Most of us up here in the North East are getting hit hard with snow. So you stock up on snacks and “comfort supplies” and get ready to take what mother nature dishes out. After the shoveling is done and the family time is out of the way what do you do? You take your stainless steel Glendale Tele bridgeplate and drill holes in it to make it a top-loader!!!!! At least that’s what I did. Do you think that’s odd??
I kept hearing and reading about Jim Campilongo and his signature Telecaster with top-loader bridge and it got me thinking….. I really like Jim’s playing as well as his tone so it was only a natural progression of thoughts for me. I have not played a true top-loader Tele in quite some time and really wanted to hear what one sounds and feels like again.
The pic above is the bridgeplate clamped down and me drilling the hole for the low E string. I used a 5/64″ bit (actually two because one broke..). When drilling stainless steel you have to remember a few things: 1- Use lubricant. A little 3-in-1 oil goes a long way. 2- Use a very slow drill speed….VERY SLOW. 3- Use a lot of pressure on the drill. 4- Have patience. Stainless can be hard to drill. After I got the holes drilled and I was happy with the way they came out I re-installed the bridgeplate and strung up my Tele top-loader style.
Before I get to my results lets take a quick look at the two different Tele bridges. We all know and love the traditional Telecaster sound. That biting, singing tone with great sustain. Think of Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton and countless others. When you hear those guys you are most likely hearing a traditional string-through Telecaster. But for just about one year back in 1959 Fender decided for whatever reason to eliminate the string-through design and go with the top-loader. Maybe this would save some manufacturing time or cut a cost. Legend has it that players were not as happy with the new design so Fender reverted back to the string-through design. I have seen some top-loader Teles from this era but I have to admit never payed them any mind because I was so into blackguards and early whiteguards. I have also seen some later 1959 and 1960 Tele’s with string-through design with a top-loader bridgeplate that were probably leftovers being used up in production. Sort of a transition phase. It seems when you think about the early days of Fender it all seemed like a transition phase!!
So what do the two different bridges sound and feel like? Well let me tell you what I found with my A/B comparison. I actually played the guitar before I did the conversion for quite some time to get the tone and feel “in my ear” so to speak. The guitar is a light ash Guitar Mill body finished by Mark Jenny of MJT. The neck was made by Musikraft and the pickups are Jason Lollar Special T’s. I really like this guitar a lot because in my mind it is a fair representation of a great, vintage type Tele. It’s all there. The singing trebles, warm neck pickup sounds and the two pickups combined are great for funky playing and rockabilly pickin. It’s a great guitar and works very well for me as a reference point. I am very used to this type of Tele configuration.
Now the top-loader low-down. After switching the guitar to the top-loader configuration the sound and playbility definitely changed. First let’s talk about the feel because it is less complex to describe than the sound. The guitar took on a more slinky type of feel with the exact same brand and gauge of strings (DR Nickel Blues .010-.046). Bends were easier and I even tried some behind the nut bends ala Campilongo and they also felt easier. So in a nutshell it felt like you went down about a half a gauge in strings.
Sound however is more complex to describe but I will try to put it into words. Don’t get me wrong it still sounded like a Tele and a good one at that but gone was the real stinging, edgy tone replaced by a less stinging edgy tone accompanied by a little less fundamental as well. I guess what I am trying to say is that it was a little less focused and a bit more relaxed sounding. The guitar’s tone didn’t come at you so hard and fast. It kind of walked up to you instead of screaming right through you. There was also an increased twang element when you played it clean and if you used some overdrive there again was the lesser focused tone. It almost had a little banjo-like quality to it. I also felt that you could not dig into the guitar as hard because the notes and chords sort of “squashed”. A lighter touch definitely sounded better. Where this top-loader sound really shines is for rockabilly in my opinion because of the enhanced twang element and relaxed dynamic. The two pickups combined with a little analog delay ended up to be way too much fun to play I have to tell you. Keep in mind that the results I am describing are subtle and you have to listen and feel for them.
Which is better? I guess that depends on what you want out of your Telecaster. I for one am going to keep this top-loader configuration because I have other Tele’s with the traditional string-through design. This will be fun to play for a while…or until the next snowstorm!! 😉 Please feel free to hit me up with any questions and by all means leave comments!!!
My shop is located at 1 Executive Dr Unit L Toms River, NJ 08755
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or are in need of some tech work.
- Monday: 10am - 5pm
- Tuesday: 10am - 5pm
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: 10am - 5pm
- Friday: 10am - 5pm
- Saturday 10am - 2pm. (I am in every other Saturday).
I am also an Eminence, Mercury Magnetics, Mojo Musical Supply dealer.
I do all the tech work myself so you deal directly with me. I am a one man shop and my hours can vary so please contact me to confirm that I will be open.
Email me: billy@300guitars.com
Call or text me: 848-218-0362
Shipping Info for all repair work:
Please ship all repairs to: 1 Executive Dr Unit L Toms River, NJ 08755
I am currently offering all phases of guitar work which includes:
- Set-ups
- Fret dressing
- Re-fretting
- New hand cut custom bone nuts & saddles
- Electronics work
And amplifier work which includes:
- Basic maintenance
- Bias adjustment
- Repairs and restorations
- Modifications
- And more....
Testimonials:
David Nicholas - The 20watt amp is sounding fantastic! Delivered the goods at the gig and I'm finding cool tones all over the place with it. Love the cab w Emenince Tonkerlites too- perfect for my sounds! Makes the 12 string sound like a grand piano!
Peter Lacis - I had an audition for something recently that was all about Led Zeppelin I -- my custom Pennalizer BLEW THE MINDS of the guys I was playing with. They couldn't believe the sounds coming out of that amp. That album was never in my mind when I came up with the idea....so that's yet another testament to the amazing work that you do.
Scott Goldberg - I am very satisfied with the set-up, and the fast turn around. With the "lower" action it feels easier to play. I will definitely spread the word.