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Post by ChristoMephisto on Jan 23, 2011 20:58:40 GMT -5
Looking into getting a Thinline style body to replace my solid tele body
and was wondering if it was possible to add a volume knob to the lower horn of the body without having to route through the back.
Thinking I could feed it through the control panel opening.
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Post by lpf3 on Jan 23, 2011 21:51:25 GMT -5
I don't know if all T-Line bodies are chambered the same way- but if the body you get is like this one from Warmoth then I'd say it's do-able.  Tight fitting, tricky, but do-able. Use the same technique as any other hollow- body, fish a string thru the hole & tie the pot to it; then pull it back thru the hole. You'd have to be darn sure that the hole you drill for the pot shaft is well clear of the sides and probably use a mini pot to boot. I really think if it were me I'd rear route it- the cover on the back wouldn't have to be any more conspicuous than that of a Les Paul- and you'd have a lot more control over the exact location of the knob. -lpf3 |
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Post by ashcatlt on Jan 23, 2011 23:23:31 GMT -5
Take the tele you've got. Cut the back off*. Route the cavities and make sure there's room for your pot. Drill the hole for the pot. Glue the back (back) on.
* Or the front**.
** Or sand the finish off the back, route through it, drill the pothole, cut a thin piece and glue it onto the back. The guitar will be a little fatter overall.
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Post by cynical1 on Jan 24, 2011 0:38:56 GMT -5
Or, just buy a Thinline Telecaster... Performing any major surgery of the kind Ash refers to, unless you have the tools on hand, will cost about as much as the guitar...and just buying a new one is a lot faster, too...with having to gut the old body, plane the top off (because that's there the F-hole goes) do the routing, buy the wood for the top, rough cut the top, glue the new top, sand it flush, re-route the neck pocket, refinish and re-assembly...yeah, buying one is much simpler... That way you have two guitars... A Squire Thinline runs about 300.00 USD, or about 189.00 GBP. If you want a Fender you're looking at around 800.00 USD or 500.00 GBP. I did see a Thinline body unfinished from Korea on eBay UK sitting at 79.00 GBP...but then there's the question of the cavity...but unfinished allows you to cut and glue to your hearts content as the finish will cover the scars... As lpf3 points out, depending on how the body is routed...and that's a big depending...you could tape the top to prevent chipping to the finish, drill your hole in the front and fish the volume knob into the hole. Before you buy the body make sure you take off the control cavity cover and look to see if it's open all the way to the horn. You've also got to make sure that there's enough room for the pot to sit flush. And unless you're stuck on the Tele body style, the Ibanez ArtCore ASF75T is a very solid guitar...which sells used in the US for around 225.00-250.00 all day...  ...which, as you see above, can even be had with a Bigsby licensed whammy bar... For a hollowbody it's relatively thin and the quality of the workmanship makes upgrading one worth the expense. Happy Trails Cynical One |
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Post by ChristoMephisto on Jan 25, 2011 17:17:52 GMT -5
Thanks for all the good replies and suggestions.
Its not a real Fender Thinline, its a finished handmade thinline style body. F'hole, both wings are hollow, maple over alder...
Was thinking to fish it through the control panel and see how far up and how much room i had before i drilled it and found i was wrong.
Just wanted to see if anyone had done this and had any tips.
For a solid, thought of using the T-Custom idea and route the horn and mount it to the p'guard
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Post by 4real on Jan 25, 2011 18:37:00 GMT -5
Seems like an odd place to put a volume control? What are you going to put on the control plate? It would be a tricky mod, but I'm not really sure that it would look good, function well or add anything particularly useful to a standard tele. On my tele, I have three knobs, a 4pdt toggle and a gibson style selector and even a hidden kill switch...and a battery under...it is amazing what you can fit in that tiny control cavity...  But if you insist...if you have a standard tele scratch plate that covers the "horn" no one would know if you cut a hole under it...or if you make a mistake with the drilling, such a plate would cover it! It could be tight getting a pot in sideways and turning it around in a thinline...unlike a semi solid...but it may be possible. I'd imagine it would only be worth the effort if you didn't have a scratch plate though. |
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