Long time no post! I've got GAS and after noodling around at the centers of guitar, I was thinking of a Telecaster. And if I'm thinking Telecaster, well, that's THE roll your own guitar, right? I liked the tummy cut on the Elite model but didn't care for the pickups, liked this but not that, etc, so why not just look at doing one up from scratch?
Being a musician I have zero budget at the moment, but I wanted to think out loud about my build idea and see what folks think. I'm wanting to make something a little unique like a sleeper, light weight to go easy on my poor back, vintage sounding.
Roasted alder chambered body, with the heel cutaway and the tummy cut. I love that scoop taken out of the back, makes it more comfortable for me to play. Chambered for the same reason of course. I'd go with a clear satin finish, relying on the darker color of the roasted alder to make it look a little like a butterscotch blonde. Black or white pick guard, haven't decided there. Callaham bridge, knobs, control plate.
For the neck, roasted maple one piece with tall narrow frets. 6105s I think? 9.5" radius, vintage modern construction, and either a boatneck or '59 round back profile. I like thicker necks but I don't want to make a neck-heavy guitar. I had an SG that I really liked (Epiphone, not Gibson) but the neck dive killed it for me. Was thinking of the Stealth tuners, since they're super light, and running 10s, maybe 9s.
Not sure on pickups though! I love how Alnico 5 magnets sound in a humbucker. They add this really nice top-end shimmer that goes well with my Vox. Like bubbles in champagne, if you can stand something so pretentious sounding. But Telecasters are normally A3s, right? Nocaster pickups or V-Mod from Fender?
With the American Professional and the Player Telecasters I was trying out, I find I love the sound of the neck pickup with the tone rolled off a bit, sounds nice and fat and warm. Didn't care for the noiseless on the Elite though, sounded too clean. What do you folks think? Anything that'll give me an issue?
Being a musician I have zero budget at the moment, but I wanted to think out loud about my build idea and see what folks think. I'm wanting to make something a little unique like a sleeper, light weight to go easy on my poor back, vintage sounding.
Roasted alder chambered body, with the heel cutaway and the tummy cut. I love that scoop taken out of the back, makes it more comfortable for me to play. Chambered for the same reason of course. I'd go with a clear satin finish, relying on the darker color of the roasted alder to make it look a little like a butterscotch blonde. Black or white pick guard, haven't decided there. Callaham bridge, knobs, control plate.
For the neck, roasted maple one piece with tall narrow frets. 6105s I think? 9.5" radius, vintage modern construction, and either a boatneck or '59 round back profile. I like thicker necks but I don't want to make a neck-heavy guitar. I had an SG that I really liked (Epiphone, not Gibson) but the neck dive killed it for me. Was thinking of the Stealth tuners, since they're super light, and running 10s, maybe 9s.
Not sure on pickups though! I love how Alnico 5 magnets sound in a humbucker. They add this really nice top-end shimmer that goes well with my Vox. Like bubbles in champagne, if you can stand something so pretentious sounding. But Telecasters are normally A3s, right? Nocaster pickups or V-Mod from Fender?
With the American Professional and the Player Telecasters I was trying out, I find I love the sound of the neck pickup with the tone rolled off a bit, sounds nice and fat and warm. Didn't care for the noiseless on the Elite though, sounded too clean. What do you folks think? Anything that'll give me an issue?
