Chuck's "Reverse Nashville" scratch build

Probably way to early to put something up, but somehow starting a build diary makes you focus. Not that I don't have enough going at the moment with three other builds!!

After scoring a reverse headstock strat neck from Ponch I decided to do something that would suit it. First step was roughly cutting out a reverse Jazzmaster body shape...

Attachment 21972

It's okay, but that lower horn just wasn't right, so a bit more cutting and I've got something I think I can work with...

Attachment 21973

And so to the plan. I stumbled across this Tonefiend piece on three pickup "Nashville Tele" wiring and it looked interesting - so that's the wiring/pickup plan. I'm undecided on whether to go a hardtail bridge or a Jazzmaster trem unit but I don't have to worry about that yet I guess. I want to keep this one reasonably simple so a solid colour finish and no tricky stuff should be the go. Anyway, don't expect too many updates for a while until I finish the others but at least it's underway!

cool idea Chuck, the double reverse - body and headstock. Looks cool. As long as you can reach the 21st fret ok ?
Good score on the Ponch neck that spent some time behind his workbench I think !

Has Ponch put pau shell dot markers in or is that your handy work?

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

cool idea Chuck, the double reverse - body and headstock. Looks cool. As long as you can reach the 21st fret ok ?
Good score on the Ponch neck that spent some time behind his workbench I think !

Has Ponch put pau shell dot markers in or is that your handy work?

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Pretty sure the neck came with those dot markers, and yes, that's the "behind the workbench" Ponch neck!

21st fret? I don't think I've ever been there on a guitar! Heck, I barely get past the 12th fret!!

Is that body Ash?

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Originally Posted by Andy40

Is that body Ash?

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It's good old dressed pine from the Green Shed - five pieces of 90x45 glued together. Whenever I'm in there I check the stock of 1.2m lengths and if there's a nice straight one or two I grab them (something like $7-8 each). I've got a few blanks glued up ready for when I come up with a crazy idea...

Hey Chuck, that's what I used to do early scratchys. If there were a couple of straight pieces without too many knots and cracks I'd glue up a blank.

Are you going to set up with Nashville tuning as well ?

Have you got a planer and thicknesser? or did you do by hand?

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Originally Posted by dave.king1

Are you going to set up with Nashville tuning as well ?

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Ha! It was actually while searching for stuff around Nashville tuning that I came across the Nashville wiring thing. I've actually strung up my Gretsch 5120 with Nashville tuning and I find it really interesting, so probably don't need two set up that way. That said, it would be kinda cool to go Nashville all the way on this one!

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Originally Posted by Andy40

Have you got a planer and thicknesser? or did you do by hand?

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I built myself a router sled Andy. It's not perfect but it does allow me to knock 5-8mm off the body thickness and deal with little bits of movement in the timber when it's glued. Once I've given both sides of the blank a run through the sled it's flat enough to finish by hand using a large sanding block.

I'm hearing you on the tuning thing Chuck but it does provide a great soundscape when you have two guitars in standard and NV tuning, think early Eagles twin lead sound.

I have yet to try and explain to the wife why I need a fourth Tele just for NV tuning, each guitar in the herd has totally different voicing and adding another unique voice "must" be a good thing.

I haven't got to bari's, hollow body or Gibby style yet , but to be honest I am not at home with the shorter scale length and have 2 HB guitars already.

I'm thinking F type VI if/when that happens, GR style would just about fill the quiver ( until I need a double bound burst Tele with ash body, rosewood board and 60 spec pups to replace a lost love that matches that description, well north of $20K if I could find her again )

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Originally Posted by dave.king1

I haven't got to bari's, hollow body or Gibby style yet , but to be honest I am not at home with the shorter scale length and have 2 HB guitars already.

I'm thinking F type VI if/when that happens, GR style would just about fill the quiver ( until I need a double bound burst Tele with ash body, rosewood board and 60 spec pups to replace a lost love that matches that description, well north of $20K if I could find her again )

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I can loan you a 28.5" scale ibanez MMM1, but it is twin HB so may not float your tonal boat DK

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Originally Posted by Chuck

Probably way to early to put something up, but somehow starting a build diary makes you focus. Not that I don't have enough going at the moment with three other builds!!

After scoring a reverse headstock strat neck from Ponch I decided to do something that would suit it. First step was roughly cutting out a reverse Jazzmaster body shape...

Attachment 21972

It's okay, but that lower horn just wasn't right, so a bit more cutting and I've got something I think I can work with...

Attachment 21973

And so to the plan. I stumbled across this Tonefiend piece on three pickup "Nashville Tele" wiring and it looked interesting - so that's the wiring/pickup plan. I'm undecided on whether to go a hardtail bridge or a Jazzmaster trem unit but I don't have to worry about that yet I guess. I want to keep this one reasonably simple so a solid colour finish and no tricky stuff should be the go. Anyway, don't expect too many updates for a while until I finish the others but at least it's underway!

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I've been racking my brain, because I'm sure Fender released a guitar that looked like this, basically an upside down jazzmaster body, I think with humbuckers. I can't remember what it was called so I can't find a picture of it.

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Originally Posted by Fretworn

I've been racking my brain, because I'm sure Fender released a guitar that looked like this, basically an upside down jazzmaster body, I think with humbuckers. I can't remember what it was called so I can't find a picture of it.

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You got me interested Fretty so I started hunting and I think I've found it - actually a little disappointed as I thought it was my idea!!

Attachment 22012

It's from the Pawn Shop series and it's called a Super-Sonic. Mine will be a bit different though so not a direct copy - interesting how they also played with the lower horn to make it look better, almost exactly as I did.

Hey Chuck, I've seen something like that shape before. The chance of making a totally original guitar shape are very slim as just about avery shape has already been done - check out beautiful and ugly guitar threads haha

Jeez Chuck I'd swear we're in the same groove but different. You do a Surfcaster, and me then you inadvertantly do a pawn shop strat. Something weird here. Ha

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Originally Posted by JB RETRO

Jeez Chuck I'd swear we're in the same groove but different. You do a Surfcaster, and me then you inadvertantly do a pawn shop strat. Something weird here. Ha

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Great minds obviously!!

Fender obviously modded the inverted Jazz/Jag shape to get better upper fret access, just like Chuck did. Same problem, same solution!

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Originally Posted by Chuck

You got me interested Fretty so I started hunting and I think I've found it - actually a little disappointed as I thought it was my idea!!

Attachment 22012

It's from the Pawn Shop series and it's called a Super-Sonic. Mine will be a bit different though so not a direct copy - interesting how they also played with the lower horn to make it look better, almost exactly as I did.

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That's it, I knew it was a "Super" something.