Modifying a Fender Telecaster | Mythos Mods
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2024
- Learn More about Mythos Pedals here mythospedals.com/
We recently grabbed this Fender Vintera II 60's Telecaster from Franklin Guitar Works and are excited to share the next video in our guitar modification series. New Seymour Duncan pickups, interesting rewiring, neck treatment and much more!
Links to gear in the video!
Get some of the products mentioned in the video here amzn.to/3S6OC5t
Guitar - reverb.com/shop/franklin-guit...
Pickups - www.seymourduncan.com/single-...
Background Music/Jam Tracks by Peter Honore andertonstv.bandcamp.com/
00:00 Intro Jam
00:40 Guitar Mod Overview
01:23 Fretboard Prep & Montypresso
07:56 Monty's Removal
11:15 Fretboard Comparison
11:24 Hardware Removal
11:59 Measure your saddles
13:07 Removal continued
15:58 Electronics removal
17:38 Upgrading output jack
21:59 Adding an additional bridge ground
24:45 Changing the saddles
25:58 Seymour Duncan La Brea Story
26:43 Installing the saddles & bridge
29:00 Thoughts about shielding
29:47 Installing the neck pickup
31:01 Changing the wiring
33:41 Gibson wiring & Mythos Cap
36:30 Tele Switch Explanations
37:38 Final Wiring
43:55 TESTING
44:54 Knobs and Selector Switch
46:12 Restring
46:42 Wrapping it up
47:37 Clean Chords - Stock
48:13 Clean Chords - Modded
48:50 Driven Chords - Stock
49:22 Driven Chords - Modded
49:59 Riffs - Stock
50:48 Riffs - Modded
51:25 Final Thoughts
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#telecaster #guitarmods #Mythospedals - บันเทิง
I'll take open airiness and sparkle over warmth any day because you can usually tame it, but you can't really dial in sparkle to a pickup that's mellow by nature.
Not for nothing.. but that Tele sounded pretty darn good before 🙂 To me it sounded warmer with the Mods. Thanks for the video.
I have to agree, it sounded a little duller after the mod with less Tele sparkle. TBH I'm really not a fan of SD p/ups. I have a 1988 USA Standard Tele & recently had the p/ups changed to Fender 64 pure vintage that are just excellent.
Reverse the control plate and add a linear volume pot for volume swells
Man. That switch-tip hack... Brilliant. I wish you'd taught me that fifteen years ago.
Such a helpful tip!
Ditto.
Gotta be care careful not to skip it off though. Gentle.
Just applied that to my tele as well. Works perfectly!
Old English scratch and dent for dark woods' wipe it on the fretboard let it sit for 2/3 minutes' wipe off and done. Will hydrate and darking the fretboard' will not come off on your fingers' will not stain frets or fret markers.
Can also be used to darken Maple necks.
Cheap and a bottle will last forever.
thank you kind soul, im going to home depot tomorrow lol
My brother and I bought a Squire tele with the intention of making many mods. We are fairly new to it. This video is perfect, thank you good people!
Maybe it’s TH-cam audio but I thought the stock neck pick up sounded more open. Maybe not “better“ but more open.
It would have been interesting to see the actual frequency traces to see the actual differences between the pre and post mod.
I thought so too. To my ear, the stock pickups were clearer. The SD pickups sounded darker and muddier to my ears.
@@scottbaker5938That's my usual reaction to any of Seymour Duncan's pickups. They're just so coloured... Often scooped, but lacking in 'presence' too.
I might be biased though - I've always been fond of old DiMarzio SuperDistortion pickups, as they work really well with my tube amps...
But I did give SD a go, 4 pickups in 3 guitars - but while they added more punch and girth: all were lacking something, some transparency / clarity...
I think it’s the brass saddles vs chrome. Makes a big difference.
I agree with you @jimbodidley1
I dunno mane, the La Brea’s sounded good and all but those stock pickups sounded on par to me. They had a lot of stank on them. Just my two scents. 😊
The stock sounded good, but the stock have so much more push and character. I didn't change any of the settings but having spent more time with the Duncans they are much better to my ears.
Those pick ups you installed reminds me of the time I met Brad Paisley at a wine store I was working at in Franklin, TN about 5ish years ago. I didn't recognize him at first. My excuse was that it was late, I was tired, but he "looked familiar". So I asked him if he needed any help. I started showing him what he was looking for and once we were done I turned to him and asked "hey man, are you a musician"? He looks at me, grins, and said something like "yeah, you could say that". Then I went "Brad?". He goes "yeah". I immediately felt like an idiot, but he was really nice about it and we talked about music and gear for a bit.
So that's the dumbest thing I've ever said to someone. Asking Brad F'n Paisley if he was a musician...cool
Hahah he seems like a very nice down to earth guy.
Lol... Brad: " I started a band." 😂
Yeah, but if he’d walked in with an LED lit stage under him, spotlights, wearing a guitar, you’d have known. Out of context facial recognition doesn’t require forgiveness, just humility. Shows his great character.
I was considering the LaBrea pickups. This comparison is great. Truth be told both sets sound very good with the LaBrea having more punch than I anticipated. Really nice sustain as well. That said, the stock pickups still cook.
I’m a tech and I push the Monty’s relic wax all the time. I use it on mine and my friends stuff. The more the better. I leave it as long as possible. I’ll leave it a few days It’s great. I’ve never had it stain inlays unless they’re porous. I always do a fret end dressing unless it’s a custom shop guitar.
Heck yes. Got a MIJ Tele JV from Franklin GW a few months back. Rawk out. 🤘
Fantastic job with the upgrades! Newer subscriber here, I've been really enjoying your videos. I've heard of your brand for years but have honestly never seen too much of your stuff/products before. I'm really intrigued by that adjustable tone cap! Definitely going to grab a few of those for some mods and an upcoming build that I will be doing in the future.
Tele players, the Gibson wiring mod he talks about is a GAME CHANGER. I did that about a year ago and would absolutely never go back.
I've done it to my telecaster too because of playing a Les Paul that way. It sounds great and now i want an audio taper pot in my Les Paul, instead of the linear that i thought was better at first.
I got no problem with anyone that makes a guitar better than the factory standard. I’m a true mod freak myself, I have modded my guitars for years and a few for friends as well and I love putting partscasters together too. Love these type of videos and yours are unique and different. S D wiring diagrams and Brasia tone works diagrams are the best. Nice work… take care
🎸🤓🎸👍🥓
I'll definitely be swapping to those pups and tone and wiring mod. That sounded great!
I got this exact Tele and color and modded it. Fat boy neck (1” top to bottom), Fralin blues pickups, new pots, brass saddles. Ooh la la
I had to put those saddles on an American Special Tele before I could ue it on a gig. It helped A LOT.
Love this series! Need the Strat and Les Paul wiring videos to come lol
Coming soon!
Enjoyed the video!
15:12 Fender has been using those CTS pots and that very same pickup selector for over 20 years on the Mexican made guitars...
My favorite mod for a Tele is putting in a reverse angle bridge pickup, and replacing the neck pick up with a P90.
Who doesn't love a good ol Tele project.
This was a really good video guys, as far as T type or S type guitars I always use Warmoth and put my own together rather than buying an actual Fender and wind up swapping stuff out anyhow. I love your little ground trick for the bridge, I’ll certainly be doing the same on future builds 🤙
Thanks!
Changed saddles recently and used a bit of card underneath so drew where they were. Worked perfectly. Changed from Wilkinson to to Callaham they are superb.
Great trick!
@@MythosPedals I know!! I was super impressed with myself. Doesn’t happen that often 😂😂😂😂.
The blue shop towels actually have an oil in them so maybe using just a micro fiber towel might be a better option.
Killed it very nice
Either way the tele sounds good 👍
I personally wouldn't use the polish and paper towels for my neck, just rosewood conditioner and an old tee shirt. I was looking at getting a black Mex telecaster to modify and while I was waiting for the guitar to get service to let me play, I asked the guy if they had a professional 2 telecaster and he bought me a Miami Blue one. As soon as I saw the color, I liked it and as soon as I held it, I loved it, the guitar felt so good in my hands ‼️ I told him to forget about the Mex telecaster. I would have to pay someone to modify it , so with the professional 2 telecaster, I will leave it stock ‼️
For the Monty's use a soft toothbrush. You don't slop around and it keeps the frets easier to finish cleaning. Very cheap, very simple. Also a toothbrush has applications for many jobs.
I enjoy modding and tweaking my guitars as much as playing them. Best think about getting another guitar is all of the mods and tweaks I'm gonna be able to do to it.
A few improvements: Use shielded cable to the jack, in many guitars that's 50% of the noise floor (do you use two wires from the guitar to the amp? And nope, twisting them does no good for noise. open up any humbucker guitar and they use shielded cable to the jack). I think you replaced a Switchcraft jack with a Switchcraft jack and a CRL switch with CRL switch, lol! I like going with a 4-way switch to get a stealth Les Paul Junior tone out of my Teles, a good mod if you haven't tried that one. .. Going with "50s Wiring" gives you effective treble bleed on the volume knob but turning the tone knob down changes the volume, for players who dime the tone knob that's great, but some of us actually use the tone knob and that's a bad deal, much better to use a treble bleed circuit on the volume pot (and you can audition different treble bleed components to get what you like best, don't dismiss "I tried one once and didn't like it" because the values and tolerance ranges change results). Looks like a good guitar overall.
Good tips, def not a switchcraft jack stock.
What a fantastic video have a wonderful day ❤😊 mythos pedals
looking forward to a similar vlog on a strat.
Mythos? Modifying? Tele? Immediate click!
Thanks for this zach I think I will do the same with one of my teles 👍👍👌
Using wood stains or leather dye is NOT a "recipe for disaster." They have been tried and true for darkening wood for over a century. I used the Montypresso gunk on a Gibson Historic to darken the fingerboard closer to a Brazilian hue and will use a dark Walnut stain or leather dye on the next project. After using the Mony's, it appeared that a residue remained. I was afraid to oil the dry looking board afterward.
Those pickups sound so good now I want to write something to that 1, 1sus2, 1/3, 4add9 from the demo!
Dang that's an awesome little capacitor gadget
I usually just leave the monties tucked under the frets gives it a funky vintage look
Glad to see that is Naptha on the table and not paint thinner. I know a guy who made the mistake... What a joker.
Yikes!!
More videos like this!
Great video, make more like this. Greetings from Romania.
I put the La Breas in my American Nashville Deluxe B-Bender Tele and I love them. Zac Childs helped me figure out that the SD pups are reversed (winding? polarity? I don't know) when using them with a stock Fender (Texas Special, in my case) middle pickup. Flipping the wires on the middle pickup and leaving the La Breas as-is fixed the issue.
That would be reverse polarity.
Use a toothbrush to get the gunk out underneath the frets. I use it when removing polishing compound from polishing frets.
I totally caked my board with montypresso and left it for almost 2 days. Came out the balls
Mineral oil works fantastic on fretboards.
I learned stuff. Thumbs up!
I just wish you had included a link to the guitar wiring diagram chart.
It’s not available online. Just search 50s Gibson wiring.
Zach can play with the best of them. I look just as forward to watching his playing as I do the likes of Corey, RJ etc..
Too kind!
Fender right angle guitar cables fit in the Telecaster output jack.
If the Rene Martinez toolkit isn’t available anymore, the German tool company Wera sell a guitar tech toolkit. It’s one of my favourite things.
I'll check it out!
The Vintera series to me is the best way to spend under $1500 on a guitar. The only thing close to touching Fender Mexico is PRS SE.
Never thought I’d pick up so many tips in one video. Thank you. Question about the Monty’s. After application does it come off on your fingers, maybe once, maybe not at all? And is it a one-time app or need repeating? Thanks MP.
Once you wipe it off the board it’ll dry and won’t come off. I haven’t reapplied yet seems good so far
Much better with the Monty’s
Everytime I break out the soldering iron I get anxious about breathing the fumes. No way it's not bad for you, right?
ooooh. I have those pickups. the sound like a record player instead of a tinny cd
La Brea because of the tar pits where they found dinosaur bones. I'm guessing.
Doing this now!!!
Can the next one be a gretsch! I’ve been trying to get this gretsch going for a while. Needs new pups!!! Any recommendations y’all? ❤🎉😂
love this vid to avoid workinnggggg thanks guys
I work at gc and yeah people steal the tele switch tips all the time. Craziest part I saw someone steal was a bigsby arm
WHAT?! Walking in with a screw driver
@@MythosPedals you wouldn’t believe the random parts I have to replace. I spend a lot of time replacing parts
Vintera series are perfectly fantastic guitars as-is. They are not junk.
Who said they were junk
I use krylon satin clear coat on my fret board. Remember, a Fender maple fret board is clear coated.. Wear? They all do. A Real relic.
I guess I'm beyond admiring the beauty of my guitars and just play the wonderful thing.
PS... I sub'd and I'm looking to buy some gear from ya !
Selectable tone cap and variable treble bleed.
I love the sound of strings so I play my Thinline Tele with StringJoy PhosBronze Naturals or Foxwoods. I like playing clean with an acoustic DI as an EQ. Or being lazy and play it unplugged, it's relatively loud with those acoustic strings.
Thanks for your great videos. The format is garage/mancave perfection.
HE IS A TONE WIZARD
Before The Mods It Seemed Brite Thin Had a lil' Spank ! My Impressions Of The TONE AFTER ( ALL The Mods ) it Became VERY !DARK , MUDDY TUBBY
I'd not go for those replacement pickups. I own the exact same guitar and also have the 50s Vintera. The 60's "sparkle" ist the one thing that sets them apart and makes both worth having. In my opinion compensated *steel* saddles and a more "loose" sounding pickup set would keep that basic characteristic. The 50s Gibson wiring with the tone circuit being fed off the volume output is a clear winner, though. I do that mod to every guitar I open up (and have a soldering iron nearby). Thanks anyway for this very detailed insight!
And this is how I learned that leaded solder has RoHS exemptions.
Maybe worth applying the Monty’s with an old toothbrush?
Ive never modified a guitar before. I really want to start. I want to do a complete electronics swap on a PRS SE Custom 24, and i really want to replace the neck on a Player Series Tele. Quick question. When buying a new Fender neck, is it as simple as screwing in the new neck, or do u usually have to do fretwork and nut work to the new neck?
You probably still need to have the fretwork done. Best to take that swap to a tech
@@MythosPedals gotchya. Thanks for the info. 😁
America indeed runs on Duncan.
I cant believe that shielding doesnt do much for you (in a "im happy for you" way :) ) if i dont fully shield my guitars i have insane issues in my house, even with humbuckers. Old house problems i guess lol
Yeah I've found most issues are things outside the guitar. I had a Anker hub for my macbook that caused so much noise. I ended up ditching it and it fixed a ton of problems.
What temp do you run your soldering iron?
What solder sucker pump do you use? Mine is a POS...that looks to work way better!
a.co/d/3uhKB6I It's like this, it was included with our Hot Air station and it works great!
Does the montespresso compound have any benefit to how the board feels vs a more standard fretboard oil treatment beyond darkening the color?
Once it is wiped off it feels like a nice treated board.
It's also better than just about any fretboard oil/conditioner out there. The regular Monty's food instrument is good for at least 6 months. No more having to recondition after every string change.
@@adambakercollegeI’ve never heard people talk up the instrument food before but I think I’ll give that a shot! I have a G&L with a board that I like the look of but have wanted to try Monty’s stuff and didn’t realize they had a non-staining product.
@@Jeb_binch Yep! I have both at home and they're great. I spent about 14 years as a guitar tech and I've tried just about everything out there. This is the best stuff I've used hands down.
A comment above mentions thinning with Naphtha to allow the Mony's to soak in better. I wish I had known this before I treated my Rosewood board. Using wood stains or leather dye is NOT a "recipe for disaster." They have been tried and true for darkening wood for over a century. I used the Montypresso gunk on a Gibson Historic to darken the fingerboard closer to a Brazilian hue and will use a dark Walnut stain or leather dye on the next project. After using the Mony's, it appeared that a residue remained. I was afraid to oil the dry looking board afterward. Of course, your results may vary.
I noticed you didn't braid the pickup wires before running them through to the control cavity. Is there no noise benefit to braiding the pickup wires?
Never ever done that.
@@MythosPedalsWell, Zach, that doesn’t really answer the question. 😜
That was a nice mod video. However, am I the only one who thinks the stock pickups sounded better? At least to my ears they're more organic, open and stringy sounding. The new set sounded a bit muffled, muddy and inarticulate. Cheers!
I didn’t change the presets on the plugin but in the room the new pickups absolutely slayed the old set. There’s just more there, I could get the same sounds as the stock set but so so much more.
I like the original pickups as well. The new ones have more gain, I guess most people like that. You can always add EQ and gain to a clean pickup, but cleaning up a high gain pickup is more of an uphill battle.
When it comes to pickups, unless a pickup is microphonic or has some other obvious defect, there IS no “good, better, best”. It’s just about finding what works best for you and your other gear. Think of all the different tele tones there have been over the years, from Jimmy Page to Carl Perkins, Julien Lage and beyond…
@@steverolfeca Yup been saying that for years
Sounds like the new ones are riding a tad higher than the stock ones. Might work ok in an AC30 but I'd definatly lower them before plugging into a single ended tweed. I mean unless that's the sound you're going for. It's a great sound. Certainly isn't a Louis Shelton or Glenn Campbell sound.
Thanks for the video!
I have to ask - with all this effort, why not buy a T kit and assemble the whole thing instead of all the disassembly? You can paint, option, etc to your heart’s content.
Because I started with a fantastic guitar. The best thing about starting off with something great is you can go slow at your own pace and upgrade overtime. We're just having fun throwing the book at it.
Can’t tell if it’s the new bridge saddles or not. SD pickups sound darker But can’t say if it’s any better
I didn't adjust the plugin at all, it's like a whole new instrument. They are WAY louder and punchy.
Kind of like the stock neck pickup. The Duncan bridge did sound better.
You won’t hear me gripe about any modifications, some of us just can’t leave anything alone 😁
If you do this, do you need a soldering iron that can go up to a certain temperature?
You can use a 30w pen iron but I recommend a soldering station
I mean, you know, car rhymes with guitar ... I don't see anything wrong with guitar mods, I do that too.
Will the mythos cap and 1mg tone pot allow for wah effect?
Might effect the taper but should work fine
What's the life cycle of the switchable capacitors of yours?
The switches should last for thousands and thousands of cycles. The caps on the board should last pretty much forever. The control plate holes will wear out way faster than the selectable cap
IMO the stock pickups sounded better.
yep, suggest removing tone pot from neck pup to brighten, clarify, demuddy it a bit.
The Monte’s just doesn’t seem worth it. What a mess. I’d rather just do lemon oil and deal with it.
stock sound better, replacing every expensive parts doesn't mean sound better sometimes, try change back to stainless steel saddles
I'm a Tele fanatic now....9 total...just got my first Custom Shop...even have a modded Harley Benton with Suhr pups (used of course!).... and agree...stock sounded much better to me too. I'd disconnect the tone pot from the neck on those LaBRea pups to tighten up the tone a bit. Neck was muddy...too warm. Leave brass saddles...much preferred over SS...
The new pickups are louder and darker. Mistake?
The 100nF tone cap choice is a large value for a guitar. Mistake?
The new pickups are louder for sure and not as bright but I think that’s a good thing. I didn’t adjust the plugin at all. In the real world they are much more versatile. And it’s an .01uf cap 10nf. If I put 100nf that was a mistake
Bridge stock pickup sounded better
It baffles me that pickups are shipped with just those plastic tube bits. Iv'e put springs in all my fenders so I can lower the pickup to a better sounding height.
They've used surgical tubing for ages
Help! Can't find the Month's paste/cleaner?
Reverb has it....Monty's.
I don't need a tele....I don't need a tele....I don't need a tele....I don't need a tele
Hey....get yourself a Tele.
Lying to self is unhelpful. I'm 62...played a Tele in college...but after that, could never bond with them or Strat....40 years later....picked up my 9th Tele last month...a Custom Shop. Got tons of lefty guitars still but now really only play my Teles. Picked up my PRS SE (with SD JBs) the other day for some variety...OK, very nice ...then put it back...grabbed a Tele. So versatile...wonderful sounding across all makes, price ranges, and pups.
It sounded better with the Fender pickups.
Sounded different for sure. I like the new pickups a lot more. More videos to come
Great. I learned something new. Didnt like any of the pu’s. Its a sound but not even close to what a great Tele can sound like :-)
I love the new pups, so 🤷♂️
..ehhhhhh, shoulda left it stock (IMHO of course).
...again, agree! Remove neck pup from tone pot...it'll brighten/clarify the neck abit...a noticeable, pleasant bit.
Keep it up Zach BUT you didn't weirdly stretched and bended your arm nearly enough for my taste when you played in the sound samples and that's like half of the reason why I watch your videos
Maybe my joint has started to grow back
I wish Fender, etc. used the 60/40 rosin core lead solder, but if nothing gets destroyed from the heat then who cares?.
Can’t sell commercial products with lead in them anymore.
Shoe polish? They were kidding right?
sounded better stock.
I wouldn’t be a fan of those new pickups.. very muddy especially the neck pickup..I would be more that happy with the stock ones…Not a lot of point trying to fix summat when it ain’t broken..😀
Fair enough, in person the new pickups are much more powerful and interesting sounding. Stock was good, the new ones for me are great. But I didn't want to adjust the plugin so I tried to make it as fair as I could.
Fair enough... Extra power is always good.. 😝Keep the videos coming... 👍👍👍
Jeff meat good 🍖
I think you are rubbing the monty's in too much. You want to cake it on and sorta lay it on top. That's how it's done in the monty's video. That's how i applied it on all my guitars. Looks to me like you are putting it on and taking it back off again, most of its ending up on the paper towel
🤷♂️
@@MythosPedals exactly. By the way that new herculean deluxe sounds megatron