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The paint is only just dry on my first build so this morning I ordered my second kit.
I've gone for the TLA-1 (Ash body, maple neck telecaster) and upgraded the pickups to the Tonerider Vintage plus set.
The plan is to go for a natural finish but I'll see how the grain looks before deciding.
I'll be on here soon with lots of questions about grain-filling, shaping the headstock and many more.
What took you so long??? I'd say you are officially hooked...Quote:
The paint is only just dry on my first build so this morning I ordered my second kit.
The TLA's very popular here, so you'll have no problem finding info.
Yes...officially hooked, I've already got build numbers 3, 4 & 5 planned.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
Now yer talkin'!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by grahamjohnston80
The TLA-1 kit arrived today.
I'll do a proper mock build at the weekend. I just had time to do a quick parts check and general overview.
It all looks okay. The body has a nice grain which will suit the natural finish I'm planning. I've upgraded to the toneriders. The neck slotted in no problem, if anything a little loose.
The holes for the bridge have already been drilled. When I lined them up the scale length seemed a little short but I'll know for sure when I do the mock-build. The gap in the pick-guard isn't wide enough to accept the neck so that'll need some adjustment.
https://i.imgur.com/rU8kLJs.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mMWbXgt.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/fp2R8Cl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/WafgWFb.jpg
One small thing was some yellowish staining on the second (and first) frets. The nut also wasn't fixed in and the woodwork is a bit rough around here.
https://i.imgur.com/gyBpdCG.jpg
Today I did a quick mock build of the Tele kit. I was expecting to have to measure up and mark the bridge position but this kit has most (if not all) of the holes pre-drilled, strap buttons and all.
I was a bit dubious but when I secured the bridge using the pre-drilled holes and stuck 2 strings on, things lined up pretty nicely. Neck might need a wee nudge.
https://i.imgur.com/ucCA0gb.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ICSWxSO.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MX5Dlxm.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/29Im4bF.jpg
Scale length was also okay (I think) - maybe a smidge short on the bass string but plenty of room to manoeuvre on the treble E. Should be 324mm (half of 648mm).
https://i.imgur.com/MwYH6Rx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Pzg5X1E.jpg
I also had a visitor yesterday when I was mucking about with the guitar. It just may have helped me to name the guitar:
Introducing 'The Grasshopper!'
https://i.imgur.com/ouYRse2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/PoMvgUw.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gTSVdRh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oX5pEdo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/pqiGk4Z.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/0AySGQZ.jpg
Better hope he doesn't return when you're doing the finish!!!
re: scale length - It's better to measure the entire length from the nut rather than the "half x 2".
Both of those E saddles look fine. I think you'll find the bass E may intonate even further back than it is now.
You may even get away with using shorter intonation screws, which is not usually the case so you're fortunate.
He may find himself a permanent part of the guitar if he arrives shortly after a coat of TO.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
My ruler only goes up to 600mm, I always find the tape measure doesn't give as accurate a result due to the bending (I do have a really cheap crappy one).
It's worth having a longer one.
20 bucks at the BGS will get you either one of these:
Lufkin 1m steel
Lufkin 1m folding
I have both, and have checked the folding one against the steel and it's spot on (±.25 mm). Certainly close enough for doing this stuff. After all, it's not micro-surgery.
So, after a few months break from the forum and guitar build, parts of NSW have now been locked down so it's a perfect opportunity to continue the build.
Basically all I had done with the build was some sanding. This morning I sanded and sanded and sanded some more.
I'm going for the natural finish on this one. The Neck got 2 coats of Tru-oil. For the body I'm following a combination of methods that I've read on here and elsewhere. Sanded to 400 and today applied 2 coats of Tru oil to seal the wood. Tomorrow I plan to fill the body using timbermate.
https://i.imgur.com/IeAXfiI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/WJH38l6.jpg
A natural finish will look good with that body.
Thanks Simon. That's what I'm hoping for. It does have a nice grain.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
A quick update on the Tele build.
Things have sped up a bit in the last few weeks as I've been working from home more often during the lockdown.
After leaving the neck to cure it got a final polish, nut glued in and tuners installed.
The body has had it's last coats of TO after wet-sanding up to 12,000 with micro-mesh pads. Going to leave it for 1-2 weeks before polishing.
https://i.imgur.com/OFVCpXK.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/DzeYq9h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2OvvHuX.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/iayqXKq.jpg
Also ordered my next kit this morning, I'll start a new thread soon.
12000 grit micro-mesh is definitely classed as polishing in my book, but there's nothing wrong in leaving it a bit longer before the final rubbing compounds are used.
All looking very nice indeed!
The neck looks great, and the decal bedded in very nicely.
I wasn't sure about the headstock shape at first, but the more I look at it, the more I like it!
(my brain gets stuck in "traditional" very easily :o)
Yeah, I have a sheet of 12,000 that came in my Micro-Mesh kit; I don't think I've ever used it!Quote:
12000 grit micro-mesh is definitely classed as polishing in my book...
I think maybe I've gone up to 8,000 once...
I couldn't see or feel a difference from 6,000 so never bothered going beyond that again. TBH I generally stop at 4k nowadays and finish with Micro-Gloss polishing liquid.
I'm not telling you to not up to (down to???) 12k, just relaying my experience.
Thanks for the input gentlemen.
TBH, it has got to a point where I'm not sure how big a difference it is making. I do know that it helps knock off any minute high spots and feels great at the time but maybe that's because it is wet too?
Anyhoo, I will hit it with the Meguiars in the coming weeks for that final shine.
Does TO have the same rule that if you can smell it, it's not ready/cured? I'm giving it a week anyway, is that enough time?
I love the traditional Tele headstock shape but wanted something a little different but not too weird.
I pinched the idea from these lovely guitars:
https://www.dpergoguitars.com/explore.html
I like yours better!Quote:
Originally Posted by grahamjohnston80
It depends on what finish you are using it on. There can be a very big difference between 6000 and 12000. At 6000 you are often just getting a shine through, at 8000 it's almost there and at 12000 it's there. On a big area you may just want to go up to a polishing compound sooner, but for something small, a few extra seconds using 8000 and 12000 can give very good results.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
I wired up the Tele last night. It was pretty straight forward, tested it by touching the pups with a screwdriver, it made the right clicks at the right time.
Sat down last night and thought, damn I forgot to shield the cavities. So, today I got the copper shielding tape out, shielded the cavities (pickup cavities, control plate cavity & input socket). I am waiting for a new pickguard to come home so haven't obviously shielded that yet.
Again, I tested, it all worked as expected, (if anything a bit noisier), until I screw the input socket into the cavity. It works right up until I tighten it up. As soon as the last few turns of the screws happen it cuts out - silence.
Is something making contact that could cause this issue? I tried moving the nuts as far out/in as possible but it didn't change anything.
Should the input socket be shielded? Is it anything to do with the pickguard being missing?
The bridge is grounded but when testing, I also noticed that when I touch the bridge it results in the same clicking sound as when I touch the pickups? All a bit weird??
Happy to upload images if that helps.
Any advice, as always, is much appreciated. Thank you.
You are either shorting the signal out on the shielding (if you have put it in the output jack cavity), or there is enough bare signal wire at the jack socket connection to move and touch part of the grounded socket chassis. Tightening the snut up is also turning the jack socket, and making wires rub where you don't want them to.
This is where heat shrink is really useful, as you can run a piece over the complete 'hot' signal tab and solder joint, so that it can't touch anywhere, even if there is shielding. I also do the same with the ground wire connection, just to be on the safe side in case the tip of the jack can come into contact with it (more important if using exposed braided wire).
It does help (a bit) to have shielding in the output jack cavity, but if you can't fit it without grounding the signal out, then it's obviously better to remove it!
Clicks when you touch the bridge are quite normal. Probably because your body will be at a different potential to ground than the bridge is, and in that brief moment when the potentials are equalising and the charge is flowing from your body, you cause a brief spike on the signal from the guitar (albeit on the ground side). The intensity will probably vary depending on what you are wearing and how charged you are.
Thank you again Simon,
Haven't heard of the heat shrink before but it makes a lot of sense. I'll have a look in my local electronic store:
https://www.jaycar.com.au/cables-con...ularity-desc&q
It's only open for click n collect at the moment so I can't be going in for a browse. What size/type would you recommend?
or...
Could I just put some insulating tape around the joints?
You can use insulating tape but it's awkward stuff to use in tight areas like jack sockets. Heat shrink is just so much neater.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/VD7LBQ.jpg
I use a lighter to shrink it.
I bought a mixed box of heat shrink from Amazon as you never know quite what size you need to fit over lugs or cable joins. It shrinks to about 50% of the normal size. I did have about 4 different sized rolls of the stuff, but the pre-cut short lengths are so much neater. You'll hardly ever use the very largest sizes on guitar builds, but it's useful to have something that will fit over the solder lugs plus the wire/solder join on pots and jack lugs.
This sort of thing: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/produc...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Jaycar have a few mixed size offerings, but they are quite expensive for far less product than the Amazon or eBay offerings.
Longer lengths of the smaller diameter heatshrink can be useful if you want to insulate the outside of a vintage-style braided wire, if you are running it a long distance through areas where there are exposed pot terminals. Also just to make that type of wire less visible if running inside a hollow body guitar.
Thank you Simon,
That looks much neater indeed.
I found a mixed bag on eBay for $5.95.
You can rub a soldering iron on it to shrink it, but you need to rub it all over to shrink it all as the heat remains very localised. You can use a hot hairdryer (or a low-heat hot-air stripper), but then you can get a lot of components warm if done in-situ. So a very quick run over with the flame from a lighter (I use a gas-stove lighter) is often the easiest and quickest way. A second at most and you're done, with the heat normally reaching all around the heat shrink.
That's good to know. Thank you.
Finally got around to completing the Tele project.
I was waiting for a few bits to get delivered before finishing it off. The scratch-plate that came with the kit was a really tight fit so I filed a bit off ages ago. I ended up taking a bit too much off and was never really happy with it. Ordered a 3-ply job from eBay which I'm very pleased with.
I was also waiting for the heat shrink so I could tidy up the input socket.
Both arrived on Monday so I set to putting it all together. I wasn't 100% happy with the position of the bridge. It seemed okay during the mock-build but now things just didn't line up right. I filled the factory pre-drilled holes and left that to dry for a day.
Finished it off tonight. I'm very happy with the finished product. The Tonerider pickups sound great (Vintage plus). I did initially have some bad buzz around the lower frets but a quick turn of the truss rod to provide some neck relief sorted that out. I still need to do the proper set up and intonation but it is sounding pretty good without it.
https://i.imgur.com/dYtuu8A.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2tjCzme.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8fLWuYt.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/RqFqogw.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4I5l7LY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qB2i5JA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rWuz98b.jpg
Looks great. Love the colours and the headstock pattern.
Indeed, a very fine looking guitar. Well done!
Thank you Gents!!
Nice job Graham. That ash looks great with the Tru Oil. I think that will age nicely too.
Thanks McC!
As long as I also age nicely...
Wow, that looks really, really good. I like the unusual headstock and the way the decals fit on it. It's a nice bit of wood too, good idea not to hide it under a solid finish
The Iceman is cool. Is that a PB kit guitar too?
Nice work!
Thanks Andy,
I was very happy when I got a good piece for this kit as I wanted to do a natural finish. The Tonerider pickups are awesome, the more I play, the more I like them.
Yes, the Iceman was a pit-bull kit, my first build. I was waiting for the standard IC-1 kit and a custom special became available on the website so I grabbed that instead. Apparently it was returned as it wasn't up to the customers spec.??
A great kit but I wish it didn't have the binding as this was tricky for a first build. At a distance it looks fine but close up there are some spots I'm not 100% happy with. It is a great guitar to play, very light and sounds good with the stock pick-ups.
Well it looks like a great job.Quote:
Originally Posted by grahamjohnston80
I have 2 teles, one with the hot tonerider and one with the classic. Both are superb. I wired the classics with a pull switch to put them in series, they really sing then!
I find the stock humbuckers are pretty good out of the box