Looking for pics and tips of/for a Carved Top, hollow body 2 f-hole Tele

[jleisner]

Evening all, many thanks in advance for your help.

I'm looking for pics, tricks and pitfall warnings about the beauty that is the Warmoth carved top, hollow-body 2 f-hole Tele.

PRS has turned me off of mahogany, am considering a Korina body (all around) w/ a maple-maple neck, string through w/ TOM and TV Jones humbuckers (split coil, methinks).

Cheers and again, thanks.

 

[Cagey]

First of all, welcome to the board!

As for tips, tricks and pitfalls with carved-top hollow Teles, there are none. It's a lovely design with no gotchas. I have a 4 of them, 1 hollow, 2 chambered and 1 solid. I don't have F-holes in them because I don't care for the look, but they're just decorative anyway so I'm not missing out on anything. One less place for spiders to hide.

I wouldn't discount Mahogany out of hand, in case you see a nice one in the Showcase. My hollow carved-top is Mahogany, and it's the brightest, liveliest guitar I own.

I mean, freakishly so. But, it has an Afromosia neck, a brass bridge and Graphtech saddles, which I'm pretty sure all conspire to give it that response. Bodies usually don't add/subtract so much.

 

[line6man]

Get a raw neck.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Korina is only a decorative alternative to mahogany.  The are tonewise so similar to be a non-issue, but....the maple neck will be leading the charge to a brighter sounding instrument if that's why mahogany was the turnoff.

The f-holes are unfinished on the inside, and one is on top of the control cavity, so the black plastic cavity cover will be visible from the front.  That's a non-issue for some, but aesthetic food for thought if you hadn't considered it.  The 2nd f-hole also limits the control layout options.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

This is a mockup I did for a friend.  Yours will have a different bridge, and I don't know if you were considering the upper bout toggle location or binding, but visually the 2nd f-hole, IMO, cramps the control layout and contributes to a very cluttered and cramped top.

 

[jleisner]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and pics, much appreciated.

I have a couple of mock-up pics attached- body & neck. Clearly, I'm no Tele purist. I'm also not a fan of the Tele head stock, so most likely the W-2 or Warhead will be the crown. The pups will be TV Jones, Warmoth just doesn't offer TVJs in gold for the builder-pics.

Just to be clear, I have nothing against mahogany, its just one of those "everyone's DONE it" kinda things...like hazelnut in chocolate...I get it, I just wanna try something new. I'm currently playing a mid-90s Warmoth VW (quilted maple on alder, maple/maple neck- all unfinished, JB & Jazz 'buckers) BECAUSE everyone was doing/buying the basswood thing back then.

 

[jleisner]

Pulled the trigger early this morning- wish me luck!

Carved Top, Hollow Body Tele, "Leanne"

Mahogany core
Korina 2 f-hole laminate
contour heel
TV Jones HxH rout (Power'Trons or Super'Trons)
string-through TOM bridge
upper horn LP toggle rout
volume & tone pot routs
Tele cup/input jack
Alpine White

Warhead neck
maple/maple
1 5/8" nut width
10-16" radius
standard thin profile
MOP dot inlays
gold frets
Gotoh tuner rout

tuners, bridge, pickups knobs, switch & strap pins = gold

 

[Cagey]

That's gonna be a sexy machine! I'll look forward to seeing that one come together.