CV 50 BSB upgrade to a Keith Richard’s aka Micawber

[Captainflint1967]

Hello fellow Telecaster peeps,

I have 5 Fender Telecasters which are all beautiful instruments, but Ive always wanted to create a Keith Richard’s ‘Micawber’ telecaster - PAF neck pickup , 5 strings in G tuning.
I didn’t want to butcher any of my current Fender Telecasters , they all sound and play beautifully as they are. So I purchased a Squier CV50 BSB for this little project, as this guitar would be the perfect platform- it has great reviews and shouldn’t need too many modifications.
I have an old Seymour Duncan ‘59 pickup for the neck and I’m hoping to use the original bridge pickup.
I’m planning to change out all the electronics for better quality items but it crossed my mind that the single tone pot value could be a compromise - single coils require a 250k pot whereas a humbucker uses a 500k pot. Although I’ve read that Keith’s guitar uses two volume pots iso a tone pot for blending the volume of each pickup… can anyone confirm this ?
If so (I’m not great at electronics) what would the wiring look like ?
I will change the saddles for brass ones, new electrics, the body is already routed for the neck humbucker, a new black pickguard and I think I’m good to go….
Has anyone already done a Keith Richards ‘Micawber’ project ?
Any other considerations/modifications that I should do ?
Many thanks, All advice greatly appreciated

 

[Bruxist]

Have been toying with doing this with a similar CV50s using parts from an Andy Summers tribute.

Armadillo makes a replica bridge but it is a little pricey and heavy. Very well made (at least my Summers one is).

MiCawber Style Bridge Plate w/ “Keef” Saddles

MiCawber-style bridge plate with set of 6 "Keef"-style saddles.

www.armadilloguitar.com

 

[Heartbreaker_Esq]

I have no advice to give, but I'll definitely be following this thread. I recently bought a CV 50s that someone had heavily modded for a bit of a Keef vibe (see avatar photo). But they did a pretty poor job with the electronics, and I've had nothing but trouble with it so far. I'm hoping to learn a bit on this topic as well.

 

[bgmacaw]

Has anyone already done a Keith Richards ‘Micawber’ project ?

Kind of, but with a P90 and I kept all 6 strings although I usually tune in open G (for slide) on it. The original guitar is a SX STL-50 that I modded a good bit. The pots are 250k with the tone being a no-load.

 

[Captainflint1967]

I’m busy researching the wiring, seems to be a close kept secret, so I’m gathering as many ‘theories’ and trying out the variations. Also waiting on a few components too. University term just finished too (yes I’m an aged student doing Sound Engineering) so I’ll be busy with it over the Christmas break. Stay tuned.. photos on their way ….

 

[bebopbrain]

the single tone pot value could be a compromise - single coils require a 250k pot whereas a humbucker uses a 500k pot.

No compromise necessary. Use 500k. The tone pot is a variable resistor. Turn a 500k audio pot slightly, voila: 250k.

 

[elmicko]

Seems like I've also read a few interviews with Keef and he said the bridge pickup came out of an old lap steel.

 

[NoTeleBob]

I’m busy researching the wiring, seems to be a close kept secret, so I’m gathering as many ‘theories’ and trying out the variations. Also waiting on a few components too. University term just finished too (yes I’m an aged student doing Sound Engineering) so I’ll be busy with it over the Christmas break. Stay tuned.. photos on their way ….

Yes. Keith and his guitar Techs are notably tightlipped about all this. Whether his switches or controls are wired in some unusual way is uncertain. Some folks claim that the switch position proves he never uses the Humbucker – but then one has still wonder why he's gone out of his way to install it on several of his telecasters.

I just go with 500 K. You can always make things less bright with the tone control – you can't really make a pickup more bright.

You could also try the bonus resistor trick to let the single coil see 250 K on the volume control instead of 500 K. But that will have other implications when using both pickups. I'd probably put it on a little toggle switch and run it out under the pickguard so that I could test it on and off and see which I liked better.

 

[dreamsinger]

Yes. Keith and his guitar Techs are notably tightlipped about all this. Whether his switches or controls are wired in some unusual way is uncertain. Some folks claim that the switch position proves he never uses the Humbucker – but then one has still wonder why he's gone out of his way to install it on several of his telecasters.

Switch position proves nothing. He could have reversed the wiring to further cloud how he gets his sound.

 

[dreamsinger]

I've toyed with the idea of asking Warmoth to make a 1 5/6" nut neck with only 5 tuner holes and modifying a Gotoh bridge to 5 equidistant saddles. I'm no so OCD about electronics; thinking P90 in the neck and a Barden Danny Gatton in the bridge.

 

[myfenderissues]

Hello fellow Telecaster peeps,

I have 5 Fender Telecasters which are all beautiful instruments, but Ive always wanted to create a Keith Richard’s ‘Micawber’ telecaster - PAF neck pickup , 5 strings in G tuning.
I didn’t want to butcher any of my current Fender Telecasters , they all sound and play beautifully as they are. So I purchased a Squier CV50 BSB for this little project, as this guitar would be the perfect platform- it has great reviews and shouldn’t need too many modifications.
I have an old Seymour Duncan ‘59 pickup for the neck and I’m hoping to use the original bridge pickup.
I’m planning to change out all the electronics for better quality items but it crossed my mind that the single tone pot value could be a compromise - single coils require a 250k pot whereas a humbucker uses a 500k pot. Although I’ve read that Keith’s guitar uses two volume pots iso a tone pot for blending the volume of each pickup… can anyone confirm this ?
If so (I’m not great at electronics) what would the wiring look like ?
I will change the saddles for brass ones, new electrics, the body is already routed for the neck humbucker, a new black pickguard and I think I’m good to go….
Has anyone already done a Keith Richards ‘Micawber’ project ?
Any other considerations/modifications that I should do ?
Many thanks, All advice greatly appreciated

Probably reliable enough close wiring diagrams on the web including fender's for the custom models. That guitar has a one off custom bridge and bridge plate kr had fabricated. There's no eq I know of that's available. The metal is an alloy. not steel or pot metal. I think it also has a controls bypass switch for pu's direct into amplifier

 

[SanoTele]

Hello fellow Telecaster peeps,

I have 5 Fender Telecasters which are all beautiful instruments, but Ive always wanted to create a Keith Richard’s ‘Micawber’ telecaster - PAF neck pickup , 5 strings in G tuning.
I didn’t want to butcher any of my current Fender Telecasters , they all sound and play beautifully as they are. So I purchased a Squier CV50 BSB for this little project, as this guitar would be the perfect platform- it has great reviews and shouldn’t need too many modifications.
I have an old Seymour Duncan ‘59 pickup for the neck and I’m hoping to use the original bridge pickup.
I’m planning to change out all the electronics for better quality items but it crossed my mind that the single tone pot value could be a compromise - single coils require a 250k pot whereas a humbucker uses a 500k pot. Although I’ve read that Keith’s guitar uses two volume pots iso a tone pot for blending the volume of each pickup… can anyone confirm this ?
If so (I’m not great at electronics) what would the wiring look like ?
I will change the saddles for brass ones, new electrics, the body is already routed for the neck humbucker, a new black pickguard and I think I’m good to go….
Has anyone already done a Keith Richards ‘Micawber’ project ?
Any other considerations/modifications that I should do ?
Many thanks, All advice greatly appreciated

I think the lapsteel pickup is an important part of Keef's sound. I put a Seymour Duncan Antiquity in an old lapsteel and it sounded amazing. That would be my choice. I am not sure if this makes a difference, but supposedly he screws it down into the body wood. https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/antiquity-lap-steel

 

[galaxiex]

Hello fellow Telecaster peeps,

...................
Has anyone already done a Keith Richards ‘Micawber’ project ?
............

Yes.....

After these pics were taken it has acquired a "genuine Keef cigarette burn" on the head stock.

 

[viking]

It might show my limits as a player , but removing a saddle and string would ruin a guitar for me......And Im not really crazy about a neck bucker in a Tele either, LOL...

 

[william tel]

Kind of, but with a P90 and I kept all 6 strings although I usually tune in open G (for slide) on it. The original guitar is a SX STL-50 that I modded a good bit. The pots are 250k with the tone being a no-load.

View attachment 1062075

This is beautiful. What pickups do you have in this?

 

[effzee]

I've toyed with the idea of asking Warmoth to make a 1 5/6" nut neck with only 5 tuner holes and modifying a Gotoh bridge to 5 equidistant saddles. I'm no so OCD about electronics; thinking P90 in the neck and a Barden Danny Gatton in the bridge.

You can just tune the low E string up to G, the same as the A string. Then you don't have to worry about that stuff, and for a lot of songs, the doubled G strings sound very cool and can add weight to the bottom end. It's necessary for Moonlight Mile but can be used on all the open G songs. and when you don't want that second string ringing, you just mute it.

 

[bgmacaw]

This is beautiful. What pickups do you have in this?

The P90 is a GFS Alnico Vintage Wound. It started off as a dogear with a black plastic cover. I replaced that with a raw nickel-silver soapbar from Philadelphia Luthier Supply.

The bridge is a GFS Repro 50's.

 

[dspellman1]

Hello fellow Telecaster peeps,

I have 5 Fender Telecasters which are all beautiful instruments, but Ive always wanted to create a Keith Richard’s ‘Micawber’ telecaster - PAF neck pickup , 5 strings in G tuning.
I didn’t want to butcher any of my current Fender Telecasters , they all sound and play beautifully as they are. So I purchased a Squier CV50 BSB for this little project, as this guitar would be the perfect platform- it has great reviews and shouldn’t need too many modifications.
I have an old Seymour Duncan ‘59 pickup for the neck and I’m hoping to use the original bridge pickup.
I’m planning to change out all the electronics for better quality items but it crossed my mind that the single tone pot value could be a compromise - single coils require a 250k pot whereas a humbucker uses a 500k pot. Although I’ve read that Keith’s guitar uses two volume pots iso a tone pot for blending the volume of each pickup… can anyone confirm this ?
If so (I’m not great at electronics) what would the wiring look like ?
I will change the saddles for brass ones, new electrics, the body is already routed for the neck humbucker, a new black pickguard and I think I’m good to go….
Has anyone already done a Keith Richards ‘Micawber’ project ?
Any other considerations/modifications that I should do ?
Many thanks, All advice greatly appreciated

I did, *sorta*. I have Line 6 Variax guitars, which not only model other guitars (Tele, 335, etc.), but which include software that will allow you to completely mute any string (turning it into a 5-string), set up any tuning (Open G) and even change the number and type of pickups (as well as modify them). And since I can put the whole mess into a user preset on the Helix, it only takes a single stomp to fire it up.

Mutt Lange famously auditioned a bunch of teles before settling on the tele model in a Variax guitar as his preference to send out with Shania Twain on her first tour.

 

[Alamo]

That guitar has a one off custom bridge and bridge plate kr had fabricated

Actually it's a Schecter Brass Bridge which was one of the after market suppliers and readily available at the time.

Keef Micawber Schecter brass 6 saddle tele bridge 1980s brass | Reverb

vintage schecter 6 saddle tele bridge. as seen on micaweber, keef’s #1.

reverb.com

 

[KuotaGrant]

Hello fellow Telecaster peeps,

I have 5 Fender Telecasters which are all beautiful instruments, but Ive always wanted to create a Keith Richard’s ‘Micawber’ telecaster - PAF neck pickup , 5 strings in G tuning.
I didn’t want to butcher any of my current Fender Telecasters , they all sound and play beautifully as they are. So I purchased a Squier CV50 BSB for this little project, as this guitar would be the perfect platform- it has great reviews and shouldn’t need too many modifications.
I have an old Seymour Duncan ‘59 pickup for the neck and I’m hoping to use the original bridge pickup.
I’m planning to change out all the electronics for better quality items but it crossed my mind that the single tone pot value could be a compromise - single coils require a 250k pot whereas a humbucker uses a 500k pot. Although I’ve read that Keith’s guitar uses two volume pots iso a tone pot for blending the volume of each pickup… can anyone confirm this ?
If so (I’m not great at electronics) what would the wiring look like ?
I will change the saddles for brass ones, new electrics, the body is already routed for the neck humbucker, a new black pickguard and I think I’m good to go….
Has anyone already done a Keith Richards ‘Micawber’ project ?
Any other considerations/modifications that I should do ?
Many thanks, All advice greatly appreciated

I bought a used Squier CV50 Butterscotch several years ago. FYI - I upgraded to USA made electronics, CRL 5-way Switch, CTS pts, Switchcraft input jack, orange drop cap, pushback wire, etc. Everything BUT the p/u. Cost me about $60USD and made just the hugest difference in sound. Amazing.