Just finished my tele

[noodle_world]

link

took all summer and lots of money. but in the end it was good.

[guitar_ed]

Sweet mother of pearl! Very nice looking. Very nice.

Guitar Ed

[www]

Very nice. I like the pickguard choice it sets it apart from most Tele's. Great job.

[ZiKi]

very nice. how does it sound, and how come theres no binding or f-holes

its your guitar, do what you wish

[noodle_world]

tanx guys.

regarding the binding and f hole:

i really didnt want to cut into the koa top. its just so pretty. and bindings would have been a pain.

[Drak]

Please include 1 picture in your post so everyone will know what they are in store for when they hit the link.

Damn.

I'm towelling up the slobber off the floor now.

Most big-time congrats, you must be in love with that thang.

I love it.

[noodle_world]

as requested =D

[AlGeeEater]

link

took all summer and lots of money. but in the end it was good.

Your damn right in the end it was good! Good job bro

[whoofnagle]

What a top - looks like mighty fine work. Love the Koa/mahogany combo, but if it were up to me there would be no pickguard. That wood is too beautiful to cover. However, it is not . Great job - it is a looker!!!!

Bill

[GregP]

I think the pickguard is a perfect choice, and I would have done it exactly the same, were I you!

The only thing I don't like is the vintage saddles... I understand the appeal of paying tribute to the vintage thing, but that kind of saddle was only created to speed up production and have fewer 'parts' back in the day... I'd never want anything but individually-intonatable saddles on my personal axes.

That's only a minor quibble, though, and the rest of the guitar is top-notch!

Greg

[Drak]

The only thing I don't like is the vintage saddles... I understand the appeal of paying tribute to the vintage thing, but that kind of saddle was only created to speed up production and have fewer 'parts' back in the day... I'd never want anything but individually-intonatable saddles on my personal axes.

________________________

In the nicest way I can, I would disagree with that statement Greg.

Actually, years ago I would have wholeheartedly agreed with it 110%, but I have learned a few things over the years, and had to admit I was wrong in what I used to think.

I used to think the exact same thing, and I used to buy those 6-individually-adjustable saddled Tele bridges. But y'know what? I never could get a REAL sounding Tele sound out of those guitars. They sounded fantastic in their own way, and very Tele-ISH, but not like a REAL traditional Tele should. No way. I had to admit that, because my ears were screaming it at me if I could get past my personal biased opinions on the subject, trying to convince myself that my guitars sounded like a real Tele.

From a builder standpoint, it would make common sense that 6 individually adjustable saddles would make a superior instrument, and that's the basis of my previous beliefs. It HAD to be true. From a builder standpoint anyway...

Then I found out that Real Vintage Tele Tone has a LOT to do with those stamped steel, 3-saddle bridges.

Actually, I now believe that those bridges are completely and utterly at the very very heart of the traditional Telecaster tone. Nothing else matters as much, although other factors certainly play into it, i.e. Maple necks certainly influence a Tele sound.

I have read that the pressure of 2 strings bearing down on that one saddle, along with the sound of that stamped steel bridgeplate, is where the tone is coming from, and no 6-saddle bridge will ever truly sound like a genuine Fender Telecaster sound that we are all accustomed to.

Can you come close? Of course. And from a nit-picky standpoint, 6 saddles would obviously appeal to a certain crowd who believed like I did that it just makes more sense.

But the ears, the ears my man, that's the acid test. And I had to admit my Tele guitars did not sound exactly like a real Fender Tele with those 6-saddle bridges.

Just passing on my personal experiences...

Callaham makes 3-saddle bridges of extremely high quality and are completely intonatable, they are the cats-ass in Tele bridges these days.

[whoofnagle]

Drak - those are interesting points. If I am not mistaken the Callaham gives a pretty good tutorial on why their remake is better than the original. I always thought the traditional style would be more difficult to set up.

Bill

[noodle_world]

i had a long discussion with my friends about the bridge.

i went over budget and bought like 3-4 bridges for this guitar. and it came down to the vintage ashtray with the 3 brass saddles.

Its what tele purists swear by for the tele tone. i almost lost my head in that discussion.

-

as for intonation its a little bit wierder. i would have the open g a little sharp and the open d a little flat. as of right now it plays and sounds in tune.

heres a link of both the neck and bridge pickup. mp3

no effects. guitar straight into my blues deville 4x10

let me know what you guys think.

[GregP]

I can see your points. For the purists, accept no substitute.

I'm not a purist, and the tele-tones that I've heard from 6-saddle bridge Telecasters are sufficiently authentic for me. Frankly, I can't tell the difference, but then again, I'm thrilled with the tele sound of my Pacifica 302, which isn't even made by Fender and doesn't even have a similar spec.

Point taken, though-- and if I ever decide to built an authentic traditional telecaster, even for looks alone I'd probably go with the 3-saddle.

Greg

[spirit]

I know this smilie gets over used, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so...