My Pinstriped Fender Telecaster “Big Tex”

Back c.2003, I picked up a “Vintage White” MIM 1995 Fender Special Tele. I paid something around $300 at the venerable Competition Music (an amazing shop and proprietor) in the burgeoning Polytechnic neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas (Poly puts the “Hood” in Neighborhood).

Compared to my other guitars—higher-end US-made Fenders and G&Ls, I worried that the “lesser” pedigree of the hecho-en-Ensenada instrument might be lacking.

It had a very “meh-sounding” coil-tapped humbucker in the neck position, a five-way switch that I couldn’t figure out (especially on the fly, during a performance), I wasn’t really excited by the way it looked and the maple-fretboarded neck had a really weird profile…but there was something about that guitar that I kept going back to.

The weird neck was amazing.

I preferred the looks and feel of rosewood, but that maple fretboard kept nagging me to keep playing.

That bridge pickup—a position which I usually avoided on my other guitars—was bright and rich and twangy and fat, all at the same time.

It was heavier and less comfy than my Strat, but the hard edges of the slab body digging into my arm and ribs felt “right”—like a tough old pair of cowboy boots that fit well and support and protect all at once.

As is my wont, I immediately installed some Gravitational Profanity Preventers …er…Schaller Strap Locks.

I left it alone for a while, but in a fit of irritation, I unsoldered and removed that crappy humbucker, rewiring it with a 3-way switch and 50’s Esquire configuration.

I replaced the pickguard with a “blank” 3-ply Esquire ‘guard, which looked too plain so I put a sticker of my band’s logo in that big empty spot.

It stayed that way for a few years, but then I found a cheap ($20!) Mighty Mite P-90 on eBay, so I installed that in the humbucker routing…to prevent the pickup from getting too boomy, I put it as close to the bridge as possible—it made for a rich, dynamic sound.

Skipping the third cup of caffeine and using a Dremel tool, I routed out the pickguard and played the guitar like that for a while. Later I installed a four-way Tele switch and a Fender No-Load tone potentiometer, and I was all set, electronically.

I had Greasy Groove make a new neck plate, laser etched with my band’s logo and the nickname of the guitar, Big Tex.

I played it like that for several years, but the plain-vanilla appearance started driving me nuts (not a long trip, driving me nuts—I’m already halfway there) so I changed out the pickguard to something more dynamic—tortoise…

That scratched the itch for a while, but eventually I got irritated again, so I found a pinstripe design I liked—something Billy Gibbons put on one of his Teles—that wasn’t too busy or too sparse, and the proprietor of Bombsquad Longboards striped it up

I love the look of a vintage Telecaster with the ashtray bridge cover in place; likewise, I play my Strat with the ashtray installed—it looks cool and prevents the saddles from irritating the heel and side of my hand…I have eczema and during a breakout it’s painful to play.

Because the Telecaster ashtray was so much larger, I didn’t know if it was practical…but I figured if it didn’t work while I played, I could always use it for spare change.

Fortunately, I found it comfortable, and besides looking cool, it helped with my eczema during outbreaks.

I finally got it just like I want it, and it’s my #1 go-to instrument for playing, recording, jamming, writing and performing.
 
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Mad_Hater said:
What single coil does it have? I would think you'd need a pretty hot one like a Texas Special to blend with a P90 or a mild one with half the output...
Click to expand...
Per Fender’s Consumer Relations Department, the bridge pickup is a “Special Tele”, which was also the name of the model itself.

It’s a flat-pole Telecaster bridge pickup with black bobbins. I have no idea what the magnets are—it’s hot but not outrageously gainy, very “vintage” sounding (if that makes any sense).

60023406-4564-48BD-ACE4-9D0AA41C363B.jpeg
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^the coolest picture ever taken of me, and all I was doing was turning off my tuner pedal :)
 
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From Fender’s Consumer Relations Department:

Date: 9/20/1995

Model Name: Tele® Special

Model Number: 013-5502-(Color#)

Series: Special/Deluxe Series

Body: Poplar with an Ash Veneer Top

Neck: Maple

Fingerboard: Maple (9.5” Radius/241 mm)

No. of Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo

Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm)

Width @ Nut: 1.650” (42 mm)

Hardware: Chrome

Machine Heads: Vintage Style

Bridge: Vintage Style

Pickguard: 3-Ply Black

Pickups: Special Design Humbucking Pickup (Neck),

Special Tele (Bridge)

Pickup Switching: Special 5 Position Blade

Positions:

1. Neck Humbucking Pickup

2. Tapped Neck Humbucking Pickup (Front Coil)

3. Bridge and Neck Pickups

4. Bridge and Tapped Neck Humbucking Pickup

5. Bridge Pickup

Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone

Colors: (306) Black,

(307) (Vintage White),

(328) Crimson Burst,

(332) Brown Sunburst,

(Polyester Finish)

Strings: Fender Super 250L’s (.009 to .042) Nickel Plated Steel pn#073-0250-003

Unique Features:

Source: Mexico

Accessories: None

U.S. MSRP: $559.99

NOTICE: Prices and Specifications Subject to Change Without Notice

INTRODUCED: 1994
 
…and the modifications:

BIG TEX MODIFICATIONS

-Added Schaller Strap Lock strap buttons

-Removed the stock neck-position coil-tapped humbucker…After a brief period of being set up with 1950’s Fender Esquire switching, I installed a Mighty Mite P-90 pickup ($20 on eBay) in the neck position

-Changed stock neck plate with custom unit etched with Screamin’ Armadillos band logo and nickname of the guitar “Big Tex”

-Changed original 5-way switch to 3-way (during the “Esquire” era) and eventually settled on a Telecaster 4-way switch

-Added Fender No-Load Tone Potentiometer

-Changed stock B/W/B pickguard to Tortoiseshell pickguard

-Added custom pinstriping

-Added ashtray bridge cover

-Changed chrome flat-top volume and tone knobs to chrome dome-top ones.

-Added vinyl sticker of the outline of Texas on the back upper bout of the body.
 
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