Neck and Body for Tele Build Arrived!

[Magicbisket]

Heya guys. Mighta seen my other posts like the finish not decided one or the question about the SD Hot for teles. Well my Warmoth body blank and neck are finally here. I don't think I could be any happier with them. The neck boggled me when I took it out of the box. I carried it to my father trembling it was so beautiful. Nothing I can do with it but a natural or a tint on it. Too gorgeous.

Close up of the headstock:

and another

Now the neck grain:

One more:

Now the Fretboard

The Blank:

The back:

Okay Lets see the Headstock once more:

And a quicky of my Body shape full size:

Curious. Is it impossible to stain maple or just really difficult?

Thank you Warmoth and thank you Unofficial Warmoth Community

 

[bagman67]

Looks like a lot of fun!

QUick questions -

1.  Is the space between the upper bout/horn going to be enough for you?  Looks kinda pinched.

2.  Might the pointy part of that upper bout be a little aggressive? It looks like it could poke you right in the chest - might be worthwhile to consider rounding it a little.  Even your more aggressive pointy guitars tend not to have their pointy parts where they would tend to spike the guitarist in the torso. 

And maple takes dye very nicely, actually - it's ash (your body wood) that tends to be harder to stain.  However, you can remedy that in one of two ways:  either shoot a tinted clear coat, or work with some scrap in the same species until you identify a dye or stain that will work the way you want it to.

And if you happen to be considering orange, I have most of a pint can of water-based General Finishes orange dye that I'd be happy to send you if you're in the USA.  I'm done with it, and it worked very well on this ash body (this is two coats applied with a swatch of t-shirt and then wiped off):

 

[Updown]

2.  Might the pointy part of that upper bout be a little aggressive?
It looks like it could poke you right in the chest - might be worthwhile to consider rounding it a little. 
Even your more aggressive pointy guitars tend not to have their pointy parts where they would tend to spike the guitarist in the torso. 

:icon_scratch: May-be he's left handed & the curved cut out fits around his leg  :toothy11:  all thou, still may be a bit to pointy for that.

So thats what they look like, as a slab !! ..... Neck looks nice too.
You have my full admiration on this build, as I couldn't start from scratch like that :sad:

But I'm pretty good with my 'chainsaw sculpting talents'  :laughing7:

 

[Magicbisket]

1.  I am planning on reshaping the upper bout a bit. I'm going to shorten the top of the upper bout and probably round it to the the side of the neck pocket instead of going so far down. I also decieded shortly after taking the picture of the plan that I am going to take out the super-point for the reasons you listed below and the fact that it doesn't seem structurally sound. I'm not exactly sure what i'm going to do with it but i'll figure it out.

Also I am very glad to hear that the maple can be stained because I don't want to keep the natural color but I need to show off that wood grain.

The ash sadly I'm not planning on finishing in an orange but I appreciate the offer greatly! Wow that looks kool though.

I thank you for your help !

and for your admiration!

I'll post an updated body design later.

D. T. Latty

 

[Tipperman]

That neck grain makes me drool big time. Absolutely beautiful. If I could make a suggestion for the body, an amber color would look jaw-dropping with that body shape, as would a blue dye or purple dye. Just my two cents.

Can't wait to see this tele finished.

 

[Magicbisket]

I appreciate your two cents cause I am at a complete wall trying to think of a finish. My original plan was to dye the top of the guitar transparent white and the headstock face transparent white and stain the rest of the guitar a medium brown. Thought it would show off the grain white accentuating the gold hardware nice with the white top finish. My mom was first not on board for that finish and my dad was and now she is and my dad isn't. Needless to say I am confuzzled. I also though of staining it a more worn brown, the entire thing. However speaking of amber and blue, I have considered both. My only issue with amber is that the hardware is gold and I fear it might look odd. My only issue with blue is that I have no idea what to do with the neck. Dye it blue? Keep it natural? Attempt to stain it darker?

Any input on any of these finishes? I appreciate every penny!

Oh and as promised.

My Revised Guitar Design for Superior Structural Stability and Minimal Impalement or RGDSSSMI:

Thank You Again

My preview isn't showing the image so i'll post it in the attachment just in case.

D. T. Latty

 

[Cagey]

Amber and gold go together perfectly. Blue and gold do not. Blue is a cold color and gold is a warm one. Anything matches black or white, since neither of them are colors. White is all colors at once, and black is no color at all.

And tell mommy and daddy that they can finish their guitars however they'd like, but yours is up to you.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Well black and white are sometimes difficult to get your head around.  White light is all colors, black is the absence of light.  Black pigment is all pigments, thus absorbing all light and white pigment is reflecting all light.  It can be confusing, but you have to think of it as a perspective issue and apply it properly to the job at hand.
Patrick

 

[Cagey]

The way to keep track of it is right in your comment - the difference is whether you're talking about a light source or a light reflection. That's why we have RGB (additive) and CMYK (subtractive) colortone systems. The first applies to sources, and the second to reflections. For example, your computer monitor is a light source, so it adds Red/Green/Blue at various intensities to produce the gamut of colors it's capable of. Your printer, on the other hand, relies on reflected light to work, so it uses Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black at various densities to subtract reflections and do its thing.

 

[Magicbisket]

Sorry for being so quiet. My brain got all confuzzled with all the techno-mubofication. My father said my original plan for the finish is impossible so that is out of the question. Now I believe i'm going to be doing it in amber. He wanted blue but not that blue looks bad, It just doesn't fit me. I knew my there was something I didn't like about blue and that was it. Luckily I had a talk with my art teacher since school started up again and she helped me realize that. Curious, is there an easy or safe way to do a bit of a burst. I'd like a dark amber color on the ends and getting lighter towards the center. I'd probably do it all in just the one amber but at different levels of concentration. Can I just take the dye and use a rag to go around the edges to darken it? Is there another easy or safe way? Also, a general opinion on how it would look in amber.

Thank you

D. T. Latty

 

[DustyCat]

I appreciate your two cents cause I am at a complete wall trying to think of a finish. My original plan was to dye the top of the guitar transparent white and the headstock face transparent white and stain the rest of the guitar a medium brown. Thought it would show off the grain white accentuating the gold hardware nice with the white top finish. My mom was first not on board for that finish and my dad was and now she is and my dad isn't. Needless to say I am confuzzled. I also though of staining it a more worn brown, the entire thing. However speaking of amber and blue, I have considered both. My only issue with amber is that the hardware is gold and I fear it might look odd. My only issue with blue is that I have no idea what to do with the neck. Dye it blue? Keep it natural? Attempt to stain it darker?

Any input on any of these finishes? I appreciate every penny!

Oh and as promised.

My Revised Guitar Design for Superior Structural Stability and Minimal Impalement or RGDSSSMI:

Thank You Again

My preview isn't showing the image so i'll post it in the attachment just in case.

D. T. Latty

I caution you on the shape of the body rout if you like tol play sitting down.
Personally I find my stratocasters to be most comfortable sitting down, my les paul not so much, and my banjo (circle shaped body) a downright pain on my thigh.

-DC

 

[Magicbisket]

Looking at it I see what you mean. I would like to keep the mini horn on the right side but I can see how it would be uncomfortable sitting down. I'm used to a les paul but it doesn't mean it makes it comfortable. I'm going to work on the contour a bit more and when I get a good shape i'll cut it out and mount it on a board to see how it feels. Thank you for pointing that out.

I just need to know what finish to put on it! It's driving me crazy! I have gold hardware so it's a bit more difficult. I'm actually starting to regret getting the gold hardware just for the reason of not knowing what to finish it in.
Any and all advice on what to finish it in is welcome. However i'm not too keen on the blue and I want to keep it a transparent finish to show the wood grain. It's swamp ash so I can't get the extravagant flame top finishes
but I should be able to get a fine wood grain out of it. I'd like to keep it classy, a bit more subtle and more of a pleasing finish than eye popping. It's just so hard to choose. I like amber but i'm not sure if it would work with swamp ash grain and no pickup mounts to contrast. I do have faux abalone topped knobs and abalone inlays so that should add a bit interest to the look but I'm just so confused.

Help me please!

Sorry to keep bringing up finishes but it's just so hard to choose.

Thank you all again

D. T. Latty

 

[Cagey]

When you get right down to it, gold looks good with anything, but it looks best with warm colors. That is, anything toward the infrared side of the spectrum. Any shade of yellow through red is fair game, and is basically a no-brainer. But, that doesn't mean you can't mate it up with other stuff. Gold has the unique quality of being universally attractive no matter what. Pick a color, gold goes with it. Think of gold as boobies. There's just no way they're wrong <grin>

The reason most players won't condone gold is not that it doesn't look good, it's that it's not a practical finish. Even the best manufacturers of hardware plate their parts so thin it can only be measured on an atomic scale. So, even with minor use you're going to rub it off over a fairly short time, and if you have the right body chemistry, it happens pretty fast. Then you're left with some pretty ugly hardware you had to pay a premium for.

So, it's fine for the show guitar you rarely take out, but for day-to-day work, fuhgeddaboudit. Chromium or Nickel is less expensive and more robust and resistant to oxidization, which makes it very practical. If there's anything a musical instrument needs to be, it's practical.

Whatever's best for you. I doubt anyone here is going to tell you what to do, at least in that area. You have to decide for yourself if this is going to be a show guitar or a tool.

 

[Magicbisket]

I've taken a greater liking to a new finish idea. I dark red transparent, Like a Wine Red. Something like this.

Obviously it won't be that gorgeous but I have seen the color on some other gold hardware telecasters and It looked great.

I can't do binding, my father doesn't want to try it. I can understand why.

I'm actually considering a pick guard even though it wasn't part of the original plan.

What do you guys think?

 

[AprioriMark]

I love that color scheme.  Perhaps you and your father might want to try natural masked (fake) binding. 

-Mark

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Having built 2 guitars from the body blank (one pre-routed Warmoth blank, one blank blank), I have to strongly advise that you play with photoshop or some other program that lets you see the image of the body with a version of the full body shape.  That, or have lots of the sketch paper taped to the body & play around with it a lot.  You can see a bit of the process I went through on the first 2 pages of this thread. 

All that said - your design is A.W.E.S.O.M.E!  I agree that there might be some issues with lap playing, but the overall shape looks cool.  I'd say just keep playing with the shape in sketch form before you do the cutting, but you've got an incredible start.  :rock-on:

 

[reluctant-builder]

The revised body sketch looks a little to me like a rubber ducky.  :icon_tongue:

 

[Magicbisket]

1. To Aprior Mark: I looked up natural masking and some images of it. It's REALLY nice. Only question is if bleeding would be too much of a problem. Since I'd have to dye to get a deep dark red I was wondering if it would be an issue or if there is an easy fix.
Thank you for the idea. Oh and for the bump on the color scheme.

2. To ihavenothingprofoundtosay: checked your link and first of all I loooove that guitar. Secondly I see what you mean by the Photoshop body work. Only problem is I don't know how to get such a great picture of the body blank. (To Everyone else too:Also I took the advice people have been giving me about touching up the sides for easier lap playing and I have to say I'm quite pleased. I didn't take off a ton because I wanted to keep true to the original shape but from the look of it, it looks more comfortable, less bulky, overall more pleasing, and a little lighter at that.)

Thank you for your Complements on my body design and your helpful advice. I'm going to see if Photoshop has any way to trace the lines on the design so I don't have to completely start over.

3. To reluctant-builder: What is seen cannot be unseen. I have seen it. I cannot make it unseen. BUT! Oh well, I like it. Oh and I'm not taking it as an insult. I just found it funny cause it really does and I never noticed it. 

Thanks a ton to y'all. I am very glad I joined the Warmoth community and you have made me a very happy boy

D. T. Latty

 

[reluctant-builder]

Wasn't meant at all to be an insult; just some levity. I'm all for all of us making whatever our hearts desire ... that's the point, right?  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Magicbisket]

I know it wasn't meant to be an insult. I just feared that I might be coming off as if I took it as one because It's so hard to put diction in text that I put that in there to assure you I did not. Oh and Absolutely Right!