Broadcaster chiselling question

poorplayer · March 18th, 2006, 01:48 PM

In Nacho's Blackguard book you can see that some broadcasters have a bit of hand-chiselling work done around the body. There are often slight enlargements of the control cavity on one end or the other, and occasionally you see a hand-chiselled cavity between the neck pocket area and the neck pickup route.

Does anyone know why these hand modifications were made?

I understand that the first set of 1950 guitars (Esquires) didn't have truss rods, and I thought maybe some of these no-truss rod bodies were used for some of the early broads and they needed to hand chisell the truss rod access? And maybe the early bodies' control cavities were routed for a set of electronics that were later updated (different switch?) requiring a little more room.

GTO · March 18th, 2006, 05:28 PM

Well, I have flicked through the book and on page 75 there are pictures of the hand made enlargements to a control route. As to why they are hand made? At the risk of stating the obvious, it is to make the pots fit into the control route.

Fender never threw anything away, so as new guitars came into manufacture as many old components as possible would be used up. If this meant modifying the odd body, then that is what was done.

0le FUZZY · March 18th, 2006, 06:40 PM

Bin air dunn at !!

There were several prollems in the early daze that could knott be fixed any udder weigh.

Won of the first thangs tew go rong was the volume pot and replacements at that time were impossable. I noe how hard that may be fer sum of yew ungins tew stan unner but back then yew dent haff noe Chicken Shack er a thousand parts dealers tew fetch the parts from. Yew couldn't git them from Fenner neither (decals neither) in time fer a gig.

I hadda steal offin old radios and such. We did haff electronic places (sortta) where yew could buy pots and such but usually knott the rite diameter wons as came on the early Broadcasters and TELECASTERs.

(I'M Gittin tew witt--- hang on!!)

After the volume pot wood go the tone pot (rear blend pot) wood also die and even after takin them apart and cleaning them with a pencil lead we wood either break the tabs or scrape tew much carbon off or both and hadda haff a new won.

We go down and finally find the rite value pot and solder it in place and go tew put it back together and WOW!!! the duck-plucker was tew big around tew fit.

Well cents we hadda pick the next weekend and there waz no weigh tew fine the rite diameter pot we grabbed watt ever wood take enuff wood off tew make it fit.

Many times we dent git the wood out and forced the rascal in anyway and thats why yew cee many with the back panel mount screw hole all broke out.

Those replacement pots were many times tew wide fer the cavity but usually we could file the edges of the pot jes enuff tew slide in.

Sum switches were deeper than udders tew and sum folks wood gouge out the bottom of the cavity in order tew git the plate tew lay flat rather than re-wire and mess with the tabs onna switch which could and often did affect/effect the switch operation (a nutter tuff repair we hadda dew often).

I seldom had tew but many folks did often adjust the truss rod as strings became lighter and/or heavier (as in flat-wounds). The removal of the neck waz a pain inna butt and even after hoggin out the wood the slot prevented an adjustment full sweep with an off-set screw driver sew we took a hack saw and cut a nutter slot purr-pin-dick-yew-lure tew the original won onna truss rod cap-nut and created an apex type where a Phillips head screw driver wood werk with less sweep of the tool. Fenner fixed that liddo prollem a liddo later on. Also, many a pickguard got grooved out back then sew yew dent haff ta pull it off erry time yew wanted tew adjust the truss rod.

I'd dew sum pixs but tie think yew katch my driff. Here iss an idea of watt time typin about:

There were udder thangs we dunn back then but I'll wait till someone else notices such as the liddo hole inna bridge side of the control cavity near the tone pot HEE! HEE!

Hope this helps a liddo !!

MY KIND OF MUSIC !(click)

Please visit my page

poorplayer · March 20th, 2006, 12:29 AM

Makes sense gents thanks. I like that blackguard book.

March 18th, 2006, 01:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
poorplayer Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Televille Posts: 327	Broadcaster chiselling question In Nacho's Blackguard book you can see that some broadcasters have a bit of hand-chiselling work done around the body. There are often slight enlargements of the control cavity on one end or the other, and occasionally you see a hand-chiselled cavity between the neck pocket area and the neck pickup route. Does anyone know why these hand modifications were made? I understand that the first set of 1950 guitars (Esquires) didn't have truss rods, and I thought maybe some of these no-truss rod bodies were used for some of the early broads and they needed to hand chisell the truss rod access? And maybe the early bodies' control cavities were routed for a set of electronics that were later updated (different switch?) requiring a little more room. __________________ "So long, New York. Howdy, East Orange."

March 20th, 2006, 12:29 AM	#4 (permalink)
poorplayer Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Televille Posts: 327	Makes sense gents thanks. I like that blackguard book. __________________ "So long, New York. Howdy, East Orange."

March 18th, 2006, 05:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
GTO Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Peak District Posts: 775	Well, I have flicked through the book and on page 75 there are pictures of the hand made enlargements to a control route. As to why they are hand made? At the risk of stating the obvious, it is to make the pots fit into the control route. Fender never threw anything away, so as new guitars came into manufacture as many old components as possible would be used up. If this meant modifying the odd body, then that is what was done.

March 18th, 2006, 06:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
0le FUZZY Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kolly-forn-knee-ya Posts: 10,001 6 Photos	Bin air dunn at !! There were several prollems in the early daze that could knott be fixed any udder weigh. Won of the first thangs tew go rong was the volume pot and replacements at that time were impossable. I noe how hard that may be fer sum of yew ungins tew stan unner but back then yew dent haff noe Chicken Shack er a thousand parts dealers tew fetch the parts from. Yew couldn't git them from Fenner neither (decals neither) in time fer a gig. I hadda steal offin old radios and such. We did haff electronic places (sortta) where yew could buy pots and such but usually knott the rite diameter wons as came on the early Broadcasters and TELECASTERs. (I'M Gittin tew witt--- hang on!!) After the volume pot wood go the tone pot (rear blend pot) wood also die and even after takin them apart and cleaning them with a pencil lead we wood either break the tabs or scrape tew much carbon off or both and hadda haff a new won. We go down and finally find the rite value pot and solder it in place and go tew put it back together and WOW!!! the duck-plucker was tew big around tew fit. Well cents we hadda pick the next weekend and there waz no weigh tew fine the rite diameter pot we grabbed watt ever wood take enuff wood off tew make it fit. Many times we dent git the wood out and forced the rascal in anyway and thats why yew cee many with the back panel mount screw hole all broke out. Those replacement pots were many times tew wide fer the cavity but usually we could file the edges of the pot jes enuff tew slide in. Sum switches were deeper than udders tew and sum folks wood gouge out the bottom of the cavity in order tew git the plate tew lay flat rather than re-wire and mess with the tabs onna switch which could and often did affect/effect the switch operation (a nutter tuff repair we hadda dew often). I seldom had tew but many folks did often adjust the truss rod as strings became lighter and/or heavier (as in flat-wounds). The removal of the neck waz a pain inna butt and even after hoggin out the wood the slot prevented an adjustment full sweep with an off-set screw driver sew we took a hack saw and cut a nutter slot purr-pin-dick-yew-lure tew the original won onna truss rod cap-nut and created an apex type where a Phillips head screw driver wood werk with less sweep of the tool. Fenner fixed that liddo prollem a liddo later on. Also, many a pickguard got grooved out back then sew yew dent haff ta pull it off erry time yew wanted tew adjust the truss rod. I'd dew sum pixs but tie think yew katch my driff. Here iss an idea of watt time typin about: There were udder thangs we dunn back then but I'll wait till someone else notices such as the liddo hole inna bridge side of the control cavity near the tone pot HEE! HEE! Hope this helps a liddo !! MY KIND OF MUSIC !(click) Please visit my page