And so the addiction begins...

[rskirkpatrick]

This is my first guitar build. I went with a Telecaster to keep the first build relatively simple, and I bought Warmoth in-stock parts to reduce costs and lead times. Here are some highlights for the build:

• Body - Vintage Telecaster, Solid Body, Alder, Black-Red-Yellow burst gloss finish
• Neck - Tele Replacement Neck, Maple Wood, Vintage Tint Satin Nitro, SS frets
• Pickups - Fender Cobalt Chrome Pickups
• Tuners - Fender Locking Tuners
• Bridge - Gotoh vintage Telecaster-style bridge

I will post updates as I go but I did learn my first lesson: make sure you order all the parts! Fortunately, I have plenty to work on while the additional parts arrive.

 

[teleme01]

Welcome to ga (guitars anonymous), I'm a drunk

 

[Strat Avenger]

Hey that looks nice. It can become somewhat of an addiction as you get all kinds of ideas in your head for parts and finish combinations, and then the desire to make all those ideas into a physical reality even though you probably don't need another guitar.

 

[MoreSpaceEcho]

That's gonna be a beauty.

This is definitely an addiction. Who else has had this thought process: gee, I have this $30 pickguard sitting around unused, I better spend $1000 on parts so it has a home....

 

[rskirkpatrick]

It's finished (mostly)!



I have a few things to do: install the string tree, install the guitar strap buttons, and double check the setup.

I have to say - it sounds quite amazing for the amount of money and what little work I have done so far. It was a fun challenge, but I greatly enjoyed it. The biggest issues I ran into were:

1. I did not order all the required parts for the initial order. I forgot to order the neck screws and guitar ferrules.
2. I did not have the necessary tool to install the traditional Telecaster output jack and plate. Instead of ordering or making the tool, I switched to a modern screw mounted jack plate. (Side Note: a traditional Telecaster jack plate sucks!)
3. I had difficulty soldering the grounding wires to the back of the pots. I later learned the proper technique for that: lightly abrade the pot so that the solder sticks to the pot. At some point, I will again try soldering the pickups, but the solderless control plate sure is really nice!

There is still more to come but hopefully some of these lessons help everyone. This definitely will not be my last build.