Ben’s B&S Ball Tele

[Benj]

OK so to completely go against my current collection of guitars, (which are mostly humbucker equipped, SD/DiMarzio loaded, brightly coloured rock machines), my next build is to be a classic butterscotch tele from the TL-1 kit.

This guitar is going to be used as a stage guitar for our band’s gig at the 2013 Live at the Hay Shed Inseminators B&S at Kellerberrin on October 12 and will hopefully be a little bit of advertising for Adam’s business. In order to provide the best advertising possible, the guitar was sent to DB’s lair up in the sticks for some fretwork, polishing and levelling. When I went up to pick up the kit (and have a scope around the man-cave), DB had fashioned a perfect bone nut for the kit and had a few spare bits and pieces lying around that he happily donated to the cause!

He did a fantastic job on the neck, the fretboard and frets themselves already feel better than any of my guitars, and the body is a fantastic looking piece of kit. Very uniform grain and hardly any dents or scratches. I will be going over with 180 and 240 tonight, and also sanding down the neck and getting the headstock looking lovely (shaped the tele headstock last night with the ol jigsaw and some 80 grit).

At the end of it all, I’ll have a standard 2 SC tele, PGB logo on the headstock, bone nut, vintage yellow neck, black pickguard, Schaller style strap locks and might splurge and get a callaham or Joe Barden Bridge with brass saddles, but Im not sure yet…. Might be something for the future… Oh and that gorgeous butterscotch wudtone finish, like DB’s sample TL1.

Here are a couple of photos I took in a hurry this morning, showing the beautiful body and the initial shaping of the headstock.

Updates tonight/tomorrow after sanding down and possibly the first coat

[Walrus]

Sounding like that is going to turn out really well. So with all those hot pickup loaded guitars you have, what pups will you opt for on the Tele?

[Benj]

Ah I'm glad you asked, Mr Walrus sir.
Whilst at DB’s workshop of doom, he uncovered some of the pickups that may be available soon from the PBG guys as an optional upgrade over the stock kit pickups and let me be the guinea pig.

Adam believes that they may be from the same factory as the GFS pickups (which I later found out could be the same factory that produces Artec, Dragonfire and Irongear, which are all decent upgrades for the likes of squires, epi’s, ltd’s etc.

Looking forward to seeing how they stack up, although after having played DB’s blackwood tele with the Stewmac Golden Age’s in it, I may have been spoiled!

[Gavin1393]

The Golden Age Pickups are pretty darn good!

[dingobass]

Wot, no comment on the awesomeness of DB's Tele, Gav?......... Hmmmmmm, Conch Girl Fretless Hofner Bass with pink Abolone dots, Rainbow flag headstock decal, purple strap locks AND a hot pink case coming up me thinks.....

[Gavin1393]

Thought you'd never ask!

[Benj]

To be fair, DB actually does have purple schaller-esque strap locks in his man cave. I wouldn't believe it if I hadnt seen for myself!

[keloooe]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from dingobass on August 13, 2013, 18:57
Wot, no comment on the awesomeness of DB's Tele, Gav?......... Hmmmmmm, Conch Girl Fretless Hofner Bass with pink Abolone dots, Rainbow flag headstock decal, purple strap locks AND a hot pink case coming up me thinks.....

Gav will love ya for the build DB!!!

[stan]

this sounds like it's going to be a great Tele

[dingobass]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Benj on August 14, 2013, 08:43
To be fair, DB actually does have purple schaller-esque strap locks in his man cave. I wouldn't believe it if I hadnt seen for myself!

Be afraid Gav, be very afraid....