My first build. Keen to get working on it, only ordering today though. Probably jumping the gun with this diary.
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My first build. Keen to get working on it, only ordering today though. Probably jumping the gun with this diary.
I was originally hoping for the quilted maple veneer (TLA-1Q) however they'd appear out of stock for a while and keen to get started so decided the Flame Maple (TLA-1F) was a very acceptable second choice.
I'm hoping to achieve something along the lines of this colour body on the front with fairly natural wood tones on back, neck and head stock.
http://bit.ly/2pXFZjB
I'll be getting the grover 406C tuners when they become available again. With respect to other hardware I'm not yet fully decided. I rarely use a neck pickup so was considering finding an engraved metal plate to cover the routing. Would probably prefer to go without a scratch plate, but will see how it looks once the body is done, then may install a bridge pickup afterall. Various other hardware may get upgraded but quite probably at a later date.
Hmm I guess that'll do for now, things may change when I get the kit. I'm completely inexperienced but from what I can tell, this is an amazingly helpful forum. Cheers.
hey JSergeant, welcome to the forum and no that's not jumping the gun. The diary starts when you click on the sale of the kit !
What are your plans for finish and any hardware upgrades ?
Edit just saw your last post. Plans sound great. Ask any questions you have on this build diary and you will get some good advice.
Good luck with the build
Look forward to watching your build!
Me too and I really like the Ash bodies. What color scheme are you thinking about?
Hi JSeargent. Nice kit and love the proposed colour scheme.
Big tip.....DO NOT SAND THE FLAME MAPLE VENEERED TOP.....clear coats can be used to level things out and you will appreciate more grain definition too.
Too many folk have sanded through as the veneer is so thin. Best way to pop the grain like on the Gibbo LP is to apply a slightly darker shade of the stain, preferably water based, and wipe off as much as you can whilst wet and then leave to dry for 24 hours. Next day use a damp but not too wet cloth to wipe off as much of the stain as possible and leave to dry for again another 24 hours. Next step is to apply the lighter stain and probably best to go one or 2 shades lighter than what you are trying to achieve as you can always add a 2nd coat later to darken but not so easy to lighten things up if it ends up darker than what you intended.
Cheers, Waz
Thanks guys. Have been poking around the forum entirely too much the last few days. I'm already addicted and haven't even started my own yet. Will have to try and restrain myself from buying a second one before finishing the first. The Spalted LPs look amazing...
So while I'm waiting for my kit, I do have some questions.
1) I'm not massively familiar with the structure of the neck. Is it possible to shave a C-profile down to a D without effecting it's integrity?
2) Can the neck plate / tele control plate be engraved? Any suggestions where I can get it done or how to do myself?
3) Alternately, any suggestions where to purchase engraved hardware? (plates, bridge, knobs) Just looking for options on something a little different. Though I guess I should be wary of having too many elements clashing.
4) I'm a little concerned with the veneer. Have seen some builds where its been very thin and concerned I'll stand through too far. Any general advice here?
5) If I decide to go with different pickups, is it wiser to choose them asap to check fit or are all tele bridge pickups relatively similar? Considering a single coil sized humbucker (e.g. Seymour Duncan Little 59).
I guess that's probably enough for today. Thanks in advance :)
While writing that long post, Waz you already answered one of my questions :) and thanks for the staining advice. That was probably going to be in next round of questions haha. For the colour I'm hoping to achieve someone recommended to talk to dingobass. Haven't done so yet but will be soon. I'm surprised at the variety of staining methods people use including printer ink and the like.
Hi Sarge, neck can be sanded or shaved down a little bit without too many dramas. Personally I find the stock profiles just fine.
As for engraving hardware, not an easy DIY project and maybe Mister Minit might be the cheapest option however there are multitudes of aftermarket bits on eBay and other online stores too.
As for the veneer, read my previous post and maybe check out my 3rd build in signature below.
Finally, different pickups should be purchased sooner rather than later as invariably they will require the bridge cavity to be enlarged so that they fit.
Cheers, Waz
1. you can do moderate reshaping of the neck.
2. Talk to your local trphy center or some key cutting places about engraving. Also gun shops if you want really fancy stuff.
3 RealParts had some engraved tele bits
4.h As Waz said don't sand the veneer. I haven't sanded any of mine, clear coats will grain fill and level it .
5 Best to test fit everything before any finishing, that way there is less chance of accidental damaging of your finish. Most aftermarket pickups and bridges will need some slight work to make them fit. Can be achieved with sandpaper on a dowel or a dremel tool or sanding drums.It's not much material to remove.
welcome to your new addiction ;D
JohnH there's a link in one of above posts for the colour I'm going for but am starting to think a slightly darker blue but only on the flame maple. For the rest of body and neck, very light / natural.
Cheers Waz and Dedman. All advice taken on board, especially re: veneer. Never thought about gun shops for engraving, will look into it. I just came across Duncan Vickers Engraver, not sure I want to know how much that would cost... Guess I'll have to decide on pickups asap.
Since those questions have already been answered, here's round 2 :) Certainly no rush to answer.
1) what is the best piece of advice for a first time builder?
2) I decided against purchasing a bone nut from PBG as I found them rather cheaper in a variety of other places. I will definitely be swapping it out but just curious if anyone knows the reason for the price difference? Is it unicorn bone?
3) How should the body and neck be stored while working on it and before any sealing? Is there risk of swelling particularly in humid environments?
Edit (more questions):
4) are there any weak components in PBG kits you'd highly recommend swapping out? e.g. Pots etc.
5) Any staining tips with regard to keeping the binding clean?
I'll leave it there for tonight. Cheers again.
Hi Sarge, I will try to answer some of your questions.....
1) Read lots of the build diaries as some will be very, very helpful and also highlight what not to do. Best advice is to take your time, it is not a race and you will make lots of forum friends along the journey.
2) PBG Bone nuts are worth every cent of that $28 as I have bought several cheapies and for the amount of time and frustration wasted on them not being up to standard explains why they are so much cheaper but also lesser quality too.
3) While doing the initial sanding prep work I tend to put mine back away in the box they arrived in so that nothing falls on them or get accidentally damaged. Eventually they get 'hooked' on plant hanger brackets in my garage where one of the tuner holes does the trick on the neck and a scrap bit of timber is screwed into the neck pocket with a hole at the other end for the plant hanger hook to go through. Swelling may occur if body gets too damp or wet and best to leave it out to dry in a fairly stable environment which is not too hot or moist. If you live in OZ as we head into winter things should be ok, just takes longer for coats of finish to dry and cure.
4) Weak/cheap components.....I am on my 2nd Tele and recommend replacing these items in this order if on a budget....upgrade to Bourns 250k audio taper pots and grab an orange drop capacitor, tone bleed fidelity upgrade, Switchcraft jack socket. Maybe an AllParts 6 Saddle Bridge as intonation on these things can be a pain. A better 3 or 4 way switch is also a good idea plus make sure you buy the vintage cloth push back wire in black & white. Tuners are ok enough unless you feel the need to spend a further $50 to upgrade those too.
5) Use water based stains and wipe the binding down after each stain coat application. You can mask with some latex stuff but I didn't bother on my blue Tele and the binding looks fine.
Hope this helps whilst you await the arrival of you new toy.
questions are good, they prevent head and benchtop coming together :)
1.PATIENCE. Decide what you want and try to stay on course (which I rarely do)
2. DB actually wrestles a pack of pitbulls to get the bone fragments from their last meal. Not sure, I just use Pitbull ones because it's convenient and puts $ in an Aussies pocket.
3. I live in QLD and don't have a humidity problem. Bear in mind the wood will shift a little just after you get it because its been in WA, then in the hold of plane at several thousand feet. I leave my projects either hanging or laying on the work bench.
4. I throw everything away except the neck, body and pickguards and sometimes the pickguard too :) Depends on your budget but electrics are the cheapest bit to replace(pots, capacitors, switches)
5. Mask it with plastic/pvc masking tape (no grain for the stain to sneak under like paper tape), be as careful as you can, be prepared to do some scraping with a Stanley blade or similar anyway.
Legends! Will leave it there for now. Next post will hopefully be the kit delivered and mocked up :)
Hi Sarge, just wondering which part of OZ do you live and how long for your kit to arrive from Perth?
I'm in Brisbane. I ordered on Wednesday. I haven't had any word on it being dispatched as yet. Not sure what the normal process is. Any idea roughly how long it takes to ship to Brisbane?
Depends on Aus Post, anywhere between 5 days and 2 weeks.
Thanks for the info pablopepper :)
usually a week for me
So let's talk pickups. I was originally leaning towards a single coil sized humbucker along the lines of a Little 59 or some such but I'm thinking I'll will go with single coil after all. Part of the reason I chose the Tele in the first place was to push me out of my comfort zone, I usually play EMG-81/85 so I guess I'm heading to the other end of the spectrum. I'll have to admit I've never picked up a Tele let alone played one.
While I'd love to go splurge on some Seymour Duncans, I'm a little concerned about spending as much or more on the pickups than I have on the kit itself (and it's yet to be determined whether I can actually build the guitar at all, let alone one deserving such pickups). I have seen that bmusic has DiMarzio Twang Kings at a fairly reasonable price ($89 each for bridge and neck), I may be able to talk myself into that.
I would be remiss to ask your thoughts on some of the cheaper options available. I saw in another build diary someone mentioned Guitar Fetish as reasonably priced pickups. Have also come across various other options at Mr Fabulous, the Gotoh range, and of course the various options available through PBG.
I was also thinking to do away with a neck pickup originally but have changed my mind there too. I will be looking for mounting options other than using the pickguard, or perhaps drastically modifying the pickguard.
EDIT: I realise this is large a matter of taste, I guess more asking about quality of these products as compared to something like Seymour Duncans taking the price difference into account.
EDIT 2: What are the risks of second hand pickups?
heaps of guys here including myself have used the Tone Riders from the PGB store and have good things to say about them. I used the Vintage Plus I think. I'd stick with the single coils because that what makes a tele a tele , to me anyway, its that twang. There is a point of diminishing returns where like a lot of things you are paying for the brand rather than the product , SD's make great pick ups, no denying it but are they worth double a set of Tone Riders? Only you can decide.
Second hand.....why are they selling them? Did the soaking in beer experiment fail? :eek: Just like used cars really, you take a punt.
For a Tele have a look at the Tonerider range, I'm using Hot Classics in my current build because they are suppised to be close to Texas Specials.
Go over to TDPRI.com for reviews/opinions of various Tele pickup options.
I have custom wound 52 Blackguard spec pickups in my Squier Thinline and they are amazing, the stock Squier Classic Vibe family pickups are supposed to be exactly the same as Tonerider Vintage Classics. ( same factory different door )
I have Seymour Duncan stacked HBs in my Pitbull Strat and they are coming out, they lack clarity for my tastes also don't sound Strat like at all.
Thanks guys. Just had a listen to a few YouTube videos demoing the Tonerider sets. Sound great. And at a much more palatable price (one I could probably get approved by the boss/wife). Based on those I'm leaning towards the Vintage Plus but I might dig around the forum and see if there's any sound demos on the two different sets before I make my final decision.
Acceptable price and performance is the reason I went for the TRs the pension doesn't stretch to Kinmans or the even more desirable to me Harmonic Design.
Hi Sarge, hunted down Andy40's Rosewood Tele build demo link but it looks like the video has expired?
http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=6258
I have Tonerider Hot Classics going into the Swampy Tele build and hope to have it finished within the few weeks. Second time I have used Tonerider as I was really pleased with the Alnico IV's that were put in the EX-1, more organic than the EMG's you mentioned above. For single coils, and in particular Tele's I reckon it is hard to find any better for the price. Trust me, I looked for ages and even considered some genuine over priced Fender's as a Tele must sound like one, not just look like one.
Edit: My Blue Tele has Wilkinsons and will be uploading a rough demo video this weekend. They sound way better than stock standard Chinese kit PUP's but yet to see how much of a difference between them and the TR Hot Classics.
Thanks Waz. Look forward to hearing both of the demos. Swampy looks great. Are these the Wilkinsons?
https://guitarmakersemporium.com.au/...ck-ups-chrome/
Bingo, or at least they look very similar and about as cheap as you will find for a set anywhere.
Someone helpfully sent through a tracing of the blank head stock and I've just spent a little time doodling some ideas. I've been advised that without the standard Tele head design, it can look quite odd. I've tried keeping it fairly similar in terms of width. I think I'd like to try something similar to some others I've seen on the forum where a section is shaved (I really don't know any woodworking terms...) at an angle (the middle line in designs below). This shaved/angled section I would possibly stain to match the body leaving the rest of the head stock a fairly light natural colour. I'll see if I can find an example image to better explain this terrible description...
Nice! I really like the third one if you're looking for input!
Definitely looking for input, and that's the one I'm leaning towards. Might whip up a few more tomorrow and refine the others there, but I'm quite happy with that one so far.
At the end of the day it's your guitar mate, do what you want with it. The below is what i had done with my TLA TH kit.
Attachment 19713
The whole point is to do something that appeals to you, or to who you are building it for. with the profiling though I'd be careful about getting too close to the nut, and remember to think of things like where your string trees and machine head washers and ferrules and such are going to end up.
Edit: FWIW 3 &4 are probably my 2 favs! Can't think why.....
I also vote third, though the fourth comes a close second
Cheers for the tips FrankenWashie. Very new to all of this, so these little nuggets of advice are valuable :)
Keep in mind too that the bigger the head, the more the sustain (so they reckon). I like number one IMO.
I tend to favour number one also as it seems to offer a bit of a shadow effect of the traditional design.
Yeah that's what I was going for with that one, but just free hand so I might get the proper tele head template and redo that one based off that.
For reference it'd be along the lines of theresimon's beauty http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...5&d=1486814696
But with colour on the profiled section. However I'm not sure how this would looked given that the grain might not be as evident there? Perhaps I could obtain a small piece of flame maple veneer to add there? Given I'm completely inexperienced perhaps this is biting off a little more than I can chew.