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Post subject: Telecaster Black top tone control mod ?
Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 10:51 am
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I have a New Telecaster Blacktop, I'm really loving it except for the tone control. The tone is really bassy at 1/2 and suddenly opens all the way just above 2 (like a toggle bright switch) I have been told that the control and cap are in working order.

I like to roll of the tone to 8/9 just to make things a little less brittle.

Has anyone found a fix or mod to make it smother ?

BTW, the Black Top has two full sized Humbuckers.


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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 2:07 pm
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That is a very annoying problem to have.

Since it has humbuckers, I'd recommend some good 500k pots and some choice PIO caps.

It seems that most people get their electronics from rsguitarworks.net. I've heard nothing but great things about them. They have prewired sets for Telecasters but don't get one of those because you want electronics for humbuckers.


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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 9:26 am
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I would think they come with 500K Pots

What cap is on there now ??

They are too new and there isn't a diagram on the Fender site.


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Post subject: Post subject: Telecaster Black top tone control mod ?
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 10:14 am
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I didn't have the presence of mind to ask the guy who took a peek what the values are. He did say they were the "junky" pots and cap that Fender uses on their lower priced guitars. I don't remember if he said or I assumed that the pots were 250k.

I checked out the supplier that was recommended before and they had upgrade kits for about $65 that would work "for all telecasters" but I'm wondering if the two Humbucker pups would pose a problem.

The guy who looked at seemed to think that I could change the pots and cap and still have the problem which made me wonder if he knew what he was talking about. Tell me if I'm wrong, but, I think all there is in this guitar is pups, pots, cap, and jack. Right ? the pups are both about 10.5k, I didn't think they were hot enough to create a unique problem.


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Post subject: guitarfetish.com
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 10:27 am
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any thoughts on guitarfetish.com for a hardware supplier for Pots and caps ?


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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:40 am
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Hold on.

First of all, even the MIM Fenders have CTS pots installed, same stuff as the USA's, and CTS is good stuff. For the most part, a cap is a cap so this jerk you had look at you guitar must not know $hit because in order to shed your problem back to you ( as he obviously doesn't know how to correct it) he cry's junk components.


Take the two screws out of the control plate and lift it up and let us know what the numbers are on the cap. If possible just for curiosity see if you can get numbers off the pots and pictures of the whole area would be great too.

I hope you didn't have to pay this so called "tech" any money for his words of wisdom !

Sorry to get wound up but it's amazing how many of these morons are out there.

This is a BRAND NEW GUITAR don't go buying a bunch of electric stuff to make it right quite yet.


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Post subject: Telecaster Black top tone control mod ?
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 1:10 pm
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Nope it hasn't cost me anything yet

I opened it up and both the pots are marked JS 500k

The cap is marked IC 503z

I don't think I can get a good picture. The solder joints look sound, but of course I have no Idea if it's wired correctly. Is there anything I can look for ?


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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 1:17 pm
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500K is a good thing with the HB's.


go to Radio Shack and get a .022µF cap and put that in.


http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2103629


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Post subject: Tele Toned control
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 1:31 pm
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The one you sent a link to is 50v, I quickly looked around and guitar places seem to go as far as 400v. do I need to be concerned about the voltage rating ? I have to admit I like the Radio Shack price...


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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 1:35 pm
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Guitars produce micro volts so that one will be fine. I use them all the time.


and they give you TWO for that price....................crazy !



Check out the 7th post here on pickup height adjustments.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-d ... eaven.html

A VERY big deal with pickups. The SWEET SPOT !

Some play guitars for years without even realizing what they are missing.


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Post subject: Telecaster Black top tone control mod ?
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:15 pm
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I'm going to give the .022uf cap a try.

I was just looking around and some of the suppliers recommend the .022uf for "Les Pauls and other Humbucker Guitars"

so it seems reasonable.

Thanks for the link to Telecaster.com I agree with the postings about the Blacktop Telecasters. For anyone reading this I want to say I LOVE THIS GUITAR, I've been thinking about building this Guitar for a couple of years and suddenly Fender offers a model with everything I would have built into mine AND for $449. I preordered it as soon as I saw it without regrets. The glitch with the tone control is very minor in my mind, and is probably only noticeable to me because of my particular way of doing things (OK I admit it I can get a bit "Monkish" about little things)


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:44 pm
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ya .022 is what Gibson uses on pretty much all theirs.


The .022 will give you a more subtle tone control sweep.

.047 are common on Tele's and Strats because of some of the single coils are kind of harsh and need a large value to darken them.
I'm surprised they have a .050 in there. HB's are somewhat dark as it is, hence the 500 pots.


Another thing to look into is the "Fuzz Parka" wiring. or what Gibson guys call "50's wiring".

You remove the wire that runs from the tone pot to the volume pot outer terminal and move it over to the terminal that goes to the output jack (middle terminal). Easy mod to try and you can always put it back the way it was if it doesn't float your boat.

Yep these Black Tops are getting a lot of raving. WHAT A PRICE !! These things will sell like the Squire CV's ! Affordable and a
dang good Geetar to boot !

Good luck and keep us posted.


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Post subject: Telecaster Black top tone control mod ?
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:38 pm
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What is the resulting change using the Fuzz Parka wiring ?


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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:58 pm
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Helps retain high freq's when you turn your volume pot down. Some put a treble bleed (bypass) cap and sometimes a resistor too across the volume pot terminals to accomplish this as well. That would be in lieu of the Fezz wiring


http://www.singlecoil.com/docs/tele-tone2.pdf


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Post subject: Telecaster Black top tone control mod ?
Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 9:51 am
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OK I'm finally back.

I replaced the cap with a .022uf and it sounds great (at least to my humbucker loving ears) but now the tone control isn't functioning at all.

I put the cap in the same place it was and didn't make any other changes since the wiring is different than the illustration for the Fezz Parker mod.

I have a couple of pic's of the wiring but I can't figure how to post them here

anyway the wiring is different than any Tele schematic I could find.


I think you can view the pics here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15883490@N ... 231345532/


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