UPDATED ... Advice wanted on a Tele partscaster ... options to mod / upgrade

close2u

I'm considering buying a cheap telecaster as a back-up ... Squier body - all battered and beat up, unknown neck.
I don't yet know what model Squier the body is.
Will I be able to use any pickup if I want to upgrade?
Are there issues of body depth?
What about electrics?
Do Fender stock parts fit if I want to upgrade, say, hardware? Or neck?
What could I do with that body?
Maybe leave it ... and don't care that it is all beat up.
Remove the paint and see what lurks beneath .... how would I do that?
I have no tools / equipment / experience at stripping and / or finishing a body.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/misc/T01.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/misc/T02.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/misc/T03.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/misc/T04.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/misc/T05.jpg

ThePrettyDamned

If it's an affinity, cavity size and depth will be restricting for part quality. Better parts are generally bigger!

Hardware is often metric rather than imperial so not a direct fit, but some brands such as gotoh offer some parts in "import" sizes, so do your measurements and shop around

Good luck and keep us posted!

lamf68

the only way you'll remove that shit paint is with heat mate, sanding with coarse paper will do it but will take an absolute age, personally, if you don't have access to heat I'd leave it as it is and live with it, all you'll find underneath is more pain!

ThePrettyDamned

lamf68;395558" said:

the only way you'll remove that shit paint is with heat mate, sanding with coarse paper will do it but will take an absolute age, personally, if you don't have access to heat I'd leave it as it is and live with it, all you'll find underneath is more pain!

Oh yeah, this is true. I speak from epi sg stripping experience...

@juansolo used a hair dryer and a spatula to remove poly from a baja tele if I remember correctly.

close2u

My wife has a hairdryer.

lamf68 said:

... all you'll find underneath is more pain!

Knotty, gnarled wood?

close2u

ThePrettyDamned said:

If it's an affinity, cavity size and depth will be restricting for part quality. Better parts are generally bigger!

You mean pickups? And / or caps?
I know Affinity strats are thinner in the body ... is this true of teles also.
I still don't know what type of Squier it comes from btw.

nickp

dunno about telecasters but I found with strats that the squier was the wrong one to start with as the body depth was wrong and a much better bet was a mex strat as a base.  And most importantly- try to find one where you like the neck contour as to me this is the key.  

Megii

I think I'm right in saying that the Affinity teles don't have through-body stringing, so somehow I doubt it's one of those. Not sure, but it does look a lot like the Squier Standard tele body I've just bought second hand - the ferrules look the same, and also there is similar cracking in the finish, and the hardware looks similar. The neck on  yours looks like it could have been made in the same place also. From what I know, my tele is an Indonesian made one from 2002, and probably has an agathis wood body. All a bit speculative anyway, but maybe you have something like that FWIW.

close2u

@nickp
it's all about price in my search for a cheap back-up 

Megii said:

I think I'm right in saying that the Affinity teles don't have through-body stringing ...

Mmmhh!
Can anyone confirm this thought?

juansolo

ThePrettyDamned said:

lamf68;395558" said:

the only way you'll remove that shit paint is with heat mate, sanding with coarse paper will do it but will take an absolute age, personally, if you don't have access to heat I'd leave it as it is and live with it, all you'll find underneath is more pain!

Oh yeah, this is true. I speak from epi sg stripping experience...

@juansolo used a hair dryer and a spatula to remove poly from a baja tele if I remember correctly.

Pancake flipper, bit the same deal. Easier if you can get some help, one to heat ahead and the other to separate. Take a look on my site for the details.

ThePrettyDamned

close2u;395637" said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

If it's an affinity, cavity size and depth will be restricting for part quality. Better parts are generally bigger!



You mean pickups? And / or caps?

I know Affinity strats are thinner in the body ... is this true of teles also.

I still don't know what type of Squier it comes from btw.

Not pickups, but pots and the jack. You want a switchcraft really, you can always ream that hole bigger though

The pots on cheap ones are mini pots, you'll want full size - even full size alpha pots are pretty good and I don't find any difference between them and a standard full size cts. I've started using custom order cts pots, which are a bit nicer but more money.

@juansolo I wish you'd done that and I'd seen that 4 or 5 years ago!

juansolo

I hadn't damaged it then

ThePrettyDamned

juansolo;395829" said:

I hadn't damaged it then

Psh, certainly doesn't look damaged to me! Have you seen @alnico baja? He did it with Springsteen in mind, but it was partly inspired by yours iirc. Lovelier than a lovely thing.

close2u

body thickness is 1 & 3/4 inches apparently

Niallmo

If the headstock is painted black It's a Squier Stadard Tele Black and Chrome Edition.

Niallmo

Ah, sanded headstock. I still think it's a the B&C edition. It's a Squier Standard Tele Bridge. http://www.fender.com/squier/series/standard/black-and-chrome-standard-telecaster-rosewood-fingerboard-black/

close2u

I think it is a replacement neck.

Are the black & chrome a 'cut above' the usual Squier Standard guitars?
Or was it just a marketing gimmick.

Further details ... from seller:  'frets ok, a few flat spots'


Estimated value / worth?

Niallmo

No, was just a colour option.

close2u

Well, it's as good as mine.
Subject to payment etc when collecting in person.
Updates when I get it home some time this coming week.

IanSavage

Certainly SOME Affinties had through-body stringing, mine does.

close2u

I picked it up this morning.
Quite a bit of work needed for sure.
One quick question ... does anyone recognise the neck?

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/Squire Tele Black/BlackTeleneck1.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/Squire Tele Black/BlackTeleneck2.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/Squire Tele Black/BlackTeleneck3.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/chaucer73/Squire Tele Black/BlackTeleneck4.jpg