A Tele-ish idea I've been thinking about...

[jackthehack]

Don't know that there'd be any legal reason that Anderson would go that route; but if you're dropping a Strat type tremolo you'd either need to wood mount the Tele bridge PU as they do, or have some kind of custom PU mounting ring fabricated - which might wind up looking as "weird" as the wood mounting... Personally, I'd just have the hole routed to P90 wood mount size and drop a BluesBar in there, but whatever floats your boat...

 

[pscates]

That was the thing with the Anderson guitar pic I showed on the other page, as an example. I do think it looks odd with no traditional metal plate and the notched-out pickguard in place, which only seems to draw attention to - and accent - that something is missing right there. Maybe a modified pickguard design, or, in my case, no pickguard at all, might help with that. I don't know. But the Anderson guitars, with the non-standard bridge/pickup look and pickguard is a bit jarring to me as well.

Something like that hybrid Tele pickguard, where the back-end of it arcs away from the bridge area and doesn't create a straight, vertical edge (with a big notch in it) might work a little better, calling less attention to something that is missing that is usually there?

Yeah, willyk...that Tele gallery at Warmoth is AWESOME. After the Showcase, that's probably my second favorite place at Warmoth's site to visit. I love the Pabst Blue Ribbon Tele, the gold one, that really nice quilted green one with the black pickguard, some neat ones with P-90s, humbuckers, three pickups, pickguards, no pickguards, locking tremolos, custom pickguards, non-traditional electronics/switching and even a VH striped one! True variety, and inspiring, idea-generating stuff.

:icon_biggrin:

I did do a version of this thing with two P-90s. Probably looks less jarring (EDIT: ha, I just read jackinthehack's post about it as I was posting this). A nice "champagne sparkle", this one (like some Gretsch drums and Jets I've seen in pics...somewhere between pink and gold). This looks a bit more "balanced" and comfortable, pickup-wise, huh? Less of an odd duck...there are quite a few Teles in the customer gallery with two P-90s and they look nice. Maybe that's the ticket? Now it's a "Tele" in general body shape only...everything else is a departure.

What is your take on this:

The one thing I think I might like better (and do differently) is to have a metal toggle instead of that long-throw three-way switch (pretty much the only thing remaining from a traditional Telecaster). I had a Dano back in 2000 or so, and it had a thick, chrome "hard stick" three-way toggle. By "hard stick", I mean when you put it in place, it stayed. Made a satisfying "click" and didn't move or bounce back to the center like I've seen some three-way toggles do. There wouldn't be that long slash, and it would just be a - what, 1/2"? - hole for the switch instead. I don't know...I mocked-it up above. I'm happy with either way, for different reasons.

 

[willyk]

I like surprises, just go build it the way you want to and show us pictures of the real thing. (BTW I'd put a bigsby on it :blob7  cheers  Willy

 

[jackthehack]

Stopped by Mass Street Music on the way home, they stock the Andersons, actually the headstock looks goofier than the mount-to-wood Tele bridge PU...

 

[pscates]

I like surprises, just go build it the way you want to and show us pictures of the real thing. (BTW I'd put a bigsby on it :blob7  cheers  Willy

Great, send me a check!

:icon_tongue:

I would love to show pics of the real thing (believe me), but it'll be probably early 2008 before I'm able to get started in earnest. Sorry...you're stuck with digital mockups for the time being. And, no...I'm not going to go and do "whatever I want" because it's nice to get the input of people who've done this sort of thing with some success, and who might point me toward some ideas and approaches I wouldn't have thought of on my own (mahogany and so forth).

But the planning/dreaming stage is fun too. It's nice to be able to visualize something so realistically (and try out many ideas) before making costly wrong decisions.

I'd considered the Bigsby thing too. Just might be tough having a solid area to screw down to on those hollow Tele bods (using that B5 type of top-mounted model for flat-top electrics). If Warmoth could hollow out the "wings" and leave the center solid, then yeah...definitely a neat possibility!

Yeah, the Anderson headstocks aren't exactly my favorite look of all time, jackthehack.

 

[willyk]

Maybe bigsby, maybe not......... :-\

 

[pscates]

Yeah, that was my concern all along, looking at those hollow areas in that photo and wondering about screws having a place to anchor. Oh well.

 

[Alfang]

pscates, I like your mockup, I like the bridge pup mounted to the body as well.  I have several guitars with pups mounted directly to the body.

I am a believer that this gives you a different sound, as opposed to spring mounted to pickguards or rings.  I think it adds sustain as the pickup is directly involved with adding vibs back to the wood through the slight inductive reactance (bucking)of the pup.  It's just a theory, and as CB once said. Paraphrasing here: changing the mechanics of things ruins (or improves) your sound.  Sorry CB I know I butcher'd that all to hell

 

[guitlouie]

Have to say I like the dual P-90 version better...don't know why....

 

[pscates]

I think because it just looks more balanced and uniform, the two, matching P-90s? Just looks cleaner and not so "off" as the floating Tele pickup paired with the big neck P-90. It's grown on me as well. Maybe save the Tele pickup for a more traditional build (my orange/copper sparklecaster, with binding, etc.). I also like that light gold/pinkish champagne sparkle too! I've seen old Gretsch Jets (and drums) in that color, and it's really gorgeous. Looks like...well, champagne.

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