Teleburster TL-1A aka G-special

Scott, your templates look awesome! Great job. I really have to get myself a dremel and build that routing table..

Cheers,
Gav.

Approaching the finish line, but there's still a lot to do…

I'll be using push/pull pots and a 4-pole 5-way switch on this build (yes, a 5 way). I modified the control cavity to fit the (very) fat switch prior to painting, basically undercut the upper side of the cavity around the switch, but the control plate itself is designed for the small mini pots.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...l_plate_01.jpg


Drilling out the holes to 9.5mm to accommodate the push/pull pots.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...l_plate_02.jpg


Everything now mounts nicely on the plate.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...l_plate_03.jpg


However…

I needed countersunk screws to mount the Grigsby on the plate and the only ones suitable were too long, they actually would risk touching one of the commons on each side, so I had to trim them shorter. Also, the top edge of the outer wafer on the switch was touching the edge of my cavity undercut which would have been a problem once the copper shielding was in (thickness wise). There are no contacts or conductive elements on top bit of the wafer, so I trimmed it and cut the screws down to size. Now it fits nicely without risk of shorts.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...l_plate_04.jpg




Time to install the string-thru ferrules. Wudtone leaves quite a lip around cavities, especially when you've applied a ton of coats, so I first used a sharp fine craft knife to run around the inside of the holes to remove the build up. I could start the ferrules with just my thumb, and then a small hammer and a piece of dowel the thickness of the top of the ferrule allowed me to gently (and carefully) seat them fully.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...errules_01.jpg

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...errules_02.jpg

I mentioned in my earlier post about the templates that I was cutting a new pickguard for this build, so I figured some may be interested in how I did it. The reason I was making a custom guard was that the pickups I'm using aren't quite standard, and I thought it would look better if the pickguard matched the pups.

First I made a paper template: modified, tweaked, changed it, test fitted, and modified again until I was happy with it. Then I used that to make a thin (4-5mm) plywood template, easy to cut and shape and easy to 'fix' if needed. If you take too much off or want to change it, it's easy to glue some wood back on or use some sawdust and glue filler. If you are going to make a pickguard don't skip this step… it is relatively easy to fix/adjust a wooden template, but you can't fix a mis-cut piece of pickguard plastic, and the time it takes to make the template is time (and frustration) saved cutting or re-cutting the pickguard.

So, template made, pickguard material (in this case very thin 2mm plastic) rough cut to the basic shape, and face of the template stuck to the back of the plastic using double sided tape. The template has to be on the back of the plastic for what happens later. Router table set up with a 1/4" flush cut pattern following bit. Set the height of the bit so that the bearing runs nicely along the template with the blade getting a clean cut on the plastic. I pre-drilled a couple of 10mm holes in the pickup slot so that I could rout it all in one go.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._making_01.jpg


Because the bearing is on the top of the bit the routing is done with the plastic facing down, and in this case it's so thin it cuts like soft butter. A couple of minutes later and the plastic is cut to shape (I cleared away the mound of plastic shavings to get a clean pic, as they tend to be static charged and stick to everything!).

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._making_02.jpg


A quick check to make sure there were no lumps, bumps, gouges or missed spots, and then a drill and countersink of the mounting holes. And, of course, some test fitting and tweaking to make sure it and everything around will sit where it's supposed to.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._making_03.jpg

The reason I mounted the template on the back of the plastic is that I needed the 'good' side of the plastic to face down so that I could put a chamfer on the edge, which again requires the router bit to run along the edge of the template. But, in this case it's done with my Dremel on a router table with a chamfer bit. I set the height of the bit so that the chamfer starts at around 2/3's thickness of the plastic, that is, the 1/3 in from the back is un-chamfered which makes the edge less severe. And, check to make sure the solid pilot end of the bit will make good contact with the edge of the template and not mangle your plastic. I recommend doing a test on a scrap bit of plastic set up with the same thickness ply stuck to it to ensure you're happy with the angle/depth of chamfer etc.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._making_04.jpg


Finish off by working through 600, 800+ grit sandpaper along the chamfered edge and then some fine steel wool to give it a nice smooth polished feel.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._making_05.jpg


And the end result…

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._making_06.jpg

And, a final test fitting to make sure I didn't stuff it up somewhere along the line. The neck isn't bolted in yet, hence the fishing line centreline for alignment purposes.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._making_07.jpg

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._making_08.jpg


And, yes, the pickups are GFS 'Lil Puncher XL's (Cool Vintage).

Great tute WB - makes it all look so easy :).

Love your work Wierdy. Another stunning axe. Great tutes as well. Better hide this one from Adam!

Too late.

A real slow burner, this one. Really enjoying the painstaking details being put in. Keep up the great work Scott.