# New-look



## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

A new look to my Tele. I made a control plate from aluminium and dimensioned it to lay flush with the guitar body. The selector switch toggle has a copper-tube tip that I formed and threaded and the volume knob is a brass fitting that I threaded a 1/4" insert to...everything polished on the buffing wheel...let's see how long this look will last.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Interesting. Can you reach the volume knob with your pinky?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I like that the plate lays flush. These days I have all my bodies made with rear mounted controls which achieves a similar smooth feel.

Love the copper switch tip.

Master volume only eh? I feel that.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

mhammer said:


> Interesting. Can you reach the volume knob with your pinky?


It varies with the placement of my picking hand, for comfort.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Yeah, I experiment mainly with this guitar and had decided to only load the PUs with one pot, before a pedal or the amp.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Less is more, right @Paul Running ?! 
My favourite strat o part o caster is sans tone controls.
My main amp ...a gutted blues junior is without tone controls as well.
No tweaking in between tunes.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)




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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

loudtubeamps said:


> Less is more, right @Paul Running ?!
> My favourite strat o part o caster is sans tone controls.
> My main amp ...a gutted blues junior is without tone controls as well.
> No tweaking in between tunes.


What many call the tone pot, I call the dullness pot. I never use them.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Milkman said:


> What many call the tone pot, I call the dullness pot. I never use them.


It definitely helps keep my OCD in check.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Paul Running said:


> A new look to my Tele. I made a control plate from aluminium and dimensioned it to lay flush with the guitar body. The selector switch toggle has a copper-tube tip that I formed and threaded and the volume knob is a brass fitting that I threaded a 1/4" insert to...everything polished on the buffing wheel...let's see how long this look will last.
> View attachment 389186


I dig this a lot Paul.
Can you share how you wired it?
Is it a straight shot from the pickup lead to the pot lug?

and is this a single pickup or dual pick up configuration?


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

loudtubeamps said:


> View attachment 389267
> 
> View attachment 389265
> 
> View attachment 389266


That is bad ass.
So what is the default tone stack? 
does it sound like full out 10/10 tone or did you wire it like a single knobber?

I’d love to do this to most amps lol.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Always12AM said:


> I dig this a lot Paul.
> Can you share how you wired it?
> Is it a straight shot from the pickup lead to the pot lug?
> 
> and is this a single pickup or dual pick up configuration?


Nothing unusual about the wiring...definitely not as neat as your wiring, your last project is well done. 
It's just 2 single PUs, 3-position toggle: neck, bridge or both.
The neck PU is one that I have been experimenting with; I removed all the pole pieces and bar magnet and replaced them with Neodymium magnets. My son gave me some of these years ago, when he was at Uni. They are the same dia. as a pole piece. I have too many in there though...too much distortion created by the magnetic field, even with the PU set very low...still a lot to learn about magnetics. When I get an inspiration, I will remove a few of the bullets and try to tame the beastie. It seems the way my experiments go...too little or too much, gotta find that sweet spot. Here's a photo of the wee magnets...powerful little pieces:


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Paul Running said:


> A new look to my Tele. I made a control plate from aluminium and dimensioned it to lay flush with the guitar body. The selector switch toggle has a copper-tube tip that I formed and threaded and the volume knob is a brass fitting that I threaded a 1/4" insert to...everything polished on the buffing wheel...let's see how long this look will last.
> View attachment 389186


It will get better with age...I see patina already.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Always12AM said:


> That is bad ass.
> So what is the default tone stack?
> does it sound like full out 10/10 tone or did you wire it like a single knobber?
> 
> I’d love to do this to most amps lol.


Hah...no tone stack.
Experimentation and trial and error in selecting the proper value tone caps and series and ground resistance between stages.
A bit of hi frequency cutting with a .001 pf to ground and a negative feedback circuit....
( resistor and blocking cap) across the plates on the phase inverter.
The advantage I have is pre and post phase inverter volume allowing me to hit the phase inverter with full signal while monitoring at a whisper.
This is a big advantage for tweaking the stages for maximum gain and in my case...as much clarity as I can squeeze out if it.
I have another gain stage now....not in this pic.
As follows.....EF86...12AX7 strapped in parallel into the 12AT phase inverter.
6v6's


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Sorry @Paul Running ...guess this should be in the amp section...not meaning to hijack.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Amp-chatting is always welcomed with me.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

loudtubeamps said:


> Hah...no tone stack.
> Experimentation and trial and error in selecting the proper value tone caps and series and ground resistance between stages.
> A bit of hi frequency cutting with a .001 pf to ground and a negative feedback circuit....
> ( resistor and blocking cap) across the plates on the phase inverter.
> ...


That sounds like fun to me.
I like messing about, the difference is that I’d get electrocuted lol.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Paul Running said:


> Amp-chatting is always welcomed with me.


I learn more from reading your comments than I did in University. Maybe it’s because you are providing useful information / information that will prevent me from being electrocuted lol.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Never know it but I had electrophobia as a kid. When I was about 2 or 3 years old, I stuck something conductive in a wall receptacle and blew the snot out of it. For a long time this incident stuck with me however, I believe that it helped me to respect the power of nature. Once you have a rough idea of it's workings, it's not so bad.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Paul Running said:


> Never know it but I had electrophobia as a kid. When I was about 2 or 3 years old, I stuck something conductive in a wall receptacle and blew the snot out of it. For a long time this incident stuck with me however, I believe that it helped me to respect the power of nature. Once you have a rough idea of it's workings, it's not so bad.


My dad used to build stereos and speakers in the kitchen. I did the exact same thing. I took leads from a speaker and wrapped them around a fork and stuck them into an outlet. The difference is that I was aroused haha. Which is horrible.

I’m really curious about how the neodymium magnet experiment unfolds!

When it comes to soldering, I find it relaxing sort of like how some people do a crossword or read. I also like reading about treble bleed and tone circuits as well as trying different value and construction of capacitors.

It’s also really fun to have a torture Tele that can be used for all of these experiments without worrying about scratch’s or making it perfect.

I just cleaned up an old split shaft Emerson pot and decided to repurpose on of the .05 caps I didn’t use on the last amp tinkering I did.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Impressive layout and soldering skills. When I worked at Mitel, they sent a bunch of us on a one week solder training course. It was well presented and I learned a lot about the nature of as I call it an art and partial skill. It does help if you have patience and a knowlege of the properties of solder...so, many different types and applications. Many premature failures are a result of the improper application of solder; an overlooked characteristic that some people are not aware of is the mechanical strength of solder...it's not a weld.


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