Pinecaster...

Okay, this was always in the pipeline so here we go!

This is my first scratch build. Pinecaster with maybe a stunning 1/4 inch ply top plus binding.

Obtained some of the finest 90mm x 45mm from the big green shed. $48 bucks worth and enough wood for two!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...b4712f8da8.jpg

Carefully cut these in half and matched the grain. Next job to plane the sides flat and glue them together.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...af9e8f9802.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...da0479b360.jpg

And here are my paper plans to be templated

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...a062553a2f.jpg

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Love the end grain matching job Andrew, what exotic sort of Plywood are you using for the top?

This pinecaster will be a hard tail (string through top) and dual humbucker. Maple neck and rosewood fretboard. Not sure on the control cavity I may go through the back like a cabronita tele

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Great! I used the same stuff for my first!

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Originally Posted by FrankenWashie

Love the end grain matching job Andrew, what exotic sort of Plywood are you using for the top?

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Ha yes it's not exactly master cabinetry!

I have a ply kids table in the shed. Looking for a ply pattern like this. It may end up with a Tele shape hole in it...

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...6a21a877cd.jpg

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scratchie, very cool, that table is just the thing - do it

nice one Ponch, glad you are taking the next step building a scratchy. You will learn so much and next one can be nicer timber !

Wokks, yes it's about time! This is a real crash test dummy. At least any botched craftsmanship is on a very cheap lump of pine

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Originally Posted by andrewdosborne

Wokks, yes it's about time! This is a real crash test dummy. At least any botched craftsmanship is on a very cheap lump of pine

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Yep, made a number of discoveries with templates today that were much better discovered on pine test blank than new ash body blank:
1. 1/2" router bit actually 13mm
2. Routing template bridge location 1/4" too far from nut for scale length.
3. Pup position no where near either harmonic interval adjacent to bridge or fretboard.

So all good to find out, just annoying to think that such simple little things could completely stuff the build if you don't find them up front.

That's a shame but on a positive the experience makes us all better in the end...

I'll have to hack quite a few of these pine jobbies before attempting on some wood of any value.

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Good on you Andrew. Join the club of cautious first time scratch builders. Cheap pine takes away a lot of the stress of a first build. If it all goes belly up you've still got the neck and hardware to start again.

Im sure you'll do a great job, and there is a certain feeling of pride in saying you did it yourself.

I've just come home from Hawaii and while I was there I played a Fender Telecaster Special Edition FMT HH, quite an interesting guitar with split Seymour Duncan's so had a good spread of sounds.

It was never going to follow me home because the management had said don't even think of it and I wish to retain the meat and spuds.

Having said that it had to be the worst setup I have played in a very long time, the nut was way too high so pulled sharp when any string was fretted pretty much anywhere on the neck and the action was worse.

For ~$800 US I would want something that required no work at all.

There was a beautiful spalted Ibanez super Strat on Maui that really did speak to me but as mentioned above it was a no go, I wasn't game to touch that one because it really was that good and I may have been buried over there

Sorry, rambled too much in the previous post.

I'll watch this build with interest and suggest if you are going down the HH route you have a look at clips and specs of the FMT Tele.

I am having my humbuckers on one of my Teles rewound so I can split the coils and get more out of it

Ha no worries Dave this is actually a good reminder for me to start dropping hints at home for the holiday trip to the US I'm trying to influence...

That humbucker tele looks interesting. Very similar to what I have planned except it is carved top. Thanks for pointing me to this, I'll investigate it some more

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Ponch as you have plans for a standard tele with 2 single pups you might as well make your templates for that. When you get around to the next scratchy maybe you can experiment with humbucker templates. Once you get a collection of templates then you can mix and match pickup options !
A good tip is route your neck pocket pretty early in the build, this way you have more meat for the router template to sit on and if it moves a bit from where you planned to route you can re-draw the body shape to suit.

If you haven't had much experience using a router I suggest you have a practice on some pine offcuts first. Make sure everything is clamped down tight and the router bit collar is tight. Hold on for the ride !

Also pre-drilling holes in the routed area will mean less routing, check out Simon's scratch builds to see some pics

Thanks Wokks, as always good advice

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Yes definitely make a template with neck pocket and pickup cavities. Also the centre line is very, very important!

good tip Simon, centreline should be clearly marked on the body and templates, and always wear safety boots approved by Simon !

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

good tip Simon, centreline should be clearly marked on the body and templates, and always wear safety boots approved by Simon !

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Haha who cares about safety? :O

Ah yes safety and the centre line. Steel toe capped thongs are in order. I'll use the centre join as the centre line for now

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