A Bender Telecaster for Bill

[mayfly]

Time to wire!  I like working with lollars because they use wire of a reasonable gauge.

This shot shows the draping in progress.  I drape the entire guitar while soldering.  You can't be too careful - especially when it's someone else's guitar!!

All soldered.  I'm a 'ground it to the back of the pot' guy.  I really don't use that much heat; my secret is.... Liquid Flux!!!

It's done!  Now to intonate the thing and see what it sounds like!

 

[Cagey]

Looks fantastic!

All soldered.  I'm a 'ground it to the back of the pot' guy. 

You're an animal!

 

[BigSteve22]

Really nice job, Bill's gonna love it!  :headbang:

 

[dmraco]

post a video of that thing in action

 

[stratamania]

post a video of that thing in action

+1

Looks like a great job Mr. Mayfly.

 

[mayfly]

Thank you gentlemen!

post a video of that thing in action

Well, about that.  There's good news and bad news.  The good news is that Bill swung by the house last night, played the guitar for about an hour, then left with it.  He seemed very happy.  The bad news is that I didn't manage to get a proper demo of the guitar done.

However

While he was on his way over, I did manage to crank out a cheap and dirty video.  I played / sang through the PA, and the audio was captured with an iPhone.  Yep it's crappy and out of balance.  But you can hear some stuff.  Most of the song is the strat pickup.  The 'solo' bits are the tele bridge pickup. 

Here you go.  Please excuse the crappy singing:

[youtube]https://youtu.be/MmjdlX1I8tU[/youtube]

 

[dmraco]

Thats slick as snot!    I imagine it take some practice to resist the urge to bend the B with the left hand.  Really like the functionality.  Not bad tone for a phone recording.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

post a video of that thing in action

I, too, would love to see this thing in action!!

 

[rgand]

Damn cool! Nice work. I can only imagine what a good studio recording would sound like.

 

[Blackouts]

I've enjoyed following this thread - beautiful work as usual Mr Mayfly - but unless I've missed something Bill has taken off with the neck from your 'Grandma Julie" tele !?

 

[mayfly]

I've enjoyed following this thread - beautiful work as usual Mr Mayfly - but unless I've missed something Bill has taken off with the neck from your 'Grandma Julie" tele !?

Yes he has!  The plan is for him to do a gig with it and see if he likes that neck profile/frets/tuners/etc.  If so we'll order that again (or more likely just pick something out of the showcase).

 

[mayfly]

Update!

After some time with the new guitar, Bill has put the Nashville tele up for sale.

I guess he must like the new one 

 

[rgand]

Yeah! That speaks highly of your work. :icon_thumright:

 

[DangerousR6]

Very cool Mayfly, great work.... :guitarplayer2:

 

[BigSteve22]

Update!

After some time with the new guitar, Bill has put the Nashville tele up for sale.

I guess he must like the new one 

I guess he does!  :cool01:

 

[mayfly]

Update! Bill's neck is in.  It's nice and smells maple-y 

Tuners are not in yet, so the plan is to install the threaded inserts then cut the nut.

 

[mayfly]

Insert time!  I hadn't bought a roasted maple neck in a while, so I didn't know that the new ones came with a very scary sounding disclaimer around cracking the wood.  Made me a bit nervous.  But the first one went in OK...

That's enough excitement for one night.  More tomorrow!

 

[mayfly]

A little photo essay on installing inserts into a roasted maple neck:

Lining up the hole using the same sized drill bit

Cut the hole.  Hope you got the placement right!

Wax 'dem screws

Don't power on the press for this step!!

\\

All four done.  Easy.  No Cracks  :headbang:

 

[rgand]

lookin' good! Can't say I'd have thought to wax the insert threads but it makes perfect sense. I've tapped holes the same way you screwed these in by using a drill press. Without power, of course.

 

[dmraco]

I can't say I did not SHART looking at those photos.  Nice job.
Roasted Maple scares me, just a bit.