty😝, and got the new bridge. The axe looks a LOT better to my eyes. The jury is still out on the Guitar Fetish brass bridge. It did do one good thing for the guitar I put it on: The guitar is a Mitchell mini guitar, and it uses full-size guitar parts. Among other things, this means that the strings were misaligned with the pole pieces of the bridge pickup. The Guitar Fetish bridge secures the saddles to a center rail on the bridge with two opposing set screws in each saddle, allowing the string spacing to be adjusted easily. I bought and installed the bridge hoping for an increase in sustain and an improvement in tone, but I don't know if I've achieved those. It could be that the guitar's short 22.5 inch scale length just won't allow large changes of that nature. I'll probably have better luck with the one other hard-tail guitar I have which could use a new bridge. Wish me luck!😎 I would have enjoyed a comparison between the stock state of your Tele, the state after the mods, and an "interim" state featuring the Tele BEFORE the installation of the pickups and AFTER the installations of the tuners, bridge, and tailpiece. In my mind, electric guitars have both acoustic systems and electric systems. Of course, the acoustic system in a solid body is everything left over after you take out the pickups, controls, and all the other electronics. I believe that the pickups have somewhat less of a role in determining the final tone of a guitar than many people think. The remainder of that determination is the role of the acoustic system of the guitar, and all of the parts that contact the strings -- bridge, tailing system (if separate from the bridge), string nut, string trees (if any), and tuners -- are hugely influential in that role at the very least. It would have been interesting ... and possibly illuminating ... to hear the stock pickups along with the new physical parts. This is something that you thought of with your Relish guitar, but you could only have accomplished this feat on this occasion if you had restrung and recorded before heating up the soldering iron, so I don't blame you. In all fairness, I must admit that because of all the loosening and tightening, one or more of the original strings could have broken before you finished. That means that this part is an idea for the future. All in all, this video is one of those that makes me glad I subscribed to your channel. Great job! Keep up the good work, and thank you.😎
One more thing: If the bushings are hollow and will allow it, next time try placing a small metal dowel (or two, if needed) into the bushing, thread in the post (carefully, of course), then slowly tighten it with the screwdriver. I did that with one of my Ibanez guitars after seeing the method somewhere on the Internet, and not only did it work, but it was easy! Please DO remember to protect your guitar face, though. I didn't care, because this was a $25 (black painted) guitar that I was going to rip up too much to sell -- but no way should you take that chance on something as pretty as that Telecaster!😎 And yet one MORE thing: Could shielding have reduced the hum of those Duncan P-90s to acceptable levels?
I noticed you installed locking tuning machines on this guitar and I was wondering for personal preference is it safe to install locking tuners on an acoustic guitar
I actually agree with the sentiment that the original p-90’s do sound better but the difference isn’t overwhelming and to have the luxury of no noise, I don’t think anyone is gonna not listen to a good jam if they knew that the guitar was modded. Overall, great job. I’m strongly considering this guitar in its white version but I’m open to doing at least the blacked-out hardware mods on it if I get it. Great vid bro!
Beautiful job Darrell. I love the new blacked out hardware. Do you know if the graph tech bridge would work well with a bigsby? I’m looking for an upgrade on my Gretsch and this might be the one! Cheers
I was squirming the whole time you were removing the bushings... was just expecting to see wrench shaped divots in the wood. Amazed the packing foam was enough to stop that.
From Leo: Wow, great tone. I tried some cheap noiseless P-90's and they were terrible. I have a VOX SDC with coaxial P-90's that are silent and great sounding, but I don't think I can find any more Coaxial pickups without buying the whole guitar. Have you ever tried adding a buffer coil in the control cavity? I may gut an old single coil pickup and experiment. I do like the tone of a low output P-90, but they are pretty noisy,
Hi , I really enjoy your videos. I’m planning on scoring a mid level Mim Tele thinline pretty soon. If I want to swap out the stock pups, and they have the lipstick style in front, would P90,s fit? Would it require routing body to fit?
Wow. So I have the les Paul special p90, and find myself wondering if these would supercharge that axe. Not that that it was bad before. Awesome work as always brother.
Great video as usual. How about a comparison between P90s on a Tele and the MFD pickups designed by Leo at G&L? I understand that they're sort of similarish, but would love to hear the difference!
Jamie Lee Curtis played this guitar in the movie, “Freaky Friday.” Her’s was modded with TV Jones pickups. Not kidding, check out the promotional poster of the movie, “Freaky Friday.”
It was actually Lindsay Lohan. I hate to let some of you guys know, but it was the likeness of the Jimmy Eat World telecaster that she was playing, f-hole and all.
Helpful video. 👍... Two *questions* , Darrell -- 1) This guitar body is ash? Ash varies a lot in weight; so what would you consider an optimum guitar weight, all in, to look for when scoping out candidate examples for likely the best full range performance this model can provide? ... 2) I would need piezo saddles on mine; in that case, what would be my best bridge option complete, or which quality aftermarket piezo saddles might fit in & perform well with the bridge you've chosen here? THANKS!
The Duncans may have had ceramic magnets? I definitely prefer the JBE's. I'm usually not into blacked out hardware, but it really does work well on this guitar.
Well done. Great upgrade. Looks so much nicer. The stock pickups sound muddy in comparison to the new ones. Been watching the same guitar 2nd hand but it’s overpriced & waiting for a price drop B4 I look.
I like the noiseless pups much better. They sound clearer and more defined. Def an improvement. Regards to aesthetics, I've no issue with the chrome hardware, I'd probably just keep it, in fact, I prefer the chrome over the black. I would install Fender locking tuners, though. Have you tried this guitar with humbuckers? Are the pots 250 or 500K? If humbuckers were installed, would you need to change out the pots also? A little more clean comparisons would be nice. Thanks, good vid.
Darrell. I believe I have seen a signature Epiphone with a P90 pickup that had a pickup coil mounted underneath the pickup to let it act like a humbucker but keep the P90 tone. Perhaps you could experiment with these Seymour Duncans to see if there is a way to retrofit such a system into an existing guitar.
You mention in a later video (Fender Tele vs Gibson) that you sold your Jim Adkins (presumably after doing these modifications). I am wondering why? I was really thinking of getting one and upgrading as you outline here, but now I am thinking it is not worth it. Your thoughts please.
Hey Darrell, my JA-90 is in the mail & I can't wait to mod it, do you know if I can replace the tone and vol knobs for some standard tele metal grip ones? I love your channel by the way. You actually convinced me in getting this beautifully strange Fender. Jim Adkins is pretty dope dude too.
Thank you for taking time to dissect this guitar. In your opinion, given that the components are a bit cheap, do you think the guitar is over priced? Also,after the mods do you feel like sinking that much more money into it was a good investment?
Well that's hilarious. I ordered one of these with mods on Reverb a few days back. Thought I would find a video to watch of the Barden soapbars. Came across this one. Started watching and thought "hey that's the same guitar"! Cross referenced the serial numbers and yes indeed, it is the very one. Can't wait to play it.
How do you like it? I'm looking to replace this same hardware and redo pots and wiring too! Mine is white. Going for all white with black accents! Let me know how you like it!
Heh, I guess he didn't "love this guitar" that much after all. What was his reverb seller page, or had it already changed hands?
Now that Tele already looked amazing and vintage to me! Great redo of this cool looking and sounding model indeed!
Beautiful upgrade but the original P90 sounds better and warmer, the news are cleans but so cold for me !
Hi!
The SD are super bass heavy and can lack clarity in certain situations - but overall they do sound great!
Although the pickups are not worlds apart the JBEs do tighten up the bass a lot which is much better for higher gain playing or any style where clarity is requiered :)
The stock Hardware looks better...
To end the stoy: if you buy that sort of thinline guitars, its not to play Hard Rock or Metal ! Non sense !
@@danieldebiaze9379 you do realize this guitar is a signature model for Jim Adkins right.... as in Jimmy eat world...as in Rock band!
SMH
@@DarrellBraunGuitar you would have been better off with the fralins. the ones you got are just humbuckers on a p90 size.
This thing absolutely ROARS! I love it!
Enjoy the vid :)
Fender JA-90: imp.i114863.net/3Q9OK
Hi Darrell
Thanks for this vid. Im not a fan of the fixer up trend but this guitar looks incredible w black hardware. Great job.
Fender should take note and use chrome for the red, black for the natural because that looks awesome. The little hints of chrome remaining with the bushings combined with the pickup selector trim make a nice highlight. For tone, I thought the Duncans were way too hot, yet I find I still prefer their tone. Anyway, great project video, thanks.
Hi Darrell, Unfortunately the links to the parts aren't functioning anymore and I have some questions concerning the parts used.
Is the Bridge the 4MM or the 6MM version and if you wouldn't mind keeping the string trees would the non staggered machine heads do the trick ?
The guitar sounds great. I love the natural finish!
These kind of non-permanent mods are great because if you went to sell the guitar later, you could return it to stock and reuse the premium parts you bought instead of just eating the cost of them. Great video!
That's true! I always make sure to keep the stock parts!
Love that you've recognized both this guitar's remarkable design but also addressed its shortcomings! So appreciated that you've put the time and work into all the research and set up for us. Inestimable value for anyone seriously interested in this underestimated guitar
Cant believe the difference in the clarity of the sound. Its like 2 totally different guitars. Brilliant.
The real P90 pickups are better sounding.
They hum, so they are worthless
The real ones sounded the best.
Steven van Demsky
Turn the gain down and learn to use your volume controls. Guys like Phil X and Jared James Nichols and others before them have been making P90’s work for decades
I agree
Steven van Demsky Jim adkins, billie joe armstrong Johnny thunders and many others would argue with the useless comment
Trying to think of the best way to describe my feelings right now....DANG!!!!! Absolutely sick, man! Totally loving this tele!
Excellent, Darrell!! I'm a big fan of the "Natural & Black" aesthetic, so the Tele looks great once the mods are done. I especially like the new tuning machines. As a non-professional, the new pickups sound more “crisp” to my ears. I use that word advisedly - don't know if "brighter" really works, but for me, "crisp" is a good descriptor. So… looks great, sounds great - as mods go, this one's a winner.
I love your channel and I’m a big fan of that particular tele. I think the best mod you did was the tuning pegs, they look a lot better. I’m not convinced by the pick up change or the new bridge/tailpiece hardware, but I appreciate you showing us what you’ve done. Many thanks.
It looks really good with those changes!
As for the pups, I have to say the original SDs were definitely hotter and had a bigger sound, but, I'd have to go with the JBEs if for no other reason than they are dead quiet (they do sound really good, of course).
That is a pretty cool guitar overall.
Big D, thanks for all the how to videos, which gave me the courage to do my own build. Just finished a Tele Warmouth body and neck, Lollar Special pups, Hipshot tuners, and some stock hardware from a used Tele body. Took a while for all the parts to arrive, and two weekends taking my time with assembly. Just strung it up, having some lunch watching this, next I go plug it in for the first time.
Good luck! 🎸😎
Thanks! I only have a small practice amp to run it through right now, but all the copper tape shielding seems to have paid off, hum is negligible on neck and bridge settings, and the Obsidian Wire four way switch was a breeze to connect with no soldering. Thanks again for all you do.
I've never had any tuning issues with this guitar... in fact, both the tuning pegs and bridge are spectacularly solid.
Great ideas there and now listening through your Celtic Classics album on Spotify. Great sounds and playing Darrell. :-)
I wasn't sure when you were describing the black hardware, but you absolutely nailed the aesthetics! I think it sounds great, too. Killer mods!
Sorry, but the P90s were just way raunchier, in a good way.
Yeah. Never get rid of P90s.
Completely agree
Darrel,
the bridge's part number seen in the video was PS-8843-BN, the US spec Black Nickel.
My guess is that the RESOMAX NV2 6MM TUNE-O-MATIC (STRING SAVER EQUIPPED) would have been the correct Import spec choice. In your choice of colour it would have been : PS-8863-BN
So this guitar is entirely Import spec parts, proven by the fact the Ratio Tuners did not require the Fender 2 pin adapter (PRT-952-201-C0), which sadly is not in the box with the Tuners, and what actually lead me to re-check this video to understand why my Fender Mexico neck didn't line up with the Ratio Tuners.
So for anyone else, if you are going to use parts for this Indonesian made Fender, when choosing, pick the Import spec parts. And you can skip the tuner adepter, this is Squire spec 2 pin tuner hole.
I'm trying to figure out what specs I need for Tuners and what options are available. Do you know what I should be looking for? Thanks!
I think you kind of glossed over a huge head ache. When you unsolder the the original pickups you should attach some scrap wire to the old pickup leads before you pull the pickups out. And then cut that attachment and connect it to your new pickup wires so you have a way to pull the new pickup wires through the holes in the body and into the cavity where the pots are. Much easier than trying to push the new pickup wires or fish something through the holes after the old pickups are gone. But the new guitar looks beautiful. I would love one!
Great advice! Thankfully this guitar has a huge channel for wiring (similar to a Les Paul). For designs with tight wiring channels that is a really good idea :)
Having just neglected to do this very thing, good point and great suggestion! My Warmouth body has the Pencil thin bridge channel tunnel and I had a three wire Lollar pickup to install. Had to use forceps and it took multiple tries because the fabric wire covers kept catching the wood in the channel.
Beautiful. Nice job. The new pickups sound a touch cleaner and super quiet.
The black works well.
Great video Darrell! I have that guitar and I magree with you that the first thing that must go are the machine heads. I wish you could show the head on the back and how the old tuners looked like, I have to find something similar to what you used in Australia . The link to Graphtech takes to their home page, I’m wondering what model you used here, thanks.
You just made my guitar !! Awesome sound but the look is off the chart. Stunning! A guitar you can just enjoy looking at.
Good work DB, as always. Do you have a Wall full of Strats and Wall full of Les Pauls to go along with your Wall full of Tele’s? Hahaha. You’re a lucky man, amigo.
The JBE, from what I could hear, has a more balanced output, which gives it a bit more gainy sound along with the clarity over the SDs. Both sounded good to me. You could wire up a master bass contour and master tone, and that would give you some more range to your sound.
I would call that a very productive afternoon's worth of work. Looks significantly better and those pickups sound fantastic. You may have sold me on them, in fact.
I don't have enough experience with P90s, but the Noiseless seem closer to actual P90s as opposed to single coil Noiseless versus vintage, I could be wrong. Overall, very nice upgrade to a nice second hand find...
awwwesome mod video. Thanks! The link to the graphtech bridge doesn't work.... getting my JA-90 in a few days... wanna be sure I get the right graphtech bridge components... which ones do I need? thanks again.
I see that you just might be a bit of a tele lover, Darrell! Keep up the great work!
Really liking the new set up Darrell!!! Sounds a LOT smoother to me! 😎
Awesome video. Love the channel. And I really like the mods you did to this guitar. The hardware make this look a thousand times better. Though p90s are amazing pickups, like a mix between single coils and hummies. But all I can think about when I hear those chords is my first electric guitar. It's an Epiphone LP special 2 with a stock Dean bridge hummy in it. And I play all styles, blues, country, metal, rock, Aussie pub rock, etc. And it sounds extremely cheap. Which is why I'm changing to a Super D from DiMarzio. But I always stop what I'm doing to watch your videos, they put me in a good mood and encourage me to play differently.
graphtech is an awesome upgrade makes a huge difference
It definitely has more balls with the new PUs. What a monster sounding Tele. Love it and the channel.
Those JBE pickups have brutal mids. But the noise of the SDs is unacceptable for someone like me, who hates single coil noise. I guess a little scoop on the mids with an EQ would solve the hot mids problem for me. Maybe I get that first and mod it your way. The black hardware is awesome.
Just picked up one yesterday,sounds awesome,really nice lines in the timber ,sounds terrific,,,I'm leaving mine as is ATM
Would love to know the part #'s on the Bridge and Stop Piece. Thanks!
That sunburst tele over your left shoulder looks like it has a GFS dream 90 in the neck...(which I have just put in my modified squier strat) would love to see a comparison of the various “P90s” out there from cheap to expensive. Lots of opinions out there vs original P90s but you are the best at doing honest and objective comparisons. 👍🏻
I liked it before, I love it now. Good call and congrats on owning such a sweet guitar
For me it sounds 100 times better with the new pickups ! Congrats
@Darrell, Unfortunately the links to the parts aren't functioning anymore and I have some questions concerning the parts used.
Is the Bridge the 4MM or the 6MM version and if you wouldn't mind keeping the string trees would the non staggered machine heads do the trick ?
Great mod! I have the same question. @LiesThatBind - please let me know if you find the answer. Thanks!
@@JackDawson-ey8og I got an answer from a Graph Tech rep. The bridge used here is the 4MM version. As for the tuners I have purchased the non staggered locking tuners and they work as a simple replacement and no need to replace anything else.
You could check the Stacked P90's at some point, they're amazing pickups.
Only downside is that you might need to deepen the pickup pocket a bit, but it's totally worth it, if you like P90 pickups, having no hum and also tonal options.
The new ones are really thin.
The whole thing with p90s is that they run hot at full volume so… yeah that’s the deal you’re essentially overdriving the circuit or juicing the poles at full volume. That’s how you know you have a good response. That’s also why they “clean up” so well at 3/4 volume and are essentially like a regular single coil and there is minimal hum.
I would think of a p90 as a sort of early version of a “double tapped” single coil for that reason. Treat the 3/4 volume as full volume and control the volume on your amp and you’ve fixed your hum. You want to control the “drive” sound on the guitar. That’s the point of the p90
Nice modifications Darrell! I really like the clean tone with both pickups :)
Killer guitar before and after. Nice vid.
Hi Darryl, I sure would like to do that to my telecaster. Don't you have to put new pots with the pickups?
Great vid ! Thank you so much. I also found the original nickel gear a bit weird... Please, can you provide the product code of the bridge and tailpiece you used (PS-88**-BN ?). Thanks in advance
im also trying to figure out if that was a 4mm or 6mm bridge piece
Anybody manage to workout if the bridge is 4mm or 6mm as I intend to do this upgrade (but not the p90s as I like them!!!!) thanks in anticipation.
@@stevegriffiths8772 i think I saw a comment that was a 6mm, I guess best thing to do is to go to a luthier and ask him
If you look down some more of the comments a graphtech rep has indicated it’s the 4mm
@@stevegriffiths8772 oh , thanks !
I can really see why some folks like the stock pups, and some like the new ones for sure. I think both sounded really great. 🎼
Darrel that was so good hard to choose I’m p90 biased. Learning lead after years of acoustic picking. Any tabs would be so helpful live your style of rock snd roll now going to listen to your blues playing. Wicked.👌🎸
What about the Opti-Pick pickup system plus electronics to allow you to use metal or nylon strings and also to control a synthesizer from the guitar.
Nice mod, big difference and big improvement. Well done.
Great selection of parts!!! I really dig this guitar factory as in but you did indeed take it to the “next level” lol. Love these style vids
I like the sound before and after, so the elimination of the hum seems worth it to me. Love the new look. And the new bridge and tuners should help it stay in tune. Nice upgrades!
Cool project Darrell. I'm not even usually a fan of black hardware but this looked great! I will say that I think the P90's sounded better too (to my ears anyway) but I can understand the annoyance with the hum. The new pickups did sound good too and I think you'll be able to get some really great use out of them.
I am a diehard Seymour Duncan fan and have many variations in my guitars. I'd have to say I still liked the tone of the SD's the best, but the JBE's sounded very good. I'd love to hear your take on the Seymour Duncan Antiquity HB set sometime. I have a new Explorer with that Alnico II set in it and it sounds spectacular. Your blue LP would be a great mod candidate 😁🎸👍Great video as always. God bless and rock on!
Nice! New p/ups still sound 'hum buckerish', but only slightly so. Defintely clearer, and more articulate. For P90's those Duncans sounded a bit muffled! (Which shouldn't happen really!)
Good work and the result is amazing. Cheers from Indonesia.
Nice job on the upgrades Darrell !! Looks & sounds awesome !! :)
The Noiseless pickups were a tad bit warmer but they still did the job, still a big fan of P90’s hard to beat bright chimey tone. Good video DB
I enjoyed so much the makeover! I love black hardwares
Ohhh............. those pups are boutique priced. They do sound saweeeeeet though. Virtually identical to the P90. Just a tiny bit less gritty than the really deal. Thumbs up!
Super helpful Darrell. Thank you. I am considering similar mods so it was helpful to see you do them. I'm still not quite sure what the specs are for the tuners. I have replaced tuners on my Gibson guitars but am not as familiar with these. Also researching all of the P90 options. Thank you!
Mr. Braun should try Kinman pickups. They are twice the price of other brand single coils but the perform beautifully. Takes 2 to 3 weeks to get them though, made in Australia.
Hi Darrell: I'm planning to spec out all the hardware you used and build guitar with a Fender JA-90 body. Great video. I want to do exactly what you do but starting with guitar body, not the whole guitar. My problem is pinpointing the exact hardware you are using. Been browsing on Graphtech sight and am getting loss without all the options, especially the bridge. Can you either list the model numbers of the hardware, espeically the bridge. Thanks.
That was a very interesting mod of a very interesting one off tele guitar by Fender, whom I think only offers rail style pickups in its Richie Kotzen signature model.
I liked the Seymour in the neck better but was surprised I liked the other in the bridge. While at it, I'd put nicer knobs on it too. They look outdated on that, otherwise, I love the black hardware. I have staggered tuners and string savers on all my fenders. I love that guitar, nice job.
the seymour’s definitely gave that guitar a more ‘vintage’ sound, but i love the buzz from p90s🐝. just bought this beaut and can’t wait to rip it
Jim Atkins. I remember those, almost bought a red one an drop EMG P-81 & P-60 into it. Would of been nice.
Yeah, they are really neat guitars!
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Btw, Forgot to mention that tour choice of pup for what you want rules. Turned out great.
You are brave to tackle removing the bushings Darrell, I would have slipped and gouged out the top lol great video man!
🚩 Darrell, your Killin Me with the Tell videos. WANT So Bad.. it Hurts. Not sure I can get thru this video, but will save, cause "It's You"! Love to ask you questions!
Ok, Darrell, time for contrast -- which, I'll admit, doesn't go clear through. I have no problem with the pickups you selected; they sound pretty good or perhaps great, and I have as big an objection to hum and noise as yourself, if not bigger. Not being as affluent as yourself, I would have had to opt for more humble bridge, tail, and tuner hardware. The income delta also would have mandated my being VERY careful with regard to the mounting holes and their match to the new hardware. (That said, I have a penchant for using existing hardware when possible, as you had to do.) I don't have as much of a problem with the chrome hardware as you, but I agree that black looks better. The difference is that I would have gone with something from Guitar Fetish; more than likely, I would have used their locking brass bridge and tail system, since I'm still experimenting with the (hopefully positive) effects of adding mass on the tone and sustain of the guitar. If I didn't use those, I would have used Tone Pros parts. I'll own to the fact that I haven't tried the tailpieces of either system, but I have used each bridge. Indeed, my best guitar came stock with a Tone Pros TOM-style bridge, and the closest to "modding" that guitar that I have come is replacing that bridge with the very same model. The hardware on that guitar is gold-plated, I bought the guitar used, and the bridge's plating was quite worn when I got it. I agree that that's not really a mod; it's a repair -- of appearance, as the original bridge worked as well as ever and just LOOKED like crap. I finally decided I couldn't stand that worn look, because bare ZAMAK is not pretty😝, and got the new bridge. The axe looks a LOT better to my eyes.
The jury is still out on the Guitar Fetish brass bridge. It did do one good thing for the guitar I put it on: The guitar is a Mitchell mini guitar, and it uses full-size guitar parts. Among other things, this means that the strings were misaligned with the pole pieces of the bridge pickup. The Guitar Fetish bridge secures the saddles to a center rail on the bridge with two opposing set screws in each saddle, allowing the string spacing to be adjusted easily. I bought and installed the bridge hoping for an increase in sustain and an improvement in tone, but I don't know if I've achieved those. It could be that the guitar's short 22.5 inch scale length just won't allow large changes of that nature. I'll probably have better luck with the one other hard-tail guitar I have which could use a new bridge. Wish me luck!😎
I would have enjoyed a comparison between the stock state of your Tele, the state after the mods, and an "interim" state featuring the Tele BEFORE the installation of the pickups and AFTER the installations of the tuners, bridge, and tailpiece. In my mind, electric guitars have both acoustic systems and electric systems. Of course, the acoustic system in a solid body is everything left over after you take out the pickups, controls, and all the other electronics. I believe that the pickups have somewhat less of a role in determining the final tone of a guitar than many people think. The remainder of that determination is the role of the acoustic system of the guitar, and all of the parts that contact the strings -- bridge, tailing system (if separate from the bridge), string nut, string trees (if any), and tuners -- are hugely influential in that role at the very least. It would have been interesting ... and possibly illuminating ... to hear the stock pickups along with the new physical parts. This is something that you thought of with your Relish guitar, but you could only have accomplished this feat on this occasion if you had restrung and recorded before heating up the soldering iron, so I don't blame you. In all fairness, I must admit that because of all the loosening and tightening, one or more of the original strings could have broken before you finished. That means that this part is an idea for the future.
All in all, this video is one of those that makes me glad I subscribed to your channel. Great job! Keep up the good work, and thank you.😎
One more thing: If the bushings are hollow and will allow it, next time try placing a small metal dowel (or two, if needed) into the bushing, thread in the post (carefully, of course), then slowly tighten it with the screwdriver. I did that with one of my Ibanez guitars after seeing the method somewhere on the Internet, and not only did it work, but it was easy! Please DO remember to protect your guitar face, though. I didn't care, because this was a $25 (black painted) guitar that I was going to rip up too much to sell -- but no way should you take that chance on something as pretty as that Telecaster!😎
And yet one MORE thing: Could shielding have reduced the hum of those Duncan P-90s to acceptable levels?
I noticed you installed locking tuning machines on this guitar and I was wondering for personal preference is it safe to install locking tuners on an acoustic guitar
I actually agree with the sentiment that the original p-90’s do sound better but the difference isn’t overwhelming and to have the luxury of no noise, I don’t think anyone is gonna not listen to a good jam if they knew that the guitar was modded. Overall, great job. I’m strongly considering this guitar in its white version but I’m open to doing at least the blacked-out hardware mods on it if I get it. Great vid bro!
You know, my mom always told me telecasters sucked but I would take one like that any day. Looks good and sounds great to match.
Your mom told you wrong. "At the end of civilization, there will only be cockroaches and Telecasters. And they will be in tune.". - Greg Koch
Beautiful job Darrell. I love the new blacked out hardware. Do you know if the graph tech bridge would work well with a bigsby? I’m looking for an upgrade on my Gretsch and this might be the one! Cheers
Any of our String Saver Loaded bridges, as those saddles are permanently lubricated!
Accidentally learned how to get that tune o magic bridge out of a body! wow thanks a lot. Been wondering how to do that for a while.
Smart way of getting those bushings out.
Man it sounds fatter. Thats quite a loaded and unique Tele man.👌👌
I was squirming the whole time you were removing the bushings... was just expecting to see wrench shaped divots in the wood. Amazed the packing foam was enough to stop that.
From Leo: Wow, great tone. I tried some cheap noiseless P-90's and they were terrible. I have a VOX SDC with coaxial P-90's that are silent and great sounding, but I don't think I can find any more Coaxial pickups without buying the whole guitar.
Have you ever tried adding a buffer coil in the control cavity? I may gut an old single coil pickup and experiment. I do like the tone of a low output P-90, but they are pretty noisy,
That's definitely something I'd like to try out! :)
Hi , I really enjoy your videos.
I’m planning on scoring a mid level Mim Tele thinline pretty soon.
If I want to swap out the stock pups, and they have the lipstick style in front, would P90,s fit?
Would it require routing body to fit?
The new pickups kick ass❗️
Wow. So I have the les Paul special p90, and find myself wondering if these would supercharge that axe. Not that that it was bad before. Awesome work as always brother.
Great video as usual. How about a comparison between P90s on a Tele and the MFD pickups designed by Leo at G&L? I understand that they're sort of similarish, but would love to hear the difference!
Jamie Lee Curtis played this guitar in the movie, “Freaky Friday.” Her’s was modded with TV Jones pickups. Not kidding, check out the promotional poster of the movie, “Freaky Friday.”
But that one doesn't have an f-hole...
That was a Tele-sonic, not the JA-90. Looks similar though.
A JA-90 is the guitar Fender made for Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World!
It was actually Lindsay Lohan. I hate to let some of you guys know, but it was the likeness of the Jimmy Eat World telecaster that she was playing, f-hole and all.
ShreadTheWeapon The JA-90 came out in ‘07, Freaky Friday came out in 2003, so it definitely wasn’t this guitar
Love your work Darrell
Helpful video. 👍... Two *questions* , Darrell -- 1) This guitar body is ash? Ash varies a lot in weight; so what would you consider an optimum guitar weight, all in, to look for when scoping out candidate examples for likely the best full range performance this model can provide? ... 2) I would need piezo saddles on mine; in that case, what would be my best bridge option complete, or which quality aftermarket piezo saddles might fit in & perform well with the bridge you've chosen here? THANKS!
The Duncans may have had ceramic magnets? I definitely prefer the JBE's. I'm usually not into blacked out hardware, but it really does work well on this guitar.
Well done. Great upgrade. Looks so much nicer. The stock pickups sound muddy in comparison to the new ones.
Been watching the same guitar 2nd hand but it’s overpriced & waiting for a price drop B4 I look.
I like the noiseless pups much better. They sound clearer and more defined. Def an improvement. Regards to aesthetics, I've no issue with the chrome hardware, I'd probably just keep it, in fact, I prefer the chrome over the black. I would install Fender locking tuners, though. Have you tried this guitar with humbuckers? Are the pots 250 or 500K? If humbuckers were installed, would you need to change out the pots also? A little more clean comparisons would be nice. Thanks, good vid.
+1 on the Seymour Duncan P-90s. much creamier on the lead.
Does the hum mitigate when using both neck+bridge?
All good, I am thinking about getting the same guitar, but I'd keep the pickups or go with something different than the ones u installed
Darrell. I believe I have seen a signature Epiphone with a P90 pickup that had a pickup coil mounted underneath the pickup to let it act like a humbucker but keep the P90 tone. Perhaps you could experiment with these Seymour Duncans to see if there is a way to retrofit such a system into an existing guitar.
You mention in a later video (Fender Tele vs Gibson) that you sold your Jim Adkins (presumably after doing these modifications). I am wondering why? I was really thinking of getting one and upgrading as you outline here, but now I am thinking it is not worth it. Your thoughts please.
When you had the tailpiece bushings out, did you notice a ground wire?
Hey Darrell, my JA-90 is in the mail & I can't wait to mod it, do you know if I can replace the tone and vol knobs for some standard tele metal grip ones? I love your channel by the way. You actually convinced me in getting this beautifully strange Fender. Jim Adkins is pretty dope dude too.
Hi Mr. Darrell, I hope you are having a blessed night.🧡😊🧡
Darrell*
I'm dearly excited
I really like those noiseless pickups. At a gig you can't have all that racket.
Thank you for taking time to dissect this guitar. In your opinion, given that the components are a bit cheap, do you think the guitar is over priced? Also,after the mods do you feel like sinking that much more money into it was a good investment?
These locking tuners worked fine on my JA 90
Hipshot 6 In-Line Closed Grip-Lock Staggered Tuner Upgrade Kit in Chrome