Acoustic Tele?

[Dan]

Hi all. After playing electric for quite a while, I've decided to invest in an acoustic. I was thinking of making one, but it seems a tad too complicated for me. And due to my undying love for Telecasters, I came up with the idea of building an acoustic tele! I know Fender already have a model, but its not what I wanted.

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics...s/51/510458.jpg

Thats for anyone who hasnt seen it. I was thinking of one more along the lines of what I designed below.

The difference being that instead of being solid, its completely hollow. How much work do you think that would take? What about costs too? I would love to be able to hook it up to my amp too.

Thanks in advance, Dan.

[westhemann]

i swear...when you guys start ordering things over the internet through your credit cards,you are going to have to learn not to hit the button multiple times no matter what...otherwise you will have,in this case,6!!!! of whatever you ordered.

[Dan]

Whoops! I was getting an error about mail not getting sent, and I thought it didnt post, so I disabled email notification, then tried it in a different browser. I would be grateful if you could delete the solid body thread too. Thanks!

[guitar_ed]

Hi Dan

In theory, what you have here is a Thinline with a Bigsby and a piezo pickup. My first reaction would be that you would need a solid core down the middle of the guitar to give it enough structural strength to stay together.

You will find the center core concept in many of the Gibson Archtops, because it increases sustain. However, the center core robs the guitar of volume and tone when playing in a acoustic mode. I have both a Gibson archtop and a Thinline which I have tried this on. But electically, they are great.

Another idea you can try, is to build a real acoustic in the Tele shape, and put in an F hole instead of a round hole. I know that Tacoma Guitars builds some of their guitars with the sound hole in a non-standard location.

Take care and good luck.

Guitar Ed

[Dugz Ink]

Check out some of the semi-hollow body Tele designs in THIS THREAD.

Very cool... very inspiring.

D~s

[tirapop]

Depending on how you approach this, you don't need a center block. Shallow body acoustics can be made like regular acoustics with thin tops reinforced with bracing. The thicker the top, the less reinforcement is required. Specimen makes an archtop that has the "bracing" carved into the top. Some jazz style electro-acoustics with carved or laminated arch tops use a simple X brace or a pair of fore-aft braces, like the Specimen's (but, less squiggly). Selmer-Maccaferri guitars use a pair of side to side braces. Danelectros used a small block under the bridge, instead of a neck to tail center block, to support the masonite top.

Are you really planning on using a flat-mount Bigsby? I think that would require a thicker or reinforced top and the mass would suck the volume out of the guitar. A B6 style, which is used with archtops, only attaches at the tail block wouldn't take away from the projecton of the guitar. It does require a taller bridge to get enough string brake angle over the saddles. That might ruin the Tele look you're going for.

Edited December 29, 2004 by tirapop

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

do you want an acoustic-electric or a semi-hollow/ hollow tele? This matters becasue the procedures would be different depending on which one you did.

[Drak]

My stupid two cents, I would just drop the Bigsby idea for this project and use it on something else and move forward with everything else you had in mind. Besides the Bigsby, sounds like a winner.

Mui bettuh guitah.

PS, Fender made a VERY cool Telecaster, EXACTLY like your talking about, ohhh, at least 10 years ago, maybe more. I forget the model name, but it was an acoustic Telecaster, had a great spruce top with NO holes in the top at all (that I remember anyway), and a piezo pkp. Really cool guitar, acoustically it sounded great.

Maybe you should hunt one of those down, it's really exactly what you want I think. Just ask around, you'll get pointed to it sooner or later.

It had a traditional Fender Tele neck, Spruce top, and an acoustic type of bridge, like on a regular acoustic guitar, with a Piezo in it. It was very thin too, like maybe 1 3/4" or 1 1/2", not like those pics you linked to, much thinner, just like a regular Tele basically.

Very cool guitar. Hell, I want one TOO!

I remember Ray Phiri used one. Ray is a South African guitarist, played on the Paul Simon Graceland disc. Talented MoFo.

[Kyle Cavanaugh]

I'm sure Warmoth or USA Custom could help you with the neck and body if you don't feel like you can do it all yourself. They make semi-hollow bodies with the option of an F-hole.

I'd guess it'd still run you about $500 USD though.

Edited December 29, 2004 by Kyle Cavanaugh

[panday44]

YOU CAN DO THAT!! THE TRICK IS YOU MUST HAD HOLE 1 PIECE OF NECK THRU THE END OF THE BODY TO SUPPORT THE BIGSY TAILPIECE & THE BRIDGE... GET THE SIZE OF THE TAILPIECE AND BRIDGE..AND THIS WLL SERVE TOO AS A SUPPORTING SIDE YOU MUST HAVE A LARGE F HOLE OR 2...TO HAVE A GOOD SOUND OF ACOUSTIC...BUT I THINK THAT IT WOULD HEAVY...GOOD LUCK MAN.............

YOU CAN ALSO CUSTOMIZED IT ADDING A PICKUP IN A NEAR FUTURE!!!!

[litchfield]

Here's some:

From Here

from here

from here

Also here's an idea of something to base from

From here

BeAr did oneof these a while back.....I'll go fetch a linky.

here it is

Edited December 30, 2004 by litchfield

[Marzocchi705]

This may sound like a stupid question and i know the answers already been posted but i cant find it, Dan what site was it that you made your design at?

Now on topic, it sounds like a realy interesting project, hope it works out well for you.

[neocon58]

Whoops! I was getting an error about mail not getting sent, and I thought it didnt post, so I disabled email notification, then tried it in a different browser. I would be grateful if you could delete the solid body thread too. Thanks!

i had the same problem and accidentaly double-psoted my thread "Metallic Blue Acoustic"

[neocon58]

This may sound like a stupid question and i know the answers already been posted but i cant find it, Dan what site was it that you made your design at?

Now on topic, it sounds like a realy interesting project, hope it works out well for you.

http://www.nymphusa.com/kisekae/kisekaee1.asp

the guitar maker /\

[Marzocchi705]

Thanks, but i found the link in another thread a few days ago.

[frank falbo]

Speaking of Tacoma Guitars, Have a look at the Tacoma Cheif, and the Roadking. On their website they should have a layout for the bracing pattern of those guitars. If you copied either one of those (basically a 2 brace system) with a bridgeplate for the acoustic bridge, you'd be very pleased with the sound of that little guitar. Then just hollow out the whole back, leaving whatever you think you need for structural integrity.