Tele bridge height adjustment

[buddha0709]

Do you ream out the baseplate holes so your screws thread in the flatwork only and don't touch the baseplate or
do you ream out the flatwork holes so your screws thread in the baseplate only and don't touch the flatwork.
?

I've never heard of doing it the first way until today, but i'm no expert.
I"m not even sure how that would work....

[big_teee]

For the standard tele bridge pickup, it uses a steel baseplate, you only want the screws threaded into the steel baseplate.
Most flatwork holes are already reamed out.
An advantage to this, it aids in wax potting the flatwork to the baseplate.
If it is a pickup without a steel baseplate, then it would have threaded holes in the flatwork.
T

[Jim Darr]

I actually like to thread both the baseplate AND the bottom of the flatwork. I usually tap them at the same time while clamped together. This way if someone wants to remove the baseplate they still have a pickup that can be mounted to the bridge. If the baseplate is used as the ground and then removed, be sure to properly ground the bridge assembly.

[big_teee]

If you thread them together, you can have a space between them and fight microphonics.
The bigger hole in the flatwork eliminates that.
But, that said, by all means try it both ways.
Most flatwork like mojos, is already drilled out.
T

[copperheadroads]

I Drill the the flatwork out to make sure the screws don't snag causing the baseplate to come loose . also if your using a plate that you can't solder a ground wire to , like bare steel or zinc plated your screws are the only ground .

[Stratz]

I Drill the the flatwork out to make sure the screws don't snag causing the baseplate to come loose . also if your using a plate that you can't solder a ground wire to , like bare steel or zinc plated your screws are the only ground .

I also drill out the bottom flatwork so the screws dont hang up leaving a small space between the FW and the base plate.

I solder to zinc covers all the time copperhead. I just sand a small spot clean first. It takes a bit more heat and effort than copper but it works fine.

[Jim Darr]

I also drill out the bottom flatwork so the screws dont hang up leaving a small space between the FW and the base plate.

If you thread them together, you can have a space between them and fight microphonics.

I Drill the the flatwork out to make sure the screws don't snag causing the baseplate to come loose.

I do understand the concern about microphonic squeal because of a gap. I am not disagreeing with that as I share the same concern. By only tapping the baseplate is a surefire way to eliminate the potential of a gap. I wanted to offer another perspective and potential solution that has worked for me.

I agree that a gap between the baseplate and bottom flatwork is undesirable and can lead to potential unwanted microphonic squeal. That is exactly why I usually do tap both the baseplate and flatwork at the same time while clamped together. By clamping the two pieces together while tapping, I get no noticeable gap fit between them after de-burring both pieces. I use double sided masking tape to insulate the magnets from the baseplate. The tape also holds the baseplate to the bobbin (along with the ground wire & magnets) while wax potting.

The above seems to work for me and also allows the end user to remove the baseplate if they so desire down the road. I've run into a few, not many, Tele players that prefer the bridge pickup without the plate.

Anyway, my two cents.

Jim

[Stratz]

If you have bottom flatwork that is tapped and a tapped base plate that's when problems can occur.
The screw can bottom out on the FW before the base plate is pulled tight to the bottom FW.
Same thing with PAF's with tapped keeper bars and tapped base plates, You need to be careful that all parts are snug.

[big_teee]

Thanks Guys for your perspectives, and techniques.
Whatever works for you.
Maybe SonnyW will weigh in, always like to know how he does things.
I never like two threaded pieces together.
That includes the Tele Bridge pickup, the PAF type humbucker pickup.
Also on strat body and neck connections.
The cheap imports want to thread the body and the neck connection together.
I drill out the body where it can pull down tight against the neck connection.
On humbuckers, I like a tight baseplate hole, but not threaded.
On Tele pickups, I use no tape, between the baseplate, and FW.
No tape on Tele neck covers either, I do pot the cover on the pickup.
Those are my preferences.
YMMV,
T

[SonnyW]

Since you asked, on the Tele Bridge pickups I usually use flatwork that's already got the bigger holes. I sometimes have had to ream out the flatwork with a tap after the baseplate is on if there is some interference but that's been rare, maybe it happened once or twice. Probably because of using forbon from one vendor and baseplates from another. I have always used the copper plated steel baseplates on the normal type of Tele Bridge, and haven't had any call for them without a baseplate. The mini-rail humbucking Tele bridge is a different animal and I don't use a baseplate on them, so the forbon is tapped of course on those.

On regular humbuckers that need the baseplate to be tapped, like the long leg 49.2 baseplates, here is what I do. I only tap out the end two screw holes on the bobbin, just so I can put a couple of screws in them to get things all lined up, but at that point I don't tap the baseplate on the two end holes. I just put the polescrews in far enough to line up the holes. Then I tap the bobbin and keeper and baseplate together on all the other holes and put screws in, all the way, then go back and take the screws out of the two ends and tap those holes together. That way everything lines up good and no interference. Previously, when I have tapped the bobbin and the baseplate separately, I have gotten interference sometimes where the polescrews are too tight. I make my own keepers and they have 1/8 inch holes which should clear most of the time and not need any tapping, but if they are a little bit off, compared to the baseplate holes, that's where the binding happens. I put the little brass bobbin mounting screws in last.