First Build, TL style

[Jackson O'Neill]

Hey guys,
I have finally began working on my first kit that I got around Christmas time last year. It is a TL style Mahogany body w/maple neck (I forget the model, perhaps TL-1A?)



For the finish I plan to have a walnut brown, open pore with a light relic look. I'm going to use a 3 part process of a sanding sealer, Stain and oil.



I deffintly jumped the gun 2 weeks ago and started by putting 3 light coats of sanding sealer over the body and 1 light coat on the back of the neck and headstock. It looks great but deffintly not the best starting point so I have joined the forum, read the guides and did a semi mock build.



Everything is looking good so far, neck is a good fit but will have to adjust the pickguard so it lines up with the control plate a little better.
My next step is going to be drilling in the bridge to the scale length which I have a question on.
Is it better to go off the 648mm Scale length or should I measure my own? I seem to get 628mm when I do the 12th fret measurement but have heard that that method can be false?

My second question is in regards to the head stock pattern as I have done a rough sketch by hand and like the slim look but not to sure if it will be to close to the tuning holes?
From what I can tell teles have a bit more distance especially near the second to last hole



Keen to hear what you guys think! I'll pop some photos in
-Jackson

[m0j0]

I did a real slim headstock on my tele and it's fine. Not sure of the distance to the B tuner but I could measure it.

[ILRGuitars]

Looking good mate so far.

Do the mock build first, measure your scale length as all guitars have slight variations, better to do as much drilling and preparation before doing the finishing. Measure twice, cut once.

Hmmmm.....Headstocks, probably the second most controversial topic in the BYOG world. Is it too big, is it too small, will the girls like it? There is a train of thought that says the bigger the headstock, the more sustain you have. Design wise, this is where you can really make it your own piece of work. Take your time, look at other designs and develop your own style. Seems a shame to do all the other work and just copy Leo on the headstock. Patience is the key to building. Be happy with your design before you cut anything. Good luck mate. Love the colour so far.

[m0j0]

FYI, my headstock is 34mm from one side to the other at the narrowest point. Easier than measuring to the hole with the tuner installed.

[McCreed]

Hi Jackson. Welcome.

In regard to setting out the bridge, measuring the full scale length from the fretboard-side of the nut is better than 12th fret x 2.

I would say your headstock design would be fine. The only point I would check is the distance from E & B tuner holes to the narrowest part of that upward curve (IYKWIM).
My teles range between 16-18mm from the bottom edge of the holes perpendicular to the apex of the curve, if that makes sense.

Here are some headstock templates you can use to compare (and still do your own thing).
HEADSTOCK TEMPS

FYI: if using those templates, don't worry too much about matching the tuner holes exactly. The kit tuner holes are not the same spacing, start/end positions as genuine Fender headstocks. However you can still extrapolate the shape from the template to get what you're after.

[Andyxlh]

I love the Feast Watson stains, all of my guitars have them. You can get a cracking sunburst with a small airbrush too.
I think your headstock looks wide enough, similar to mine. I tend to like the traditional shape as it’s hard to make it match the body otherwise, although there have been some amazing custom shapes used.

[Jackson O'Neill]

Thank you all for the responses,
I've measured out the full scale length to the 648mm and found what I believe to be the center line, I just need to make sure it's square now before drilling. What size drill bit do you guys recomed?

I checked my measurements for the headstock and I got 15mm from b tuner and 35mm from top to the apex of the curve (The IYKWIM is a little over my head)


Seeing yours though m0j0 reassures that I want that slim look to mine and I didn't know about the size relating to the sustain that's cool!
I'm going to have a look at the templates and will probably allow 10mm in my cut and work it back untill I'm happy

With the scratch plate should I go off the pre drilled holes or fill them and make it flush to the neck? It's only 2mm out if anything

(Might be to small to see in the photo)

Thanks again

[Jackson O'Neill]

I'm a huge fan of Feast Watson, I love the way the colours blend can see why you use it on all your guitars.
The traditional shape is what I what I'm going for here too I've seen some cool custom ones aswell but don't know if I could pull any thing off haha

[McCreed]

IYKWIM = If You Know What I Mean

This is what I meant, and how I measured my teles:



Same, same. Yours should be fine.

[Jackson O'Neill]

Oh haha I get you now,
Nice that's a good way to check it thanks McCreed