Telecaster Guitar Forum - View Single Post - Muddy Waters Tele question (bridge content)

yegbert · July 26th, 2005, 09:17 AM

The Fender Support site has parts lists here:
http://www.fender.com/support/diagrams/index.php

I use that with the closeup pictures and specifications listed here:
http://www.fender.com/products/searc...cat=telecaster

According to the support site, which attempts to show current production specs...

The Muddy Waters Telecaster®, Highway 1™ Texas Telecaster® and the ‘50s Telecaster® all use part number 0054162000.

Looking at the pics for them, they all have
FENDER
PAT PEND
stamped below the bridge pickup, parallel to the pickup (angled).

The parts list for the Highway 1™ Telecaster® doesn't break out the bridgeplate as a separate part, but it looks similar to the one found on the ‘69 Telecaster® Thinline part number 0053675000.

The Highway 1 has
FENDER
and maybe some more numbers below that, stamped below the bridge pickup, parallel to the bridgeplate lower lip (horizontal).

The Thinline has FENDER stamped like the Highway 1, but the pic looks too grainy to tell whether it has additional numbers below that.

All of the above are unfortunately characterized the exact same way in the Products/specifications: "Vintage Style 3-Saddle Strings-Thru-Body Tele Bridge"

The American Vintage ‘52 Telecaster® uses part number 0018352000.

It has
FENDER
PAT PEND
<serial number>
stamped below the bridge pickup, parallel to the pickup (angled).

The '52 is characterized in the Products/specifications: "Original Vintage Style Tele Bridge with 3 Brass Saddles and “Ash Tray” Bridge Cover"

Fender was nice enough to clearly identify the tuning machines, with the '52 being "Fender/Gotoh® Vintage Style Tuning Machines" and the '50s being "Fender/Ping Vintage Style Tuning Machines"

I wish they had done that with the bridge plates as well.

From an earlier discussions here on this subject: I've heard that earlier '50s Classics had a different plate than current production, thinner with a horizontal stamp like the Hwy1 or Thinline.

Garcia, you may be right that the Highway 1 is the less expensive and lighter plate, but it is surely the same size and hole spacing as the other vintage-style ones and therefore replaceable with one of them. I've never heard of Fender using a plate that much like vintage, but slightly longer.

I also suspect that the one on the MW and '50s Classic is different from the '52, only in the lack of a serial number. And you can buy one like those from Musician's Friend for $7-8. The one I bought there seems identicial to the one that came on my '50s Classic, so I believe it is in fact the same part, number 0054162000. I'd use that to replace the one on the HW1 if you want a heavier plate and want to stick with a FENDER stamped one. You can maybe find a serialized on like the real '52, but I suspect the difference from that and the $7 one would be purely cosmetic.

July 26th, 2005, 09:17 AM	#6 (permalink)
yegbert Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Clinton, Maryland (US) Age: 54 Posts: 4,553 77 Photos	The Fender Support site has parts lists here: http://www.fender.com/support/diagrams/index.php I use that with the closeup pictures and specifications listed here: http://www.fender.com/products/searc...cat=telecaster According to the support site, which attempts to show *current* production specs... The Muddy Waters Telecaster®, Highway 1™ Texas Telecaster® and the ‘50s Telecaster® all use part number 0054162000. Looking at the pics for them, they all have FENDER PAT PEND stamped below the bridge pickup, parallel to the pickup (angled). The parts list for the Highway 1™ Telecaster® doesn't break out the bridgeplate as a separate part, but it looks similar to the one found on the ‘69 Telecaster® Thinline part number 0053675000. The Highway 1 has FENDER and maybe some more numbers below that, stamped below the bridge pickup, parallel to the bridgeplate lower lip (horizontal). The Thinline has FENDER stamped like the Highway 1, but the pic looks too grainy to tell whether it has additional numbers below that. All of the above are unfortunately characterized the exact same way in the Products/specifications: "Vintage Style 3-Saddle Strings-Thru-Body Tele Bridge" The American Vintage ‘52 Telecaster® uses part number 0018352000. It has FENDER PAT PEND <serial number> stamped below the bridge pickup, parallel to the pickup (angled). The '52 is characterized in the Products/specifications: "Original Vintage Style Tele Bridge with 3 Brass Saddles and “Ash Tray” Bridge Cover" Fender was nice enough to clearly identify the tuning machines, with the '52 being "Fender/Gotoh® Vintage Style Tuning Machines" and the '50s being "Fender/Ping Vintage Style Tuning Machines" I wish they had done that with the bridge plates as well. From an earlier discussions here on this subject: I've heard that earlier '50s Classics had a different plate than current production, thinner with a horizontal stamp like the Hwy1 or Thinline. Garcia, you may be right that the Highway 1 is the less expensive and lighter plate, but it is surely the same size and hole spacing as the other vintage-style ones and therefore replaceable with one of them. I've never heard of Fender using a plate that much like vintage, but slightly longer. I also suspect that the one on the MW and '50s Classic is different from the '52, only in the lack of a serial number. And you can buy one like those from Musician's Friend for $7-8. The one I bought there seems identicial to the one that came on my '50s Classic, so I believe it is in fact the same part, number 0054162000. I'd use that to replace the one on the HW1 if you want a heavier plate and want to stick with a FENDER stamped one. You can maybe find a serialized on like the real '52, but I suspect the difference from that and the $7 one would be purely cosmetic.