Control plate changes?

[JoeAArthur]

When I got the control plate for a parts Tele... I matched it up with the switch to make sure it fit. It did... but that's when I noticed that the mounting holes for the switch were countersunk in the plate - and the switch has round head mounting screws. (Every switch I've ever seen has round head screws. I even took one out of my American Deluxe which has round head screws, and sure enough the control plate isn't countersunk.)

Ok... no big deal, I'm getting slotted screws anyways, just gotta make sure I get an oval head instead of a round head for the switch. Did it, done it... over with.

Then today I'm bouncing around Ebay and I notice some "real Fender" control plates up for auction. I take a look - and it's like a mix: some have regular switch mounting holes and others have the switch mounting holes countersunk.

So obviously I missed something in the trivial history of Tele control plates. I can think of two possibilities:

1. All new teles after a certain date (RI's excluded of course) will have countersunk switch holes... or

2. All teles from a certain country of origin (RI's excluded of course) will have countersunk switch holes.

[editorjuno]

Originally Posted by JoeAArthur

When I got the control plate for a parts Tele... I matched it up with the switch to make sure it fit. It did... but that's when I noticed that the mounting holes for the switch were countersunk in the plate - and the switch has round head mounting screws. (Every switch I've ever seen has round head screws. I even took one out of my American Deluxe which has round head screws, and sure enough the control plate isn't countersunk.)

Ok... no big deal, I'm getting slotted screws anyways, just gotta make sure I get an oval head instead of a round head for the switch. Did it, done it... over with.

Then today I'm bouncing around Ebay and I notice some "real Fender" control plates up for auction. I take a look - and it's like a mix: some have regular switch mounting holes and others have the switch mounting holes countersunk.

So obviously I missed something in the trivial history of Tele control plates. I can think of two possibilities:

1. All new teles after a certain date (RI's excluded of course) will have countersunk switch holes... or

2. All teles from a certain country of origin (RI's excluded of course) will have countersunk switch holes.

Afaik MIA and MIM Fenders have never had countersunk switch mounting holes. I have a control plate like that in my partscaster -- it's much thicker and heavier than Fender's, and I had to ream the control holes from .320" to .375" to fit U.S.-style pots. Offhand, I'd suspect any such plate to be a non-Fender part of Asian origin, but there are others posting here with far broader experience who might know differently.

[JoeAArthur]

Originally Posted by editorjuno

Afaik MIA and MIM Fenders have never had countersunk switch mounting holes. I have a control plate like that in my partscaster -- it's much thicker and heavier than Fender's, and I had to ream the control holes from .320" to .375" to fit U.S.-style pots. Offhand, I'd suspect any such plate to be a non-Fender part of Asian origin, but there are others posting here with far broader experience who might know differently.

At first I thought the same thing. Mine is much heavier and thicker than a stock Fender which is why I got it. Like yourself, I also had to ream out the hole for the volume pot to 3/8" - I'm using a 24mm pot for the tone and that fit fine. I got mine from GFS, so I assume it is asian origin.

Maybe I should have posted these along with the question. I am not affilliated in any way - just using them as examples:

Fender with countersunk holes:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...Name=WDVW&rd=1

Fender without countersunk holes:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...Name=WDVW&rd=1

[editorjuno]

Originally Posted by JoeAArthur

At first I thought the same thing. Mine is much heavier and thicker than a stock Fender which is why I got it. Like yourself, I also had to ream out the hole for the volume pot to 3/8" - I'm using a 24mm pot for the tone and that fit fine. I got mine from GFS, so I assume it is asian origin.

Maybe I should have posted these along with the question. I am not affilliated in any way - just using them as examples:

Fender with countersunk holes:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...Name=WDVW&rd=1

Fender without countersunk holes:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...Name=WDVW&rd=1

I know of no Fender-branded MIA or MIM Tele with control holes smaller than 3/8" -- I'd say that if this control plate was ever in a norteamericano Fender, it wasn't installed at a Fender factory. It may have come from an Asian-made Fender or (imo more likely) a Squier.

[JoeAArthur]

Thanks... but I don't know about control hole differences between Fender control plates. I know mine ain't a Fender.

[DlxNashvilleLuvr]

As well as one being countersunk and the other not, you'll notice the switch screw holes are exactly on the edge of the switch slot on the countersunk one, and spaced wider on the non-sunk. I have a late `70's-early `80's Hohner Telecaster that takes all Fender parts EXCEPT the Fender switch I bought for it's screws were too far apart for the control plate, which has the switch holes right on the edge. Oh, well, the switch that was in it wasn't really bad.

I just got another, newer-model (i.e. plastic pots and switch) Hohner and I'm thinking about switching the entire control cavity, plate and all, into Fender parts. Other than that it's a great guitar.