First build - tele

jyjvstrat

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13
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It's always wonderful to see a labor of love.

Well done! That is indeed a thorough job and write up, thanks for posting it! ♥️
:yourock:
 
1)  No need to apologize, we like pictures here.  The more, the better.  Apologize if you post without pictures.
2)  Great choice leaving that pickguard off!
3)  Nice work - enjoy!  :hello2:
 
Looks really nice. I love the natural dark wood with the silver hardware. When I first saw the pics of the white pick guard I wasn’t a fan so I’m glad you went without it. I appreciate the walk through and description of the challenges you faced. I’m planning to do a first build myself and am looking for any tips from other builders as I dig through the forum here. I have seen those bowl jacks and liked them but given your experience I’m not sure where they are intended to be used. I have a curved square jack plate on an old LP copy that has been a thorn over the years and was hoping I could use something like the bowl. I hope that guitar is as fun to play as it looks. Enjoy!
 
jyjvstrat said:
After that I just spent hours and hours playing with the setup :D

Very pretty wood.  I really like that zircote fretboard.

After my one build the the string height, intonation, etc. went very smoothly, but I was tweaking pickup height for several weeks, trying to get the sounds and balance I wanted.  Thought I was never going to get it, but finally did.

Don't forget to spend hours *playing* it!  :)
 
Thanks for all the feedback!! Yes, I am still playing with the pickup height... And as for jumping into a build, my big advice is to expect mistakes and be okay with it being rough around the edges. It's a project, your want perfect, this isn't the way to go. That said, this one turned out pretty well!
 
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Hi everyone! Warning - long post. Warning - lots of big pictures. Sorry (?) about that.

So I recently got a promotion, and was thinking of what to do to celebrate. I wanted a new guitar... but after spending lots of time at the local stores, I didn't see myself compromising on such an expensive guitar. I wasn't happy.

So, I thought I'd try my first build.

A shout out to Spike who advised me and suggested changes to my order. His advice was spot on.

So, this is what showed up in the mail!

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That's a roasted flame maple neck with vintage tint, and a figured zircote board.

Here are the other bits:
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That's a roasted swamp ash body with a koa top. Chambered.

This was the idea:
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So! I get to work.

First, I decided to shield the cavities *(EDITOR's note: it's still as noisy as my unshielded strat*). 3 coats.
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My fret rocker wasn't that happy with the frets, so off I go to do a fret level. Not my first, but certainly the part of the job that gave me the most anxiety.
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DISASTER STRIKES
While removing the tape....
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I give warmoth a call. Give them all the details. Explain what I did, which tape I used.
I knew that tape can pull finish off, so I removed it very carefully, but the finish basically flaked off! (!!).
Warmoth said to send it back they'll take a look..

drumroll! verdict: rare poor finish adhesion. They'll strip and re-finish the neck, send me a care packet (go warmoth shirts!), extra tape, and they even cleaned up the fret ends for me (I guess they could see that I was an amateur).

Thanks to Spike and Jeff for all the help.

While I wait! I learned to drill the finish. My technique: 1) drill backwards first to scrape finish off without lifting. 2) use a countersink bit by hand to scrape a cone of finish away from the hole. 3) drill. 4) wax the screws before putting them in

Another trick I learned that saved me: don't trust drill bit sizes and screw sizes. I just used my calibers to measure inner and outer diameter of the screw, and the bit, and found a bit in the middle.

I also installed he string knob thingies. They didn't want to go in and I was shy of shattering the finish. I used a small flat file to remove the finish from around the hole and they went in well.
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Neck comes back, looks beautiful, ready to rock!

I quickly install the bridge and neck. Again, I cleaned out the holes with my countersink bit and file where needed. I also slightly over-drilled the holes in the neck pocket since it's all roasted and I'm nervous of splitting the wood. *I had to order more screws since its a contoured heel and my screws were too long.
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I also added a screw to the body in each cavity, crimped a wire on it, so I can connect it to ground later (star layout).

OK - time to drill out the pick guard.
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🐢

I couldn't do it. The wood is too beautiful. I can always add it later.
So I added longer tubing to the neck pickup, and installed it into the body.

I wired up the cavity
*** This was the second hardest part in the whole job. Getting wires from the neck cavity to the control cavity was a REAL problem. Online people suggested buying abrasive cord. Wonderful idea. I got impatient and made my own by using a razer to cut thin strips of sandpaper from a belt sander paper. I fed it through with a wire, and used the sandpaper ever so slowly to open up the cavity. This job sucked. This is the only part where I felt the warmoth quality and workmanship was below par. Seriously. fix that.

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I like electronics so this bit was fun. I really like working with pushback wire.

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Done! all higher end hardware, switchcraft, etc.
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Next, let's put the tuners in. They were a little tight, but I used a straightedge and measured between them to ensure they were straight.
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SIGH. They weren't flush when I marked the holes. Once they were in tight, they were crooked :( :doh:

So, let's repair and re-try.
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All done! Invisible repair.
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Next, on to the nut.

Grind down to the same width
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Stick back sandpaper on the table worked well
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Move toward shape!
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Now for the slots...
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Final depth, shape, polish.
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Next onto the jack. I bought this cup.
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that was clearly a mistake. So I ordered this one:
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Sigh! Doesn't fit the body, it protrudes because of the curvature. Ended up with this.
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In retrospect I wish I went with the Gibson-style plate. oh well.

I thought a good nut didn't need a tree. This certainly needed a tree!
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AALLL DONE This was a blast.
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🐢

After that I just spent hours and hours playing with the setup :D
 
Congratulations on your first build. Once you've built one, you will want more. (GAS infected, I built my first as a 60ith birthday present to myself, anxiously waiting on my third neck, sigh).

Thanks for the all photos and descriptive text, I learn something new from everyone's build. Beautiful result.

As Frank Zappa said... "shut up 'n play yer guitar"
 
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