Tele scratch built snake guitar

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18-10-2016, 07:01 AM
euroa guitars

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Tele scratch built snake guitar

Thought I would show you all some picks of the almost finished Snake Tele.
A while back I asked you guys what coloured hardware I should use so as to not detract from the snake design.
The specs are:
Reclaimed Cypress Pine body (it used to be a potting bench) Air dried 20+yrs
Blackwood neck with Rosewood fretboard, jumbo frets with Corian "Clay look" dots, bone nut
Hand reliced chrome hardware on front with snakewood control knobs
CTS pots, Orange drop cap, 3 way rotary selector
50s repro pickups
Hipshot classic open back tuners
Hand reliced gold back plates to match local custom made brass ferrule tone block
Body and neck finished in Tru-oil with a wax topcoat

Still to do relicing and fitting of neck pickup surround plate
White sticker on front is for local show as its going to be exhibited at the weekend

Thanks everyone for your suggestions really happy how this one turned out :)
18-10-2016, 09:33 AM
wokkaboy

wow that's come up really nice Euroa, love the touches and the look you got. Is the control cover and string through plate not recessed ? I think they would look better recessed flat with the body. Otherwise sensational axe. How does it sound and play ?
18-10-2016, 09:48 AM
stan

great job, good luck in the show
18-10-2016, 10:46 AM
WeirdBits

That is a special build, love the neck and headstock.
18-10-2016, 11:58 AM
vh2580

Stunner. Looks fantastic
18-10-2016, 12:51 PM
Dedman

love it, very well conceived and executed :D
19-10-2016, 02:04 PM
euroa guitars

2 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by wokkaboy

wow that's come up really nice Euroa, love the touches and the look you got. Is the control cover and string through plate not recessed ? I think they would look better recessed flat with the body. Otherwise sensational axe. How does it sound and play ?

HI Wokka
I agree the control cover would be best recessed but time was not a friend lol the string through plate is actually a "tone " block made from 1/2 inch sq brass I had several made by a local engineering company, hate drilling ferrule holes so this is a lot easier. I could have bought one from De lisle in the USA but since I use different bridges with different string spacings I had these made with a slot in the back to allow room for this, I'm happy to say it actually works. So the block is recessed in but protrudes the same amount as the neck and control plates, mainly so itlooks all the same.
As far as sound I'm blown away with the pickups they are GFS 50s 6.3bridge and 6.6neck a local guy who used to tour with different aussie bands in the 70s had a play and its got plenty of Tele twang and spank in the bridge and nice tone in the neck
19-10-2016, 02:09 PM
wokkaboy

Hey Euroa, thanks for the explanation, the tone blocks is a great idea and looks like a plate from the outside. So have you just routed a small cavity for the strings to go through the body or drilled holes between the block and bridge?
19-10-2016, 02:38 PM
euroa guitars

Quote:

Originally Posted by wokkaboy

Hey Euroa, thanks for the explanation, the tone blocks is a great idea and looks like a plate from the outside. So have you just routed a small cavity for the strings to go through the body or drilled holes between the block and bridge?

Holes drilled through from the front to correspond with the bridge string spacing (I did drill these oversize) then a simple 12.7mm 1/2inch slot routed in the back to drop in the block, I drilled the the treble and bass E string holes right through as reference points and then used these to line the block up from the back. THen drilled the rest of the hole to the routed cavity (if that makes sense)
19-10-2016, 02:40 PM
wokkaboy

yeah cool good move Euroa
19-10-2016, 02:41 PM
euroa guitars

Quote:

Originally Posted by wokkaboy

yeah cool good move Euroa

Thanks mate, a whole easier than trying to get ferrule holes even!
19-10-2016, 02:44 PM
wokkaboy

haha yeah, ferrule holes are much easier when you have a drill press that reaches to the centre of the guitar body
21-10-2016, 06:21 AM
depictedminds

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!

unbelievable. Thats all I can say.

Ill be honest... I've been talking to the missus about some of my "one day" guitars... and honestly, id put some of the guitars made on this forum above even the most prestigious guitars im wanting.

The craftsmanship from you folk is just amazing. Its a real comfort to know im in the presence of such outstanding builders.

This thing is mindblowing. Outstanding work.
21-10-2016, 07:06 AM
stan

Fantastic idea with the tone blocks, this will be an epic axe
22-10-2016, 05:55 PM
maxaxe

Likewise. Love the innovation, style, artistry & execcution of this Tele.

[QUOTE=depictedminds;120134]ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!

unbelievable. Thats all I can say.
24-10-2016, 04:27 PM
euroa guitars

Quote:

Originally Posted by depictedminds

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!

unbelievable. Thats all I can say.

Ill be honest... I've been talking to the missus about some of my "one day" guitars... and honestly, id put some of the guitars made on this forum above even the most prestigious guitars im wanting.

The craftsmanship from you folk is just amazing. Its a real comfort to know im in the presence of such outstanding builders.

This thing is mindblowing. Outstanding work.

Thanks for the kind words Depictedminds... the Tele was played by a working muso on Saturday night and it sounded awesome the bridge pickup in particular was incredible and he loved it, to the point that he played the Tele all night instead of his American Fender Strat, just need him to buy it lol! How much the tone ferrule block made to the sound I can't say, and the Cypress Pine body well thats another tone debate! I only have one video of it playing and that was on my iphone if I can clean up the sound a bit I will try and post it... Glad you liked it!
25-10-2016, 04:50 AM
UpperCaseH

Definitely one of those "not really my thing but it looks so good that I might have to rethink what my thing is" guitars. If that makes sense.

Or to sum it up in a word: Stunning.
25-10-2016, 05:46 AM
dave.king1

Never been a fan of the snakes head headstock but oh my that is a stunning piece of work right there.

That is art
28-10-2016, 09:39 PM
euroa guitars

Quote:

Originally Posted by UpperCaseH

Definitely one of those "not really my thing but it looks so good that I might have to rethink what my thing is" guitars. If that makes sense.

Or to sum it up in a word: Stunning.

Wasn't really my thing either on paper... When I cut out the body I thought it looked a bit like a bread board, so I asked a local artist to do something with it and the snake was the end result, now I love it. BTW the artist is on facebook as Gee-Gal and she has purchased a tele kit from pitbull and is carving a giant redback spider into the body, hopefully she will put up a build diary soon, its stunning!