My first build: DTL-1

[gpjt]

And it's always far more reliable to measure direct from the nut to the saddle, not from the 12th fret to the saddle.

Unfortunately the only decent ruler I have is 600mm in length -- I'll double-check the numbers with my measuring tape, but that's bound to be off a mil or two in either direction.

I'll suggest a simple, non-invasive solution might be trying a longer screw on the E/A saddle.

I'm seeing your break point on the E/A at about 652mm, so it may be ok. The rest of the saddles look to be about the 643mm mark, which should be good. 646-649mm is where I usually find the sweet spot on those strings.

FWIW, I find the low E generally intonates between 648 and 651, but I've seen cases where it was way more, and the saddle is backed up as far as it will go. (I've even seen (on a strat) where the back end of the saddle had to be filed shorter and the spring removed just to get the E6 to intonate!)

The next, and probably most definitive solution, is to shift the bridge and route p/up cavity accordingly. IMO, I'd try a longer screw first.

I'm not sure the shorter screw wasn't a mistake. I've not seen a tele bridge (especially an import) that didn't have 3 equal length screws. May be it's just what was at hand during assembly.

EDIT: I just looked the pics in the PBG listing, and the E/A saddle screw is indeed shorter, I still think a longer one will get you where you need to be though if you're worried about it.

Based on the photos and my recollection of the camera angle (which was a bit crappy, sorry!) it's 324+328=652mm for the E/A, like you say, but 324+323=647mm for the top four strings. That seems surprisingly far back for the factory to have put the holes, but there we go.

Am I understanding you correctly, that for the higher strings, sometimes you wind up having a smaller distance between the bridge and the twelfth fret than you do between the fret and the nut?

Nice idea about getting a longer screw! Presumably they're standard M-something ones that the local hardware shop will sell.

Sorta-kinda tempted to just wait for the tuners, put them on, then screw on the bridge, and then string it up and see what it needs, then move the bridge if necessary. The problem with that, though is that right now the screw holes that are there could probably be filled with glued-in dowels and then new screw holes drilled. But once a screw has gone into those holes, I'd be worried that doweling them won't give them enough strength to handle a new hole right next to them.

[McCreed]

... it's 324+328=652mm for the E/A, like you say, but 324+323=647mm for the top four strings.

Am I understanding you correctly, that for the higher strings, sometimes you wind up having a smaller distance between the bridge and the twelfth fret than you do between the fret and the nut?

My bad, I said 643, but I think the different direction of the ruler in the two pics threw me off. Nevertheless, 647 should be fine.

First, there are no magic concrete numbers for these things. Each instrument is going to be different and needs to be treated as such. Yes, there are staring points, but often the "sweet spot" will be greater or less than in some cases.
So, I have indeed seen higher strings that intonated short of the 648 mark, but also seen them at 649...

And like Simon said above, I measure from the nut not the 12 fret x 2 method. I will measure nut to 12th as a check to make sure there's nothing completely out of whack with the neck, but the bridge placement will ultimately be measured from the nut. A longer steel rule is a cheap but good investment.

Nice idea about getting a longer screw! Presumably they're standard M-something ones that the local hardware shop will sell.

They'll be M3 w/ 0.5 thread. I don't think you'll find them in you local hardware store, but I could be wrong. I know I haven't seen in a h/w store here (AUS). Try a local guitar shop or repairer, and they'd probably sell you one. If it were my shop, I'd give you one!.

The problem with that, though is that right now the screw holes that are there could probably be filled with glued-in dowels and then new screw holes drilled. But once a screw has gone into those holes, I'd be worried that doweling them won't give them enough strength to handle a new hole right next to them.

If the dowels go in with a bit of resistance, they'll be fine IMO. They should be snug enough that you can't push in/pull out with your fingers. You should need to lightly tap them in (and not with a 3lb hammer!).
Use decent wood glue and let them sit overnight before drilling into or next to them.

If you can't match a dowel to the existing hole size, it may require drilling out the holes an appropriate size to fit the next size up of dowel.

[gpjt]

Thanks once again, McCreed! Hopefully I won't need to move the bridge, but if it does turn out to be necessary, at least I know what to do now. The good news is that it seems vanishingly unlikely that I'll have to move the bridge more than 10mm forward, so there's no harm in moving forward with finishing -- any work required will be underneath the bridge plate. Gotta love Teles

Anyhow, time to get the tools out and actually do some work on this thing! Coping

[gpjt]

...not sure what happened there. What I meant to say was, "coping saw out"...

[gpjt]

Here's the result after cutting off the bulk of the excess with the coping saw. As you can see, this isn't something I'm even remotely competent at...



However, half an hour with some 90-grit sandpaper and things are looking a little better:



And another half an hour with 150-grit, using both a deodorant can and my e-cigarette as sanding blocks for the concave curves, and the result is something I feel quite proud of!





Finally, a sanity check -- does the wall mount hold it?



Yup

[gpjt]

A quick wipe down with white spirit to see if there are any glue spots and to check how the grain will look when oiled -- not clear from the photo but there are a couple of light glue marks near the control plate. Need to get something to remove that.

[king casey]

Excellent work.
Cutting maple with a coping saw is quite difficult.
(I gave up and just straight-cut the excess with a normal hand saw).

You are lucky though, in that those tuning holes are lined up quite well.

cheers, Mark.

[gpjt]

Thanks! Good to hear that it wasn't *only* me being a bad workman that led to the messy first cut

I'm going to try using white vinegar to remove the glue marks once the white spirit has evaporated -- the Internet tells me that it works well on wood glue, and my other half uses it for pretty much all of our household cleaning so we've got 15 litres of the stuff knocking around. Worst case is that it won't work and I'll have to get something specialised.

[Simon Barden]

If it's going to be covered up be a pickguard or neck plate, I wouldn't go too mad on absolute glue removal.

Glue marks are normally only an issue with veneered tops and its a bit strange that you've got some on a solid body. Of course the pieces making up the body have to be glued together, so there's always a chance that some of that wasn't wiped off properly. I'm also thinking that the acetic acid in the vinegar may possibly lighten/bleach the wood if a lot is used, so I'd try it in a pickup rout first before using it on the top in a visible location.

Nice work on the headstock BTW. You'll soon be making your own necks from scratch!

[McCreed]

That's a lovely grain pattern in the ash.
Some contrasting grain filler will really bring it to life.