Shortscale Snakehead

[impala59]

After a few weeks home maintenance at the insistence of she who must be obeyed, i have started collecting parts for my next project, a 24.75" scale Snakehead Telecaster. I have acquired a square edged Tele body and paddle headstock neck plus have an array of parts purchased in bulk from a pal who has given up building stuff.
This is in some ways the antithesis of the SGT built recently as I am using an angled back headstock on a Tele body. I really like Telecasters and the simple wiring and layout. Making subtle changes is interesting and makes for unique instruments. Obviously the bridge assembly will be moving toward the neck which kind of messes up the pre routed pickup holes but that is where the fun of creating (bodging) comes in. I intend to replicate my 6mm brass, bolted through "resoplate" as string anchor for the through body strings as it gives the lightweight bodies that I seem to buy, some serious density and weight. Together with a brass nut I am hoping for good sustain and open tuned flexibility. I have some hot rail knock-off pickups and will go with those initially, but all things may change, that is what I really enjoy about this guitar building thing.
I will mock up soon and post some pics

[impala59]

I've roughly shaped the headstock now and mocked up for pictures. I have just about all the hardware, although I may get an alternative bridge plate to avoid some cutting. I realise that the original Snakehead was a single pick up instrument and that may be a project for the future as have another two necks left, one in 24.75 and one in 25.5 scale, perhaps a scratch build body for that in the future. This one, however, is for a friend who wants a compact, lightweight, flexible guitar. Looking at it in mock up, I think I have the compact and lightweight sorted, I hope as it progresses, the flexible will work out too. I also have a P90 which is another possibility. Plan at this time is for an oiled neck and satin black body, maybe a red scratchplate, but all that may change over time. (still making it up as I go!)
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[McCreed]

That will look pretty cool. Look forward to seeing it progress.

[Simon Barden]

Have you checked the bridge position is OK ? With a 24.75" scale neck, you're missing 0.75" of overall scale length. The distance from the bridge to the neck pocket end is roughly 1/3 of the overall scale, so the bridge will need to move towards the neck pocket by approx. 0.25"/6.3mm compared to normal. One option is to use longer adjustment screws, though this makes the bridge pickup that much closer to the saddles, making it brighter and loosing some bass.

Or you could enlarge the bridge pickup rout and move the whole bridge nearer, and also enlarge the pickguard cut-out to suit. If the body is already drilled for string-through holes, then those would need to be plugged and re-drilled.

[king casey]

Out of sheer curiosity I roughly tried to work out where the bridge goes...
At the yellow line?



cheers, Mark.

[Simon Barden]

About there, I reckon, though camera lens distortion may not mean it's that accurate. But certainly more forward of where they currently are.

[impala59]

Yes sorry guys when I mocked up I put the bridge plate roughly in it’s normal position, it will move toward the neck and I will cut into the scratchplate and re-rout for the bridge pick up. Alternatively, I have a shorter strat type bridge which may work as long as it can be mounted partially over the original pickup rout. I am also thinking that as it will be painted. I can fill the original rout so as to get a solid mount.

[Simon Barden]

You can indeed. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of the issue. Better safe than sorry.

[impala59]

Appreciate your input, I am still learning and the old adage measure twice and cut once really is appropriate. For what it’s worth, I have marked a line at 12 3/8” from the centre of the 12th fret wire (equidistant from the nut) and this will be my datum position for the high E saddle point with about 1/8” of forward movement left, that should give me enough rearward movement on the other saddles for intonation adjustments
All advice always gratefully received

[impala59]

I've been out of the picture for a while due to some storage requirements completely filling my garage/workshop and due to a complete redecorate, have been forbidden from making mess in the house.
Anyway, I have now fitted in mock up the shortscale for testing prior to paint and additionally have started a 25.5 scale snakehead to complete in parallel. The shortscale has had my 6mm brass block string retainer fitted, the longer is yet to be made but will be similar (its sort of become my trademark feature and definitely helps with sustain) The pictures show the respective scale lengths and different bridge positions. With the 25.5 I have opted for a single Wilkinson M series pick-up, the 24.75 has Chinese humbuckers.
The observant among you will notice that the tuners on the longer neck are the wrong way round, this is because if fitted the right way the the tuning knobs would be completely proportionally out of place on this headstock, which is overall very long and longer from the nut to the nearest tuner than I wanted. This was a 'paddle' neck and probably not really suited to the snakehead shape but I think I have got it looking about balanced and I will either wind the strings on backwards or simply turn the other way to tune. Probably upset the purists though!
The shortscale is, at the moment going to be a glossy light grey and the longscale will be black, I have been practising my rattle can technique by spraying bits of the wife's car.
I am still working with stuff that I have accumulated or had donated so keeping the costs down and still making it up as I go
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