Baha Tele, it sounds rubbish..

chris78 · July 2018

The buzzing is the s1 switch and even with a load of shielding, you won’t get rid. Dump the s1, replace it with quality wiring but I’d keep the 4 way as the extra position gives humbucker style tones.

In my view, the broadcaster/twisted tele is Fenders best combination and my preference on cs Teles.

Gerz6558 · July 2018

I have one and it sounds excellent. Easily up there with my more expensive single coil guitars.

OilCityPickups · July 2018

Funkfingers said:

IIRC, the neck position pickup in the Baja Telecaster is based on the Custom Shop Twisted Telecaster pickup. I doubt that its chromed cover is made from the best choice of metal. It might be worth trying the pickup with the original cover removed.

My taste in Telecaster neck position pickups is for A3 rod magnets. Second choice, three A5 and three A2. This board's favourite UK pickup builders may or may not offer such products.

I love A3 in neck and in the bridge (for early Broadcaster tones) and have gotten quite partial to alnico 5 for the bass strings and alnico 2 for the E,B and G.

57Deluxe · July 2018

try a Bhaji Tele... it has hotter PUPS

darthed1981 · July 2018

robgilmo said:

In every position except the bridge, it sounds dull and muddy and very very un-tele like. I will have a play with pickup height but if I wanted to go for standard Tele electronics would it be difficult? Would there be a way to utilise the 4 way switch if I went standard? Please tell me about tele wiring options, and if you have a Baha does it sound poor in every position except the bridge?

It is odd who gets a signature model these days....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkuu0Lwb5EM

mbe · July 2018

Try a Hazzmaster or a Les Paul Hunior.

Bridgehouse · July 2018

chris78 said:

The buzzing is the s1 switch and even with a load of shielding, you won’t get rid. Dump the s1, replace it with quality wiring but I’d keep the 4 way as the extra position gives humbucker style tones.

In my view, the broadcaster/twisted tele is Fenders best combination and my preference on cs Teles.

I don't get why it's the S1 that's causing the buzzing? A regular push pull doesn't, and this is no different really. Also, shielding will only really help "60 cycle hum" (sic) and I don't see the S1 picking up any more than the tele's single coils...??

ICBM · July 2018

Bridgehouse said:

I don't get why it's the S1 that's causing the buzzing? A regular push pull doesn't, and this is no different really. Also, shielding will only really help "60 cycle hum" (sic) and I don't see the S1 picking up any more than the tele's single coils...??

Shielding doesn't help with "60-cycle" - or as we call it in this country, 50Hz

- hum. It only helps with 100/120Hz (or higher frequency) *buzz*, which is a different type of interference. (Electrostatic rather than electromagnetic.)

I have found guitars with the S1 switch noisy too, but I think it's because of the compete rat's nest of unshielded wire Fender tend to use with it. They do shield the cavities, but with conductive paint which I have also always found less effective than foil.

Fender have never been particularly thorough with shielding - most old Fenders have none at all other than a token layer on the back of the pickguard, and they rely to a large extent on the player being grounded via the strings to beef it up.

rossi · July 2018

Its a hugely popular Fender model so must be crap ..I liked my LPB one a lot and it sounded good .i only got rid of it because it was too heavy .for an old man like me and shrank me gonads and back thingys terribly .The S1 brings in untele like sounds that to the unimaginative sound like shit but crank up the drive and all becomes clear .

Bridgehouse · July 2018

ICBM said:

Bridgehouse said:

I don't get why it's the S1 that's causing the buzzing? A regular push pull doesn't, and this is no different really. Also, shielding will only really help "60 cycle hum" (sic) and I don't see the S1 picking up any more than the tele's single coils...??

Shielding doesn't help with "60-cycle" - or as we call it in this country, 50Hz - hum. It only helps with 100/120Hz (or higher frequency) *buzz*, which is a different type of interference. (Electrostatic rather than electromagnetic.)

I have found guitars with the S1 switch noisy too, but I think it's because of the compete rat's nest of unshielded wire Fender tend to use with it. They do shield the cavities, but with conductive paint which I have also always found less effective than foil.

Fender have never been particularly thorough with shielding - most old Fenders have none at all other than a token layer on the back of the pickguard, and they rely to a large extent on the player being grounded via the strings to beef it up.

Just to be clear tho - and yes I understand your comments on hum frequencies, hence my parentheses and (sic) comment - the switch itself isn't going to be any more noisy than any other push pull or dpdt or 3-way switch apart from when actually in the act of switching.. no?

Henrytwang · July 2018

I had one and thought that it sounded okay and the neck felt great. I couldn’t get on with it however as mine weighed a ton,. My favourite Tele is a partscaster I put together with a custom made swamp ash body, Allparts neck with a rosewood fingerboard, Seymour Duncan Broadcaster bridge pickup and a unknown make ceramic magnet neck pickup. I’ve got quite a few Fender guitars and have found that it’s usually the lighter ones that sound best.

Doctorfunk · July 2018

I think I got lucky with my Baja. It's a lightweight one and so good I sold my Fender Dealer Select Tele and now use the Baja when the need arises. I replaced all the electronics with an old Fender Custom Shop Nocaster at the bridge and a Harmonic Design Tele-sized Strat pickup in the neck. Rewired it with all the usual good stuff and copper shielded it. But you shouldn't dismiss the S1 as I found out when I put it in a MIJ bound edge Tele. Great sounds in that one.

ICBM · July 2018

Bridgehouse said:

Just to be clear tho - and yes I understand your comments on hum frequencies, hence my parentheses and (sic) comment - the switch itself isn't going to be any more noisy than any other push pull or dpdt or 3-way switch apart from when actually in the act of switching.. no?

It will be slightly, because the body of the switch part is plastic and doesn't have a metal case like most normal push-pulls, so it's not shielded by itself. But if the whole control cavity is properly shielded it should make no difference, and it's still far less of an issue than the many inches of unnecessary wire you tend to find in Fenders.

thegummy · July 2018

Bridgehouse said:

ICBM said:

Bridgehouse said:

I don't get why it's the S1 that's causing the buzzing? A regular push pull doesn't, and this is no different really. Also, shielding will only really help "60 cycle hum" (sic) and I don't see the S1 picking up any more than the tele's single coils...??

Shielding doesn't help with "60-cycle" - or as we call it in this country, 50Hz - hum. It only helps with 100/120Hz (or higher frequency) *buzz*, which is a different type of interference. (Electrostatic rather than electromagnetic.)

I have found guitars with the S1 switch noisy too, but I think it's because of the compete rat's nest of unshielded wire Fender tend to use with it. They do shield the cavities, but with conductive paint which I have also always found less effective than foil.

Fender have never been particularly thorough with shielding - most old Fenders have none at all other than a token layer on the back of the pickguard, and they rely to a large extent on the player being grounded via the strings to beef it up.

Just to be clear tho - and yes I understand your comments on hum frequencies, hence my parentheses and (sic) comment - the switch itself isn't going to be any more noisy than any other push pull or dpdt or 3-way switch apart from when actually in the act of switching.. no?

I have one in my Strat and it definitely hasn't added any noise of any kind. I only use it for a job that a simple single pole switch could go though so there isn't much wire used.

Bridgehouse · July 2018

ICBM said:

Bridgehouse said:

Just to be clear tho - and yes I understand your comments on hum frequencies, hence my parentheses and (sic) comment - the switch itself isn't going to be any more noisy than any other push pull or dpdt or 3-way switch apart from when actually in the act of switching.. no?

It will be slightly, because the body of the switch part is plastic and doesn't have a metal case like most normal push-pulls, so it's not shielded by itself. But if the whole control cavity is properly shielded it should make no difference, and it's still far less of an issue than the many inches of unnecessary wire you tend to find in Fenders.

Didn't realise the body was plastic..

ICBM · July 2018

Bridgehouse said:

Didn't realise the body was plastic..

It's actually just an ingenious way of fitting a PCB-mount 4PDT push-switch to the back of a pot...

https://loud-lemon.com/image/catalog/Accessories/parts/0061256000-1000x1000.jpg

thegummy · July 2018

The concept of the S1 is amazing with how it doesn't change the look of the guitar. I think Fender must have some strict patents or something cause I can't seem to find anything close from any other manufacturer (it's hard enough trying to source a Fender one)

noisepolluter · July 2018

@robgilmo do you find the tele sounds different (clearer) with the volume full up? I recently bought a 60’s baja tele and found the pickups plenty bright enough in thrmselves, however the volume control was also rolling off treble which could make things sound muddy at lower volumes. I’ve compared this directly to another tele with posh upgraded pickups and they’re certainly just as bright with volume and tone full up.
I solved this by fitting one of these to the volume control - makes no difference with the volume full up, but stops it sounding muddy with the volume backed off. If you drop the volume below half and then bring the level back up using a boost pedal or amp volume etc, you do get a noticeably thinner/brighter sound which can be quite useful. It’s a bit fiddly to install and if you’re not confident with soldering then it’s best left to a guitar tech, but definitely worth doing.
https://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/sprague-orange-drop-treble-bleed-kit/

robgilmo · July 2018

I usually always have the volume up full anyway, I will have another play with it tonight, adjusting the pickup height did help so it may just need a little fine tuning now.

chris78 · July 2018

Bridgehouse said:

chris78 said:

The buzzing is the s1 switch and even with a load of shielding, you won’t get rid. Dump the s1, replace it with quality wiring but I’d keep the 4 way as the extra position gives humbucker style tones.

In my view, the broadcaster/twisted tele is Fenders best combination and my preference on cs Teles.

I don't get why it's the S1 that's causing the buzzing? A regular push pull doesn't, and this is no different really. Also, shielding will only really help "60 cycle hum" (sic) and I don't see the S1 picking up any more than the tele's single coils...??

I don’t know why, but I’ve had 4 bajas and they all had the same issue, I took the s1 out of one and it sorted it. They’re superb other than this and the very thick finish, although some can be super heavy

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Baha Tele, it sounds rubbish..

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