problems with pickups. help please

[twinkletoes]

recently i've accquired a tesla single coil pickup(neck) VR-1s, intending to pop them in and swap out the stock ones on my telecaster (squier).

i only realised the size difference after i took out the stock ones and now the new ones cant be secured using the original "screw holes" and they don't fit the pickguard holes too.

was wondering if i could get any advice on this... Did i just plain buy a wrong set of pickups that cannot fit? or are there ways to modify the guitar so that the pickup can be fixed.

im really new at this swapping pickups thing. On hindsight i should have sought professional help but then again if I dont start i'll never learn.

 

[faizal_rocks]

You bought a Tesla VR1, thats only intended for a Strat, not a Tele. So the VR1 is obviously not going to fit in the neck position of the Tele. I think the neck pup cavity has to be expanded to fit in the VR1.

 

[twinkletoes]

hmmm... the cavity has enough space to fit the pickup actually, just that the alignment of the screw threads are abit off.

guess i'll have to decide between drilling holes in my guitar or getting a new pickup that fits nicely... think i'll go for the latter option and maybe put this aside for when i get a strat next time =s


thanks help on clarification! =)

by the way since im on the topic, any pickups to recommend? haha. Im just looking for something nice and clean like what the VR1s would have sounded like.

 

[Shaari.jaffri]

if u saying the holes is too big for ur tesla pups, u can put in a toothpick(the sharp end facing up) and then screw it in and its by far the most secured way and reliable, dats what i do to for my ibanez guitars with di marzio straplocks as the screws provided in the early 2000 batch are small and was meantjust to fit like fender and so on. put in the toothpick, break on the level and just screw it in. paul gilbert uses this method too :>

Dont drill holes, its more messy and stick to the pups u bought bro.

 

[twinkletoes]

oh? wow. ok thanks for the heads up. Although i might not be able to do it in this case cos its not bout the size of the holes per se. The distance between the holes are wrong as well.

Meaning if i were to screw into one hole, the other screw wont align on top of the other hole.

I'll "open" up my guitar again this weekend just in case i can somehow employ your method. hahaha. thanks

 

[lightice]

You'll need a new pickguard with holes that fit.

 

[alshit]

Why don't you just go back to the shop and exchange for a set of tele pickups?

 

[twinkletoes]

maybe i'll just get a simple pickguard and file it down to correct size... or maybe i could just do without the pickup cover cos the pickup fits nicely in the pickguard without the cover.

not sending back to change cos i already done some soldering and the wires dont look like they just popped out of the box anymore. Also cos its my fault for not finding out enough about the stuff i was gonna purchase.