Tele Pickup Routing Question

[texicus]

Hi everyone!  I went through the search but couldn't find anything related to this, but it's possible I'm an idiot...

I'm considering getting a showcase Telecaster body, but I have a couple of questions for people that have maybe ran into this before...

Is it possible to get a showcase body that's already painted routed for a different type of pickup?  The body I'm looking at is routed for TxT, but I was thinking it'd be cool to get it routed for HxH in case in the future I'd like to take the sound from a stockish Tele to a different sound with humbuckers.

Also, which kind of ties into the first question...if I have the body routed for HxH, would I run into problems mounting stock Tele hardware?  Right now I want to have it be a stockish Tele with an original pickguard and bridge, but was thinking in the future I might want to change to humbuckers but dont want the holes to be visible through the bridge/pickguard edges...

Sorry if these questions have been addressed alot, this would be my first build and I'm kind of clueless at this moment...but do my best work when I have to learn in order to succeed hehe thanks everyone!

 

[Mor Paul]

It'll work.

 

[PitchShifter]

I just grabbed a bargain Thinline from the sreamin' deals section that was routed TxT for standard tele bridge. Warmoth very obligingly routed it out HHH for me (I'm a sick puppy) for Tele HB bridge. 
I don't know if the mount screws for the standard Tele and HB Tele bridge are the same...

 

[Mor Paul]

I think they are...

 

[texicus]

The mounting holes appear to be the same, but the hb bridge itself is a little wider than the standard bridge.  So I think everything should be ok.  Will post pictures if I go through with it!

 

[texicus]

I'm gonna stick this in this thread since I don't want to flood the place with noob questions...this is the body I've been looking at.

http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseItem.aspx?Body=2&Shape=2&Type=2&Paint=1&Path=Body%2cTelecaster%2cStandard%2cFinished&i=PT1284

Is it just me or is the control/electronics hole cut a little crooked?  I noticed it on a few more Telecaster bodies in the showcase as well.  I've been looking at Fender bodies and these holes seem pretty straight, but on the warmoth ones they do seem a little out of whack...or is it just the beer I'm drinking?

 

[rockskate4x]

It's probably the lighting of the photograph. You can see light reflecting off of the bottom left and top right sides of the metal plate and that makes it look a little angled. If you got a tape measure and put it up to the screen I think it would show that it is not angled. It would really surprise me for Warmoth to mess up on something like that.

 

[callaway]

It could also be that they just have the hardware there roughly placed (kind of more sloppily than other pictures) just for the photo.

 

[GoDrex]

looks alright to me...

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Since the humbucking route is wider, should you ever go back to the traditional bridge and bridge pickup, the traditional bridge will not cover up the humbucker routing.

 

[callaway]

Put a humbucker in the neck and some sort of silent single-coil (Joe Barden?) in the bridge.

 

[texicus]

Thanks guys.  I think I've been convinced!  Hehe will post pictures if I go ahead with it!

 

[uOpt]

In the neck there's no problem if you have a pickguard.

In the bridge, be warned that the Tele bridge pickup route is already bigger than a humbucker route. You cannot cover it up with a humbucker ring, even if you slant it.

Likewise, a humbucker route in the correct position will not be covered when you go back to a vintage Tele bridge.

Alternatives are:
- Tele bridge with humbucker mount (in bridge)
- Tele Custom pickguard, the variant for HH. Of course that covers much of the guitar

 

[uOpt]

Belated reply, but just in case:

The bridge route of a Telecaster pickup is actually large and angled enough that it is outside the area that you need for a humbucker.

That means you cannot use a hardtail bridge and a humbucker ring without a visible hole between the pickup ring and the bridge under the high strings.

Of course that won't be visible of you use Tele-style bridge for a humbucker as it covers this area.