Walnut thinline build

**silvertonebetty** · 03-05-2018, 06:18 PM

I can’t believe I haven’t posted about my walnut tele . The body is almost done . Had a set back Friday . I knocked my bottle of oil on it so I’m sanding and re applying oil and repeat till it’s smooth again .

. The pickguard is pau ferro . The neck will be ebony on walnut and a pauo ferro headstock . And a friend ordered a bunch hardware for me and il get them soon

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**2bornot2bop** · 03-05-2018, 07:08 PM

I'm a confessed non Tele fan. But even I would love to own THAT one! Nice job!

**mad dog** · 03-05-2018, 09:06 PM

Beautiful!!

**neatomic** · 03-05-2018, 09:22 PM

beautiful...i love walnut!! but can be oily on it's own...hence walnut oil!!...so make sure body is thoroughly cured after your oil finishing...also walnut responds well to a pure wax coating/polishing..beeswax/carnuba...fills pores

have fun

cheers

**Sam Sherry** · 03-05-2018, 10:39 PM

Walnut is an excellent tonewood for electric guitars -- you're gonna sound great!

**sgosnell** · 03-06-2018, 12:21 AM

I think walnut oil is pressed from the nuts, not the wood.

**neatomic** · 03-06-2018, 12:25 AM

yes of course but is still an "oily wood"....all related...used for cutting boards! and water resistant bowls

cheers

**Robertkoa** · 03-06-2018, 08:38 AM

I am curious if there is any " trend" with the Walnut
possibly having even darker, deeper tones than Mahogany for example .

Darker , deeper ..kind of like 10 gauge strings on a Mahogany Tele ...might sound like 11's on an Ash Tele .

So ..is the Walnut on that particular Guitar ..darker or brighter than Mahogany ?

Or not much difference ?

Looks great either way...

**silvertonebetty** · 03-06-2018, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Robertkoa

I am curious if there is any " trend" with the Walnut
possibly having even darker, deeper tones than Mahogany for example .

Darker , deeper ..kind of like 10 gauge strings on a Mahogany Tele ...might sound like 11's on an Ash Tele .

So ..is the Walnut on that particular Guitar ..darker or brighter than Mahogany ?

Or not much difference ?

Looks great either way...

Don’t I’ve never used walnut before . I’m told it’s like maple

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**bananafist** · 03-06-2018, 01:53 PM

Nice looking job. What does it weigh?

**silvertonebetty** · 03-06-2018, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by bananafist

Nice looking job. What does it weigh?

3 pounds aprox

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**mr. beaumont** · 03-06-2018, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by silvertonebetty

3 pounds aprox

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Cool, that should put you right in the sweet spot of tele weight with neck/electronics/hardware attached. Looks fantastic.

**silvertonebetty** · 03-06-2018, 03:36 PM

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**Northenlights** · 03-07-2018, 05:21 PM

Really nice! I'm finishing up a walnut thinline myself right now, though mine has a maple top. It really is a beautiful wood. Feels really nice.

As for the tonal qualities, my thinline has a deep, mellow and SUPER smooth sound to it. My Gibson semi suddenly sounds honky in comparison. I believe that with the right strong, clear-sounding neck pickup, this guitar will be able to produce some real piano-like sounds.

**silvertonebetty** · 03-07-2018, 06:28 PM

So I guess you’d like to know more about hardware plans .

But all will be gold

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**Robertkoa** · 03-07-2018, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by Northenlights

Really nice! I'm finishing up a walnut thinline myself right now, though mine has a maple top. It really is a beautiful wood. Feels really nice.

As for the tonal qualities, my thinline has a deep, mellow and SUPER smooth sound to it. My Gibson semi suddenly sounds honky in comparison. I believe that with the right strong, clear-sounding neck pickup, this guitar will be able to produce some real piano-like sounds.

Yeah !

A few guys on the Carvin Forums years ago mentioned that they had Walnut and it was a deep even tone ..

However - the consensus with many people is that wood makes almost no difference and because they use a lot of gain they aren't hearing the acoustics of the Guitar anyway.

On another Forum - many people think the Acoustic Sound of an electric has NOTHING to do with the Electric Plugged in Sound ( lol )...

To me bassy deep sounding Guitars lean strongly in that direction plugged in ..and plinky trebly Guitars lean in that direction plugged in= simple.

I can't understand that one ...but I can see that wood sometimes makes a difference and sometimes not.

Of course every build and piece is different AND sometimes the wood doesn't matter that much..

I love when 25.5" scale has that even deep piano sound ....I am trying to get another Piano sounding Guitar that goes further than my loud resonant way over 10 pound Carvin Strat ...mine is louder an deeeper than most 335's unplugged ..

Probably a Deep Semi or Hollow ..will do it .

I bet a set neck Hollow Tele would ..seems like I asked Warmoth years ago to make a Guitar for me but their licensing prohibits that..they can't build it .

**silvertonebetty** · 05-11-2018, 09:33 PM

So all the parts are ordered now just to wait

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**feet** · 05-11-2018, 10:23 PM

interesting that you went with a tension bar on a tele. i've not seen that. i don't think i even knew that was possible. at any rate, that will be quite handsome upon completion. i almost cobbled together a walnut thinline this year too, but the other party was too squirrely during the trade negotiations. still kinda have that itch, hope this thread is enough.

**silvertonebetty** · 05-11-2018, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by feet

interesting that you went with a tension bar on a tele. i've not seen that. i don't think i even knew that was possible. at any rate, that will be quite handsome upon completion. i almost cobbled together a walnut thinline this year too, but the other party was too squirrely during the trade negotiations. still kinda have that itch, hope this thread is enough.

Don’t. After all said and done il have $2grand invested with case and setup . It gets costly and quickly .

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**feet** · 05-12-2018, 12:21 AM

i did get a little gun shy when i saw the costs spiraling out of control. trade a few pedals for a "free" body! now i'll take those filtertrons i had lying around to save some money, so all i need is a neck, maybe some pots and caps, a pickguard here and a bridge there and suddenly i'm in for $1100 on my "free" guitar that i don't even need and only took on to move some pedals?! wtf?

part of the reason it never happened is because i kept debating between making what i want and just buying something extant because it would be way cheaper. i guess the whole partscaster thing can be deceptive if you aren't careful (or are sort of particular).

but at least you are getting something that you want, that you can't find anywhere else, made to your specs. there's something to say for that, i'm sure. i may never find out myself, but let us know how yours turns out.

**silvertonebetty** · 05-12-2018, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by feet

i did get a little gun shy when i saw the costs spiraling out of control. trade a few pedals for a "free" body! now i'll take those filtertrons i had lying around to save some money, so all i need is a neck, maybe some pots and caps, a pickguard here and a bridge there and suddenly i'm in for $1100 on my "free" guitar that i don't even need and only took on to move some pedals?! wtf?

part of the reason it never happened is because i kept debating between making what i want and just buying something extant because it would be way cheaper. i guess the whole partscaster thing can be deceptive if you aren't careful (or are sort of particular).

but at least you are getting something that you want, that you can't find anywhere else, made to your specs. there's something to say for that, i'm sure. i may never find out myself, but let us know how yours turns out.

Will do

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**Boston Joe** · 05-12-2018, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by feet

part of the reason it never happened is because i kept debating between making what i want and just buying something extant because it would be way cheaper. i guess the whole partscaster thing can be deceptive if you aren't careful (or are sort of particular).

When I made mine, I spec'd out everything I wanted and then ran the numbers. I was a little off because I didn't include tools and finishing supplies, but that wasn't too bad. I didn't quite go whole hog with picking the specific piece of wood I wanted for the top, but I didn't compromise on anything that matters. The construction, hardware and electronics are all exactly what I wanted.

Certainly I ended up spending more than I would have if I'd just bought a Tele off the rack, but I probably did not spend as much as I would have for a comparable Custom Shop Tele made to my specs. And I now have something truly unique. All of which would be for naught if it didn't sound good, but I love the sound of it so much that I've barely played any of my others since I finished it.

Plus I had the fun of doing it. The only problem is, having done it, I can think of so many ways that I could do it better that I want to do another one, and I don't have the time, money or need for it.