cakes wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:01 pm Should I begin soldering the pickups or wait until the body arrives?

It all goes on the pickguard right? (I don't remember exactly which Tele model it is). If so yeah why not go for it, and just connect the ground before you put it all together. If it is more body mounted and routed, you could mock it up and probably get it right though if not it will be very frustrating.

penningtron wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:27 pm

cakes wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:01 pm Should I begin soldering the pickups or wait until the body arrives?

It all goes on the pickguard right? (I don't remember exactly which Tele model it is). If so yeah why not go for it, and just connect the ground before you put it all together. If it is more body mounted and routed, you could mock it up and probably get it right though if not it will be very frustrating.

The neck pickup is mounted to the pickgaurd and the bridge pickup is mounted to the bridge. The controls and switch are mounted to the pickguard.

I assume as long as I got things right, the multimeter would tell me.

cakes wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:30 pm

penningtron wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:27 pm

cakes wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:01 pm Should I begin soldering the pickups or wait until the body arrives?

It all goes on the pickguard right? (I don't remember exactly which Tele model it is). If so yeah why not go for it, and just connect the ground before you put it all together. If it is more body mounted and routed, you could mock it up and probably get it right though if not it will be very frustrating.

The neck pickup is mounted to the pickgaurd and the bridge pickup is mounted to the bridge. The controls and switch are mounted to the pickguard.

I assume as long as I got things right, the multimeter would tell me.

Wait til. You're gonna need to run wires through two or three separate chambers in the body. Wait. Maybe not if yours is the Tele Custom. Don't know what they look like under the pickguard. Still, wait. You'll probably need to run a ground wire through some place to the bridge too. Best wait and see what the lengths, etc. look like. Also, you'll need to decide how to bundle the wires so that they fit inside the body routing with the pickguard screwed down. It's all easier to do with the body on hand.

VaticanShotglass wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 3:07 pm

cakes wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:30 pm

penningtron wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:27 pm

It all goes on the pickguard right? (I don't remember exactly which Tele model it is). If so yeah why not go for it, and just connect the ground before you put it all together. If it is more body mounted and routed, you could mock it up and probably get it right though if not it will be very frustrating.

The neck pickup is mounted to the pickgaurd and the bridge pickup is mounted to the bridge. The controls and switch are mounted to the pickguard.

I assume as long as I got things right, the multimeter would tell me.

Wait til. You're gonna need to run wires through two or three separate chambers in the body. Wait. Maybe not if yours is the Tele Custom. Don't know what they look like under the pickguard. Still, wait. You'll probably need to run a ground wire through some place to the bridge too. Best wait and see what the lengths, etc. look like. Also, you'll need to decide how to bundle the wires so that they fit inside the body routing with the pickguard screwed down. It's all easier to do with the body on hand.

I think the difficult part will be the distance between the controls and the input socket. Otherwise, I would have the controls, pickups and switch mounted in the pickguard, so the lengths would be known. The Tele Custom is top routed for the purpose of mounting into the pickguard. But this is worth considering, since it's my first time.

cakes wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 3:16 pm I think the difficult part will be the distance between the controls and the input socket. Otherwise, I would have the controls, pickups and switch mounted in the pickguard, so the lengths would be known. The Tele Custom is top routed for the purpose of mounting into the pickguard. But this is worth considering, since it's my first time.

Yeah, but even my swimming pool routed squier mustang needed careful corralling of cables from the pickup switch to pickups. You'll get the hang of it either way.

I wrote Warmoth today about a P-bass build and it turns out their bass necks aren’t very thick at all. They don’t have a bass equivalent to a boatneck or whatever and I’m real disappointed by that. Like why?

I highly recommend 'staying busy' while waiting for parts. I would just do as much as is possible; scuff the pots, attach pickups where you can, etc. I find wiring is easiest to do in stages.

One handy tip for drop-in style wiring, like tele deluxe, where you have to get wires to sit in the router channels, is to get tracing paper or similar and trace out the routes and pickup locations. Then use that to mark where the wires need to go. When you install things onto the pickguard, use masking or shielding tape to keep the wires where you need them- then you can actually just drop the loaded guard on, rather than having to fuss.

As for the jack- you'll want to add 4-6 inches of extra wire so the guard can be lifted, turned over, and serviced/modified without disconnecting the jack. That should be plenty of slop so that you can work ahead of time. Also, highly recommend installing side jacks first, with extra long wires, then soldering to the controls once those are ready. Jack installation sometimes requires minor woodworking/shaving/drilling, and It is best to nail that down before the rest of the electronics are right there.

Is it a good practice to mount the pots into the pickguard before soldering, or using a template (made of thin wood or something) to hold the pots in place while soldering and then transfer them to the pickguard?

Also when you're screwing in the output jack, do it with a cable plugged in.

Mocked up the pickguard with the knobs.