Jump to content

Tele Monstrosity


komodo

Recommended Posts

So, this oddity followed me home from Goodwill. I mean, I wasn’t going to leave it there!

My first thought was one of near anger! Who would do that?! Why? I live in a college town, where I was also an art student and suspect this was someone’s art chair project. Nevermind that, the neck is straight, frets have no wear, nice flame, the fretboard looks great, and the paddle head hasn’t even been cut. The truss adjusts at the nut, probably import. Not sure on the body wood, it seem to have a thin finish, or sanding sealer, not sure. The holes are easily filled, depressions on the back can be steamed / sanded out. All routing is done already, neck fits well. 

I’m not a tele man, mostly rock and metal. What would you do to this?! I’ll do anything. Relic, refinish, burst, solid, paisley, gold, beveling, carves, route for HB, active, trem, no trem, P90s, rails….. I have no idea right now. I’d rather not spend a ton, but I will if I have to. I’ve got tons of parts available. You tell me?! What would you do? Show me examples!

 

F185CB7B-DCEB-4DE8-B60D-842C43C2FBCC.jpeg

6012E101-4ADB-4F6C-8AF6-F3B1D8038494.jpeg

BC980445-F5EA-4136-96EB-8108C80ED5CC.jpeg

7DD6639A-8F5C-4301-8E72-80BE9A3F245F.jpeg

625CD3D7-23A4-40B4-A37C-AB58D7F4ADBA.jpeg

EF74BBA2-2E25-4E96-A891-CBAD0A1CC030.jpeg

1D8A5A06-4DCC-446F-AE18-496BFC660597.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The neck sure is pretty!

Do you think that the body has actually been a part of a finished guitar? The plugged pickguard, bridge and especially the ground wire holes hint to such a history...

If you're going to use that body, something to entirely hide the three piece less stellar wood might be the best solution - a figured top, paint; or fabric/wallpaper/napkin in the true Paisley style? Or simply build a new body that would better suit your likings?

Guess the chopped-off neck slot end is no issue regarding structural integrity or sound transfer...

kuva.png.ee1d0c7b9c775c31662c4f49b33d9fdb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I noticed that missing wood. I don't think it was ever used as a guitar, probably was a kit? No idea. The frets have zero wear. The more I look, I think it's poplar or something very similar.

I've got lots of potential top plates if I want to plane it and re route the cavities. I really don't, and may end up using parts on had to get it playable, maybe use it as a test bed, not sure yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, komodo said:

I don't think it was ever used as a guitar, probably was a kit? No idea.

I was going to argue that kits most likely don't have predrilled pickguard holes but before posting something that stupid I checked and lo and behold they're a real thing.

Anyhow, that neck is way too pretty to be wasted for a test bed. But that's just my opinion. A test bed has all the right to look pretty as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Love both of them, the 'rustic' look.

There are a few over on the TDPRI like that that are just gorgeous in their 'rusticity'.

I'll see if I can find 2 or 3 and I'll post them her for ideas.

I still think you'd have to burn yours a bit to get the pores to open up and move yours into that ballpark, yours has pretty smooth grain to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I was thinking about a top or back and top. That first pic is a piece of a family barn I snagged awhile ago. I think its too weathered and porous. But I’ve got some nice weathered oak barn beams that I’m going to try to do a glueup with. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yes, quite a departure for you it would seem.  it would be hard to pass up such a lovely figured neck... genuinely interested to see you restore it.  putting some "right" back into this crazy world.

I'd plane it down and toss a nice top on it.  I'd find some grain matching wood and see if I could cut plugs to match.  Perhaps do a mary k finish so I could hide the match.  Either that or a matching laminate for the back side - pancake style.

if you haven't played a tele you haven't played guitar IMO and a tele is not a tele without a tele bridge and tele bridge pickup.  IOW I'd probably turn it into a nice tele.  the thought of turning it into a metal machine or humbucker guitar... well... just reminds me of that scene in 'gran torino' where clint asks the kid not to put a spoiler on it!  (hehe - you do you tho)

does the neck go flat? (EDIT: read your post - u say it's flat)  that would be my first suspect as I wouldn't think anyone in their right mind would turn a neck like that into a chair if it wasn't warped or otherwise problematic.  that said... crazier things have been done in the name of art.  

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Drak said:

Bowneck Guitar

Hmm... Interesting! That sure gives another opportunity to dampen the tuner side of the strings. I'd call that a diddley bow with steroids!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my favorite phrases is "just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

@mistermikev your train of thought is very much what mine is/was. I've already plugged the holes, but there wasn't a lot of grain matching there. The finish looks like it's probably a poly of some sort and I don't think filling it is going to be a decent option. Stripping it would even be a PITA. I think running it through the planer and taking off the surface on both sides will be a good start. I'm leaning solid color to help hide the plugs and the wood repair up by the neck pocket. Or, a front and back plate, but I don't love that idea. I've got the basic tele hardware and am starting to relic the crap out of it ala barncaster. Worst case is it's a regular relic'd tele.

I could also sell the neck off and ditch the body. Or do the EVH Frankenstrat paint on the body and make into a beast. Honestly, if the neck was a maple fretboard I probably would've already done that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, komodo said:

One of my favorite phrases is "just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

@mistermikev your train of thought is very much what mine is/was. I've already plugged the holes, but there wasn't a lot of grain matching there. The finish looks like it's probably a poly of some sort and I don't think filling it is going to be a decent option. Stripping it would even be a PITA. I think running it through the planer and taking off the surface on both sides will be a good start. I'm leaning solid color to help hide the plugs and the wood repair up by the neck pocket. Or, a front and back plate, but I don't love that idea. I've got the basic tele hardware and am starting to relic the crap out of it ala barncaster. Worst case is it's a regular relic'd tele.

I could also sell the neck off and ditch the body. Or do the EVH Frankenstrat paint on the body and make into a beast. Honestly, if the neck was a maple fretboard I probably would've already done that.

Right on... relic Tele around b nice for sho.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, komodo said:

One of my favorite phrases is "just because you can, doesn't mean you should'.

I could also sell the neck off and ditch the body.

Reading these two lines, I was a bit amused at the implicit irony contained, ...being the dungeon master of the W.O.D. as I am.

For all the work I see you readying yourself for, why not spend the time on a well-thought-out project that is Quality 1 from start to finish?

You are allowed to change your mind occasionally...

Many guitars you might associate me with over the years have been disassembled, gutted, sawn in half, and trashed.

They had their day in the sun, it was good when it was good, but life moves on and so do I, to bigger and better and fresh projects.

Projects that hold my interest and are generally better quality at every new interval.

I look at your GOTY win, and I look at this, and I say to myself...'really?'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh for sure. It started when I saw it sitting there and couldn’t really pass it up for $20. Very little thought other than ‘the neck is straight and it has good flame’.

Now it’s sitting here and I’m trying to figure out what to do with it. I’ve got a lot of parts sitting around, and could easily make it into something but I don’t really want to spend time or money on it. I could do a cheap build and flip it, maybe sell off the neck, I don’t know.

I’ve got at least three other serious scratch builds started, but too busy with work/life. This came along and tweaked my impulse response, so I’ll do something to it and move on to the next one. I’ve spent some time relicing some hardware already, which is mindless fun. Therapy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, komodo said:

couldn’t really pass it up for $20. Very little thought other than ‘the neck is straight and it has good flame’.

The neck clearly has a much higher rating than the body, both the maple and the rosewood are pretty. I would be surprised if they originally have belonged together unless there's been some artsy paint job over the cheap three-piece basswood body. Having seen your builds I'm sure it would be a no-brainer for you to build a body to match the neck and create a quality instrument which you can then sell if you don't like it.

Speaking of using as a test bed, the luthier who has been tutoring me once tossed away a basswood bass body which he had built for testing pickups. The reason was that it didn't have the acoustic properties he wanted. As @curtisa's test bench has showed, the actual pickup sound isn't affected by the wood but there can be a significant difference in sustain which may be the main reason he dumped it. Just FYI.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

The reason was that it didn't have the acoustic properties he wanted.

Why do you need a reason, or even an excuse, to simply throw something away?

Why can't you just throw it away just to throw it away? I never understood that.

It's like some kind of guilt complex...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...