MIMF

I had been gearing-up to build a Murray Kuun inspired solid body when the order for a '52 Telecaster copy landed on the desk. What do I need to know about Leo Fender's intreped twangster to work my usual magic?

Make sure you get the bridge BEFORE you do anything. There are several versions out there. I have one with 6 round saddles and I don't like it very much, but the holes were already done. The saddles tend to tip over as you adjust them and buzz if you don't get the screws right.

Other than that, mix it up and put your own slant on it.

If your customer wants an "exact" copy of the '52, he is holding himself back from getting a good guitar in favor of one that might be vintage perfect, but performance lacking. As Jamie says, some bridges are not so hot, and the older style that was on the '52 is primitive. The three-saddle bridge just doesn't work very well. There are versions of it that are improved, but I never got why they would bother. Just get a good bridge, I like the Wilkinson for the money. There are more expensive ones for sure, but that one works fine. Also, get some good tuners, and good pickups, but if you try to copy everything you might be behind the 8 ball a bit.

Great advice.

You can get a very nice compensated or adjustable angle 3 saddle tele bridge that works and sounds great. I've always heard that the thinner (cheaper looking) bridge trays sounded "better" than the thicker ones. I suppose that's going to depend on what body wood you use. The last tele I worked on had a dense mahogany body with a maple top and it sounded a lot like a Les Paul (it had P-90s).

I've been looking at the various compensated three saddle bridges and various saddle types. I will use Swamp Ash and cut the neck out of Maple. Were the early factory guitar necks quartersawn? I always played Gibson electrics so I am in the dark about Fender products. Thanks for the input.

Almost all of the Fender necks I've ever seen are not quartersawn.

One other thing, is that some bridges might have small burrs along the bottom edge, where the plate has been cut.
These burrs can cause the bridge plate to have a small gap between the plate and the body.
I use a piece of sandpaper taped to a piece of plywood to sand the plate absolutely flat before installation.

There has been some discussion on this in the past, but I stick to my guns and insist on a nice flat, no gap fit. Seems to improve the transfer of vibration into the body.

I can confirm that the six saddle bridges are not good at all, for the reasons mentioned above... They seem the ideal solution for the intonation problems but they're very fiddly to set up as the saddles seem to want to balance on one and not both the screws, I've had to resort to a thread lock dripped on them to hold everything in place, at some point I'm going to replace it with a compensated three saddle bridge.

http://www.3rguitars.co.uk/bc2.jpg

Here's one I used on a Tele build which just has string grooves cut in the standard vintage barrel saddles to adjust the intonation, it worked really well and looks vintage.

Chris

See, you'll get lots of opinion on the bridges. I agree on the flat bottom for a good fit, but the better bridges I have seen don't have the burrs. In my opinion, I don't like the three-saddle bridges. There seems to be a lot of compromise in them just to jump through hoops and make a bridge with three saddles just for the look, such as tilting them, and doing other things to make them work better, when the real solution is to have six saddles. No one seems to mind the six saddles on a Strat! That said, I don't like the ones with the small round saddles, they can be a problem. I like the larger more modern rectangular ones with the string coming up through the center. And I like the thicker bridge plate, I've never been able to tell the difference between one of those and the thin ones.

Your first order is to find out from your customer how much leeway you have - a '52 copy sounds pretty specific.

There are some pretty good looking six saddle Tele bridges on the market. Some have a height and latteral adjustment feature. I may go with the Wilkinson three saddle with the peaks carved into the barrels and let my friend make his own refinements down the road. Most of the 1.25" -1.50" maple neck blanks I have are either flatsawn Bird's Eye or quartered curly stock. Since my friend plays a Les Paul, and doesn't own a Fender, I believe the maximum degree of old school twang is a major priority. I just studied the BigDGuitars Youtube video on Strat neck construction. Really good stuff.

Chris Richards wrote:I can confirm that the six saddle bridges are not good at all, for the reasons mentioned above... They seem the ideal solution for the intonation problems but they're very fiddly to set up as the saddles seem to want to balance on one and not both the screws, I've had to resort to a thread lock dripped on them to hold everything in place, at some point I'm going to replace it with a compensated three saddle bridge.

I have a tele not one I built that has six saddles changed the strings more times than I can remember on it and never had any trouble with it. I have however had the 3 saddle bridge and found that it was a bit harder to intonating the bugger and if it got knocked a round it could knock the intonation off on not one string but both.

I think your customer should decide on that issue. If you give them what they want they can't be upset with you if it does not meet their expectation, but if you find a company that offers both bridges the holes will generally line up so replacing it should be easy enough.

Gilbert Fredrickson wrote:Since my friend plays a Les Paul, and doesn't own a Fender, I believe the maximum degree of old school twang is a major priority.

Why are the 52 tele specifically,
if the twang factor is the many reason for the build?

There are, as others have already stated, a lot of improvements to modern tele's.
Maybe building a tele with a belly cut and forearm cut could possible be a very comfortable and weight relieved instrument.

Hi Art.... To clarify my previous post regarding six saddle bridges. Hands up! I've only used the type with six small barrels and the strings offset from the centre, as other people have said Strat bridges/saddles work excellently and are amongst the most versatile and neat bridge/tailpiece arrangements available. I'm sure that the problem with the six saddle Tele bridge that I have is that the strings aren't centred and therefore put far more pressure on one side of the saddle. A Tele bridge that has centred strings on the saddles I'd guess would work absolutely fine.

Yep. There are a lot of opinions on Tele bridges.
My experience is that the 6, Strat type saddle bridges work best. I don't think the sound changes much, if any, and the bridge is easier to set up and intonate.
The "Twang" we all speak of regarding the Telecaster, mostly comes from the fact that the single coil bridge pickup, is mounted in the steel bridge plate.
As someone mentioned above, they have a Tele with 2 P-90's, and it sounds like a Les Paul. The pickups must be mounted in the wood in that guitar.

Here is a bridge that I have used in 2 different Tele's with great success. It does not fit the "Vintage" requirement for a true 52, but it works very well, for not a lot of money.
Are there better bridges out there? I'm certain there are, but the real spirit of the Tele initially was a "Bargain Guitar" built for the masses.

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Modern-Styl ... p_501.html

Good choice.

I play a custom Tele with a 11/58 Fender neck (original) Texas Special pickups and an American 6 saddle bridge - Twang up the wazzoo - It has perfect intonation. Ask your buyer if he's a hybred picker - if so the old vintage Tele bridge will drive him nuts unless the right side of the bridge is notched. I also have a Pink Paisley Tele (1988) with the vintage bridge - really a pain cause I am a pick and 3 finger player - won't notch bridge cause it would ruin the value. This vintage 3 saddle bridge is almost dead on for intonation, as it has compensated saddles - if your buyer is a player he really needs to look at what style he plays before you finish build. It will "never" be worth what a true 52 is worth. PS - the 11/58 neck I have on my Custom is valued somewhere around $2,500 - $4,500 - depending on who's buying.