Multiple Tele Builds
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Rick
Epic Member
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Get ideas from whatever source you can find. Once it reaches critical mass the ideas explode. Here are some places to look,
Here the Tele section
The tele section on the warmoth site gallery
The GOM
The Fender Telecaster by AR Duchossoir
1001 Guitars to dream of playing before you die
The books you can borrow from your public library, if it's any good. Not everything can be found in an internet forum.
Play out, go to guitar stores, meet people, see what they use ... make up your own mind ... dream of your options
No one wants to tell you what to do, it's best if you do this yourself. The only advice I'd give is start simple, and then ramp up the complexity.
And to get you going here's from my penultimate build:
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=29223.msg413745#msg413745
Here the Tele section
The tele section on the warmoth site gallery
The GOM
The Fender Telecaster by AR Duchossoir
1001 Guitars to dream of playing before you die
The books you can borrow from your public library, if it's any good. Not everything can be found in an internet forum.
Play out, go to guitar stores, meet people, see what they use ... make up your own mind ... dream of your options
No one wants to tell you what to do, it's best if you do this yourself. The only advice I'd give is start simple, and then ramp up the complexity.
And to get you going here's from my penultimate build:
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=29223.msg413745#msg413745
Verne Bunsen
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In search of Tele ideas? We're here to help... I have 4 Teles, each one more wonderfuller and beautifuller than all the others.
'90s Fender MIM Telecaster Special
Tele Single Coil Bridge + Humbucker Neck
1-Bridge
2-Bridge + Neck (Split)
3-Bridge + Neck (Full)
4-Neck (Split)
5-Neck (Full)
Wired with 500k pots and a 470k parallel resistor on the bridge pickup for 250k-ish tone.
Bigsby F-Logo B5
'08 Fender Nashville Deluxe
Tele Single coil bridge, Tele single coil neck/middle
Wired with a 4-Way switch and a push/pull as follows:
Push/Pull "Down":
1-Bridge
2-Bridge + Neck (Parallel)
3-Neck
4-Bridge + Neck (Series)
Push/Pull "Up":
1-Bridge
2-Bridge + Middle (Parallel)
3-Middle
4-Bridge + Middle (Series)
Bigsby F-Logo B5
Warmoth '72 Thinline
Dual Humbucker with 5-Way switch
1-Bridge (Full)
2-Bridge (Full) + Neck (Split)
3-Bridge (Split) + Neck (Split)
4-Bridge (Split) + Neck (Full)
5-Neck (Full)
SuperVee Blade Runner Trem
Warmoth '72 Thinline
Lollar'Tron pickups on a standard 3-Way
Bigsby B5
And still I have itches to be scratched! A B16 Esquire and a WRHB Deluxe are always whispering in my ear....
'90s Fender MIM Telecaster Special
Tele Single Coil Bridge + Humbucker Neck
1-Bridge
2-Bridge + Neck (Split)
3-Bridge + Neck (Full)
4-Neck (Split)
5-Neck (Full)
Wired with 500k pots and a 470k parallel resistor on the bridge pickup for 250k-ish tone.
Bigsby F-Logo B5
'08 Fender Nashville Deluxe
Tele Single coil bridge, Tele single coil neck/middle
Wired with a 4-Way switch and a push/pull as follows:
Push/Pull "Down":
1-Bridge
2-Bridge + Neck (Parallel)
3-Neck
4-Bridge + Neck (Series)
Push/Pull "Up":
1-Bridge
2-Bridge + Middle (Parallel)
3-Middle
4-Bridge + Middle (Series)
Bigsby F-Logo B5
Warmoth '72 Thinline
Dual Humbucker with 5-Way switch
1-Bridge (Full)
2-Bridge (Full) + Neck (Split)
3-Bridge (Split) + Neck (Split)
4-Bridge (Split) + Neck (Full)
5-Neck (Full)
SuperVee Blade Runner Trem
Warmoth '72 Thinline
Lollar'Tron pickups on a standard 3-Way
Bigsby B5
And still I have itches to be scratched! A B16 Esquire and a WRHB Deluxe are always whispering in my ear....
S
swarfrat
Guest
I decided to go righty/lefty. Waiting on warmer weather to clean the shop out.
Strat Avenger
Hero Member
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Starting my first, so may not be of any help. Basically a '52 with a Vintage Modern neck, SS frets, compensated saddles, TUSQ nut, noiseless pickups, threaded inserts for neck attachment, and custom color finish.
mayfly
Epic Member
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I've got, er, let me see... uh, 6 warmoth telecasters. 4 with benders, one hardtail, and one with a bigsby.
Since I use these all live and want them to generally work the same, they all have standard tele switching and controls. As far as electronics go, the only variation are pickups, which vary from hot to low gain vintage style. My faviourite right now are the low gain ones, specifically the lollar '52 set. They seem to allow a larger range of tones and touch response. I really like them.
They also all have the same neck profile: Boatneck! I need this shape because I broke my left thumb a few years ago and can't deal with thin necks. YMMV etc.
Since I use these all live and want them to generally work the same, they all have standard tele switching and controls. As far as electronics go, the only variation are pickups, which vary from hot to low gain vintage style. My faviourite right now are the low gain ones, specifically the lollar '52 set. They seem to allow a larger range of tones and touch response. I really like them.
They also all have the same neck profile: Boatneck! I need this shape because I broke my left thumb a few years ago and can't deal with thin necks. YMMV etc.
Verne Bunsen
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Mayfly said:
Agreed, skinny necks wreck my hands/wrists. My Warmoth Teles (along with my Warmoth everything-elses) have the '59 profile, and one of my "Guitar Projects" goals for this year is to put new '59 necks on the two Fenders, both of which currently have thin profiles.
Ace Flibble
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First Tele I put together was a mostly-standard spec, but the neck pickup was uncovered and it had an ebony fretboard with no inlays. White paint, black everything else. No particular inspiration for this one; I just wanted a very 'clean' look, but sound-wise and feel-wise it was as standard as you could get, as at that point I'd never had a regular Telecaster before. (A couple of years later Jim Root ripped off my 'look'.)
Second was a black limba Thinline, rear-routed but then 'custom' (read: me with a hand dremel) routed to take a '69-style pickguard on top. Totally standard neck. First it had a single coil-sized humbucker in the bridge and a custom humbucker in the neck which was built as two Strat pickups put together. Inspiration for this one was simply a picture of Kate Voegele holding a regular blonde '69 Thinline; made me love the sweeping pickguard, but I knew I wouldn't like the tone of a regular 'vintage' build. I wanted something warmer, so black limba wood and hybrid humbuckers were the way to go.
Third was a regular Tele but 24.75" scale and with active single coils. I simply fancied having a 'redo' of the first Tele I'd put together, but now knowing I didn't like the full brightness of a standard Tele (or 25.5" scale), the smoother sound of active single coils and a slinkier scale length fit the bill. It was still all white & black, just fixing the things about the first build that I hadn't been happy with.
Fourth Tele was a remake of the Thinline one; I got bored of the tone and the neck, so I got a new neck made from one solid piece of rosewood, a Jazzmaster headstock shape, and 24.75" conversion scale. I also swapped the hybrid humbuckers for another set of active single coils, as by that point I'd acquired several other semi-hollow guitars with humbuckers, so getting something hollow with a single coil tone again made sense for variety. Using active single coils meant they kept up with the humbuckers in my other guitars without a difference in volume, while the black limba and rosewood stopped anything getting shrill, which is what I'd ditched my first Tele over. None of this was inspired by anything specific, I just wanted to fill some holes in my collection and the Thinline's original form had become redundant.
Fifth was a carved top LP-esque. Really it was only a 'Tele' in terms of its silhouette; it was essentially a modern LP spec. That carved top and the thinline eventually got merged, exchanging necks and, in a way, exchanging electronics. (The carved top went active; the Thinline went passive.) The carved top later exchanged electronics again with an actual LP, while the Thinline remained with regular passive single coils. It only got used for covering one ballad; I'd mostly gone off Teles by this point and switched to LPs and Jazzmasters. Sheer boredom with my existing collection was all that drove those various swaps and rebuilds.
Now it's four years later and I'm looking to build a Tele once again. My first idea was a chambered Tele Deluxe—giant pickguard and all—with jack-of-all-trades bright humbuckers, to fill the gap between my very warm LPs and brighter, bolt-on Jazzmasters. Then I saw & heard some nice Suhr chambered Teles with parallel-wired humbuckers and now I'm thinking maybe copying those (but with a 24.75" neck and in a finish I like; Suhr don't float my boat in that regard) instead. Who knows. Just fancy having a Tele shape again and something versatile.
So, my answer is... eh, do everything. Solid body and passive single coils. Hollow body and weird humbuckers. Solid body and active single coils. Hollow body and active single coils. Carved body and passive humbuckers. Then active humbuckers. Then passives again. Then put passive singles in the hollow body again. Then a chambered body with bright humbuckers. Maybe in the future I'll do one with three P-90s. I don't know.
Good thing about the Tele body shape is it's got enough surface area that you can put pretty much any combination of anything you want in there. Other body shapes can get a bit cramped in the corners, but a Tele body is just a big square that you can throw everything at. So go nuts. Forget what Leo Fender designed. Forget what people say should be on a "proper" Tele. Put a bridge humbucker in the neck, a Firebird pickup in the bridge, put all the contours on it, make it out of laminated basswood, put in a 3-band active EQ... go nuts. That's how you keep multiple guitars interesting. Make every combination of everything.
Second was a black limba Thinline, rear-routed but then 'custom' (read: me with a hand dremel) routed to take a '69-style pickguard on top. Totally standard neck. First it had a single coil-sized humbucker in the bridge and a custom humbucker in the neck which was built as two Strat pickups put together. Inspiration for this one was simply a picture of Kate Voegele holding a regular blonde '69 Thinline; made me love the sweeping pickguard, but I knew I wouldn't like the tone of a regular 'vintage' build. I wanted something warmer, so black limba wood and hybrid humbuckers were the way to go.
Third was a regular Tele but 24.75" scale and with active single coils. I simply fancied having a 'redo' of the first Tele I'd put together, but now knowing I didn't like the full brightness of a standard Tele (or 25.5" scale), the smoother sound of active single coils and a slinkier scale length fit the bill. It was still all white & black, just fixing the things about the first build that I hadn't been happy with.
Fourth Tele was a remake of the Thinline one; I got bored of the tone and the neck, so I got a new neck made from one solid piece of rosewood, a Jazzmaster headstock shape, and 24.75" conversion scale. I also swapped the hybrid humbuckers for another set of active single coils, as by that point I'd acquired several other semi-hollow guitars with humbuckers, so getting something hollow with a single coil tone again made sense for variety. Using active single coils meant they kept up with the humbuckers in my other guitars without a difference in volume, while the black limba and rosewood stopped anything getting shrill, which is what I'd ditched my first Tele over. None of this was inspired by anything specific, I just wanted to fill some holes in my collection and the Thinline's original form had become redundant.
Fifth was a carved top LP-esque. Really it was only a 'Tele' in terms of its silhouette; it was essentially a modern LP spec. That carved top and the thinline eventually got merged, exchanging necks and, in a way, exchanging electronics. (The carved top went active; the Thinline went passive.) The carved top later exchanged electronics again with an actual LP, while the Thinline remained with regular passive single coils. It only got used for covering one ballad; I'd mostly gone off Teles by this point and switched to LPs and Jazzmasters. Sheer boredom with my existing collection was all that drove those various swaps and rebuilds.
Now it's four years later and I'm looking to build a Tele once again. My first idea was a chambered Tele Deluxe—giant pickguard and all—with jack-of-all-trades bright humbuckers, to fill the gap between my very warm LPs and brighter, bolt-on Jazzmasters. Then I saw & heard some nice Suhr chambered Teles with parallel-wired humbuckers and now I'm thinking maybe copying those (but with a 24.75" neck and in a finish I like; Suhr don't float my boat in that regard) instead. Who knows. Just fancy having a Tele shape again and something versatile.
So, my answer is... eh, do everything. Solid body and passive single coils. Hollow body and weird humbuckers. Solid body and active single coils. Hollow body and active single coils. Carved body and passive humbuckers. Then active humbuckers. Then passives again. Then put passive singles in the hollow body again. Then a chambered body with bright humbuckers. Maybe in the future I'll do one with three P-90s. I don't know.
Good thing about the Tele body shape is it's got enough surface area that you can put pretty much any combination of anything you want in there. Other body shapes can get a bit cramped in the corners, but a Tele body is just a big square that you can throw everything at. So go nuts. Forget what Leo Fender designed. Forget what people say should be on a "proper" Tele. Put a bridge humbucker in the neck, a Firebird pickup in the bridge, put all the contours on it, make it out of laminated basswood, put in a 3-band active EQ... go nuts. That's how you keep multiple guitars interesting. Make every combination of everything.
S
swarfrat
Guest
Haha. Not sure if you're trolling me or not, but that's the "Haven't yet got around to doing anything about finishing yet" finish. And by 'righthand' one do you mean the right hand reverse one on the left side of the pic, or the left hand reverse one on the right hand side of the pic?
S
swarfrat
Guest
My six year old doesnt play, but he messes around with my music stuff and of course I try to throw anything at him i think will encourage him to play. He's left handed. His is reverse angled simply because mine is. His is going to be set up as a lap steel. Mine will be a regular tele but with a reverse angled bridge for smoother treble strings and twangier wound strings.
zebra
Senior Member
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- 498
I started with one Tele project, and although it played and sounded well, something about it just didn't seem right, so I got another body to put the neck on, intending for one guitar to become two. Now that I've got a second neck for the original body, I'm thinking it would go even better on a third body... :dontknow:
Figuring I restrain myself and keep it to two teles (for now): One is going to be traditional-voiced noise-cancelling single-coil-sized pickups, the other with dual-blade single-coil-sized pickups, for a more modern sound. One will have the control plate flipped, so the volume knob can be grabbed with my pinky for volume swells, and the other won't have the control plate flipped, so I won't accidentally smack the knuckle of the finger on my picking hand with the bone spur against the volume knob. :tard: One will have lighter strings, be in standard tuning, and be more traditional in all regards. The other will be tuned to P4 and be strung with flat wounds.
If a third enters the mix, butterscotch blondie will probably get "Becked": Forearm contouring, humbuckers (with pickups rings - even on the pickguard, of course), and maybe even a Bigsby.
Figuring I restrain myself and keep it to two teles (for now): One is going to be traditional-voiced noise-cancelling single-coil-sized pickups, the other with dual-blade single-coil-sized pickups, for a more modern sound. One will have the control plate flipped, so the volume knob can be grabbed with my pinky for volume swells, and the other won't have the control plate flipped, so I won't accidentally smack the knuckle of the finger on my picking hand with the bone spur against the volume knob. :tard: One will have lighter strings, be in standard tuning, and be more traditional in all regards. The other will be tuned to P4 and be strung with flat wounds.
If a third enters the mix, butterscotch blondie will probably get "Becked": Forearm contouring, humbuckers (with pickups rings - even on the pickguard, of course), and maybe even a Bigsby.
TBurst Std
Hero Member
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Question answered! LOLbassetman said:like this.
Myself, I see electri guitars largely as a medium for pickups primarily, bridge/tail piece next.
The 2 Teles I have slated have/will have
3 saddle Tele bridge. Some wound pups that are quite hot but also have taps to a vintage wind.
3 saddle bridge but with bridge cutaways for a Bigsby. It will have WRHBs (it will also be chambered with a F hole. The misnomer of hollow body I will not iseas itis not constructed like a hollowbody)
DangerousR6
Mythical Status
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I've only built two, the first was just happenstance, I was perusing feebay and came upon this nice hollow all cherry wood tele body. And had to have it, and went with double hums and top mount Floyd, standard 3 way toggle, vol and tone. Neck is Warmoth standard thin mahogany with ziricote fb.
Second one took a bit of time. I found the spalted maple top, then had a full hollow mahogany tele body made added the spalted top with black binding. Double hums with top mount Floyd, vol and tone with 3 way selector switch. Neck is wenge with ziricote fb and veneer of the leftover top.
Second one took a bit of time. I found the spalted maple top, then had a full hollow mahogany tele body made added the spalted top with black binding. Double hums with top mount Floyd, vol and tone with 3 way selector switch. Neck is wenge with ziricote fb and veneer of the leftover top.
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