Telecaster Deluxe top routed control cavity similar to a Les Paul?

[harry]

Hi

I'm trying to figure out if an LP ToneShaper board will fit in a Telecaster Deluxe routing?

Is the control cavity similar to a typical Les Paul control cavity? 

Can't find the dimensions for the top routing her:
http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Bodies/Telecaster/Deluxe/

The Toneshaper LP board:
http://www.toneshapers.com/toneshaper/toneshaper-parts/toneshaper-board-les-paul.html

Has anyone experience with the ToneShaper? Hot or not?

 

[line6man]

It would be better to drill your own holes. That way, the spacing will be exact.

I've never heard of the ToneShaper board, but it looks like cheap junk. The novelty will probably wear off before it fails, however.

 

[swarfrat]

No, it looks like a overpriced gadget that you will probably fiddle with until you get something you like, at which point it reverts to LP controls with capacitor values which I could have just soldered.

 

[stratamania]

I have never personally used a Toneshaper, but I have heard of them. They are made with US CTS pots etc. They do have some good reviews around the web.

Per the original question on the dimensions perhaps send Toneshapers an e mail they may know whether it will fit the tele routing. Unless some one else on here has the dimensions.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

I have to interject that passive tone-shaping systems can be quite amazing.  I have a ToneStyler as the only control on my bass, and between the 10 positions there and varying technique on my fingers, I can get almost any tone I want.  This Tone Shaper seems to be a lot more flexible, but it could easily be a gimmick if you don't take the time to find uses for all the available settings.  Also, it looks to be infinitely more complicated to change the settings on - definitely not something that could be altered on stage between songs.  But it would be a great tool for studio work.

As for the question about the routing, I suspect you'd need to do some more routing to get that panel and all the pots in, but the pickguard covers a lot of space, so it should be easy enough.  I'd get the pickguard without any control holes, though, since you probably would want to customize the placement of the pots.

 

[harry]

Thanks all the input.

I actually found a full-scale blueprint with the size of the board http://pdf.toneshapers.com/ToneShaper-Information-Les-Paul-Footprint.pdf.

I emailed this to Warmoth support and Brian printed it out and checked if the board will fit in the cavity. He took a picture of it and emailed it back (see the attached picture). It seems to fit quite well.

Regarding if the ToneShaper is "cheap junk" please use a little effort to document your statements...

I have only found great reviews of this product: http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Acme_Guitar_Works_ToneShaper_Review


BTW: The support service from Warmoth is really impressing!

 

[bagman67]

So from that photo, it looks like it will fit into a lightly modified cavity on a Tele Deluxe, but I think I would opt for a pickguard without the holes pre-drilled so you can make sure to put them where they need to be.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

That's pretty cool of them to do that.  But are you sure there's going to be enough depth for the board and the pots?  Unless you're doing a rear rout control panel, there might not be enough vertical space.  I'd expect having to rout a little more.

Also - I think the Tone Shaper could be an amazing sonic tool, I just question how practical it is to change the settings. I watched a demo of the sound, and it seems to be pretty versatile, so please post samples when you get it done.  :guitaristgif:

 

[stubhead]

There is this sort-of invisible brick wall you can run into, where, doing something as a hobby, basically to pass the time more better than just watching TV or getting drunk or racing caterpillars (or all of them at once!) you decide to dick around with guitars. And then it becomes a mighty struggle to develop your technique and knowledge and tools and processes to the point that you can do everything so well and efficiently and waste-free, you have to break out ye ol' caterpillars again.... Bang! OW! Was that a brick wall?!?! Bang! OW! Was that a brick wall?!?! Bang! OW! Was that a brick wall?!?!

 

[line6man]

Regarding if the ToneShaper is "cheap junk" please use a little effort to document your statements...

I see a PCB full of DIP switches. That's not exactly a high quality setup.

This sort of thing is meant to appeal to people that want to fool around with every option they can get out of four coils and four pots. What usually happens, however, is that they end up going back to a simpler setup that is practical and reliable.

 

[Cagey]

I see a PCB full of DIP switches. That's not exactly a high quality setup.

I wouldn't call that a sign of low quality, but for the price, it's a rip-off. You can buy entire computer motherboards with 50 times the components and complexity for that kind of money. This thing should cost about $8. Then, all it's gonna do is teach you which cap you should be using to filter out your high end. But, if you don't know which end of a soldering iron doesn't belong in your mouth, it may be a viable solution due to the terminal strips and switches.

 

[stratamania]

Except there is a larger market for computer motherboards... Most specialist items do cost more and you also are getting the pots, switches and the rest of the wiring AFAIK, compared to other stuff sold for the guitar market it's about what you would expect to pay.

PCB versus hand wired, who cares as long as it works and is reliable.

 

[harry]

I see a PCB full of DIP switches. That's not exactly a high quality setup.

So all the guitar pedals you use are free from PCB and DIP switches?...

I have actually not decided to use this thing jet. I think this can be a cool tool for testing out a lot of different pickups and setups without to much hassle. But if I have to route out a lot to get it fit, then the pain is more than the gain. And it is a little bit pricey...

Alternatives can be the liberator: http://www.seymourduncan.com/liberator/

 

[Day-mun]

I've seen something called "the Liberator" advertised in the back of men's magazines... not sure if it would fit in a guitar, but if you were using it the way it was intended, I don't think you'd much care!  :icon_jokercolor:

 

[line6man]

I see a PCB full of DIP switches. That's not exactly a high quality setup.

So all the guitar pedals you use are free from PCB and DIP switches?...

I have actually not decided to use this thing jet. I think this can be a cool tool for testing out a lot of different pickups and setups without to much hassle. But if I have to route out a lot to get it fit, then the pain is more than the gain. And it is a little bit pricey...

Alternatives can be the liberator: http://www.seymourduncan.com/liberator/

Pedals are a different animal. You're talking about a guitar, here, which is something that you want to be very simple and practical. Especially considering that it is likely to take various forms of abuse, such as vibration and repeated usage of components. You also may be in environments that would cause un-soldered connections to corrode faster. If you've ever worked with terminal blocks before, you might also note that they loosen up over time and you can lose continuity.

Purists do prefer handwired pedals with no PCBs, but that's just silliness, because PCBs do the job just fine for that application.

As a side note, PCBs are obviously quite common in guitars/basses when preamps are involved, but those are systems with soldered connections that are generally never messed with after initial installation, and half the time, the PCBs are encapsulated in epoxy for extra protection.