New body design with pics - "Teloist"

[Eargasm]

Hi guys,
I've been doing some thinking lately, and I have "discovered" that there is something missing from the Warmoth line-up (tongue-in-cheek).
I'm more into modern designs based on old favorites. I think of them as "updated" or "revised" versions based not so much on trends as they are on performance and egononmics. Example, how the soloist body evolved first from the strat, then into the "Frankenstein" one pu model (Eddie), then into a "super strat", then into the soloist. I guess I just dig the progression of refinements, etc., that people always seem to conjure up.
Anyway, case in point, the body design I am discussing here.
I call it a "Teloist". It's based on the soloist body, however it lacks the upper cutaway, and instead substitutes that for a tele influenced "hump" in its place. I know, not a big difference in design upon first consideration, however the "Teloist", (being based off a soloist body) shares the same "contemporary" features - a tummy cut, forearm cut, rear routing, and the smaller size which are featured with the Soloist, along with a bit more modern "hump".
Click on the pics below and have a look. The top one shows the body style in silhouette, and the bottom one shows the comparision between it and a Soloist. Feel free to tell me what you think, I'd love to hear your opinions. I personally think this body style is long overdue.
Thanks for your efforts,
Larry L.

 

[Eargasm]

I forgot to mention that with a revision to an older body style, comes not only the tendancy for rear routing (no pickguard) as well as new locations for electronics, (and of course a rear humbucking pickup!) but also the "freedom" to add a trem unit without worry over "purist" issues. To be perfectly honest, I am picturing this body with no pickguard, a tele neck pickup, humbucking rear pickup, and a wang bar...but that's just me.

 

[Alfang]

Larry, I dont ever recall the EVH franky being in the evolution of the soloist, nor should it be. the franky is simply a semi sorta strat, with a screwed up paintjob, a half fried pick up, A totally fried pick up, and half a pickguard, If you can tell me how that led to the soloist, I wont believe it.

Having said all this:  I do love your concept idea for the tele, I could see it coming a mile away as you weaved your story. Very impressive, I want one. In fact, it's one of those, "why didn't I think of it" ideas. And so simple too, Simple is good. see if you can get warmoth to build it and provide the warhead neck too...

 

[kboman]

Hey, not bad!  :glasses9:
Reminds me a bit of the Teles that Manson Guitars builds for Matt Bellamy (Muse). Though why anyone would want a forearm cut is beyond me, but that's just me, hehe.

/Karl

 

[Eargasm]

Alfang and kboman - thanks for taking the time and effort!
The Soloist did come about due to Eddie making the 1 humbucker strat so popular. A few years after he came out with it, Charvel began making and selling them by the boat load, mostly without pickguards. As these "new" Charvels became more and more popular, Jackson, Charvel's sister company introduced the Soloist as the logical next step in evolution. Since then there has been any number of "Super strats" built off the same idea from Ibanez, ESP, etc. The timeline shows the history and also that Edward's influence is actually a lot farther reaching than some people understand. It could be because they are younger and didn't see it happen, I don't know. But I'm 43 years old, so I was there, paying very close attention and I watched the events unfold as they happened....and that IS exactly how everything happened. Some people might think that I am assuming all this by "simply connecting the dots" but consider this - they had strats and les pauls all the back to the 50's. Any manufacturer could have combined the two, yet none of them did. The "super strat" did not materialize until the early 1980's, and only AFTER Edward showed the world his. After that, everyone wanted one and manufacturers met the demand and revised it along the way. So the Soloist IS in fact, a direct descendant of "Franky".

Anyway, I am very happy to hear that you guys like this idea, and thanks so much for the compliments!
Alfang, we think alike! (apart from the "evolution of the soloist thing of course, but that's no biggie ) I too pictured the Warhead headstock for this one. It seems like a perfectly natural combo to me. I also thought about the possiblity of a CARVED TOP Teloist too. Based off the carved top soloist of course. Also a soloist body is smaller than a strat, so the the Teloist body would be smaller than a standard tele, and I really like that idea! I think that smaller size, even if it is slight, appeals to a lot of people. Lots of potential sales here, and some very happy "contemporary converted" tele players I hope.
I guess we'll see...
Speaking of that - seeing, that is - can someone post the pics full size so that you don't have to log-on to see them??? I noticed that I had to log back on to see the thumbnails and then click on them. It would be easier for guests to see the pics if they didn't have to do all this. A big thanks in advance to whomever helps me out with that!
Again, thanks for taking the time to add your comments gentlemen, I very much appreciate it!

Larry

 

[m4rk0]

I like it!
is does remind me a little bit of the Don Grosh Tele's

http://www.groshguitars.com/cct.htm

I would buy one if Warmoth offered this.. especially wiht a carved top!

 

[Eargasm]

Larry you silwee wabbit!!!
???
It dawned on me that I really should have shown a side-by-side comparision of the Tele and Teloist together. Undoubtedly someone will say "I like the Tele better". I like Tele's too, just not as much. To each his own, but what do you think?
Here it is...

 

[CD]

I love it man.I suppose to build the teloist you'd just have to sand away at the soloist shape. Personally I think it would look cool with a pointy jackson style headstock.

 

[kataar]

Man, I love it too. I personally have never been into the whole tele shape, but that lower horn kinda gives it more of an appeal to me... i think i need one  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Alfang]

Eargasm, I am still gonna disagree on the franky as any influence on the soloist, you even said yourself that the 1 pick-up led the way, I believe you are thinking of Eddies 5150 guitar, with no pickguard , I would go along with that theory. I am just a few years older than you, so I have been watching from the sidelines since just before they became famous. Anyway, we can agree to disagree.

It's cool to see all the positive response for your teloist idea, I am onboard :laughing7:

For anyone who doesn't know what the warhead  headstock looks like, check out Gregg Stewarts black korina strat, that design is sweet , and would go well with Eargasms teloist idea.

 

[Stuck in the Sixties]

I like the Teloist and to think I'm not much on the looks of the Tele but I do like the sounds that can come from them. I'm 57 and got to play on a lot of the early guitars that you speak of and believe me if you could go all over this Nation and look under beds and into closets ther will be several 50's and 60's strats with a hum. route covered up by a pick guard. Eddies led the way because his was in the forefront of another music revolution.   :icon_thumright: I would like to see one in the raw, (any wood you pick) not knocking your design in anyway but to suit my taste I would like the lower horn shorter between 1 to 2 inches. Keep up your work on musicology.  :cool01:

 

[Eargasm]

Thanks guys! More than anything else, I am just so happy that this idea has "struck a chord" with you guys the way it does me. It almost seems like it was a natural evolution that was somehow "overlooked" by the Universe doesn't it? Weird...
Anyway, regardless of who proposed the idea, I am so glad that it is now on the table at least. And just so everyone knows, it really means a lot to me that a few of you have taken the time and effort to respond. Thanks to Alfang, kboman, m4rk0, CD, Kataar, and Stuck in the Sixties for their input. Educated opinions like those are crucial. If Warmoth decides to pursue this body style -(Ahhhhhhhh...Gregg....where are you?) -  I want everyone to know that they played a part in it.
At least, that is what I will think if this design ever materializes....



Just a quick note on my own personal "vision" of this design, in case anyone is interested ~
I want a "Tiger Teloist".
Picture this -
A Teloist body, Black Korina with a flame (tiger) maple top. "Light Amber" Tigerburst finish, natural maple binding.
(Click here to see an example of the finish and be sure to scroll down:  http://www.andersonguitars.com/cfPages/showSingleGuitarGallery.cfm?passedID=2&finishID=161&bodyWoodID=9
Cute little kitty kitty huh?...
Anyway, all chrome, or better, nickel hardware.
One volume, one tone. "Zebra" Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Humbucker at the bridge, stacked tele humbucker at the neck.
Special "Larry" electronics (suited to my personal taste)
24 3/4" scale.
AAA flamed (tiger) maple neck and fingerboard with the Warhead headstock -  example of the headstock : http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=222.0
Purrrrrrrrrrrrrfect!!!
Obviously I'm going for a very "tigery" looking Teloist, but I would like to hear your ideas - what would you guys do with this design?
L

 

[Alfang]

Larry, so lets put one together, we can buy a pre-routed body blank, come up with a template and route and carve it up ourselves, Build the entire thing to your specs and post it here.

We gotta build 2. one for you one for me, I have plenty of tools.

E-mail me we can take this offline    john_parent@comcast.net

 

[CD]

Couldn't you get a soloist body and just modify it more easily than build the whole thang? Not saying it wouldn't be cool.  :rock-on:

 

[Boobala]

I like everything about the "Teloist'  except the name.

There's a reason they called it the "Soloist" and not  a "Stratoist".

How about...

Melodist
Serenader
Hatchet
Grinder
Pulverizer
Decimater
Annihilater

...or my personl favorite...

The Chinchilla Gorilla