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So, now it almost looks like a guitar :-)
I did put strings on (a set of d'Addario 10's with an 11 and a 14 on the high E and B - I don't only want to do jazz with it), tuned it to pitch and gave it a rough setup. The intonation is rough at this point but usable. Interestingly, the action was almost perfect out of the box with about 2 mm clearance at the 12th fret on the high E and about 2.2 at the low E (which is about how I like it). The neck may need a tag more relieve down the road but it is definitely in the ballpark.
So, now it was time to noodle. I was impressed how loud, bright and clear already the acoustic tone is. The big chunky neck (Warmoth boatneck) is a pleasure to play on. The maple fretboard feels great. The notes ring out with a lot of sustain ... an 'instant couch favorite' :-)
I will have to wait for another week or so before the prewired harness arrives (a Baja harness from Sigler music in the US) and then I can complete the project (also put the strap locks on).
To comment on an issue that hammertone brought up: yes, at this point it is neck heavy. It will be a bit better with the electronics in but will likely remain. However, it did already not bother me in the slightest sitting down. On a suede strap, I am pretty sure, it will be a non-issue either. It'll just be fine. The guitar is really nice and light (I'll give a more precise measurement once the electronics are in).
... so far so good ... ready for the last chapter!
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11-28-2016 03:43 AM
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is the body chambered?
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Yes Kris, the body is chambered
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Great!
is the neck too heavy?
Tele looks very interesting.
Best
Kris
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Very impressive man...you made a lot of really good choices on this guitar, I think.
Originally Posted by FrankLearns
So, now it almost looks like a guitar :-)
I did put strings on (a set of d'Addario 10's with an 11 and a 14 on the high E and B - I don't only want to do jazz with it), tuned it to pitch and gave it a rough setup. The intonation is rough at this point but usable. Interestingly, the action was almost perfect out of the box with about 2 mm clearance at the 12th fret on the high E and about 2.2 at the low E (which is about how I like it). The neck may need a tag more relieve down the road but it is definitely in the ballpark.
So, now it was time to noodle. I was impressed how loud, bright and clear already the acoustic tone is. The big chunky neck (Warmoth boatneck) is a pleasure to play on. The maple fretboard feels great. The notes ring out with a lot of sustain ... an 'instant couch favorite' :-)
I will have to wait for another week or so before the prewired harness arrives (a Baja harness from Sigler music in the US) and then I can complete the project (also put the strap locks on).
To comment on an issue that hammertone brought up: yes, at this point it is neck heavy. It will be a bit better with the electronics in but will likely remain. However, it did already not bother me in the slightest sitting down. On a suede strap, I am pretty sure, it will be a non-issue either. It'll just be fine. The guitar is really nice and light (I'll give a more precise measurement once the electronics are in).
... so far so good ... ready for the last chapter!
The Warmoth boatneck is a thing of beauty. I'd have that shape/depth on every guitar I own if I could.
As far as being neck heavy, you can't really go under 7 lbs. total on a tele and not be neck heavy. Obviously, if you play seated, or have nice wide shoulders and a good "tacky" strap, it shouldn't e too much of an issue.
I think I've only played 2-3 neck heavy guitars that were so bad they were deal breakers...really depends on style, I suppose...Last edited by mr. beaumont; 11-28-2016 at 01:09 PM.
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Wow! Looks great!
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Frank, Good looking job on the shielding. I agree with others that a tapered reamer is definitely the way to go if you have to enlarge the tuner shaft holes but when it comes to the locating pin or pins and pickguard, truss rod cover screws especially in maple, I found the control offered by a good quality hand drill to be the best. I ended up buying the Stewmack jig after my first neck but I did my first the same way you did i.e. tap and get an indent.
Tuner Pin Drill Jig | stewmac.com
Warmoth makes good quality parts but I have yet to get a neck from them that didn't need a fret level. Sometimes it was just one or two frets. I like my action as low as I get get without buzzing.
Looking forward to the finished product.
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I just picked up something similar on Ebay. It has a few more holes in it than the Stewmac jig so you can use it for even a greater variety of different tuners. Originally Posted by rob taft
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It's lookin' sharp, Frank! I love the way the grain of the ash works with the instrument's shape on the back, and really directs the eye to where the action is on the front, even framing the chrome control panel. Like the Dude's rug, it really pulls it all together. Your well reasoned plan of operation and your meticulous working methods are really paying off.
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Time for an update.
I read a lot about telecaster electronics. It appears that if one is aiming for a 4 way tele or something more complicated then one needs to modify the pickups. The ground wire that is soldered on the back of the neck pickup must be cut and another wire must be soldered on that must be run into the cavity. Some tele pickups have three wires, but the custom shop Nocaster ones that I have do not.
Hence, I decided that I stay with the regular three way tele layout for now. First, I do not want to modify the pickups and second, I see no way to fit another wire through that narrow channel at the neck pickup.
So I ordered a prewired three way harness from a german source (Rockinger; apparently the *only* source around here; the US is full of places that sell all kinds of fancy harnesses). It arrived over night and made a good impression.
the wiring is pretty simple:
So basically, one needs to solder the two black wires to the volume pot and the white and yellow wires to the indicated positions on the three way switch. I read quite a bit more on grounding issues with telecasters and consensus seems to be that on pickups with a metal baseplate, additional grounding is not necessary. Otherwise, one needs to run a cable from the bridge (can be tucked under the bridge plate) and connect it to the volume pot or some people solder it to the copper foil. I decided to take it easy and give it a try without an extra cable.
My soldering skills are vastly overrated when I call them "completely pathetic". Hence, I am too embarrassed to show you my soldering job. Suffice to say that the control plate popped right in:
So, easy peasy ... let's move on to the last steps ...Last edited by Frank67; 12-02-2016 at 09:07 AM.
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First stop:
grooooooaaaannnnnn, I forgot to order the damn knob for the three way switch
Damn Fender is charging an arm and a leg for these knobs. Unbelievable ....
me bad ... should have paid more attention ...
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... I ordered the vintage correct input cup.
After scratching my head how to install it, I saw a youtube video where the guy said "many people think that Leo must have been under the influence of something when he designed this ...". Well, I agree, one needs a special tool from Stewmac to fit this thing in .... it is not gonna happen!
Fantastically, in germany one can buy all kinds of input cups, but they are all metric and my quality wiring harness has a switchcraft jack. After searching the internet I found the right electrosocket one on Allparts UK and ordered it ... the shipping was twice as expensive as the part, sigh ...
.... ok, me bad again - I could have had the right one from Warmoth had I paid enough attention.
... so now waiting for these two parts. Should arrive next week.Last edited by Frank67; 12-02-2016 at 09:08 AM.
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Ok, this is trivial, put the strap pins in:
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Alright then ... These two minor hiccups do not make the guitar unplayable
... the moment of truth arrives: will that thing make a sound?
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The answer is: YES,
strangely, it was not dead, it did not hum like crazy ... instead it sounded - wonderful!
I could not put it down for an hour or two and then finally decided that I should do a more proper setup.
hence, being finally able to use a real tuner, I set the intonation of the bridge. That went fine. There just is a tiny mismatch between the D and unwound G strings (I have a set of 10s with 11 and 14 on the high E and B; consider even going to a 12 on the high E).
Then set the action at the 12th string to be 2mm on the high E and 2.2 mm on the low E. I would like to have such a fancy tool that makes sure all strings are even and match the neck radius. But unfortunately I don't and hence I set the individual strings to be around 2 mm at the 12th fret.
Pressing the high and low E strings at the first and last fret, there should be a minimal amount of clearance at the 12th fret. That required a half turn of the double expanding truss rod to happen followed by a slight adjustment of the action.
Finally, set the pickup height. The following article was helpful:
How to Balance Pickups on Strats and Teles
So, after that was done, the guitar plays like butter and sounds glorious. Full, warm, bright, articulate. The bass is tight, the highs are sparkly - just right. I am really happy with the pickups. The neck is not muddy at all, just articulate and clear. Wit the tone knob roles a bit back it is jazzy and warm. The bridge is not that horrible thin, ice picky sound that teles often have. It can twang clean and flat out rocks with a bit of overdrive. I never had much use for the middle position. It sounds a bit straty on the in between settings, but, I guess, it is just the classic tele middle sound.
The guitar is dead quiet (except the single coil hum of course)Last edited by Frank67; 12-02-2016 at 09:10 AM.
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So here are a few pictures of the almost ready guitar. it came out just as I wanted it. It is a quality tele on a medium range budget. I don't think I could have bought one that is that nice for that price. From all the guitars with no resale value, I believe this was the right choice. Some things could have been better planned, some things could have been better executed on my behalf, but overall, I am very pleased with the result - a vintage'y tele with a few modern features, nice feeling natural oil finish, a fantastic neck and frets, great pickups, wonderful bridge, quality electronics, locking tuners - nothing not to like.
I weighed it and it came out to pretty much just 3 kg, maybe even a bit below. As Jeff pointed out - below 7 pounds, it is going to be neck heavy - and it *is* neck heavy. For some people that is a deal breaker. For me it is not. I am just fine with it. With a suede leather strap it hangs fine standing. Seated one has to support it a bit, but it does not bother me.
One could probably alleviate this issue to some extent with lighter tuners, but I am happy with the Schallers and I do not want to invest in others. I guess, one possibility would be to add some lead pieces from fisherman supplies into the control cavity. This seems to be counterproductive to first choose a light body and then put weights on it. However, one still has the sonic benefits from the chambered body - it really sounds nice and "airy". Maybe I'll try that, maybe not - but at least for those of you who are bothered by neck heaviness - take that into account when ordering a body.
... that's it for the moment ... I am a happy camper ... now need to go and practice.
I will record something over the weekend to let you hear how it sounds.
Cheers,
FrankLast edited by Frank67; 12-02-2016 at 09:12 AM.
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(no idea why that picture appears again on the bottom??)
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Looks beautiful! Thanks for the write up, very interesting. Looking foward to hearing it.
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What a nice guitar. Nicely done.
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That guitar looks great. For those concerned with balance on a strap, it's not simply about whether the body is chambered or not, it's about matching components. The specific style of trussrod on this guitar (Warmoth's "Modern" neck) is their heaviest style - there are lighter neck options available. The specific tuners on this guitar are among the heaviest available - there are equally good but lighter tuner options available. Originally Posted by FrankLearns
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I once bought a 1960 Melody Maker (cheap) as the body was refinished knee-deep with Flecto-Varathain Originally Posted by FrankLearns
Oh did it look like complete shiny crap.
After scraping/melting/scouring that gunk off, just did a sweet Tung oil finish, and the guitar looked fantastic... and it was soooo easy!
That rig looks very sweet, nicely done!
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Guilty as charged Hammertone :-) when you alerted me to the possibility of neck heavyness, the tuner holes had already been drilled and the tuning machines were ordered already. Just for the record: what alternative tuners that would fit into Schaller holes (or not) where you thinking about? Again, it doesn't bother me, but it is certainly of interest to people who plan something similar.
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Two ways:
1 - Sperzel tuners, which are lighter. The design uses a 25/64" or 10mm hole to accommodate the bushing. The tuner is aligned with a single mounting pin. Sperzel also offers an "E-Z" mount system, but I have no experience with it and don't know if it's any good. They offer a locking option, and a closed or open housing option. I have had pretty good luck with them over the years. Here:
Sperzel USA - Custom Tuning Machines
2 - conversion bushings, which allow one to re-install or install light-weight vintage style tuners without the need to dowel/redrill headstock tuner post holes. These work quite well in my experience. Typical:
3/8" Conversion Tuner Bushing | stewmac.com
10.5mm Round Conversion Bushings | stewmac.com
This frees one up to use a variety of lightweight and/or vintage-style tuners, from Kluson / Grover / Waverly / Gotoh / Hipshot and more. I typically use Gotoh vintage style tuners on Fender-style guitar necks - they are excellent quality, made in Japan, light-weight and vintage-correct.Last edited by Hammertone; 09-19-2022 at 05:19 PM.
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Frank, that is a fine looking guitar, and this thread has been most informative. Now the time and effort you have invested can pay off in many, many hours of playing enjoyment!
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Frank,
That is very cool! Happy NGD on the build, and thanks a bunch for sharing. It is very instructional and inspiring. Makes me want to build a Tele.
S
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