a few technical questions re my fender american series tele

Keira-WitherKay

ok so it's a whole week to the day i got my paws on this baby .........

ok so for reference it's a Fender american standard telecaster , brand new........

question 1

this guitar is string thru body , so my question is does this change the tension on the strings....... cos to my touch it does...... i own a usa stratocaster that is a toploader and my tele partcaster is also a top loader, and using the same d'addario 9- 42 strings i find the feel on the toploaders( both) to be very similar ...... and i use light strings to allow me to do behind the nut bends and the toploaders are way softer and i would say less tension by a lot cos i can do those bends easily BUT the new USA tele with string thru is definitely harder to do the behind nut bends on cos it feels like the tension is considerably higher in comparison ........ and i have A/B'd or A/B and C'd it

so does a string thru mean higher string tension

i see a lot of tele players on the tele forum converted to toploaders by simply buying the wilkonson relacement bridge with compensated brass saddles( which is also made for string thru body ) and simply because of the 3 saddle setup drill holes thru the back of the bridge to fit the strings thru

btw the 59 tele was a toploader and so is the jim campilongo signature custom shop one too

question 2

i been reading up on pups magnets my tele has alnicoV pups which i believe are the strongest magnets with highest output .....with alnico III being more vintage with less magnetic pull........ but i also read that the alnico V was suited more for alder bodies and bridges with bent steel saddles( like my tele has) than for vintage brass saddles .so if i change my bridge like i'm considering .......(see above) will this be reason to then have to change the pups as well ....... how much of a role does this play ?

question 3

what is vintage wiring on a tele ? cos on the jim campilongo site he is very detailed with his setup and he explains a vintage wiring that he prefers on his tele

heres what he says on the website

LATE '67 TELE WIRING
The wiring I prefer has no bells and whistles and allows the player to manually dial in treble (and volume). I don't know what other models and years employ and as I stated, the wiring I prefer is called "Late '67 TELE wiring". This leads me to believe that this Tele wiring combo started in "late 67" My belief is that this "Late '67 TELE wiring " is no longer "stock"... either way, check your wiring people. I think this "tone boost" feature is a real hindrance to personal tone choices and guitar control (in my humble opinion) To eliminate the "tone boost," one need only to clip the .01 capacitor that connects the first and second lug on the volume pot of a "standard" Tele

.

so whats all that about ..????

and lastly

not a question but interesting fact re the strings gauges on the tele ......
i have had many people , i truly respect telling me to consider a heavier gauge on the tele............ again being the campilongo fan and mainly cos i love his sound and style i use what he does which is 9 -42 ( i even use d'addario same as he does )

from the campilongo site again

STRINGS and SETUP
I like D'Addario EKXL120 009's-.042 sitting as high as possible over the pickup plate. This helps me avoid picking the pickup plate instead of the low E string. I also have a tendency to miss strings 3 and 4 but an "extreme arch" with the truss rod somewhat remedied this problem. I have a string endorsement but I liked D'Addario well before the endorsement deal. I like their bright sound and feel. Maybe I'm imagining this but D'Addario's seem wound tighter then "Boomers". They feel more "round wound" on my fingertips. I always get these "raised eyebrow" looks when I say I use .009's but I've used that gauge (on my electrics) since 1973. I've always felt that a lighter gauge was easier on the fretting hand but harder on the picking hand. Why? Because there is less string surface to strike. I've used .010's and felt that the sound was too bright

BUT i was checking out the fender site of the Fender american standard tele and i almost fell of my chair cos when i got down to the spec on the strings guess what they recommend 9 -42 ........ which most seem to feel is a no no ???

from the fender product page under "specs"

Miscellaneous
Strings: Fender® USA 250L, NPS, (.009-.042 Gauges)

so interesting to see that 9's are used by fender themselves on this guitar as far as i know most strats ship with 10's not 9's so surprise surprise

btw i'm happy with the tone as is....so maybe i should not try and fix what ain't broke , makes me think ...... cos i like that vintage look and tone for that fact but i guess any mods can be reversed if i don't like it ....but i would like some answers to my questions so i can determine my options

many thanks

peace K

AlanRatcliffe

Keira WitherKay wrote this guitar is string thru body , so my question is does this change the tension on the strings.......

Yes. Through body is slightly stiffer (although subtle - most people don't notice it). It also increases body resonance slightly to my ear. Neither is "better" just "different".

The Wilkinson is a good way to experiment and they are available from Guitarfetish for quite cheap ($30 when I bought mine) and the compensated saddles are a boon too. You can experiment with stringing differently and even mix and match stringing methods (e.g. basses through body, trebles toploaded or topload all but the two E strings). Your Tele has the flat bridge rather than the ashtray doesn't it? I suspect you'll like an ashtray too - tonally and if you sometimes like to rest your pinkie.

Don't worry about pickups just yet...

what is vintage wiring on a tele ? cos on the jim campilongo site he is very detailed with his setup and he explains a vintage wiring that he prefers on his tele

In this case, without a treble bleed cap. So it depends if you want to keep the same tone when you turn down (with treble bleed cap), or if you want the tone to darken slightly as you turn the volume down (without).

i have had many people , i truly respect telling me to consider a heavier gauge on the tele............ again being the campilongo fan and mainly cos i love his sound and style i use what he does which is 9 -42 ( i even use d'addario same as he does )

You like lower string tension, so stick with what you have. Myself, I like the increased percussive attack from high tension (hence the .011 gauge Roto or EB strings).

BUT i was checking out the fender site of the Fender american standard tele and i almost fell of my chair cos when i got down to the spec on the strings guess what they recommend 9 -42 ........ which most seem to feel is a no no ???

It's what they come with - not really a recommendation. 99% of electric guitars come stock with .009s. The real reason they fit .009 gauge as standard is it makes the action feel softer, which sells more guitars (especially to noobs) than a heavier gauge and stiffer action.

btw i'm happy with the tone as is....so maybe i should not try and fix what ain't broke , makes me think ...... cos i like that vintage look and tone for that fact but i guess any mods can be reversed if i don't like it ....but i would like some answers to my questions so i can determine my options

No harm in experimentation if it's non-destructive and reversible. Best way to find out exactly what you like and don't (or simply prefer).