TL-1 first build

[TegM]

Today I began work on my telecaster kit.

I have been looking forward to build this as I previously restored a Stratocaster and found it quite enjoyable.
However I have run into a problem, setting the bridge in the correct position.
My kit has a scale length of 648mm and I have positioned the saddles in the middle of their adjustment range and lined it up with this length. In spite of this I find that the pick guard will not fit and I will have to make the bridge pickup cavity bigger as seen in the photo below. Have I done the right thing or should the bridge sit differently?

Any help would be much appreciated
Cheers TegM

[Sonic Mountain]

So there should be an even gap all the way around the bridge of about 2mm. This is a common issue with the TL-1 kits and 'normal'. The route is slightly too far south, and a little small if you are using anything but the kit pickups. You can build it as is and there is enough adjustment for intonation, but most people slightly enlarge the cavity so you can position the bridge a bit further forward and get that pickguard to bridge gap to look right.

[Simon Barden]

Don't set the saddles in mid-position. That is incorrect advice taht still seems to be floating around. Set the top E/B saddle so there's about 2-3mm of thread poking out the end. Then measure the scale length from the board side of the top E saddle to the middle of the top E saddle slot. The top E string will always be the string nearest the nominal scale length, but will still need the saddle moved back form that by between 1-2mm when intonated.

That will allow you to correctly intonate the saddles later on, without the saddles being very close to the rear of the bridge, with very compressed springs and the adjustment screws poking up in the air.

I can't guarantee that you still won't have to do a bit of cavity enlargement, but if that doesn't do it completely, then it will get you a lot closer, with minimal work.

As sonic says, Teles should have a small gap between the bridge plate and the pickguard, though the control plate butts right up against the pickguard cut-out.

[JimC]

...without the saddles being very close to the rear of the bridge, with very compressed springs and the adjustment screws poking up in the air.

Like this sad case...

The perils of not measuring carefully enough... This was a scratch built body on a secondhand neck. I lined the neck up against my JV Tele, said, great, same scale length and proceeded to take all the measurements carefully from the Telecaster. But for some unknown reason the scale lengths weren't quite the same, and my donor neck was a vital few mm longer to the 12th fret than the JV.

[McCreed]

Simon said it very succinctly.
I had typed a reply with similar info last night (albiet long-windedly) but forgot hit 'submit reply" .

I'll paste it here in case there someone else can benefit from it:

I agree with Sonic that this is a common issue with TL kits. I have only done one PBG TL, but I did encounter this problem and have read numerous posts about it here. I have also seen it with other parts-a-caster bodies/builds.

However, I'll mention a few of things before you break out the router.

1) Try adjusting the saddles to 1/4 to 1/3 their travel length (from neck end) and see how the bridge lines up with the pickup route and where the 25.5" measurement falls. IME you need more travel room to flatten the intonation (move away from nut) than sharpen it (move closer to nut).

2) If you do move the bridge, you don't want to move it so far forward that the mounting screws fall right within the saddle's intonation range.
This can problematic by clashing with the bottom of the saddle height adjustment screws, and the heads of the bridge mounting screws. This will make smooth and precise forward and backward travel difficult. (eg: a height adjustment screw falls right on top of a mounting screw and the phillips head screw slots "catch" the saddle height screw - it's a real PITA let me tell ya)

Check out photos of genuine teles' bridges online and you'll notice 99% of them show the saddles sitting just in front of the mounting screws underneath. That's not coincidence.


3) If you're going to use the bridge as a top-loader, you want to position the bridge such the saddles [when in their correct intonation position] are not too close to the back of the bridge [the perpendicular part where the strings and intonation screws pass through].
If the intonated saddle lands too close there, the twisted part of the string [that goes around the ball end] may end up over the saddle and you'll get weird string behaviour, like buzzes or dead string tone. I know this to be true from personal experience, and re-locating a bridge after-the-fact comes with it's own set of problems.

Sorry for the long (and now late) post... hope it all makes sense.

[TegM]

Thank you all for you help.
Using Simon’s advice I left about 3mm of threads poking out for the E/B saddle. I then lined up the middle of this saddle to sit at the end of the scale length.
As seen in the above image the bridge pickup cavity needs some slight enlargement but should be able to be done with a curved file.
Next job will be to install all the hardware.

[McCreed]

Good work!

If you have a Dremel (or common name: rotary tool) little routing jobs like this can be done a lot quicker, neater and more precisely.
A small sanding drum is perfect for your job.

You can get a budget one (Ozito) for 39 bucks, or Dremel brand for as little as 69 at the big green shed.

[DarkMark]

As McCreed says, the rotary tool is a good addition to your tools if you don’t have one. I brought one from the big green shed with a pack of various parts for about $69 and I’ve used it for engraving inlays, quickly cutting veneers, sanding headstock and truss rod covers to shape and cutting and grinding metal do dads - just off the top of my head. Between a coping saw, clamps, sand paper and the rotary tool I’ve got just about everything I need.

[TegM]

Thanks for the recommendations on the tools. However I decided to use what I had available to me.

Using the above router I enlarged the bridgepickup cavity.

While is isn’t the neatest job I figured it would not be seen as the bridge will cover it. I also couldn’t match the depth of the pickup cavity so it is not quite even.

However the pickup now fits as it should.

[McCreed]

What???? You used a router for routing????

Hah!!! For no particular reason, I just assumed you didn't have a router... silly me!

Good on ya. Got it sorted.
Adding a rotary tool to your kit someday will be handy to have though.