Embarking on my first build - a thinline TL-1

Got a very nice looking Thinline Tele kit with a quilted maple top a week or so ago. Out of the box, it looks pretty decent, and like it will be a fun build. This could be a long and drawn out process though as my spare time tends to get taken up by a 2.5 year old, so work on the guitar will be in fits and starts. If the guitar is finished before mid-2021, I'll be pretty happy.

I've got some upgraded pickups - some Wilkinsons Vintage pickups with Alnico magnets. I ordered those before the kit arrived, which was probably a good thing as when the kit arrived, the bridge pickup base piece had the screw hole bit off of one side broken, so would have needed to be replaced anyway. Now that I have the kit, I regret not getting the Grover machine heads upgrade as part of the package - would have been a cheaper than buying them retail like I now need to (the kit machine heads feel a little clunky).

I'm not planning on anything fancy as a finish for the first build - the maple top is pretty enough as it is, and the ash body also look OK, so I am just going for a Tru-Oil all over approach. I've got a bottle of the Tru Oil sealer filler on the way too - the ash back is going to needs little work.

Only issue at this stage is how to clean up the binding - it's pretty rough and scratched up (this is before I've started any serious sanding), and I'm not sure of the best way to neaten it all up.

Either way, lets hope that my ambition doesn't outweigh my talent when it comes to building this guitar. Should be a lot of fun (and probably some frustration along the way having read a bunch of the other build diaries here)

Hi and welcome.

Binding sands smooth nicely, and you can also scrape it flat with a sharp edge, say a Stanley knife blade or a small cabinet scraper. Putting a burr on the edge of the blade makes this easier.

Email Pit Bull and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get Grovers at the discount price as you've bought the kit.

All the best with the build. Any doubts, just ask a question.

Cheers Simon. I’ll have a shot at the binding with the cabinet scraper I have, once I’ve bought a decent file to reset the edge on it.

Does Truoil bind to the binding ok, or just wipe off?

This long weekends plan is to do the initial fit and check, and maybe a little sanding on the back. Might conduct an application test of the Tru oil on some scrap wood to get the vibe of the process going

It goes on over the bindings just fine. It will of course add a slight amber tint, but that's normally a benefit as new pure-white binding can look a bit anaemic IMO.

The binding on the guitar is black in my case, so yellowing won’t be an issue. But now that I think about, the black might clash a bit against the pearl pick guard and silver hardware. Or maybe it will look ok - I’ll set it all up for test fit and see how it comes together