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Hello all,
I got a tele kit from grizzly and am going to start on it this weekend. I want to replace the pickups that came with the kit with a noiseless set from guitar fetish.

I am going to get the 'Hard Vintage' matched set. They recommend that you install 250K pots with these pickups. I have looked through the book that came with the kit and looked at the pots in the kit and do not see what value pots that came with it. Does anyone know what value of pots they are? There are no markings on pots....is there a color code or something that tells me?

I am going to just have a volume pot and a 3 way switch and no tone knob so I will not get the cap they recommend.

One last thing.....Do you think I can set the bridge with the stock pickups the kit came with?...or do you think I need to wait on the GF pickups to come in to make sure everything lines up correctly?

Thanks for any info.

Matthew-
If there are no markings of any kind on the pots (unusual), then the easiest way to measure the resistance is with a ohmmeter (ohms setting on multimeter) across the 'outer' terminals. If you have a 'pre-wired' harness, it's simplest to unsolder one of the pot end lugs before measuring, as the other controls/pickups can affect the reading.
If you are going to 'play' with guitar wiring you will want a multimeter, if you don't already have one.

Pots from reputable companies usually have markings of some sort, though they are sometimes hard to see (stamped into the edge or on the 'knob' face of the pot).

You can always swap out pots later on, so I wouldn't be hugely concerned about pot values when you are building/experimenting.

Cheers
John

I took apart the control plate and sure enough the pots are 250K so they will work.

I am worried that if I start fitting all of my parts together though when the GF pickups come in things will shift and I will have to start plugging screw holes and the like.....I guess I will wait on the pickups.

Hey Matthew,

Just came across your post and was wondering if you got everything figured out. I've never built from kit before so I couldn't really advise you on the pickup situation. I think most pickups, especially if they are of a guitar such as a tele are pretty standard in measurements and can be interchanged. I may be wrong, but I think it's usually true.

Seeing as it's been a few weeks since you last posted I was wondering if it's all strung up and making noise yet. I've been real interested in the GFS pickups and was curious what you thought of them. I'm mostly a tele player so I may try a set in the future. I just installed a set of their Big Mouths in an old 60's japanese ES-335 type and really like them. Can't beat the price either.

Good luck in your future building and I'd love to hear your toughts on those pickups.

Mitch

It is all ready to finish. My workshop is my garage and the weather is too cold to apply a finish. When it is all strung up I will let you know.