Partscaster Tele Hardware Upgrades

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Shadownyet

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Traded in a Squier CV Stratocaster for what is most likely a partscaster Telecaster: MIM 2000 maple neck, unknown olympic white alder body, unknown pickups, and a cheap wiring harness.

The pickups sound fine for whatever they are but the wiring harness is awful. I plan on switching everything out so I ordered new pots, new control plate, and a new bridge, as well as new pickup mounting screws. I created a new volume-tone harness to connect everything else to but I discovered the new pots don't fit the holes on the control plate. I measured the holes on the control plate and they were 8mm. Apparently the "bigger" CTS pots are 10mm diameter.

So, after some quick shopping on the jungle website, I compiled the following shopping list. Please let me know if I should change anything out! I am open to suggestions.

2nd question: My soldering iron doesn't seem to apply solder on the pot lugs properly. I heated it up to 300-350 Celsius (572-662 F) which I thought was hot enough but it's not sticking to the lugs well at all. I tested it on a scrap broken pot and even the solder pool on the base of the pot looks very cold and opaque. Pics to follow.

Control plate with more spacing from the selector and volume pot hole:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CCS4MJ57?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

6-saddle chrome bridge. The guitar came with the vintage style 3-saddle brass bridge but I prefer the 6-saddles: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B098D49PHF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Pickup mounting screws and rubber washers: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C588TCVP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

10mm hole chrome knurled knobs:
 

Telenator

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People often try to paint solder onto the connection. Soldering is a still process that requires patience. If you're moving the iron around you're doing it wrong.
Get the iron hot.
Use a moist sponge to keep the tip clean.
Melt a small dot of solder onto the tip of the iron.
Place the tip on the item you want to solder and let it heat up until the solder flows. This may take 5 or 10 seconds and you have to be still. Do not attempt to brush the solder onto the connection.
Once you've made the connection, remove the heat and remain still. The solder will cool and harden into a smooth, shiny blob.
If the blob isn't smooth and shiny, you didn't use enough heat.
Have fun!
 

Freeman Keller

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Some quick comments.

When replacing components measure what you have and compare with the specs for the one you want to install. Most manufacturers post the dimensions on their websites or a distributor like StewMac.

There are basically two patterns for bridges (number of holes and locations). The nomenclature can be confusing, but basically there are three or four mounting screws. They can have three or six barrel type saddles or six little machined saddles. Three and four hole bridges are not interchangeable, do your homework before you buy.

A soldering iron for this scale of work should be about 250 watts and reach 700 degrees F for use with rosin core solder. I have an ancient soldering pencil (upper part of this picture) that has been more than adequate.
IMG_2120.JPG

There is a bit of technique to good clean soldering, keep the tip clean, apply heat to the joint then flow the solder into it. Practice on scrap wire until you are comfortable. A good solder joint is shiny.

For the kind of knobs you are using (setscrew) you want to use solid shaft pots. CTS makes both split and solid shaft, get the right ones.

The other thing that I will highly suggest particularly with an unknow guitar like this one is to do a thorough evaluation of it followed by a good setup. Make sure the geometry is correct, make sure the frets are perfect. Do the setup to your playing standards.

Good luck with your project.
 

Shadownyet

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A soldering iron needs to be at least 480. Even at that it sometimes takes a while to properly solder a ground to the case of a pot.
I think that was the issue...I set it at 250 C and was wondering why solder wasn't flowing properly. Increased to around 450C and it worked.
 

Supertwang

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When doing a Tele I shop for USA spec'd everything. USA spec'd CTS pots have a 3/8" outside diameter bushing
 

VintageSG

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You seem sorted for the soldering now. A hint for future soldering is to use the biggest, meatiest tip you have for pots. It's alright having an iron that heats up quickly and is temperature controlled etc, but if the heat flows out faster than the element can replace it, you risk overheating the component.
Heat shunt gets annoying quickly. I have pencil tips for PCB and Vero, flat pencil ( an elliptical or parabolic section from the cone to give a flat surface ) for tag board and general purpose and a fat chisel tip for pots, turret boards and chassis.
I know a lot of folk have freakin' huge irons, up to and including stained glass work irons, just for pots and chassis. The working temperature is the same, but the tip does not lose heat on contact with the work like a piddly pencil tip does.

A brief swish with wet/dry paper or a brass brush to break the surface oxidation layer and a dob of additional flux is good too.
 

Wrighty

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I think that was the issue...I set it at 250 C and was wondering why solder wasn't flowing properly. Increased to around 450C and it worked.
I'm probably the world's worst solderer (is that even a word?), but I was told that by someone who isn't a long time ago and it saved me a lot of stress!
 

Freeman Keller

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I said something wrong in post #5, I called out my pencil soldering iron as 250 watt. That should be 25 watt, I've had it forever and its built several amps as well as a bunch of guitars. If I was going to start over I would probably get a 40 watt iron, but this one has been more than satisfactory.
 

ragamuffin

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I said something wrong in post #5, I called out my pencil soldering iron as 250 watt. That should be 25 watt, I've had it forever and its built several amps as well as a bunch of guitars. If I was going to start over I would probably get a 40 watt iron, but this one has been more than satisfactory.
I have a Weller WP 35 watt that has served me well for 10 years or so. Hot enough to solder to pots, but not too hot for pcb work. At some point I'd like to upgrade to an adjustable soldering station, but that's more a "want" than a need.
 

Shadownyet

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So an update
You seem sorted for the soldering now. A hint for future soldering is to use the biggest, meatiest tip you have for pots. It's alright having an iron that heats up quickly and is temperature controlled etc, but if the heat flows out faster than the element can replace it, you risk overheating the component.
Heat shunt gets annoying quickly. I have pencil tips for PCB and Vero, flat pencil ( an elliptical or parabolic section from the cone to give a flat surface ) for tag board and general purpose and a fat chisel tip for pots, turret boards and chassis.
I know a lot of folk have freakin' huge irons, up to and including stained glass work irons, just for pots and chassis. The working temperature is the same, but the tip does not lose heat on contact with the work like a piddly pencil tip does.

A brief swish with wet/dry paper or a brass brush to break the surface oxidation layer and a dob of additional flux is good too.

Bigger tip…got it. I’ll switch mine out.

Update: all my replacement parts came in.

The six saddle bridge does not fit properly. Welp. It’s a three hole mount whereas the body has 4. Oh well.

Also, the neck pickup wires finally gave way; the wires were hanging by a thread and I guess the constant work I was doing around it eventually gave way. I don’t know how To rewire a neck pickup completely and I don’t know if it’s worth trying g
 
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