Someone mentioned Chappy above - I bought one of his creations - a used ML3RC - a friend of mine has one and I was always extremely impressed. Only $380 to my door…and it ended up being the consecutive serial number before my friend’s axe!
Being essentially a giant slab of mahogany, it weighs quite a bit.
I suppose I ought to photograph my more recent acquisitions. Posted a lot on the thread on the old forum. It’s only laziness and multiple grandchildren sitting sessions that stop me! Last one I bought was an immaculate 10 Top 1997 PRS Custom 22 (the one with the rotary switch). Sounds gorgeous, and I prefer it to my Les Paul.
After all, you know the old saying?
How many guitars does a guitarist need?
answer : Just one more
OK - I have some questions for you on that one, as I am about to embark on the same project.
I got a “sandwich” body with the maple middle, and it is chambered. I was thinking about the Fender '64 vintage Tele pickups, and I found the GH era vintage-correct Fender tuners. My neck is 9.5" radius (I think George’s was 7.5", which can be a PITA in so many ways) - I might use non-vintage string trees just because the newer ones are better and don’t hang up like those “T” style ones.
What did you use? Was your body chambered? I think you have the “cup” style jack receiver? Which pickups? I have a 3 saddle bridge like that, which I have never used before - it supposedly intonates - which bridge did you use? Are those standard knobs, or are they push in the middle style? (Like the Fender S1 tone switch knob like on my Tele American Deluxe.)
Also, I have never yet mounted a neck pickup directly into the body like this, so I will be interested in anything you could tell me on that.
Any light you can shed I would appreciate it.
I have 2 Tele projects to do, and I am not sure which I will try first. (The other one has a Babicz Full-Contact bridge, so it will be a modified Tele, also with a thin-line stacked Dimarzio humbucker in the bridge position.)
PS - yours looks great - I hope mine does when done.
Here’s an idea for a design. Scroll to 2mins 40sec for a very cool tele.
That might have to wait to be a third one Andy - might be a tad above my skill level!
Wow, that’s a lot of questions! im not sure everyone wants to read all my answers.
7.25" is original Fender radius. I prefer it but this is 10".
The bridge is a high quality Barden.
mine is a 1pc rw body.
Pickups, I used SD Antiquity.
Mounting the neck pickup into the body is the original way. Use a drill press.
Just messing around in open G and found this - in true Keef style only 5 strings.
After many decades and buying this from a local charity shop I decided to pick up the guitar again and try to learn to play from where I had left off.
It may look like nothing and have no name or model number but I think it is great as it has a beautiful warm sound, with a low action, feels really comfortable and all for £4.99
Now, after a few months, I am thinking of buying a six string steel acoustic but after trying a few guitars at a shop in York the best sounding and most comfortable one for me was , you never guess what, a Martin at over 200 times the price!
Richard
Here are my two babies bought for the start of my retirement! I also have a new Player Series Strat for a bit of added fun.
Which series is that 6 string Stuart? I have 3 Taylors (814-CE, T5, and GS-Mini) but I have not had one with the Expression system.
It’s only a 214 DLX, but it really is a nice guitar to play. I would love one of the new V brace higher range guitars but it seems most of my hobbies are expensive lol!
The Player Series Strat looks great - not that need another guitar.
The guy doing the demo here of the Player Strat has a beautiful touch.
Mine is a sunburst, it’s lovely for just over £500 new. If only I could play the damn thing…
Easy - tune to open G and have a look at the Youtube clip I posted above of the guy playing the Stones riffs.
Here is my latest work in progress - a homage to my paternal lineage.
I have other control knob options I will try - very much a work in progress…
Is it a kit like a Warmoth? Do you do your own finishing? If so, describe your spray rig, and the way you did this top. The bridge is particularly interesting. Do those front screws get locked down once the intonation is set?
Hi Winky - I had a guy in TN build the body for me. It is a swamp ash body with a AAAA quilted maple cap. Since there is no such thing as white stain, he had to dilute white paint to allow the quilt maple to show through. While waiting for the body, I purchased a WD neck (may some day upgrade to a Warmoth) with an ebony fretboard, DiMarzio pickups (the bridge is a stacked humbucker), Sperzel tuners, the Babicz bridge (of which more in a moment), and had a guy custom laser etch the neck plate.
I have a friend with a CNC machine, so we may try something in the future and then I will get into the spray and finish realm.
Your understanding of the Babicz bridge is spot on. This particular model can be configured for through the body or top-load “stop tailpiece” stringing. But intonation operates pretty much the same as usual, and then at the end you lock down the front of the saddle with those screws; it allegedly provides fuller contact - we shall see. It also has an interesting cam system for string height adjustment. I am initially going with top stringing, but I may change later to through the body, which would obviously entail more drilling of holes in the body…to be determined.
The other thing I may change later is a means to split the humbucker to give more sonic options; might try a push-pull pot, or simply add a switch somewhere. At present it will have 3 configurations, and a splitting option for the HB would give five.
Also looking at 3 different options for the control knobs - I am not crazy about the ones in the photo. Found out there is really no such thing as white anodized aluminum, because I have 3 knobs that I wanted that way (3 colors, 1 each). Then I looked at powder coating them, but the setup cost is prohibitive (would run to like $300+ for 3 knobs in the end), so I may paint them myself and see how that goes.
As I tell my friends, I don’t build guitars, I assemble them.
Thanks. I’m looking to get into the guitar building game as a post-retirement hobby. I’ll likely start with mostly “assembly” like you’ve done and add progressively harder steps from there. I bought the particular Tele I have because it had a “modern” bridge with individual intonation and solid blocks that sit more directly on the plate. Yours takes that to another level. My Tele has through-stringing (I think all Fenders do). Seem to work well.
As for painting the knobs, perhaps consider getting a groove turned and just paint a ring/band that will be protected from wear by being slightly recessed?
