When Keith put humbuckers in his late model 50s Teles were the volume pots changed from what I think was the standard 250k to the 1 meg volume pots? As was the case in the standard production line 72 custom deluxe.

This is something that I have not been able to find an answer for in 20 years. The problem is: you need 250K pots for the bridge pickup, and 500K for the humbucker. If you leave the 250K pot in, the humbucker doesn't sound really good, but if you change to 500K the bridge pickup starts to sound icy/trebly.

I have had two Tele's with a humbucker in the neck, and sincerely, I just never liked it. It always sounded way too muddy and it totally overpowers the bridge pickup. Apperently it works for Keith, so maybe his tech solved the problem with the pots, but I don't know how.

Mathijs

There are a 100 tricks a guitar tech can do to get the sound they are after. Along with the pickup change there's the pot change to at least 500K, CTS is a good brand. You can also change the size and quality of the capacitors. Some rewire the pots so instead of a volume and tone control both are volume controls each wired to its own pickup. Also the neck pickup can be rewired out of phase with the bridge which will change the range of the mixed tone. To get back to the 60's sound others do a rewire of the electronics removing the shielded wires used today and going back to the uncreened wires used in the 60's. Changing from the synthetic nut used in most modern guitars to bone can change the sound. With Gibsons using a lighter tailpiece can make a difference. About the only way you'll ever know all the mods Keith uses is to ask his tech and if he would tell you anything it would probably be 1/3 of what he actually does.

I'm no guitar tech but I jam at times with a fellow who is and who also owns a music store. Sometimes during a beer run he'll tell stories of what he's tried and odd things other owners have asked him at the store to do to their guitars.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-08-13 18:31 by SKlPPY.

sorry - double post



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-08-13 18:25 by SKlPPY.