Custom Tele Build (White w/black binding) - Detailed info for UK/Europe buyers

[James _R]

Cheers cagey. Unfortunately it is custom due to me wanting no cutaway for the control panel (rear routed doncha know). I'd happily chuck a jim root pick guard on there (which has no cutaway too) but the pickup cut out is for a bucker and I'm single coiling!

It's not even like it's anything fancy - just a 3mm black guard (no white layers etc). There's a few places in the uk that do custom pick guards but I thought I'd give it a go! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! A mate of mine has a drill bit sanding kit, so if I destroy my pick guard it'll just be the cost of the pick guard material that I've wasted!

 

[James _R]

Hi James,

I'm also in the UK and not far from Hertfordshire. Depends which part of course...

I've just moved out of London and into St Neots, Cambridgeshire. Are you far away?

Not massively far, currently living in Bedford!

 

[stratamania]

I'm still in London and planning an escape

 

[Cagey]

Cheers cagey. Unfortunately it is custom due to me wanting no cutaway for the control panel (rear routed doncha know). I'd happily chuck a jim root pick guard on there (which has no cutaway too) but the pickup cut out is for a bucker and I'm single coiling!

It's not even like it's anything fancy - just a 3mm black guard (no white layers etc). There's a few places in the uk that do custom pick guards but I thought I'd give it a go! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! A mate of mine has a drill bit sanding kit, so if I destroy my pick guard it'll just be the cost of the pick guard material that I've wasted!

Ok. Well, here's another bit of advice. Make a template out of 1/4" MDF to use for the close sanding to shape, and also so you can run a router with a 45° pattern follower bit to put the edge on it, rather than trying to sand it back. You'll get much better results that'll look like a professionally made 'guard.

Trying to sand an edge like that consistently is some real punishment.

 

[James _R]

That is a great piece of advice. I will do just that!  :icon_biggrin:

 

[James _R]

Managed to do a little bit of work yesterday and today...

Finished off shielding the pickup cavities, control cavity and back of the control cavity cover. Just the pick guard to do once it's been made.



Printed out, cut out and laid out the Tele pickguard template. I just cut straight across the control plate cut-away as i don't need it for my rear rout! Unfortunately (and predictably) this would cover one of the holes for the pickup switch if i left it as is.... so i measured up and cut out about 4mm off of the straight end. It marries up quite nicely now!



Also screwed in the bridge pickup and poked the wires through ready for soldering. Installed the bridge using waxed screws and it's looking pretty nice!





Tip (which the pros will know) - Ignore the 'installing a tele bridge' video from Fender University on YouTube. The saddles on my Gotoh bridge wouldn't turn on their sides to allow screw hole access (no matter how loose i made them). It's a laborious case of removing each saddle. Just make sure you take them off and lay them out ready to put back in the exact same place as the springs are different sizes.

I laid mine out against my other gotoh bridge (a sad story involving dropping the first one face down onto some sandpaper i had left on the floor - scratches, swearing, swift re-order online, more swearing at the added cost etc etc).



Saturday is a busy day - hoping to make the pickguard and potentially drill holes for strap locks and locking tuners. Wish me luck!!

 

[James _R]

Didn't get a chance to do any of the work i wanted as it was my graduation and i was out and about all day! Only managed to do a few small (but scary) things.

Drilled holes and affixed strap lock buttons...







and drilled holes and installed locking tuners...

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Nice!

 

[frown]

Looks like a Fender Jim Root signature morphing into a traditional!

Very snazzy.

 

[James _R]

Looks like a Fender Jim Root signature morphing into a traditional!

Very snazzy.

I'm glad you think so!

As for the Jim Root thing - you are spot on as that is exactly what I'm going for! Wanted a single coil Tele with the clean lines of the Jim Root signature. Also wanted a Tele with binding as I think they look lovely.

I'm picking this bad boy up from my luthier tomorrow.... cannot wait!!!

 

[SoundAsAnOldEngineer]

Can you expand on the decision to use a professional? It was going so well!

 

[James _R]

Can you expand on the decision to use a professional? It was going so well!

It all started off as a bit of a 'lets see what i can do' project. I wanted to have a go at a few assembly bits but as the money kept going up and up, I decided to switch away from doing it myself and use Ray Cooper to get the bits sorted. After piling in so much money i thought it was better to have everything done properly and to a really high standard which I could never match. This will be a 'for life' guitar (hence the decision to get a single coil guitar with the nut filed for regular gauge strings - when i'm an old man i can riff away in standard tuning!).

I manufactured the pickguard but made a hash of it and ended up wasting the pickguard material. Even Ray had a tiny bit of trouble with it and he's been a luthier for 30+ years.

I paid a lot to get it finished and set up by him and his daughter but I really couldn't have asked for better action, sound and playability. This thing sings through my Orange Rockerverb and Celestion vintage 30's!!

I would consider doing this again but 'properly' (only using my own 'skills') but i would do it with a cheaper guitar so i wasn't so terrified of screwing it all up!! I'm toying with the idea of getting a bass done (different kettle of fish I know!).

My goal was to get a Fender Telecaster American Standard but with the pickups and finish that only going custom could provide. I've definitely achieved that with this guitar!!

I have learnt loads about guitars that I didn't know before - i now know how all the bits work and go together, how changing one thing affects another, how to adjust the action and sort out intonation etc. It's still been a very worthwhile experience for me  :toothy10:

Picks to come momentarily!!

 

[James _R]

The finished article! Apologies for the low-grade pictures - taken on my iPhone 



Matte pickguard taken right to the edge...









DiMarzio True Velvet with black cover in the neck, Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound in the bridge (for meaty goodness).





The White Lady's rear...



Had to represent Warmoth with the metallic sticker/decal on the rear of the headstock

 

[bagman67]

Lovely work.  How are you liking that Quarter Pound bridge pup?  I do love mine.


One quibble, and obviously this is a matter of taste, not "correctness":  I should have preferred to see the edge of the guitar peeping out from behind the edge of the pick guard, instead of seeing the 'guard extending all they way up to the edge.  But over all a smashing build.  Thanks for sharing.

 

[James _R]

Cheers Bagman!

Haven't had too much time to crank this guitar on the gain setting yet but the Quarter Pounds were sounding great. For me, they will really come in to their own when I'm hitting the harder stuff in my bands songs. First practice in a few weeks in a fortnight. Very much looking forward to that!!!

Yeah I totally get that not everyone will like that the pickguard goes right to the edge. For me, it takes the blocky slabs of white and black that step further. I toyed with the idea of a standard pickguard with the edge showing through but considering  i have black binding, i thought it would look nice and make it that bit different to have it go all the way up to the edge.

 

[frown]

Yeah I totally get that not everyone will like that the pickguard goes right to the edge. For me, it takes the blocky slabs of white and black that step further. I toyed with the idea of a standard pickguard with the edge showing through but considering  i have black binding, i thought it would look nice and make it that bit different to have it go all the way up to the edge.

I kinda like it, for the uniqueness and the personalization you've given it - after all, it's your guitar, no one elses! :icon_thumright:

One thing I may have done if it were me, is to use standard screw hole positions - just in case you decide to change it to a 'normal' shape one...

 

[James _R]

Thanks frown!

I did consider asking Ray to do that, just in case i changed my mind about the whole 'to the edge' thing. But i realised that if the guard was to the edge of the guitar and the screws were in the standard position, the screws at the 'cutaway' edge of the guard would look further in to the material than the others (if you understand that poor description!). My OCD senses would be tingling far too much to allow that! So screws nearer the edge to ensure the spacing is uniform all round was the only way to go!

 

[frown]

Thanks frown!

I did consider asking Ray to do that, just in case i changed my mind about the whole 'to the edge' thing. But i realised that if the guard was to the edge of the guitar and the screws were in the standard position, the screws at the 'cutaway' edge of the guard would look further in to the material than the others (if you understand that poor description!). My OCD senses would be tingling far too much to allow that! So screws nearer the edge to ensure the spacing is uniform all round was the only way to go!

This is where we need magnetic screw heads with a pickguard that has a metal foil back on it so it can mask screws all together and be easily switched to another contour as suitable - held in alignment by neck / pickup / bridge where applicable, and down by the magnets!

Or, you know, no pickguard at all! :icon_biggrin:

 

[stubhead]

I like it, including the pickguard to the edge. Honestly, the conventions of what's right and proper....  :icon_scratch: It looks sort of serious and industrial, IYKWIM.