TLA-1 First Build

[Ralphile]

Hello! Well, my TLA-1 package arrived (thanks to Pitbull by the way for stellar customer service!) and I've put together the mock build. First a quick word of warning: this is my first guitar build AND pretty much my first attempt at a woodworking project with any real level of finesse, so I'll probably (definitely) be asking a bunch of questions along the way. Still, I'm expecting to learn a lot and looking forward to it!

With that said, here's my mock build:





The neck fit is pretty tight but seems OK. It wobbles a little from front to back but I assume this is the 'wiggle room' mentioned in the quickstart guide so all good.

The pickguard doesn't fit well around the neck which makes everything alse look kind of skew. I'll need to trim it back a little so that it fits better- what would be the best approach to do this?



The bridge pickup fit into the cavity is pretty snug and seems a bit further back from the pickguard than I was expecting. Is this an issue? I've read in other threads where the cavity size had to be routed out so the pickup could be moved further towards the neck - not a thought I relish given my lack of woodworking experience but willing to give it a try (after a bit of practice) if it'll give a better result.



Also, I noticed that the bolt for one the bridge saddles is shorter then the other two - is this the way it's supposed to be?



Well, that's about it for now. Once I've worked out whether or not I need to route out the bridge cavity I'll get to sanding!

[Tindrrel]

Also, I noticed that the bolt for one the bridge saddles is shorter then the other two - is this the way it's supposed to be?

When you set the intonation, the saddles for the thicker strings won't need to be as far forward as those for the thinner strings. Don't think of it as being shorter, so much as the others need to be longer.

[Ralphile]

Right - thanks for clearing that up.

[BenWA]

the pickguard is a pretty poor fit on my tele too, i wouldnt worry about it as the plastic is dead easy to file out or reshape to make it fit.

grain on that body looks good, you got any idea what colour youre going with yet?

[crundes]

Hey Ralphile, nice looking tele! That grain will look amazing with a stain. I'd be careful when sanding though, a few forum members have found that their ash kits have had a veneer on top and sanded through.

I'd be interested to hear other peoples opinions as well, but I can't really see defined join lines, which makes me think it may be a veneer top. However it is hard to tell with this resolution and it does look like the grain matches the entire thickness of the guitar in the first photo so you may just have well matched grain where the joins are.

It does also kinda look like there's a join in the middle so maybe the factory has started doing two piece builds as well as three and four.

Good luck with the build!

[Ralphile]

There's a join line pretty much down the centre, so I think it may be a two-piece build and I just got lucky with the grain match. After your comments I've had a closer look at the edges and it doesn't seem to have a veneer on top.

I'm thinking of going for Dingotone 'Coolangatta Gold' for the body and will also look at using a darker Timbermate grain filler as well - some of the results other people have achieved on the forums look sensational!

Thanks for all the encouragement - time to get to it!

[Ralphile]

OK, so I've spent the weekend/evenings sanding down the body to 240 grit and it's feeling pretty smooth, and I think I've gotten rid of all the glue spots and machining marks.



My plan now is to use Timbermate 'Walnut' to fill the grain before staining it with Dingotone 'Coolangatta Gold'. I'm new to this so I've been poring over the forums and other sites for the best way to apply Timbermate. The consensus seems to be that you thin it down with some water, but what is the best way to apply it?

Some suggest painting it on, others use a plastic scraper, others wipe it on with a rag. Is there a 'best' way to do it in anyone's experience?

I've also seen it suggested that you should wipe off the excess after a couple of minutes, while others leave it on quite thick and then sand off the excess after it's dried. Is either method preferable?

Any hints you could pass along would be greatly appreciated!

[wokkaboy]

Hey Ralphile I water down the timbermate a bit, keep mixing it so its like a paste, not too sloppy. I use a plastic scraper to try and fill all the cracks nicely.
I wouldn't try and wipe it after a few minutes as you will risk removing big chunks.
Let it dry overnight and I use an orbital sander with 120 or 180 grit paper to get the excess off. When most of its removed go back to hand sanding 240 grit and usually 320 grit is high enough.
Body is looking good !

[dingobass]

There are as many ways as days in the week...

My preferred method is to mix the TM with water until it just maintains a peak when you lift the spatula out of the mix, slightly thicker than cream I guess.

On flat surfaces I use a rubber sqeegee and force it in across the grain.
Let it set for an hour and sand back with 320 grit and re apply if needed.

Have a play around, see which method works best for you is probably the best advice I can give...

[Ralphile]

Thanks Wokka & DB! Nice to have somewhere to start - I'll give the squeegee/scraper method a go and see what the result is.
Stay tuned!