Couple of New Teles underway: The Entomopter and the Booncaster

[Sid Nitzerglobin]

With the sale and gifting away of all my proper Teles over the past several months and the recent availability of great looking bodies and necks w/ specs I like in the Showcase, it was time for a (couple of) new build(s).  I just finished up the last of the parts orders for these 2, am well along the planning and prep process, and beginning the package tracking game.

The first will be using this Mahogany Thinline body that just wouldn't let go of me:

3lbs. 1oz.   Planning to keep it pretty natural in the finish department w/ somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 coats of Stringed Instrument Lacquer. I just love the grain and color, not super flashy just beautiful and classy.

I'll be pairing the body up w/ the following neck:

It's got a 1 11/16" nut, a boatneck profile, and a 10-16" radius board.  It's getting SS6105 frets, Grover tuner holes, and LSR nut prep and will be finished by me w/ Behlen Stringed Instrument Lacquer as well.  It's my first time trying a compound radius/Modern construction neck, hopefully we get along well as I think it also looks great.

It's going to get a Bigsby B16, modified Mustang bridge, LSR nut, and Grover Roto-Grip 505C tuners to keep the strings on and vibrating and a Curtis Novak wound TK Smith Tele bridge and an SD Antiquity II Tele neck to turn the vibes into electrons.

I've dubbed it the Entomopter in large part thanks to the chopped pickguard shape I think I've decided on.  I'll be band sawing/Dremeling/filing/sanding this one myself out of Bakelite blank:

Planning to wire it up like so (assuming I didn't miss something, kinda whipped up the 6P4T switching from scratch over the past couple of days so hopefully I didn't screw anything up  :tard: ):

I'll be getting started on the headstock decal for this one next.  Anyone have any recommendations on clear Inkjet or Laserjet waterslide stock for this?  I've still got a sheet of the previous stuff I'd been using from Small Bear Electronics left but it kept wanting to curl under regardless of what I did on the last guitar.

I really don't "need" another semi-hollow, vibrato equipped guitar right now, but I'm super excited to put this one together none the less.

The second is one I've been planning to do for a while as a replacement for a Classic Player '72 Deluxe I had given a Delux-stom makeover to and since sold. It's inspiration was/is/will be D Boon's Custom, departing from the template in a few ways.  The good thing is I've already got most of the other bits to put this one together in storage.

Loved the grain on this extra light Alder Custom body and the weight is good at a couple ounces short of 4 lbs. so snatched it up:

It'll be dyed Mocha w/ TransTint then thin finished w/ Stringed Instrument Lacquer and satined w/ 0000 steel wool.  I'm hoping to keep the finish more transparent than the CP Deluxe's was so the grain shows through better but much thinner and less shiny.  Guard will be a standard Custom shape in B/W/B to start. 

The neck is a Vintage/Modern one piece bonus birdseye maple deal w/ 1 11/16" nut, straight 9.5" radius, and '59 roundback profile.  It's also getting SS6105 frets but vintage tuner holes and will get a bone nut:

I'm tempted to retrofit it w/ a bullet truss rod nut, but it might turn out to be more risk than I wanna take for purely aesthetic reward.


It'll have a vintage style 3 barrel ashtray bridge w/ either Callaham Vintage Compensated brass, Gotoh InTune Titanium, or Barden steel saddles dependent on which winds sounding best to me.  I've got a spare set Fender Japan vintage style tuners that will go on it as well.  Debating if I want to order up another one of the brass ferrule blocks from DeLisle for this one, I love it on my Noisy Cricket build but routing for it turned out to be very stressful.

I'll be reusing the '78 Fender WRHB I got for the Delux-stom in the neck spot and either my current favorite for D Boon sounds, the SD APTL-2 or a Jerry Donahue at the bridge.  Wiring will be pretty much stock vintage Custom.

Any recommendations on good spots to pick up a '72 Custom style headstock decal for this one?

Thanks for reading! 

 

[BigSteve22]

Looks like a couple of great projects. As for custom decals, my recommendation is Rothko & Frost:

http://www.rothkoandfrost.com/custom-waterslide-decals-uk-for-guitars-bikes/

They are in the UK, but the decals are exceptional and service/delivery is fast and easy. The price is fair, discounts for multiples, and the Dollar is doing very well against the Pound these days.

Keep us posted as the builds progress.

 

[DwightFry]

Don't even have my first project together and am already wanting a mahogany thinline with Lollar Regals so I'll be following closely. Those will both be great players!

 

[DangerousR6]

Nice, fun times ahead.... :headbang:

 

[Cagey]

I'll be getting started on the headstock decal for this one next.  Anyone have any recommendations on clear Inkjet or Laserjet waterslide stock for this?  I've still got a sheet of the previous stuff I'd been using from Small Bear Electronics left but it kept wanting to curl under regardless of what I did on the last guitar.

I got the stuff I use from here, but there are a lotta suppliers of such material. They have the clear you're asking for, but for future reference they also have white. That's handy because there are no printers that'll do white, so you leave the white parts of your image blank, and the paper's color shows.

The decal stock at the link is for lasers, but they also have it for inkjets, although I don't know why. Problem with inkjets is the ink is often dye-based, which is water soluable and has a tendency to fade over time. Some inkjets can use pigment-based ink, which holds up better, but ultimately the laser is the best way to go. They don't use ink at all, it's toner, which is microfine particles of plastic. Doesn't fade and doesn't dissolve easily, so you have a better chance of it surviving being finished over. It will dissolve in the presence of acetone, but if you just shoot a coat of mist at it, let it dry, then do it again, you'll cover it enough to keep heavier subsequent cover coats from smearing it.

 

[DangerousR6]

My wife has a vinyl cutter, she could probably do some decals... :dontknow:

 

[Sid Nitzerglobin]

Thanks guys!

The bodies, necks, bridge, & stuff shipped from Warmoth this evening w/ a scheduled delivery date of next Friday :toothy10: 

I wound up finding what looks like some nice, metallic ink, period correct 68-75 Tele Custom decals for the Booncaster.  They weren't particularly cheap so hopefully they turn out well.

I also ordered up some of the clear Laser sheets you recommended Cagey.  Hopefully I can work up something I like to put on them for the Entomopter over the weekend.

 

[Cagey]

You're probably already are aware of it, but you can download jillions of fonts to help you create your label. 1001 Fonts is one such place, but there are others. Don't let the name fool you - there are a lot more than 1001 fonts available there. In almost all cases, the fonts are free as long as you don't use them commercially, and many designers don't care even if you do.

 

[bagman67]

Y'all can grab this freehand job I did if you want to edit to suit.  I was just foolin' around with the stylus on my phone to see what it could do, and it turns out it can do this.

 

[BigSteve22]

...you can download jillions of fonts to help you create your label. 1001 Fonts is one such place, but there are others. Don't let the name fool you - there are a lot more than 1001 fonts available there.

Great site, I've spent A LOT of time there looking and downloading.

Y'all can grab this freehand job I did if you want to edit to suit.  I was just foolin' around with the stylus on my phone to see what it could do, and it turns out it can do this.

Really nice freehand!

:icon_thumright:

 

[DangerousR6]

You're probably already are aware of it, but you can download jillions of fonts to help you create your label. 1001 Fonts is one such place, but there are others. Don't let the name fool you - there are a lot more than 1001 fonts available there. In almost all cases, the fonts are free as long as you don't use them commercially, and many designers don't care even if you do.

There is also dafont.com Pretty much like 1001 fonts, billions and billions of fonts....

 

[bagman67]

Here it is in black.  It ain't a vector graphic, but at a scale that can be used for a headstock decal, it shouldn't be too jaggy.

 

[Logrinn]

Beautiful, Bagman. Your copperplate is a joy to behold.

 

[Sid Nitzerglobin]

The Jerry Donahue pup, the LSR nut, and most of the miscellaneous electronic and hardware bits I needed for the Enomopter came in today and TK Smith just shipped the B16, shim, and Novak pup this evening. 

The decal is the only thing I'm waiting on for the Booncaster aside from the neck and body so I should be able to start dry assembling that one as soon as the Warmoth packages get here.

In the interim, over the weekend I fell in love w/ the neck and finish on a Surf Green Pearl Duo Sonic HS and had to bring it home.  It will be getting a Hipshot bridge, a bone nut, and a rewiring job w/ a swap to a Megatron at the bridge position as soon as those bits arrive and I've got some time:

I've got Friday off of the day job so hopefully I'll have at least one of the 3 to work on over the weekend  :icon_biggrin: 

Thanks for the font site suggestions!  I think I've grabbed some from 1001 before, definitely need to hit them up again as I'm not quite happy w/ anything I've tried so far for the Entomopter.

 

[Logrinn]

In the interim, over the weekend I fell in love w/ the neck and finish on a Surf Green Pearl Duo Sonic HS and had to bring it home.

ENVIOUS! :headbang1:

Enjoy your new 24" roadster ccasion14:

 

[rgand]

This thread is full of nice eye candy. That Duo Sonic is really nice. :icon_thumright:

 

[Sid Nitzerglobin]

Well I had lots of packages come in today and I'm just down to waiting on the bodies, necks and modified Mustang bridge from Warmoth and the headstock decal for the Booncaster (and the bridge and Megatron for the Duo Sonic).

Loving the look of the B16 in person too, only wrinkle is that the holes for mounting the pickup aren't so much holes as 1/32" deep divots. It shouldn't be a show stopper by any means but is that usually how B16s come?

 

[Cagey]

Good question, but I don't have an answer because I've never seen one of those before. Is that a new part? It's certainly an interesting and unique design.

Edit: Apparently, it's not new per se. It was just re-introduced at Summer NAMM 2013. They made those back in '53, but maybe didn't see a market for them so you don't find them in the wild.

 

[Sid Nitzerglobin]

Yeah, it's my first time playing w/ one myself.  It needs a pretty significant increase in neck angle and isn't one of the easier Bigsby installs to DiY (they're also pretty darn expensive unless you can find a good deal on them) so they aren't all that pervasive. 

After perusing the included install instruction sheet it appears that they do usually ship them to you w/o pickup mounting holes drilled.  No biggy, just a little surprised they wouldn't go ahead and drill them the rest of the way through at the factory.

 

[Sid Nitzerglobin]

Got a couple of rough ideas together for the Entomopter decal, although they will probably be tweaked a bit more:

I'll probably replace the leading "e" w/ a capital on the bottom version as soon as I find a font I like for it.