I need some help with final touches on my Warmoth tele

[zizworth]

Alright, this is my first post so if this is in the wrong place, please feel free to correct me.

I'm nearing the end of my first guitar build, and I have a few questions about the last few steps in the process.
It's a solid maple tele body, maple neck, H-H-H pickup rout. I made a BYOC ToneBender clone to put in the middle humbucker spot and wired everything in the most amateur and cringe-worthy way possible, as pictured. My final steps are to mod a blank tele control plate to fit pickup selection, a volume/tone concentric pot, and the attack and level knobs from the fuzz circuit. I do not have a drill press or power drill, only a dremel and hand drill, will that do?

Additionally, I have yet to apply a headstock decal/finished the neck, and while I've explored the process, I have a few question about my particular situation. If anyone can answer these questions for me, I will owe you a high-five or something.
1. Will the decal work on top of satin wipe-on poly?
2. can I use wipe-on poly on top of the decal after applying it, or do I need something else?
3. can I omit string trees, or is the break angle over the nut not sharp enough without them?
4. can dremel grinding stones make a decent enough hole in a control plate?

I've attached a few pictures for those interested, though it's nothing spectacular as I only applied a few thin coats of poly.
I'm planning on naming this guy Sergeant Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon, and I just ordered the parts for his Strat partner, Sergeant Riggs.

Thanks in advance for any and all input

 

[line6man]

Nothing is more ridiculous than when people botch decal applications. If you are going to do it, do it right. The finish needs to go over your decal.

String trees will depend on how well your nut is cut. It's best not to generalize.

Personally, I wouldn't use a dremel tool on metal. I would drill a series of holes and file them into a slot. Of course, that's difficult without a drill press. Is there any reason you can't just buy a control plate with a slot?

 

[zizworth]

I can work something else out for the decal or leave it blank if a waterslide one is easy to mess up, as I'll likely make plenty of mistakes. If I sand down the finish on the headstock and apply the decal, will wipe-on poly work on top?

The custom control plate would be necessary to make room for the tone bender attack and level controls, as right now the attack control is just sitting inside the control cavity. I looked for a 3-knob tele plate but only found blank plates.

 

[dmraco]

1. Will the decal work on top of satin wipe-on poly?    Yes.  The water slides do stick.  Make sure you buff the base smooth to give the waterside something to stick too.  Then apply.  Let it DRY!!! 

2. can I use wipe-on poly on top of the decal after applying it, or do I need something else?.  If you brush lightly you will be OK.  OR you could purchase some spray on poly..... :icon_thumright:

3. can I omit string trees, or is the break angle over the nut not sharp enough without them?  Try it with out.  You may be OK.  As stated, it depends on your nut.  I have been using staggered tuners with good success.


4. can dremel grinding stones make a decent enough hole in a control plate?  I would not.  Just go buy a good bit designed to metal.  Not expensive.  Use a hole punch to indent the metal in the desired location.  This will prevent the bit from slipping.

 

[zizworth]

Thanks both of you, I'll see how it all goes. I'll probably get some heat-shrink tubing and rewire the whole thing, so I may as well try the decal and control plate drilling while I wait for wiring stuff.

 

[stubhead]

Pickguard material is really easy to work with just x-acto knives and little files and sandpaper and such - there's not a specific need to use metal plates, tinfoil on the inside will ground them. You can clamp a couple of... things to each side of an upcoming slot to keep the holes and file work where they need to stay. Clamp the CRAP outta them, you can use rubber sheets to keep anything from slipping. I use hand tools a lot, everything happens slow, including mistakes. And I like to figure out how to do something without always BUYING something more. Your brain is your best tool, HOW do I make THIS hole HERE.