TD's Scratchy Thinline

[fender3x]

Since you have three on the humbucker, I'd be tempted to a coil cut with one. Filtertrons a bit of a different animal, but with most humbuckers you get a bit more sparkle from the single coil setting. The other setting I would consider (taking a page from the Esquires) is to take the tone pot out of the circuit and use a cap to get a tone setting you like. I don't have a bass set up that way, but I can see doing it. There's usually one tone setting that I use for pretty much everything, although I occasionally want to dial in something different. So having a setting for "that one setting", having another for the tone pot full range, and having a coil split might be nice, without getting over complicated. Just a thought...now going to take a look at Weirdbit's idea ;-)

[Trevor Davies]

I like weirdbits' idea to try different cap values. They are cheap, and sometimes you can get a handful to see what you like best.

Yes, I will get a range from 1nF to 10nF to test them out. I may set up a breadboard circuit to test them out

[Trevor Davies]

Meanwhile, I have given the blue tele a wet/dry rub from 1200 to 2000 g, polished the body with Kustom Creations Kustom Grit step 1 (cutting compound), and step 2 using a Random Orbital Polisher and micro-fibre pad. I then applied Maguire’s Scratch X with the Polisher and micro-fibre cloth.

[fender3x]

...I may set up a breadboard circuit to test them out

the chicklet caps that I use are cheap. So, I just soldered alligator clips to the ends of a few and tried them clipped into the circuit. One nice thing is that caps are additive, so you don't need to get that many caps to test with. (Another thing I learned from Weirdbits).

The blueburst is looking nice and shiny ;-) Always one of my favorites

[Trevor Davies]

Today I have added the neck and the bridge (a Wilkinson Ash tray). Checked that the strings will be aligned down the neck, and that I can get the 648 mm scale length. My other tele builds have string lengths of 648 for the high E, to 654 on the low E - so I just set these from the start and hopefully they will not need much changing for the final setup.

Also decided that I'm using a black pickguard (I think I made this originally for my TLA-1). It needed a bit of filing, sanding, and scraping to get it to match the shape of the body.

[Trevor Davies]

The blue tele has now been assembled, and rough tuned to allow the neck to settle.

The neck was finished with tru-oil last year! It was originally meant for another build. The logo is vinyl sticker from Cricut Joy machine. It looks like the maple is quilted slightly.

The body is stained with Ubeaut Blue dye. Then 4 coats of Cabot's water-based polyurethane, a black burst of 2 coats of Cabot's water-based black stain and varnish, then 4 more coats of clear poly clear. (I should do more final coats of clear next time).

Bridge is a Wilkinson Ashtray. Custom Pickguard is 3 ply.

Besides the bridge, this build was basically from left-overs and spare parts. I really wanted to trial the blue dye on basswood, and practice spraying a burst!

[blinddrew]

Just catching up with this thread, nice work all round there.

[Trevor Davies]

Thanks Drew.

[Trevor Davies]

Started the last tele bass for this thread. This one is having the Victorian Ash body that I laminated last year. The neck is a PB maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. I have shaped the headstock and changed the nut to a bone.

The plastic nut was well stuck in - I scored the edges, light taps with a block and hammer, and pulled it out with pliers but it left a big section of plastic in the channel. I ended up having to use a precision screwdriver as a chisel and chisel the old bits out. It worked

[Trevor Davies]

Routed the neck pocket, pup cavity and control cavity. This one is not having the normal tele control plate - but more like the thinline pickguard and controls. Also drilled the jack socket recess, the channels between the cavities, and the channel for the bridge ground. Finally, routed a quarter round edge to the top and bottom and a bit of sanding to 240 g.