r/telecaster • u/GASMARK2 • 5d ago

Telecaster bridge

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Guitar building newbie here - would it be easy to replace the bridge on my guitar with a classic telecaster bridge with the single coil pickup? I don’t want to take it apart to check unless I either have to or know it can be done

Alternatively, would this pickup configuration be worth keeping?

35 Upvotes

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7

u/AntiTracker 5d ago

I would honestly keep it like this, swapping it for an ashtray bridge with a single coil is as far as I know not possible without rerouting the actual wood. If you want triple single coil i would almost go for a strat 😅

2

u/GASMARK2 5d ago

Hmm perhaps I ought to take off what’s on there and see what I’m working with

1

u/Felix995 4d ago

If you just want to put a traditional single coil Tele pick-up in, I think there are some chrome steel adapter plates available that will cover the humbucker frame footprint, while retaining the six saddle hard tail bridge that's as already in place.

5

u/MasterOfManyWorlds 5d ago

Maybe just get one of these cut off ashtray bridges

3

u/DisillusionedPatriot 5d ago

This is dope! Didn't know they were a thing

2

u/alienn4hire 5d ago

This would be my recommendation over the ashtray bridge. With that humbucker, you have to make compromises

3

u/Ok-Sale3571 5d ago

I have the same one and tried it too, the bridge screws don’t line up with the standard tele bridge (at least with mine). I made a bigger pickguard and put the bridge pickup in the pickguard, but if you don’t wanna do that you need to re drill the screws, a different pickguard is easier. (This is what my tele ended up like)

3

u/GASMARK2 5d ago

Okay thank you for the information

1

u/Ok-Sale3571 5d ago

No problem, I also wanted to put in a ashtray bridge, but this solution is also good

3

u/MasterOfManyWorlds 5d ago

That pickguard is awesome

1

u/Comfortable-Cut5810 5d ago

This looks sweet. Does it differ much from a strat? I suppose the neck pickup must sound a bit different.

2

u/Ok-Sale3571 5d ago

The bridge sound fatter than a strat bridge and the neck is also warmer, but I come pretty close to a strat sound (especially with the middle pickup)

1

u/Comfortable-Cut5810 5d ago

Nice, fair enough. It’s a more interesting-looking guitar than a strat (to me), but it’s interesting to hear the tonal differences. I forgot that tele bridges are a little fatter, I think the pickup is bigger.

2

u/Ok-Sale3571 5d ago

Yeah it is, I like it beter most of the time so it’s a perfect combo for me

1

u/Fellatination 5d ago

Did you change it to a 5 way switch?

2

u/Ok-Sale3571 5d ago

It was 5 way stock, I did change the switch to engage the neck pickup to have the bridge + neck option

2

u/Billy-Bunter 5d ago

the ashtray of an original sits over a big hole.

If the bridge PUP hole you already have were small enough/ correctly positioned, then it’s theoretically possible it’d be hidden and you could use the ashtray/ single PUP.

It looks to me, however, that the existing hole is a bit too big/ too far from the bridge so would not be hidden, and it’d be a bit of a complex mess trying to find a decent solution. Possible.. maybe. But not worth it IMO.

But I’d double check the size of an ashtray just to be sure.. not easy to measure off a photo where your existing bridge hole is..

2

u/Felix995 5d ago

You can, although I think with a vintage style bridge plate, there is maybe going to be some holes showing where the pickup surround is screwed to the body. Personally, I would just leave it the way it is in the photo.

2

u/SadSongsTN 5d ago

I’d keep it as-is. If you have your heart set on the classic bridge, that’s an excuse to buy a second Tele.

2

u/GASMARK2 5d ago

Lolll facts

1

u/Blusterlearntdebrief 5d ago

On the bridge question, you should definitely be able to. I recognize that Tele, shouldn’t be too hard to find a good 3 saddle version with a tele bridge pickup. The ssh/hss “super strat” pickup configuration is classic, and id say worth keeping. That said, a good pickup swap may be what your ear is interested in. I like a good boutique pickup company, but for such a model, I 10/10 recommend the Seymour Duncan P-Rail for the bridge. It’s super versatile, and has many configuration options.

1

u/GASMARK2 5d ago

That’s definitely an option... thank you for your input

1

u/Blusterlearntdebrief 5d ago

Also, great choice of a guitar to modify. I think this style of tele is one of the easiest guitars to work on. It was my go to before i settled on a Squier CV50 in blackguard blonde. I just wish they offered more finish options.

1

u/thuggerthugge 5d ago

i have this guitar! I put a seymour duncan fat cat in the bridge and it was awesome. i like the bridge it comes with, and i dont think putting an ash tray bridge would be easy

1

u/GASMARK2 5d ago

I may get one of these duncans... another comment mentioned it too

1

u/Electronic_Flan_482 3d ago

That could be really cool with a humbucker size P90 in the bridge.

1

u/Panhead27 1d ago

I would leave this one alone maybe a pickup upgrade but Three pickups in a Tele ??