Unusual timber Tester Guitar

[stan]

what a cool test rig, nice job.
Are the pickups being sent to you for testing or did you win lotto and bought a bunch?

[euroa guitars]

what a cool test rig, nice job.
Are the pickups being sent to you for testing or did you win lotto and bought a bunch?

I wish I won Lotto! No just testing a bunch for future builds that I've managed to purchase direct from overseas manufacturers

[euroa guitars]

I think that green staining you've done looks magnificent ..well done !! what kinda product you using?

Thanks Guvna
This was stained using U-Beaut stains blue and green mixed together. Its the first time I've used them thought they were a little weak in colour but not bad. The pine stained a little patchy but as I said wouldn't normally use Radiata Pine anyway (prefer Hoop Pine for light bodies) It was then finished with tru-oil.

[euroa guitars]

Apparently the bodies of the first few original Fender Telecasters were made from Pine (not sure if it was Pinus Radiata).

Yeah I don't know Radiata is native to California (as well as here in the Southern Hemisphere) but it could have been Southern Yellow or Ponderosa Pine too. I think Leo just used what he could get ie switching from Swamp Ash to Alder when supplys of Swamp Ash dwindled

[Simon Barden]

I thought it was more a case of Leo being the astute businessman and saving more money on the builds. Alder was cheaper than ash, and with solid bodied guitars, it didn't matter that the wood had minimal figuring in it, as it was all covered over. So from about '56, sunbursts, clears and blonds were normally ash (and usually cost a bit more as well), whilst solid colours were normally alder (which also did away with the need for grain filling). As always with Fender, there were exceptions.

[euroa guitars]

I thought it was more a case of Leo being the astute businessman and saving more money on the builds. Alder was cheaper than ash, and with solid bodied guitars, it didn't matter that the wood had minimal figuring in it, as it was all covered over. So from about '56, sunbursts, clears and blonds were normally ash (and usually cost a bit more as well), whilst solid colours were normally alder (which also did away with the need for grain filling). As always with Fender, there were exceptions.

Your probably right Simon, don't think the tonewood debate would have been raging then, (lol) he was an amazing businessman, it would be very interesting to see what would have happened to the Fender Co. if he hadn't have sold it to CBS. I suppose you have to look at some of the Music man and G and L guitars... maybe we wouldn't all be playing guitars entrenched in the 50s and 60s???

[Simon Barden]

There must come a point in your life when if someone offers you several million dollars for your company, you take it. He was 55 when he sold it to CBS, plus he had been in very bad health for a while with a bad sinus infection (the main reason he sold it). He then changed doctors and the infection got cured! His improved health was probably the main reason he got back into guitar making with Music Man in 1975, though he had financed the company it evolved from for quite a while beforehand. He had signed a non-compete agreement with CBS as part of the sale terms, so he had to wait until it expired before being more hands-on. Had he had a better doctor from the start, he would probably have never sold Fender.

[Andy40]

Pretty cool pine there man. nice shape too.

[euroa guitars]

Well the tester guitar is now finished, if I was to do it again I would make it differently, thicker to start with as it has been a bit of a struggle with the electronics. However it works as it should so time to start testing.
The photo of the pickups are the ones to be tested, big range of different types all Alnicos 2s and 5s from vintage to modern styles from factory wound to hand scatter wound...think it might take some time lol
Next project the "Fake" Rosewood test

[wokkaboy]

nice one Euroa, so whats the setup will it be easy to interchange pickups and where did you score that great set of pickups ?