First Build: Red and Black Wilko Johnson Telecaster

[Mark Gill]

This is how mine ended up.

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Love the job you've made of that blue finish!

So what's the gap between your bridge plate and pickguard now—am I seeing about 3 mm in your picture?

Mark

[Sonic Mountain]

Yeah around 3mm. I was trying to get an even gap all the way around. It's pretty close. Colour is just automotive rattle can spray. You can get pretty good results with it.

[Mark Gill]

Yeah around 3mm. I was trying to get an even gap all the way around. It's pretty close. Colour is just automotive rattle can spray. You can get pretty good results with it.

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Wow, the possibilities of what you can do with the body are endless...

Thank again!

Mark

[Sonic Mountain]

Yep, part of why this hobby is so addictive, there is always something to try!

[Mark Gill]

Can someone field another dim question for me? Shouldn't there be an earth cable attached to this bridge pickup..?

Mark

[FrankenWashie]

Hi Mark, the earth usually goes from each of your pots to the bridge plate, not from the pickups. See the link below:
https://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-co...f/PBG-TL-1.pdf

[Simon Barden]

Hi Mark. Yes, the bridge plate is normally connected to the pickup ground wire. From your photo, from the blob of solder on the bridge plate it looks like the braid on the red wire was once connected to the solder, but wasn't soldered well and it's pulled away from it.

Cue Mission Impossible music....

Your task, should you wish to accept it, is to do a better job and reconnect it so that it doesn't pull off again. It might be easier to wrap some bare wire round the braid, solder that to the braid and then solder the wire to the base plate.

This post will fail to self-destruct in 5 seconds.

[Mark Gill]

Hi Mark, the earth usually goes from each of your pots to the bridge plate, not from the pickups. See the link below:
https://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-co...f/PBG-TL-1.pdf

Oh, ok. Thanks Franken

[Mark Gill]

Hi Mark. Yes, the bridge plate is normally connected to the pickup ground wire. From your photo, from the blob of solder on the bridge plate it looks like the braid on the red wire was once connected to the solder, but wasn't soldered well and it's pulled away from it.

Cue Mission Impossible music....

Your task, should you wish to accept it, is to do a better job and reconnect it so that it doesn't pull off again. It might be easier to wrap some bare wire round the braid, solder that to the braid and then solder the wire to the base plate.

This post will fail to self-destruct in 5 seconds.

Once I've done all that I'll have to go and lie down in a dark room, with a cool flannel over my eyes, and a mint juelp in hand..

[Sonic Mountain]

You'll be right. I think making a little bridge wire as Simons suggests is the most sensible approach. It'll give you a bit of flexibility with moving the wire around during install and you won't have to worry about it pulling away again.