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Thread: '52 RI Neck question for tele experts.

  1. #1
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    '52 RI Neck question for tele experts.

    I recently aquired a '52 RI. Thanks for all the info you guys provided!

    I love this guitar. Being a 21 year LP devotee, i hate to admit this but I have never loved a guitar more than this one.

    I set it up for modern wiring ( I didn't change any caps, just
    had the tone roll off removed and the three way set up neck-both-bridge).

    I love every tone here. Love them. But the bridge is considerably louder than the neck. I know I can lower the bridge to have them match better, but will this alter my bridge tone in any negative way? Is this ill advised on a tele? Is the louder bridge just
    a fact of life on teles?

    Your opinions valued and appreciated!

    SM

  2. #2
    Forum Member brianf's Avatar
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    Mine is a bit louder but I don't mind because mine is still wired the way it came. I guess if I go to the modern wiring I would like the volumes even. Just measure the hight now and experiment. If it gets messed up go back to where you started.

    You put the bee in my bonet. I think I'll do the modern wiring this weekend. I just never use that dark setting on the neck pup.

    brianf
    Oh Man!!! I never knew Fender made amps too!!!

  3. #3
    Forum Member Marcondo's Avatar
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    The bridge is always gonna be a little louder than the neck cause its mounted in steel with the copper baseplate it just cuts thru easy and always seems a little louder.

    The way I set mine is get the middle position to sound right when both the neck and bridge are on adjust both so they are balanced in the middle switch position.

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    Brianf

    Yes, the middle position is a must for me for "stratty" type
    things (Sultans, beast of burden). The dark setting just was useless to me.

    Marcondo,

    I expect the bridge to cut through, however, as it is now, the
    bridge can be too loud for the mix with the band, flip to the neck and cant hear it at all.

    I just wondered if the height relation on a tele bridge pup is
    as crucial to it's tone as it is on a HB?

    SM

  5. #5
    Forum Member Marcondo's Avatar
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    Yes small differences in pickup height will affect tone.

    My neck pickups were always about the same vol as the bridge in fact could play alot of stuff just on the neck.

    Maybe you messed up somewhere in changing the wiring to the modern way?

  6. #6
    Forum Member curtisstetka's Avatar
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    Color me clueless but what's the 54RI way versus the "modern" way?

  7. #7
    Forum Member Marcondo's Avatar
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    The 52ri Teles come stock wired up just like the original 52 Teles were. What they did for the neck pup position is send the signal thru some caps that make it have that muffled sound like a moving blanket is over the speakers.

    There werent that many BASS guitars back then so they made the neck pickup where it could sorta replicate a BASS.

    The Modern wiring has none of those caps in there so when you use the neck pickup it sounds normal and not muffled.

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