Pete's Ponce progress pics

Little bit of progress...

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New switch tip and new Graphtech saddles. I've used this type of compensated saddle before and they've intonated ok. It's not just to look at though so if it doesn't work well enough I'll go another way.

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Attached the neck - 2 strings on before tightening it up to check the alignment and wiggle if necessary. Looks spot on.

One thing I'm not so happy about is that there's unfinished wood visible on the cutaway side of the neck socket.

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Closer view

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Spotted this when it arrived but wanted to wait until the neck was properly screwed on before deciding what to do about it. It's not that obvious - at a glance you'd take it for shadow and it's not in the most often viewed area - so I'll probably either touch it up or just forget about it, but what do you guys think? Worth talking to Warmoth about? Clearly I've done too much to it to return it.

Next, lots of holes to drill in my paintwork...
 
I'd touch it up. I guess even acrylic or modeling paint would be ok as long as it's the right color. It doesn't matter much since it's in a place you rarely look at, but if you're the anal type (most of us are), you won't want to leave this as is.
 
I think I'd want to touch it up, but I'd think long and hard about it. Little details like that have a horrible habit of turning into tar babies, where a seemingly necessary action ends up requiring a compensatory move, then another, then another, until what was an insignificant thing becomes a hopeless nightmare.
 
Not keen on the hopeless nightmare option but touched it up anyway. Hopefully the quality of my paint application won't be tested too much but it looks fine.

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After doing this, having had some difficulty finding a good colour match, Warmoth got in touch offering to send me some paint. Even when I said I didn't need it, they came back to me again wanting to 'put it right' another way. Good customer service. I'd decided this was just a little 'snagging' of the sort to be expected during a build and wasn't even planning to contact them about it.

Apart from that, I drilled a bunch of holes in the body and screwed things into them.

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Just the unnecessarily complicated wiring to do at this end of the guitar. Oh, also in touch with DangerousR6 about the very necessary custom neck plate.

At the other end, I'd been planning to make my own waterslide decal. Didn't go well - the transfer paper and the metallic pen in the POS category. Could search around for better alternatives but decided to get it done professionally.

Getting there...
 
Slow progress for a while so time for a not-actual-progress-as-such update...

First up, Mr DangerousR6 has made my neckplate. Here's the classic 'on Doug's desk' shot:

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Hopefully it's on its way to my desk - there's a little more to be done to it before fitting...

Already on my desk is the headstock waterslide decal. This came from a UK supplier and looks great. I shan't recommend (or not) until I see how it looks under some lacquer.

Still have the electrics to do. Managed to talk myself out of having a complicated switching arrangement and am now going with the basic tele setup. The only variation, after a lifetime's dissatisfaction with standard spec tone controls - and Stubhead's evangelizing - is a 10nF cap which I'm waiting for so I can get the thing soldered together.

And thanks - yes, the touch-up had to be done. Looks good in the flesh too.
 
Slick plate, I'm excited to see this one. Did they paint the neck when asked over the phone because on the site it says it must be ordered at the same time as the body to match.
 
Thanks! Should be even more slick when I'm done with it (fingers crossed).

Had to order by phone anyway because the option's not on the builder, but when I enquired beforehand, they said that the matching thing was mainly for the dye finishes and that the solid colours were 'pretty set'. I'd guess the same applies to metallics etc.

I'd be a little surprised if they point-blank refused to supply a neck with a dyed maple headstock veneer on its own if you asked them nicely and agreed that you would take it on the chin if it wasn't a perfect match. But what do I know?! :dontknow:
 
Fat Pete said:
Had to order by phone anyway because the option's not on the builder, but when I enquired beforehand, they said that the matching thing was mainly for the dye finishes and that the solid colours were 'pretty set'. I'd guess the same applies to metallics etc.
Click to expand...

No. Metallics, etc. are all special and require a quote. I called and asked recently for the neck I wanted on my blue ice Tele, and the finish ended up surprisingly expensive - about what it would cost to do a body. Still haven't made up my mind, but I'll probably pass. Few things in the world as nice as a bound Ebony over Pau Ferro neck, and I can see that working on there. Of course, they're not cheap either. It may be a while before I get to play that little lovely.
 
I was only thinking of the colour matching aspect rather than cost but that's useful to know - that candy red neck isn't happening then!

How about just a painted headstock face for the blue ice Tele (which is a super sharp looking guitar btw)? I remember seeing someone had one finished on an otherwise raw neck. Presumably not cheap for that either.
 
I don't know, but I imagine that if all I wanted was to paint a toenail with that finish, it would cost about the same. Unlike solids, it's a multi-step process, it's not a popular color that would get re-used immediately, the equipment might need special attention, and so on. I do some finish work around here, and generally speaking it matters not what I'm going to finish - I have to make roughly the same batch of finish and spend the same amount of time no matter what I'm doing.
 
Well, if I do another build thread I think I'll wait until it's all done before starting it - this seems to have taken forever - Sixstringsamurai's 3.5 hour build has put me to shame!

Anyway, picked it up from 'my luthier' with decal applied and frets polished etc. Happy times!

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The decal looks great - no visible sign of the edges - it's from these guys and I'm happy to recommend them.

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After an unusually long spell of unbroken sunshine and high temperatures for the UK, especially for this part, it's a bit overcast today; hopefully I'll get some decent photos up in the gallery soon.

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The sharper-eyed amongst you might notice that Doug's plate isn't yet in its proper place. It'll be fitted when I change the strings - I've got some playing to do!

On the subject of playing, I'm really happy with the pickups too. The 'T-bucker' bridge sounds very much like... a tele bridge pickup. Bright and with lots of twang, but humbucking. The 'F-bird' neck is possibly even nicer, quite single coil-ish and surprisingly 'woody'. They work very nicely together too. Both made by Allan at Catswhisker Pickups. Also recommended.

The 6130 frets make for an interesting playing experience - not for those that don't like to make contact with the fingerboard. You can certainly feel the rosewood (and the pearloid!) I have an SG special - a proper one - that barely has frets at all and was part of the inspiration for this build - 24.75" scale, blocks, humbuckers - but still 'tele-looking'. The most surprising thing for me is how little difference the shorter scale makes; it still feels and plays like a tele despite the above specs. I'm not a very 'technical' player and I find that picking up a different feeling (and sounding) guitar makes/inspires me to play differently too.

Anyone still reading? Really? I'll get back to the  :guitaristgif: and maybe the :party07: as well...

 
Everything about that guitar is just KILLER!!! Great choices all around, and a beautiful piece!!
 
Finally calling this complete. Many thanks to all for the comments and advice, much appreciated. Delighted with the guitar - look, feel and sound are all better than I could have expected. (Lots of) gallery pics here.
 
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