Fender Blacktop Tele --> Standard Tele project

[ReginaldBisquet]

I received a 2010 Fender Blacktop Telecaster as part of a trade the other day.



I've been wanting a Tele again as it was my main guitar back in the 90s when I was in an indie noise rock band. Specially, this one:

http://www.underwaternow.com/ihearst...s/tranquil.htm

Anyway, an opportunity came up to trade for one of the Blacktop Teles, so I went for it. I gave it a spin at home to see how much I would like the stock set up -- and I was disappointed. The pickups were a little on the hot side and delivered this "all or nothing" character. Quite one-dimensional in tone. I thought I would like the volume knob closer to the bridge, but I would knock it a few times - which is quite annoying.

My disappointment in an instrument or amp is usually short lived, because that almost always means... I'M TAKING IT APART!

Initially, I was thinking of changing out the pickups for some TV Jones Classics - but I already have a guitar set up like that... specifically, this one:



... and I love it dearly. So I decided to see if/how I could modify this guitar to look like a traditional Telecaster. Here's what's underneath the pickguard:



The glossy black finish makes it hard to photograph.

Anyway, I took several measurements and compared my notes to the specs of various parts listed on Stew Mac's site. It appears that I can drop in the Tele pickups without routing the current pickup cavities.

Notice the strange large hole above the neck pickup cavity? What the heck is that for? It's just a hole... no wire routes go into it. ??? Also - there's a serial number tapes into the bridge cavity. This number is not the same as the serial number on the back of the neck.

Anyway, let's take a look under the control plate:



What you're looking at:

• Two B500k JS solid shaft pots (JS is made by Alpha)
• Ceramic IC 503Z capacitor (.05 mF)
• Some kind of large 3P super switch
• Input jack - no name
• Both pickups measured 13k and are made by BHK (Chinese). Allegedly, they are AlNiCo V
• Bridge has no identification markings
• Tuners are Fender/Ping with two studs (10mm)

Take a good look at the control cavity. Do you see the area where the ground is attached? That raised area in the cavity prevents someone from turning the control panel around because the super switch device is too wide to fit in that area. Weird, huh?

So here's what I'm planning to install:

• A set Bill Lawrence Keystone Deluxe
• Replace stock bridge with a Fender vintage bridge with brass saddles
• Mint pickguard (yes, mint!)
• Two CTS 250k pots and a .022uf oil can capacitor (MOD brand)
• CRL 3-way switch

My challenges are fitting the vintage bridge so that it fits over the string holes and covers most of the bridge cavity. My measurements of the standard Tele bridge say that it will fit... but I won't really know until I have one.

The pickguard won't be an issue since the guitar is glossy black and I can simply cover the existing holes with a dab of black nailpolish.

I'm also curious if the CRL switch will be smaller than the stock super switch so I can flip the control plate around to the traditional set up.

One thing I'm not going to do is bore out the input jack to install a traditional Tele style jack cups.

Anyway, stay tuned... parts arrive next week!

[stetyrrell]

That's definitely an awesome project, but would it not have been easier to just flip it, and buy a mex standard tele and just mod that?

[Brantleycoker]

Keep in mind you need an American standard tele bridge since it has 3 holes to mount rather than vintage style that has 4

[Bob Pollock]

Notice the strange large hole above the neck pickup cavity? What the heck is that for? It's just a hole... no wire routes go into it. ??? Also - there's a serial number tapes into the bridge cavity. This number is not the same as the serial number on the back of the neck.

The hole you are asking about is the CNC index point. The sticker is for factory/assembly tracking.

[ReginaldBisquet]

Flip it?! Where's the sport in that?!

And I should also note that I'm prepared to drill new mounting holes for the bridge. I have pieces of small dowels that I'll use to fill the existing mounting holes.

So far, the total cost of my replacement parts is $80 (pickups) + $65 (switch, pickguard, bridge).

[ReginaldBisquet]

Parts arrived today. The pickguard is a perfect fit. Yes, it is mint... but it's hard to see in this photo.



It just needs a little more room in the control plate curve. I can easily fix that by filling and drilling a new hole for the control plate screws.

Now let's look at the bridge:



This is Stew Mac bridge #0099 with a set of brass compensated saddles.

1. The three holes at the bottom are where the old bridge was secured to the body. I may fill these and cover them over or simply leave it alone. I will (obviously) need to mark and drill new holes for this bridge's mounting screws.

2. The humbucker route is just slightly wider than the bridge. You can kind of see the humbucker ring screw holes on the left.

3. The bottom mounting screw hole for the bridge pickup is blocked by a piece of the humbucker cavity. So it looks like I'm going to need to do some minor routing of this cavity to fit the bridge pickup.

4. The string holes - more or less - line up with the bridge's string holes. They are not perfectly aligned, but it's not as narrow as say threading a needle.

So now, I wait for the pickups! C'mon Billy & Becky Lawrence!!!

[ReginaldBisquet]

Quick updates:

• Stock Blacktop pickups register 13.1k (neck) and 13.8k (bridge).
• The shaft of the CTS pots does not fit through the stock control plate. CRAP!
• The CRL switch is not smaller than the small portion of the control cavity. Not sure why Fender put that little raised area in the control cavity. I guess what I'll have to do is use a small router to carve that piece out. Why the hell did Fender do that?

Currently scanning Allparts and Darren Riley for a replacement control plate. Oy vey.

[ReginaldBisquet]

Another update: I ordered some parts from Darren Riley - not only for the Blacktop Tele, but also for a couple of amps I'm working on.

The Fender USA Tele control plate has holes large enough for stock CTS pot shafts. Strange - it's thinner than the stock plate found on the Blacktop.

I had to use my mini router tool to route out the raised area in the control cavity so I could flip the controls around so the selector switch was next to the bridge.



Otherwise, it's a perfect fit over the existing control plate location.

Still waiting for the Bill Lawrence pickups to ship.

[Boris Bubbanov]

I like those Stew Mac 0099 plates with 5167 saddles.

For my PAF rout conversion, I used the thinner Fender one, chopped in half then flattened into a PAF compatible tone ring:



The bridge has since been replaced with the bottom half of such a Tele plate, like on a G E Smith Tele. IMO you need to plug and redrill the through holes - the existing holes are too far North and the bridge will IMO get shoved up too high to fit easily (and the break angles were wrong-too steep).

Btw these are (nondeluxe) Bill and Becky Keystones.

Here's the sister project with a half bridge and diagonally drilled through holes (back to existing ferrules on the back):

[AllmanFan]

have you looked into some humbuckers from a 72 thinline or custom? In my experience, the Fender wide range humbuckers are alot more bright than typical humbuggies. Take a look at the Gibson P94s for the neck or a twangbucker.

[ReginaldBisquet]

I considered putting a different humbucker style pick up in this guitar - but I am simply too curious to see if the Blacktop Tele can be changed into a traditional Tele. Nonetheless, I've left the humbucker ring screw holes as well as the stock bridge screw holes intact just case I want to convert the guitar back to its stock form.

A shot of the neck:



Just so you know... the bar code serial number does not match the serial number in the pickup cavity. Looks like the neck was made on June 26, 2010 - which is a Saturday. ???

The pencil scribble says 31.8. The neck pocket has a faint stamp inside that says 2010. Neck pocket also has that CNC machine index point.

[sayday]

Nice, i am very interested in your project. This is exactly what i have in mind of doing it sometime soon. getting either Blacktop or Blackout (HSS) tele and doing some mod (including the finish change...) please share your progress.

[sayday]

One more Q. If you were to keep the bridge humbucker, but just replace the neck pup with a tele lipstick, will the normal tele pickguard fit ?

[ReginaldBisquet]

Originally Posted by sayday

One more Q. If you were to keep the bridge humbucker, but just replace the neck pup with a tele lipstick, will the normal tele pickguard fit ?

I just checked - the Blacktop pickguard has a wider bridge pickup cut out (compared to a standard Tele pickguard) to accommodate the humbucker ring. I guess you could purchase a standard Tele pickguard and cut the opening wider.

Also - STILL waiting on the Bill Lawrence pickups. Sheesh!

[Boris Bubbanov]

Darren Riley has some Fender pickguards with the "humbucker interface".

Bill and Becky make wonderful and inexpensive pups. This is the old trichotomy where you can have 2 but never 3 of the "wonderful, inexpensive and fast" threesome.