Ben’s B&S Ball Tele

OK so to completely go against my current collection of guitars, (which are mostly humbucker equipped, SD/DiMarzio loaded, brightly coloured rock machines), my next build is to be a classic butterscotch tele from the TL-1 kit.

This guitar is going to be used as a stage guitar for our band’s gig at the 2013 Live at the Hay Shed Inseminators B&S at Kellerberrin on October 12 and will hopefully be a little bit of advertising for Adam’s business. In order to provide the best advertising possible, the guitar was sent to DB’s lair up in the sticks for some fretwork, polishing and levelling. When I went up to pick up the kit (and have a scope around the man-cave), DB had fashioned a perfect bone nut for the kit and had a few spare bits and pieces lying around that he happily donated to the cause!

He did a fantastic job on the neck, the fretboard and frets themselves already feel better than any of my guitars, and the body is a fantastic looking piece of kit. Very uniform grain and hardly any dents or scratches. I will be going over with 180 and 240 tonight, and also sanding down the neck and getting the headstock looking lovely (shaped the tele headstock last night with the ol jigsaw and some 80 grit).

At the end of it all, I’ll have a standard 2 SC tele, PGB logo on the headstock, bone nut, vintage yellow neck, black pickguard, Schaller style strap locks and might splurge and get a callaham or Joe Barden Bridge with brass saddles, but Im not sure yet…. Might be something for the future… Oh and that gorgeous butterscotch wudtone finish, like DB’s sample TL1.

Here are a couple of photos I took in a hurry this morning, showing the beautiful body and the initial shaping of the headstock.

Updates tonight/tomorrow after sanding down and possibly the first coat :)

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...sbc1-Tele1.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...bd24-Tele2.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...pknq-Tele3.jpg

Sounding like that is going to turn out really well. So with all those hot pickup loaded guitars you have, what pups will you opt for on the Tele?

Ah I'm glad you asked, Mr Walrus sir.
Whilst at DB’s workshop of doom, he uncovered some of the pickups that may be available soon from the PBG guys as an optional upgrade over the stock kit pickups and let me be the guinea pig.

Adam believes that they may be from the same factory as the GFS pickups (which I later found out could be the same factory that produces Artec, Dragonfire and Irongear, which are all decent upgrades for the likes of squires, epi’s, ltd’s etc.

Looking forward to seeing how they stack up, although after having played DB’s blackwood tele with the Stewmac Golden Age’s in it, I may have been spoiled!

The Golden Age Pickups are pretty darn good!

Wot, no comment on the awesomeness of DB's Tele, Gav?......... Hmmmmmm, Conch Girl Fretless Hofner Bass with pink Abolone dots, Rainbow flag headstock decal, purple strap locks AND a hot pink case coming up me thinks..... ;)

Thought you'd never ask!

To be fair, DB actually does have purple schaller-esque strap locks in his man cave. I wouldn't believe it if I hadnt seen for myself!

Quote:

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from dingobass on August 13, 2013, 18:57
Wot, no comment on the awesomeness of DB's Tele, Gav?......... Hmmmmmm, Conch Girl Fretless Hofner Bass with pink Abolone dots, Rainbow flag headstock decal, purple strap locks AND a hot pink case coming up me thinks..... ;)

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Gav will love ya for the build DB!!!

this sounds like it's going to be a great Tele

Quote:

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Benj on August 14, 2013, 08:43
To be fair, DB actually does have purple schaller-esque strap locks in his man cave. I wouldn't believe it if I hadnt seen for myself!

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Be afraid Gav, be very afraid....
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...4-IMG_1916.JPG

Sorry no photos yet guys, but I can provide a quick update, I've been sanding the past couple of nights, not taking any shortcuts, repeating DB's famous mantra in my head.
Neck is smooth as silk, went over with 120 on the headstock for the final shaping (after having used the jigsaw and 40/80 grit to shape), then 180 and 240 to smooth out followed by a light 0000'ing. First coat of yellow applied to neck and it is hanging up, but I might leave it 3 or 4 days as the garage is pretty chilly at the moment.
Went over the body with 120/180 last night and gave up when dinner was served. I do love doing these kits, but the choice between sanding and fillet steak in a red wine horseradish reduction on a bed of sweet potato mash with roast vegetables and a couple of glasses of red.... We all know where I went.
Tonight I'll wet it down, 180 again and then do a 240, 0000 wool and hopefully get a coat on.
Pics to follow this evening.

.............

My god that dinner was amazing

Awwwwwwww..... I wish I had that dinner...
Good to know ya didn't take any shortcuts in the sanding!

I took shortcuts with the HB-4 I made for my bro and I can see the scratches in the finish really clearly.

Not doing that again!

I didn't take any shortcuts with the LP-1 I built recently, there are no scratches, it's dead flat!

yer well done Pest, you are the sanding guru at getting rid of glue on cutaways

Ben look forward to seeing pics of the tele with a 1st coat, better not let Adam the tele napper see it !

OK a couple of snaps of the neck with 1 coat on. Its a little bit patchy, but I'm hoping this will even out with a couple more coats.
I was jamming last night so didnt get to work on the body. That will be this weekend. Very excited to see how the body takes the Butterscotch :)
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...9hnr-Neck1.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...06sk-Neck2.jpg

Ben,
love the hanging system you got for the neck ! Before you apply next coat to the fingerboard I'd concentrate sanding out the darker areas. Next coat should even out better hopefully. Is it vintage yellow wudtone you are using for the neck/fingerboard ? Fine steel wool should remove the darker areas with some elbow grease !

Ben,
Given you've got a curved end to the neck - near the head - may be worthwhile getting a little brush or something to get a little stain into the truss rod hole - that is unless you've got a cover organised.

Thanks for the advice guys, did some work on the neck over the weekend, steel wooled the darker areas and gave it a second coat, looking very nice now.
Body has its first coat on it too, but when i stepped back to admire my work, I noticed I had forgotten to wet the body down and sand to get rid of the fibers on the basswood. Luckily, they are still sitting up so I’ll go over it with 240 to cut it down and give it another coat tomorrow.

Pics to follow in the morning :)