TL-1TB Telebilly

It turns out it is *really* hard to clamp binding in a reinforced F-hole. You can't really get any clamps in there and using binding tape is equally problematic. So, the only solution was to make some custom clamps. It was still going to be tough to get the binding in place, glue it, adjust the position and get it clamped before the glue started to set, so I rehearsed it and numbered the order to apply the clamps.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_29.jpg

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_30.jpg



Once it was set, I put a block into the cavity and used a nice sharp chisel to trim the ends at the required angle, simple join but that would be enough for me.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_31.jpg

Glueing the other half of the binding was even harder to clamp, so I ended up using custom clamps, binding tape and even PVC tubing in the narrow sections to hold everything in place.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_32.jpg



The result, not perfect but not too bad, ready to be cleaned up.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_33.jpg



New binding flush trimmed around the body, then scraped and ready to do the final trim at the neck pocket and clean up.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_34.jpg



Not sure if using Tarzan's Grip made things easier or harder, but I did need the extra working time with the F-hole.

I was originally going to use push/pulls and mini pots on this build, but lately I've been playing around with some other options that may require full size pots. So, just in case, I decided to rout the control cavity wider to accept the larger pots.

Whipped up a quick template.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_22.jpg



Routing done.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_23.jpg



Final check to make sure it's wide enough including copper shielding.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_24.jpg

Prepped, final sanded and ready for the finish.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...nishing_01.jpg

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...nishing_02.jpg


To be continued…

Wow. That was an epic read. I saw this here this morning and I was thinking to myself '43 posts? I don't remember this being here last night. WA guys have been busy.' Nope, just Scott. Lol.

Thorough, exacting and way over my skill level as always, Weirdy. Loving it so far.

Ps. Can someone fill me in on these double pots? No idea what they are.

I think they are the push pull pots for tapping. Mate this is such a good read and an amazing build. I can't wait to see her done. Well done.

That's a dual gang pot for blending the neck and bridge if I'm not wrong.

Amazing build so far WeirdBits!

wow Weirdy, reading through this thread you have done so many cool mods and fixes, I've learnt a few improved methods. Your eye for detail is 2nd to none. This is going to be an epic build. What stain colours you got planned ?

Scott, I can't decide if you are committed,.......or should be committed.

Great job with the guitar, your attention to detail would be inspiring if I wasn't so threatened by it.

Quote:

---

Quote from pablopepper on October 15, 2014, 06:21
... Can someone fill me in on these double pots? No idea what they are.

---

As Simon said, they're normally balance/blend pots. They typically have a centre detent and turning them one way keeps pot A at 100% while changing pot B, turning the other way changes pot A while keeping pot B at 100%. The pot shown in my earlier post is a little different, but same principle... more on that later. The other style of double pot you may see is the concentric pot, where it has separate inner and outer shafts allowing individual control of each pot. They're the ones with the special double stacked knobs.

Wokka, you diabolical thread-jacker, the answer you seek lies here ;)

thanks heaps Weirdy, I know I am probably the worst thread-jacker on the forum but how else do you achieve over 3200 posts ? haha
I edited my comments on page 5 and removed the diagrams, your thread has been de-jacked !! :)

Where are you based Weirdy ? If you are in the Perth area I'd love to catch up and get some wiring pointers !

hehe sorry Wokks, Perth + 3000 km

bugger, I'd deffo do a drop by if you were local. One day we will have to organise a long weekend national forum get together, probably on the east coast

Man Scott, absolutely loving the custom touches, pure skill!!!

great work Scott, especially with the binding

Man, awesome work Wierdy!
As usual, your mind-blowing attention to detail is truly humbling. Love the binding in the f-hole, it really makes the difference, and the bigsby + surf 90s are going to be killer. This is going to be a fantastic build when complete! I'm watching your progress with keen interest.

cheers,
Gav.

I'm using GFS Surf 90 pickups on this build along with a 4-way switch, which means I need to do a 'Tele 4-way mod' on the neck pickup. Basically, you need to have the pickup's negative (or ground) wire separate from its shield/casing if you want to use a 4 way switch. On a normal Tele neck pickup the negative wire is usually connected to the chrome case lug, so all you need to do is disconnect that link and add a separate wire for the shield. Like so:
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...k_4way_mod.jpg


Unfortunately, things aren't quite that simple with the Surf 90s as their connections are internal… so some surgery is required, but only on the neck pickup.

First step, remove the pickup mounting ring (I'm using some chrome rings on this build).
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_01.jpg


Next, the chrome casing needs to be removed to get access to the internals. This is held in place by two spots of solder connecting it to the baseplate. You can either cut the joins, or use your soldering iron to melt the solder and then gently pry the side away before it hardens again. In this case, melting the solder is probably the better option as there is actually a wire embedded into one of the solder points (as you'll see in the next post). The trick, of course, is not overheating the pickup while you're melting the join… otherwise all of the potting wax will melt and you don't want that.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_02.jpg

With a bit of care you should be able to free the casing without melting the wax. As you can see, a link wire for the internal copper shielding in embedded into one of the solder joins on the baseplate, and that needs to be preserved for when the pickup is reassembled.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_03.jpg


The Surf 90s have a waxed black cloth 'hot' wire surrounded by the bare braided shield wire. The black cloth 'hot' wire is connected to the coil's positive in under the copper shielding tape (wasn't expecting to see the copper tape there when I opened it up), but we don't have to mess with that. The bit we're interested in is the thin black plastic covered wire that connects the coil's negative to the shield wire on the base plate. As shown here:
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...wiring_03b.jpg


All you need to do is very carefully disconnect (or cut) the end of the black plastic wire where it joins the braided shield wire on the baseplate (don't pull on the wires at all). Like so:
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_04.jpg

Once the black plastic negative wire is disconnected from the shield, all that's needed is to connect it to its own individual wire. I chose to use to a shielded wire to connect to the negative, so I fed it through the baseplate hole, connected the core wire to the black plastic negative wire (and heatshrink'd it) and then connected the new wire's shield to the existing shield wire connection on the baseplate. To minimise the risk of things getting wrenched around I also cable-tied the negative's new connection to the cloth wire, as shown below. Normally, I would just snip the old wire and replace it with a single multi-core wire, but in this instance I wanted to use a second wire in case I decided to revert back at some point. If you have a multimeter it's a good idea to check that everything works and that you don't have any shorts from you new connections.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_05.jpg


Once you're happy with you're new connections, just reverse the process to reconnect the cover ensuring the link wire stays in place. While I had mine apart I actually made the link wire connection to the baseplate a little more robust, just in case I ever had to disassemble it again. Even though I've stripped the shield wire on the new wire (see pic) I'll either be clipping it off or insulating it as it shouldn't be connected (the other end of the shield is already connected in the pickup). The pickup is now ready to be used with a 4 way switch or with phase reversing etc.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_06.jpg

nice mods Scott, still trying to get my head around it all but think I understand what you have done. When I'm ready to wire up my tele with a 4 way switch I may need some advice. I'll be using the tonerider pups sold by PBG most likely.
So as this surf 90 is going in the neck position does that chrome pup surround cover the route ok ?

Yep Woks, the kit is routed for humbuckers and the Surf 90s are humbucker size so the chrome hummy rings fit nicely. hehe your recent Tele Tonerider and 4-way switch discussions with Gav is the reason I drew up that image of how to do a standard Tele neck pup 4-way mod in the first post. Happy to help with your 4 way wiring if/when you need it.

ah ok got it cheers Weirdy, wondered why the tonerider tweak was there, cool I'll remember to check out this thread. So do I have to do that to neck and bridge pups ?
what will your 4th switch setting be ?
The reason I asked about the neck pup surrounds covering is my TL-1A alder kit is routed for a lipstick neck pup with a pickguard, when I put a humbucker and chrome surround it barely covered the route, it must be a bit larger than the TL-1TB neck route

You only need to do it on the neck pickup, that's the only one that needs separate positive, negative and shield wires for the 4-way wiring. The 4th setting will be both pickups linked together in series rather than parallel, for a fatter heavier sound.

Thanks for the heads up on the neck pickup mod wierdy!

cheers,
Gavin.

Time to put some caps in my ax…

Or, at least, to wire up the control plate ready for when it can go in the ax. First step, work out the components you'll be using and test them now… it could save you hours of time looking for a fault that's not actually your fault later.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_07.jpg


I'll be using a mini-switch on this build so I had to add an extra hole on the control plate. A careful measure then centre punch, drill and burr removal took care of that. The pots I'm using were also too large for the holes, so I used a stepped bit to open them up to 3/8" (9.5mm). Good thing about the stepped bit is the next size up removes the burrs for you.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_08.jpg

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_09.jpg

Components in place, I also swapped out the domed screws that came with the switch with some more suitable countersunk ones.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_10.jpg


I originally planned to use this wiring design, but recently I've been experimenting with modified Fender TBX circuits and I thought that would add some interesting options to this build. With the Surf 90 pickups and the series setting on the 4-way switch, being able to thin out some bass could be useful.

For those unfamiliar with the Fender TBX, it is a specialised dual gang pot with a centre detent made up of a 250K No Load pot and a 1M blend style pot. Basically, if you turn it counter-clockwise (from centre) the 250K pot goes from 'no load' -> 250K -> 0? while the 1M? pot stays at 0?, and when you turn it clockwise the 250K pot stays as 'no load' and the 1M? pot goes from 0? -> 1M? (see pic below). 'no load' means that it is non-conductive and is essentially removed from the circuit. A TBX is normally wired with a cap and resistor and when you turn it counter-clockwise you get a normal tone control that reduces treble, but when you turn it clockwise it reduces some of the bass instead.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._layout_sm.jpg


With a few changes you can make a TBX a bit more flexible so that you can tweak what range of frequencies are affected by the bass control, ideally matching it to your specific pickups and guitar. Essentially, just like the value of your normal tone cap controls what frequencies are affected by the tone pot, you can add a 'bypass' cap that controls what frequencies are allowed to bypass the bass control (like the way a treble bleed works). The higher the value of the cap the lower it's cut-off frequency, the lower the value of the cap the higher its cut-off frequency. Everything above the cut-off frequency bypasses the bass pot and everything below the cut-off goes through it.

I wired up a test circuit for the TBX with some clip leads so I could try out different caps with the Surf 90s on my 1-string tester, and I also hooked it up as an external circuit to my G-special Tele. I tried bypass caps in the range of 1500pF to 6800pF (0.0015uF - 0.0068uF), different tone caps, and some circuit variations. In the end I settled on a 0.0047uF (4700pF) cap for the bypass. In my (very) rough testing, the cut-off for the 0.0047 seemed to reduce the bass on frequencies up to around an open D, which was about what I wanted. Then again, it was me doing the testing so anything's possible. For the tone cap, I was originally going to use a 0.022uF Orange Drop but an Emerson PIO just sounded soooo much smoother and more useable I had to go with that.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_12.jpg

This is the TBX version of my wiring design. Surf 90 pickups, Tele 4-way switch, TBX giving treble/bass adjustment, and an On/On/On mini-switch providing Volume only, Volume & TBX, and Volume, TBX & Treble cut filter cap settings. The filter cap will cut some treble which can also then be combined with a variable bass or treble cut via the TBX, which should produce some interesting options.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...ushpull_v2.png

The 'Tone Cap' is the normal tone control cap (0.022uF - 0.047uF).
The 'Bypass Cap' controls which frequencies bypass the bass control (0.0015uF - 0.0068uF).
The 'Filter Cap' provides a fixed treble cut (0.0015uF - 0.0068uF).


The tough part was working out how to fit three largish caps into the tiny Tele control cavity, but with some creative repositioning I think I've managed it. Here's the completed control plate wired as far as I can take it at the moment, the loose wires are connections that I can't attach until the pickups are connected. I think it'll all fit… maybe.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_16.jpg

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-wiring_20.jpg

I had a similar set up on my telecaster except it was a DPDT mini switch splitting coils. I really had to cram it in there. The fender routes/panels are really thin too. If I owned a router I'd definitely be making it deeper/wider for more MODS. :P

http://i.imgur.com/bAg9dF6.jpg?1

Dude!!
Way cool mods but that seriously made my head spin reading that. Glad it's clear in your head. So many options for sound, well cool.

love it Weirdy and thanks for documenting it, you have so much knowledge. Love your parts boxes have so many goodies. Very cool 1 string test setup bit of a Jack White setup ! You certainly have crammed enough into the cavity, hope it all fits !
Can't wait for a sound demo of this beast

wild, a real labour of love tweaking this one exactly how you want it. neck and body mods are super cool

Fearsome combination of luthiery skills and electronic manipulations.
Way beyond me in most respects, but a real pleasure to follow as it develops.
GOTM material for certain.

Hey Weirdy, sorry to hijack your thread again, figure best chance to get you on this post. I got the PBG gold upgrade for my tele and am going to try the stock pups as they have all the gold bling on. I posted a pic, so I have to separate the ground wire from the casing and run a separate ground wire back to the switch ? Will this work for the 4 way switch mod ?
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...024_092414.jpg

No need to apologise Wokks, I don't mind and it fits with the wiring stuff in this thread. I read pretty much all the posts so there's a good chance I'll see a question whichever thread it's posted in, just for future reference. Gimme a couple of minutes to check a stock PBG TL neck pup I have here and then I can make sure there are no surprises and walk you through the specific steps.

Ok Wokks, the 4 way mod on the stock PBG TL neck pickup should be fine. I can't really see the wires on your pic so I took some of mine instead, they may vary a little but you should be able to match them up.

It has a core 'hot' wire (white) that is connected to the pickup's positive and then the 'bare' wire is split going to both the pickup's negative and the casing. Like so:
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._pup_mod_1.jpg


All you need to do is disconnect the bare wire from the point it attaches to the casing, insulate that section of bare wire (maybe heatshrink it, tape it back to the main wire, or just trim it off if you're daring), then attach a new separate wire to that spot on the casing. Once that's done the 'core' wire is still your positive (+) and the 'bare' wire around it is now just your negative (-) and the new separate wire is now your ground/shield wire.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._pup_mod_2.jpg


Because the bare wire is now your negative it can be a little messy, so just check the underside of the pickup to make sure that there are no loose/stray strands that could touch the casing lug. Ideally, add some insulating tape around it to make sure it can't short with anything.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._pup_mod_3.jpg

If you have a multimeter do a quick resistance/continuity check between your positive and negative wires (should be about 6-7K) and then between positive and separate shield wire and then negative and shield wire, which should both show no continuity/connection (??). If it all worked you should now be set up for your 4 way switch. Also, make sure you shield your cavities well as there could be a little extra noise picked up with the shield wire separate from the positive/negative wires.

cheers heaps Scott, I'll have a look later but looks pretty straight forward

Hey Weirdy,
I've been searching for a 4 way switch wiring diagram, is this one ok ? I'll be using standard tone and volume pot. Where do I attached the new wire that attaches to the casing, is that ground ?
Silly question but which way does the switch face on this diagram or doesn't it matter, just wire it like the diagram and top of switch is front of guitar facing ?
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...way-switch.jpg

Yep Wokks, that diagram is fine. The new wire is now your neck pup ground, so it just goes to the back of the pot like any other ground. And yeah, the switch is viewed from the bottom and it doesn't matter which way it faces as long as the wiring pattern matches the diagram. I prefer having the neck pup in position 4 and series in position 3 on the switch, so I use this switch layout. You could use the switch wiring from that diagram but keep the standard volume and tone if you wanted.

cheers Scott, its clear now, hope to get it wired up this arvo