Metallic Surf Green Turtles

[ghostrider]

It has arrived!

Metallic Surf Green Black Korina Tele body + Roasted Flame Maple/Macassar Ebony Turtle inlay neck.

This one is a bit of a mullet-Tele... business in the front; party in the back. I'm looking forward to putting this one together over the holidays.

The funny thing about this order is that I ordered the green and the turtles as off-menu items. As soon as I ordered them, they became regular menu items. I'm taking credit for it. You're welcome!

 

[PFDarkside]

Fantastic!

 

[ruscio]

Beautiful body + neck! The fretboard is fantastic, looks like the shaft wood might be something special, too?

 

[ragamuffin]

Absolutely love that body!

 

[ghostrider]

Beautiful body + neck! The fretboard is fantastic, looks like the shaft wood might be something special, too?

Thanks! The shaft is a roasted flame maple with the perfect amount of flame, IMO.

 

[Rick]

That's a real nice body, and the turtles go with your strat!

 

[ghostrider]

Roughly 20 coats of Tru Oil after polishing. It's not 100% perfectly smooth, but at least 95%. It definitely passes the casual eyeball test and my best attempts at finishing to date...

 

[ghostrider]

Preliminary assembly...



I still need to attach the name badge when I receive it in the next week or two. I'll round out the fretboard edges and dress the fret ends in early March when it's the driest weather of the year here and then she'll be done!

 

[PFDarkside]

Preliminary assembly...

View attachment 67442

I still need to attach the name badge when I receive it in the next week or two. I'll round out the fretboard edges and dress the fret ends in early March when it's the driest weather of the year here and then she'll be done!

Awesome! I love the mixed gold/chrome!

 

[ragamuffin]

It's a beauty!

 

[ghostrider]

I decided to put 4 layers of varnish on the brass saddles to keep them from tarnishing...

 

[PFDarkside]

I decided to put 4 layers of varnish on the brass saddles to keep them from tarnishing...

View attachment 67444

Oh it’s brass! Where did you get them?

 

[Spud]

Oh it’s brass! Where did you get them?

Amazon

 

[ghostrider]

Oh it’s brass! Where did you get them?

Spud is correct. I got the saddles are from Amazon. The knobs and switch tip are from Reverb.

I'll take some photos of the final assembly tomorrow which will also have a brass neck plate and string ferrules, both from Reverb.

I have several guitars with the raw brass saddles which, if you do get these from Amazon, I highly recommend filing the top corner on the low E saddle. It comes to a pretty sharp edge and is pretty pokey on the palm unless you give it a slight rounding out. I wouldn't buy these saddles in anything but raw brass because of that. If you were to file it and it had a coating on it, it would look pretty bad.

 

[Spud]

Try rubbing the brass saddles on your face.

 

[Rick]

The fretboard really makes it look like the turtles are swimming!

 

[aarontunes]

Great build!

 

[ghostrider]

The fretboard really makes it look like the turtles are swimming!

That's exactly what I was hoping for!

 

[ghostrider]

Not super great lighting this morning because it's so dark and overcast, but I snapped some photos of the completed build.

Body: Black Korina
Top: Metallic Surf Green
Back: Clear
Ivroid binding

Neck: Roasted Flame Maple
Fretboard: Macassar Ebony
Inlays: Mother of Pearloid Turtles
Profile: Standard Thin
Nut Width: Modern Medium
Nut: Tusq

Tuners: Schaller locking
Bridge: Gotoh
Saddles: Brass
Pickups: Lambertones Blondie
Neck Ring: Chrome
Control Plate: Tele w/volume knob set back from switch
Knobs, Switch Tip, String Ferrules: Brass
Neck Plate: Brass Compass
Strap Buttons: Schaller Chrome
Output Jack: Electrosocket

Pots: 250k
Capacitor: .047
Switch: 3-way
Volume: master
Tone Knob: wired only to the bridge

 

[Spud]

Not super great lighting this morning because it's so dark and overcast, but I snapped some photos of the completed build.

Body: Black Korina
Top: Metallic Surf Green
Back: Clear
Ivroid binding

Neck: Roasted Flame Maple
Fretboard: Macassar Ebony
Inlays: Mother of Pearloid Turtles
Profile: Standard Thin
Nut Width: Modern Medium
Nut: Tusq

Tuners: Schaller locking
Bridge: Gotoh
Saddles: Brass
Pickups: Lambertones Blondie
Neck Ring: Chrome
Control Plate: Tele w/volume knob set back from switch
Knobs, Switch Tip, String Ferrules: Brass
Neck Plate: Brass Compass
Strap Buttons: Schaller Chrome
Output Jack: Electrosocket

Pots: 250k
Capacitor: .047
Switch: 3-way
Volume: master
Tone Knob: wired only to the bridge

View attachment 67445
View attachment 67446

View attachment 67447

Sweet! BTW-overcast days are mostly better than sunny for guitar photos IMO.