Build number……. Well, a lot. TLB Tele bass

[m0j0]

Also the bits arrived for my ‘73 HD 2 stroke so I need to finish that after 12 years…

Is one of those bits a 1971 quarter to use as a thumb rest for your accelerator hand?

[Simon Barden]

You could get a blank Tele control plate (eBay or Amazon) for much less than F3X's pre-drilled one, and drill it for just volume and tone controls, or you could go three knobs and do the G&L passive treble and bass control circuit.

Or if you want really simple, just drill it for a 2-position on/off switch.

[Andyxlh]

Is one of those bits a 1971 quarter to use as a thumb rest for your accelerator hand?

No, but I do have a 71 quarter on the choke knob on my VH cafe racer 😁

[Andyxlh]

You could get a blank Tele control plate (eBay or Amazon) for much less than F3X's pre-drilled one, and drill it for just volume and tone controls, or you could go three knobs and do the G&L passive treble and bass control circuit.

Or if you want really simple, just drill it for a 2-position on/off switch.

Agreed. I’m tempted to cut my original down to remove the switch position and shorten the plate, if I was going to remove the switch. The holes I filled in on the Frankenbass worked out really well.
I think I’ll let the idea marinate a little before I make that call

[Simon Barden]

The problem with cutting a plate down, is that you lose the chrome on the ends where you cut.

[Andyxlh]

The problem with cutting a plate down, is that you lose the chrome on the ends where you cut.

Agreed, although I have done this with heat shields and so on, if the metal is thin and you cut with a fine fast blade, protect the chrome and polish the end the residual effect of the adjacent coating deters rust and it’s hard to pick. Mind you, there’s only one chance to get it right!

[Andyxlh]

If I decided to relic the hardware like I did on the Tele with the built in amp, cutting the finish wouldn’t matter. I do like this earthy look, almost a zinc plate finish with the copper peeking through

[Andyxlh]

Scribbling on a lefty headstock shape. This is kinda the sort of thing I have in mind

[fender3x]

You could always buy a proper 2-knob Tele bass control plate....

Attachment 41862

I had forgotten that the cavity's not routed on these. That would make Simon's original suggestion pretty attractive...

You don't really need the switch--at least not to get any of the effects we've been talking about. Tele and '51 style P bases didn't have any switches. You can get almost the same effect of tone-circuit bypass, by leaving your tone control cranked and using a no-load pot for volume--if you want it. But on further thought you may not even want that. Your SC pup will have a bit more high end already than a split p-bass or HB pickup. No load/tone stack bypass may be overkill. If you want to add a tone cap, you can always do it with a push pull.

I think the Esquire circuits are mostly to give a guitar a bit more twang. A lot of what you do with your hand, or foam, or tone pots on a bass is to get rid of some twang ;-)

[Simon Barden]

You can get almost the same effect of tone-circuit bypass, by leaving your tone control cranked and using a no-load pot for volume--if you want it.

Except you can't use a no-load pot as a volume control. You can only use them on a tone control where the pot acts as a variable resistor. A volume pot is wired as a potential divider, and the break in the track on a no-load pot prevents this happening.