Charlie H 72

Thanks for the reply drak-I’m not super into black hardware, but maybe I should give it a go. I’ll see if I can find a couple inexpensive parts to try. And that’s a no from me on the stickers-I’m a pretentious one and I want “real” materials-I know I know.. (Just don’t ask me if I’m replacing the plastic pickguard for real tortoise shell!) the stickers do look great on battens guitar but it’s not what I’m going for. Hi biz-I’ve been wondering about heat treating. I did a knob over my gas stove a while back and it turned out great but the patina wore off the dome quite quickly, however the knurled part still looks good. Maybe I need to hit it with a clear coat, or use some steel wool first so there’s something to grab. I worry about heat treating fiddly tuners and bridge springs and such, but since all of this hardware was free, maybe I should just go for it. I’ve heard that vinegar/acid solutions only really work with nickel parts. Maybe there is a commercial chrome patina out there-I’ll do some research. I’ll try drilling out the dots too-I think this guitar will look great with clay. A razor blade used as a scraper will probably help level too.

Ok everyone I am bringing this one back for a little design chat-the shiny hardware keeps throwing me off! As do the shiny fretboard dots. And I think I want a little more darkness and a little more “tele” out of this thing. So I was considering an aged nickel bridge and knob from Q parts, a lollar ‘52 tele pickup set, (or tele bridge jazz master neck?) a new pick guard to fit, and possibly aged nickel tuners from QParts as well. anybody have experience with them? It’s not like the relic look is what I’m going for-it’s more like I want to bring the luster of the whole thing down to a matte finish. I don’t mind if it gets kinda grungy, but I don’t want it to look theme-y and “distressed.” Is there a good way to achieve this with my existing (chrome) hardware? And how about drilling out fretboard dots? I’m not sure what they are made of-MOP, plastic? But I would like to swap them out for aged clay dots. I imagine this is a somewhat difficult process without removing the frets...

Whaaat this is sweet. The tweed brings it all together!

Of course! Glad you found the right bit of hardware. It seems like nothing is going to be standard on this build, so now you’re in the realm of nuts, washers, screws, and all of those little details looking for special attention-I am sure it will be a beautiful and unique instrument!

Oh of course! somehow I forgot about those. Looking forward to seeing it all come together

Sounds good! Glad you are following the inlaid ring with a custom switch tip. I wonder if you could find a smaller nut & washer to give the ring some more breathing room.

Sweet pickup selector! That’s above and beyond. What’s it inlaid into? Are you using that switch/nut/washer with it?

I did a quick charred guitar during quarantine this spring-nothing special as a build but I do like the finish. it was very easy and it has already started to wear in a way I like. Not sure if you are planning to put resin over it or anything but I like the “living finish” of just charred wood and some wax/oil.

Roger that-laser cutters can be so picky. Looking forward to seeing this take shape!

Loving the bone fret markers. The laser cutting could be cleaner-I don’t know how it works out with inlays, and maybe you’ve had success with a similar cut quality before, but if you have a chance to cut the pieces again, try using a lower power and slower cut speed. This will eliminate the melted edge-might take a few tests to get just right. Also note that the kerf of the laser cutter is wedge-shaped, so I’m guessing if you cut your pieces upside down and flip them when you inlay, you could get a really tight fit.

With the right tuner knobs it will look like a horse with a fancy knotted mane- ebony, maybe? Or cream plastic?

Thanks Curtis, That's kind of where I'm at with it too. I think that I will go for Stewmac - While exploring all the options available with a cheaper kit is tempting, I imagine that it would also involve some headache finding fixes for issues that shouldn't be there to begin with. Who knows...

Help me build a Telecaster in a week for under $300 with my brother-in-law! Hi everybody, Im looking to build a telecaster with my brother-in-law as a gift. He likes projects but doesn't do much woodworking. We will be together at my parent's house for a week around Christmas, and I have a budget of ~$300. What's the best kit in that range/that can be completed in that timeframe? (maybe excluding finishing?? or with a very basic finish?) I have built three guitars, so I am familiar with the process and have all the necessary tools- but this is different! and of course there will be a build thread. I'm looking at Stewmac's kits right now and they seem like a great deal, even leaving some budget room for a pickup upgrade (or tuner upgrade?) any experience with those? How about guitarfetish? Seems risky Warmoth is too pricey Any ebay gems? Or does it make any sense to cobble together my own kit? Lookin forward to any input! Charlie

Good looks! I like how the truss rod cover works together with the hole in the top of the headstock to give an impression of a ribbon shape, depending on the background. A nice finishing touch to a clever design. Why the same pickups on both? Do you notice any difference in sound between the two? Would be an interesting study, considering that there are so many common variables between the two, to see how/how much neck wood selection effects tone.

I'm sure its sad to see it go! Its a beautiful instrument, I'd love to pick it up & play it. The simplicity is key, and I love the little touch of 3 dots on the guitar and 3 on the truss rod cover.

Thanks everybody! @JayT-well, 15 days with a premade + fretted neck, preslotted nut, and nothing else to do! It could still use some setup to get it to optimal play, but I am happy with it as-is for now. Cooking wasn't too bad -just had to take it slow. Thanks @ScottR-and you're exactly right. Honored to know you remember the last one! I think the notebook-doodles would give #1 away even if you didnt... @Bizman62-The pickguard color is a lucky match! Though the transparency helped it along too, I think.

This looks awesome. Love the figure on the oak and all the golden woody tones. Esp love the custom wood hardware! The screws on the tailpiece are sticking out to me-maybe they need to be covered? or doweled? or black/brass?

Hey everybody, So I finished this thing up..mostly. All for a total cost of $65, including the strings! I bought a top loading bridge and pickguard material from stewmac, and other than that it was just parts I had around. I ended up taking that upper side in as @Bizman62 suggested, and offset the bottom just a hair for a little bit of off-kilter ease. I'm thinking of etching the surface of the bridge and the knob-they are a little too shiny! Let me know if you have had any success with this or if I should just wait 10 years or so... I cut the pickguard using stewmac's tortoise archtop stuff-barely fit the PG on that small rectangle, and I wish the grain was going the other direction, but hey. I messed up routing for pups, and cracked it when trying to fit it nice n tight to the neck, so it will have to be redone someday. I like the material though. The transparency is nice, and it takes on a good matte finish with some steel wool. If by the time I replace the PG I have decided I want to keep these single coils (ripped from a MIJ Squier strat-but they surprisingly sound great-better, at least, than they did in that guitar) then I'll angle them a la Fender Mustang-the bridge is spaced too narrow for these, resulting in some pretty off center polepieces. I think angled pups will look cool in this one. Otherwise it will be a more major overhaul with a tele bridge, Lollar 52 bridge pup and Lollar Jazzmaster neck pup. Who knows! I went through a few options on finish-first was a dark green artists oil paint I had around, but it wasn't meshing with the fretboard or the neck, so I sanded that back and went for a surf green color. That wasn't working for me either so I burned the thing! Lacking a propane torch, I built a fire and kind of roasted it. Here's the process 1-build a fire. Make sure to have a bucket of water nearby in case things get outta hand! Wait for some good embers to build up. Gorgeous flowering trees in your neighbor's yard are a bonus but by no means required. 2-put sacrificial neck on guitar, and set up a rest/spit near the fire so you can move the guitar easily and freely (see pic) 3-swing it low over the fire, checking to make sure it doesn't catch totally. Its fine if it does-just blow it out. This is the fun part-experiment and enjoy! 4-When there is some good char on the surface, take a wire brush and brush it along the grain-if you want a textured surface. If not, you can sand it a little bit to get the loose sooty particles off. I opted for the brush. 5-when you have the whole thing to a deep brown, heat it over the fire, and take beeswax (or old candle stumps, etc.) and a cloth. Rub the wax across the heated part of the body, and burnish it with the cloth. This should take the deep brown to a nice even black. Continue this all over the body until you have a finish you like. 6-you're done! I just left it like this. I imagine it will age quite quickly, but the finish is easy to repair if you have a small butane torch and some wax. You could also put a more durable clearcoat on top. On other charred stuff I've made, spray clear worked well, as did wipe-on poly. This pen was spray-clear: Some cautions- Fire is dangerous-be safe! Have water nearby, wear long pants and long sleeves, and do this away from any buildings. Rout the neck pocket and drill bridge holes AFTER you have burned the guitar-The pocket shrank a fair amount, so I had to widen it afterwards, and the the exposed 90-degree edge at the bottom of the neck pocket where the body meets the neck got charred pretty badly, resulting in an ugly (but still functional) joint. I also had to readjust the saddles a little bit after mounting the bridge back in the same place as well-the whole body got smaller, bringing the bridge holes towards the nut. Do this with one-piece bodies only, unless you don't mind an obvious seam. The piece on the left of the guitar shrank differently than the rest, which caused it to pull away just a little bit. Its still solidly on there, but definitely on the "rustic" side of things. Consider routing control cavities afterwards as well. I was concerned about the thin through-top mounting area charring all the way through. It ended up being totally fine, but still worth a word of caution as it caught fire more easily than the rest. Thanks for tuning in! Charlie And just for fun, all the guitars I have built over the years-can you tell which one I did in eighth grade? a little PS-I found a push/pull pot lying around and wired up the middle guy for a PRS-style coil tap with a 1.5k resistor between the tap and ground. Its a lollar imperial bridge and it sounds awesome--a whole new instrument/range of sounds opened up.

Thanks for the replies Komodo and SR! I'm pretty set on these proportions. I like a slightly off kilter look, and for what its worth, the design is based on the last guitar I made, which has suited me quite well. Wish I had insulation foam around for a test though, that's a good strategy. Kinda going fast n loose here anyway-no templates no problem! I decided to keep it to being a partscaster for now and maybe plan to replace the pickups when (IF) I get my job back lol. Soon~hopefully. Maybe even jazzmaster pickups. Love that sound. Jazz neck tele bridge?? I got the body blank glued up, cut the outline, and used a router sled situation to get it down to thickness. the shape might need a once over. I am thinking of pulling the upper side in just a little bit. here it is hanging next to my last guitar. I also messed with the neck a bit- dyed the wenge black with india ink (super easy, this is just one coat-love the color!) and reshaped the headstock, which left the top tuner feeling too high so I moved it to the other side. Should I leave the old hole? fill it with something contrasting? Idk, let me know your ideas. Leaning towards leaving it for now. Another spot I may need a little help with-Routed the neck pocket 1/8" too deep-should I shim it, recess the bridge, leave it all as-is and see how it shakes out when I get the guitar all strung up? Next steps are to rout for the bridge pup + electronics cavity- just one volume + a 3 way switch, and then paint. I am enjoying flying by the seat of my pants on this. Not my usual MO but it's a lot of fun.

Hey all - so it has been 8(?!) years since I was last on this forum (as a high school student) and this time around I am back at my family home, furloughed, waiting for this corona thing to pass, and I have gotten way back into guitar after about 5 years of not playing at all. Its rewarding to see how the old skills start to come back, and rewarding to see this community still going strong!! I have also noticed that there are a lot of guitar parts around this house that could be put to work, most notably an old friend's abandoned warmoth wenge tele neck with an ebony fretboard, as well as some tuners, some pickups, a hunk of basswood.. pretty much everything I need to make a guitar for free. So here goes nothing! Doing a variation on a tele, (with a strat bridge, maybe single coils, maybe humbuckers? maybe i will buy some p90s?) let me know what you think, looking forward to this. -Charlie

excellent!

looks like a nice job! did you make the neck or buy it? next time you cut a body, you should try to make a template to follow with a router first. That way you can get the perfect shape without any guesswork.

Incredible! Thanks so much for posting all of the descriptions of what/how you are going about building it as well. It is really helpful, as i am considering an acoustic build sometime in the future.

I'm with SR on this one!

okay, I finished this a day too late for November's GOTM, so here is Lagarto 2.Tough pool this month, but It's worth a shot, right? Jacaranda/maple laminate top Mahogany back Maple neck Ebony fretboard (12" radius, 24 frets) Wilkinson open back tuners Jason Lollar imperial bridge pickup 1 volume, 500k