Sparkle & Twang: Custom MJT Fire-Caster Build #fender #telecaster #gibson #gibsonfirebird

https://www.ebay.com/str/guitarheads?_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l170197
The Inspiration & Body
I do not know why but when I saw the guitar body I am using in this build online for sale in the MJT eBay store I wanted it immediately. It is f’ing cool as hell. So much so that I immediately purchased another matching body but in blonde. My thinking was that I would assemble the silver sparkle guitar for a video on the channel and then possibly sell it in the reverb store and keep the blonde version of the guitar for myself.
This is an Alder Aged Nitro Vintage Telecaster Firebird (VTF) Guitar Body. The body has an aged vintage 100% nitro custom Silver Sparkle Flake finish. $467.
Relic’d Hardware
I had new hardware but decided to follow through the whole relic’d theme. I discovered Fender based part’s kits that I found online in the eBay store of Ontario Music that are aged already. The kits look like hardware that has come off of a guitar that is about 20 to 30 years old and has a natural looking “has been played” patina. Here is what I ordered and used:
• FENDER Relic Aged American Telecaster Chrome Body Hardware Set Vintage USA Tele: $200
• Fender Aged/Relic Classic Gear 2-PIN Strat/Tele Tuning Keys Tuners (099-0802-100): $97
The Neck
I already had a used Chrissie Hynde Telecaster neck. The cool thing is this is a lightly aged neck with a nitro finish. I cannot remember what I paid for it. They are not cheap though; I have seen them go for between $500 and $600. The only issue with this neck is that it has a small chip pout of the rosewood from behind the nut. It does not alter the structural ability of the wood to hole the nut in place securely. I have sanded it down and it is difficult to see now.
Here are the specs for the neck:
• Scale: 25.5-inch bolt-on maple neck
• Finish: Road Worn nitrocellulose lacquer
• Profile: Custom Mid ’60s “C” profile
• Fingerboard: Rosewood with a vintage-accurate 7.25-inch radius
• Frets: 21 Vintage Tall frets marked by white pearloid dot inlays
• Nut: Synthetic bone nut with a relatively narrow width of 1.650 inches
Wiring & 4-Way Circuit
For the wiring for this guitar I decided to build a 4-way circuit. This means you have the traditional 3 positions that you would normally find on a telecaster:
1. Bridge
2. Middle in Parallel
3. Neck
Adding in a fourth position gives you a new combination and sound. It is both pickups but instead of parallel to each other they are in series. The really cool thing is it really boosts the volume and tone.
The circuit consists of:
• Two solid shaft CTS 250k pots
• A .047 uF Orange Drop Capacitor
• An Oak Grigsby 4-way pickup selector blade switch
• A Switchcraft ¼ inch output jack
Neck Pickup Modification: I needed to alter the neck pickup to make this work. You do this by cutting the short, soldered wire on the bottom of the neck pickup that runs from the ground wire to the cover of the pickup. Once you cut the jumper out you then solder a ground wire directly to the little tab that keep the case/cover on the pickup. Then instead of two wires coming from the pickup you have three. Two grounds and a hot lead. The normal ground wire is soldered to a leg on the blade switch and the ground coming from the case is soldered to the back of the volume pot.
Pickups
The pickups are Fender’s Pure Vintage ‘64 Telecaster Pickup Set. $157.99
Here are the specifications:
• Enamel-coated magnet wire delivers warm vintage tone.
• Alnico 5 magnets for increased focus and dynamics.
• Staggered bridge pickup pole pieces balance output across the strings.
• Copper shielding plate on the bridge pickup.
• Wax-potted for squeal-free performance.
• Period-correct fiber bobbin construction.
I get asked why I like these pickups. I think they are probably one of the best overall balanced set of Telecaster pickups in the $150 range. I absolutely love the neck pickup. It is the real deal. Great lows, mids, and highs. No muffled or muted sound. The neck position sounds incredible and when you go to the middle it even gets better folding in the bridge’s loud twang. Speaking of the bridge it punches. It really hits hard clean and behind a distortion pedal.
Assembly Notes & Tips
A few points about the assembly to worth noting.
• Neck Fitment: I needed to clean the overspray paint out of the neck heel cavity in the guitar. I have found disposable nail emery/buffing boards. The cool thing is they are just small sticks of sanding paper. The one I use in the video is 180 grit, 240 grit, 1000 grit, and 4000 grit. After removing the overspray paint the neck then fit perfectly. I purchase the emery boards on Amazon, and they are reasonable for a 20 pack costing $12.
• Bridge Setup: I found after fully assembling the guitar and setting it up that the low e and high e sides of the saddle barrels were bottoming out on the bridge plate. I ended up placing a small shim in the neck pocket and this problem went away.