The devil's in the details, Fender

[Nighthawk]

Originally Posted by Telemarkman

I like both versions! But then I've always loved tortoise pickguards ... I've even put one on my Butterscotch '52 RI.

But the Nashville sure looks good with a black guard!

+1. Both look good to me.

[EZchair Picker]

I like the guitar both ways.

Then again, my style is best defined as tacky.

[pdxjoel]

Originally Posted by danajohnhill

I have never understood the white pickup cover on that guitar, either. And I do think your black pickguard looks better, too. But I don't get the Mustang knobs. I like chrome. I wonder what a chrome pickup cover would look like in the middle.

Like this:
http://www.fender.com/products//sear...tno=0135032306

Tried one when I bought the Nashville. Loved the look, liked the neck (more traditional Tele shape and not the more Stratty Nashville neck), but thought the notch positions were only "meh". They just didn't have the quack that the Nashville did.

As a footnote, I monkeyed around with pickup height last night and found that raising the middle pup helped get most (not all) the spank back. Given that moving the pup toward the neck cuts the highs a bit, I'm wondering if there's some way I could top-boost the strat pup a bit before it hits the switch?

[riolux]

Originally Posted by NEPATelecaster

This looks great! Esp. with rosewood neck.

[Stylemaster]

[quote=Fret Wilkes;2119050]I don't mind the screws holding the pickguard on, but the screws mounting the pickups to the guard MUST be black. For some reason the screws mounting pickups to a Tele guard drive me nutso. Details indeed! /QUOTE]

I hate visible neck pickup mount screws on any tele. I agree, if you have to have 'em especially with a black pg they should definitely be black screws. I think Guitar Parts Resource sells them.

[SpinWheelz]

Excellent, another joint where I can blow all my cash.

Quick question about the knobs - is the general hate here based largely on a somewhat puritanical approach to Teles? Because I can't for the life of me work with those knurled knobs with no indicators on them. Every guitar I own has knobs with indicators on them, mainly to help me find my way around the tone dialing, whether it's the volume or tone knobs. My other Tele has skirted knobs, not too dissimilar to the ones found on the Muddy Waters model. These Mustang knobs were huge coup of me: at 10, the markers are facing me where I like them, at 0, they're aimed straight towards the headstock. I like 'em so much, I might wanna try a set on one of my Gibsons.

[ADK Teleman]

Originally Posted by SpinWheelz

Excellent, another joint where I can blow all my cash.

Quick question about the knobs - is the general hate here based largely on a somewhat puritanical approach to Teles? Because I can't for the life of me work with those knurled knobs with no indicators on them. Every guitar I own has knobs with indicators on them, mainly to help me find my way around the tone dialing, whether it's the volume or tone knobs. My other Tele has skirted knobs, not too dissimilar to the ones found on the Muddy Waters model. These Mustang knobs were huge coup of me: at 10, the markers are facing me where I like them, at 0, they're aimed straight towards the headstock. I like 'em so much, I might wanna try a set on one of my Gibsons.

Spin,
I just love the look and the feel of the chromed knobs. To me...it is kind of like lots of chrome on a harley..just looks awesome. BUT...that is my preference...If you are happy and proud of the mod you have done then that is all that matters. I appreciate your mods..I just would have kept the chrome is all...:) it's all good my brother

[nadzab]

[/quote]

Cool.

[Sidney Vicious]

SpinWheelz:

I like what you did - including the knobs.

[Rich_S]

Hmmm.... I was going to say I kinda like the tortoise pickguard on the blond, but the pic above convinced me otherwise. Black or white - either is better than the tortoise. I'm just not feeleing the Mustang knobs, though.

That said, I thought the tortoise guard looked AWFUL on my CAR Nashville, and promptly switched to white, thusly:



I also agree that Strat pickup covers which match the pickguard look best. However, it is for tonal reasons (not purely cosmetic) that my Nashville is under contruction, awaiting a new white Strat pickup for the neck position. the new Warmoth pickguard is already in, but it looks a bit silly with a big oval-shaped candy apple red hole at the end of the neck.

[garrett]

I bought mine used and someone had beaten me to using a black middle pickup cover. It was still cosmetically a mess, though. I went for a 50's-but-heavily-modified theme.

Single ply white guard, round string tree and skirted amp knobs. I also can't stand knobs with no indicators. Oh yeah, and I got rid of that pesky middle pickup. It just gets in the way.

[Miles Smiles]

Is there a pool under the pickguard at these Nashville Teles?
Just wondering how you guys do shift around the middle pickup or got in that P90 style pickup.

[garrett]

Yep, there's a massive swimming pool under there. You could cram in whatever you like!

[JPW2105]

Originally Posted by SpinWheelz

So before the guitar even arrived, I placed a sizable order for new parts. 3-ply black pickguard. Black Strat pickup cover. Mustang knobs. Tophat switch knob. And a vintage-styled bridge plate with brass compensated saddles.

Love the changes, all except the knobs... how's the intonation now with the change of saddles..?

[SpinWheelz]

Originally Posted by garrett

I bought mine used and someone had beaten me to using a black middle pickup cover. It was still cosmetically a mess, though. I went for a 50's-but-heavily-modified theme.

Single ply white guard, round string tree and skirted amp knobs. I also can't stand knobs with no indicators. Oh yeah, and I got rid of that pesky middle pickup. It just gets in the way.

Is that a Bill Lawrence neck pickup? Presume that's a custom-cut pickguard? That looks tasty.

[Miles Smiles]

Originally Posted by garrett

Yep, there's a massive swimming pool under there. You could cram in whatever you like!

Great! Maybe I should buy one and wait for the next summer.

[Rich_S]

Wait! I was under the impression that newer MIM Nashvilles had a 3-pickup route like the American ones, and it was only older MIM Nashvilles that had the swimming pool. Am I wrong?

Mine is an '02 and it has the swimming pool, which I love. Perfect guitar for an incurable modder like me.

[SpinWheelz]

My Nashville has the swimming pool routing. What I'm trying to figure out is how to mount single-coil pickups directly into that swimming pool. The leads coming out from these single-coil pickups exit from the bottom and tend to get in the way of the feet sitting flush to the body. Springs beneath the feet? Surgical tubing? Metal or plastic washers? Dunno.

[garrett]

Originally Posted by SpinWheelz

Is that a Bill Lawrence neck pickup? Presume that's a custom-cut pickguard? That looks tasty.

Yep, it's a Bill Lawrence L-610. I cut the guard myself. I love the look with the chrome surround. Plus the top of it is black fiberboard that matches the top of the bridge pickup.