First build ordered - Tele style with TV Jones pups

[Tchillanos]

Hey all, new and first time builder here. I put my order in yesterday and I can’t wait for it to arrive! I know it’ll be a while for shipping, and I’ll keep this updated as I build it. In the mean time, I appreciate any tips or advice anyone here has for a first time builder. I have a feeling that I may be missing some obvious things, so please feel free to give me and suggestions!


I plan on assembling a Telecaster style body with TV Jones pickups. Here are the details:

Neck
- Construction: Modern
- Shaft: Maple
- Fretboard wood: Ebony
- Nut width: 1-11/16" (43mm) - Modern Medium
- Neck back profile: Standard Thin
- Fretboard Radius: 10” - 16” Compound
- # Frets: 22 Frets
- Fret Size and material: SS6150 - Wide & Tall (Stainless)
- Tuner hole size: Gotoh/Grover (13/32" - 11/32")
- Inlay: Cream dots with white side dots
- Nut: Standard Nut - GraphTech White TUSQ XL
- Finish: Clear Satin Nitro


Body
- Construction: Solid
- Core Wood: Roasted Swamp Ash
- Control Cavity: Top Rout
- Neck pickup rout: Humbucker
- Bridge pickup rout: Humbucker
- Jack rout: 7/8" (22mm Side Jack Hole)
- Body contours: Forearm, Tummy, Heel
- Bridge rout type: Hardtail
- Bridge rout: Fender American Standard Strat Flat Mount
- Paint category: Clear
- Top color: Clear
- Back color: Clear
- Finish: Satin

Here is everything I bought along with it. If I missed anything obvious please let me know!

NECK PICKUP	TV Classic Neck - Humbucker Mount
BRIDGE PICKUP	TV Classic Plus Bridge Humbucker Mount

BRIDGE	Fender American Standard Flat Mount
TUNING PEGS	Gotoh SG381 Guitar Tuners, 6-in-line Set
STRING RETAINER	String Retainers for Guitars, Pair
NECK MOUNTING PLATE	Neck Plate
NECK PLATE PAD	Neck Plate Pad
STRAP BUTTONS	Strap Buttons
STRAP BUTTON FELT	Felt Washers for Strap Buttons
CONTROL PLATE	Tele Control Plate
SELECTOR SWITCH	CRL 3-Way Blade Switch
SELECTOR KNOB	Tele Switch Tip/Knob
VOLUME KNOB	Flat-Top Knob
TONE KNOB	Flat-Top Knob
NECK SCREWS	Neck Screws for Contoured Heel
INPUT JACK	1/4" Jack, Mono
INPUT JACK CUP	Footblal Side-Jack Plate - Black
STRING FERRULE (qty 6)	Guitar String Ferrule

CONTROL POTS (qty 2)	500K Audio Pot
TONE CAPACITOR	Capacitor - 0.022 uf
PICKGUARD	Telecaster Pickguard (parchment)
MOUNTING RING	Humbucker Mounting Ring Short Flat - Black
PICKGUARD SCREWS	Pickguard Screws - Stainless Steel

I’m sure shipping will take a while so I have some time, but my main concern with the build is drilling. I’ve never drilled into a guitar before so it’s scary thinking I can mess up the build by mistake.

I feel better about the electronics/wiring as I have some experience there.

The main thing I can’t wait to try with this build is the TV Jones pickup in a telecaster body. I know some people look down on TV Jones when it’s not in a hollow body, but I love the solid tele style body too much. As of right now, I plan on building it without the pickguard, but I’ll see how it looks with/without.

Here’s some questions I have if anyone has any advice about it:
- if I use a pickguard, do I need to have a mounting pickup ring for the neck or do I just mount directly on the pickguard?
- are there any obvious parts/materials/electronics that I’m missing above?


Thanks for any advice anyone has on the build and I’ll keep it updated as I build it!

 

[stratamania]

Welcome to the forum. You can find several useful articles and build threads linked in the Welcome to the Forum thread in my signature (including remarks regarding drilling in the threads linked).

- if I use a pickguard, do I need to have a mounting pickup ring for the neck or do I just mount directly on the pickguard?

You could do either, but you do not need a pickup ring if mounting to the pickguard. Or you can mount direct to the body and the pickguard surrounds the pickup similar to a traditional tele neck pickup mount. Either way if you order a pickguard for TV Jones without ears, if you use the ears you can drill the holes to mount. If mounting without ears the pickup screws direct to the body then no holes are required in the pickguard for the pickup.

https://warmoth.com/pg-tele

- are there any obvious parts/materials/electronics that I’m missing above?

- Tuner hole size: Gotoh/Grover (13/32" - 11/32") this tuner bore will limit you on what tuners you can use now or in the future.
The Schaller/ Modern Fender /Sperzel option will allow a greater choice of tuners including Fender / Sperzels / Schaller / Hipshots etc.

Please don't hesitate to ask any further questions.

 

[Tchillanos]

Welcome to the forum. You can find several useful articles and build threads linked in the Welcome to the Forum thread in my signature (including remarks regarding drilling in the threads linked).



You could do either, but you do not need a pickup ring if mounting to the pickguard. Or you can mount direct to the body and the pickguard surrounds the pickup similar to a traditional tele neck pickup mount. Either way if you order a pickguard for TV Jones without ears, if you use the ears you can drill the holes to mount. If mounting without ears the pickup screws direct to the body then no holes are required in the pickguard for the pickup.

https://warmoth.com/pg-tele


- Tuner hole size: Gotoh/Grover (13/32" - 11/32") this tuner bore will limit you on what tuners you can use now or in the future.
The Schaller/ Modern Fender /Sperzel option will allow a greater choice of tuners including Fender / Sperzels / Schaller / Hipshots etc.

Please don't hesitate to ask any further questions.

Thank you so much for the great advice!! I’m going to get the tuner hole size upated to the modern fender one. I didn’t realize that about the standard gotoh size

 

[stratamania]

Sure no problem.

 

[DuckBaloo]

Thank you so much for the great advice!! I’m going to get the tuner hole size upated to the modern fender one. I didn’t realize that about the standard gotoh size

They really need to changed how they list peghole sizes. As far as I know the only tuners that still fit that Gotoh/Grover peghole size are the Grover Original Rotomatics Model 102.