Telecaster Body w Quilt Maple Lam Top - Transparent w/o Binding or Masked Edge?

[wardens355]

I am looking to build a new Telecaster and really like the look of Transparent Turquoise on top of a quilt maple lam top. I am trying to figure out how the body might look without any binding or masked edges with a transparent finish. Without either, I assume there will be a stark transition between the lam and body (ash / alder / white korina), which I think I might be OK with, but cannot find any reference bodies that have been done like this to satisfy my mind that I won't be disappointed. Anyone have a body finished with transparent without any binding or masked edges?

 

[Rick]

Sorry no transparent content but if you do a search with the words turquoise bling you'll find a discussion about turquoise binding and flake.

 

[teleme01]

i was trying to get a turquoise to match fret markers on a neck,  not maple but close to turquosies

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Did you see this thread:
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=33131.0

I'd be a bit careful with Turquoise as it seems to come out differently on different wood species.  The hue of the colour may have unwanted contrast.  I wonder if "blue burst" would be an easier alternative.  Yes I would use masked binding too.

 

[Rick]

Oh ... Yeah ... If you look at the links in my signature you'll find a jazzmaster I did in transparent turquoise without binding on alder.

 

[wardens355]

Did you see this thread:
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=33131.0

I'd be a bit careful with Turquoise as it seems to come out differently on different wood species.  The hue of the colour may have unwanted contrast.  I wonder if "blue burst" would be an easier alternative.  Yes I would use masked binding too.

Thanks for the feedback. There is a telecaster body available that has the perfect quilt maple lam top and has a roasted swamp ash body. However, I would think an all transparent turquoise without masked edges would just look off due to the much darker wood at the seam between lam and body. Maybe a masked edge would make that work.

I made a little mockup of the renderings Warmoth has to get some idea of what the guitar might come out looking like (knowing they could come out way different, but mostly just to get some general feel). I think maybe a turquoise dye could look really good, albeit a bit darker than what I was originally envisioning. Wondering if maybe turquoise dye w/ masked edge, transparent turquoise back could look good. Tough choices without being able to see many real life examples.

There's also a telecaster body that is quilt maple lam w/ white korina that looks good too, maybe it would be a better candidate for all trans turquoise since the body is lighter.

Guess I'm starting to think a masked edge is required with any option.

Mockups below:

https://imgur.com/a/hL5XDqy

 

[Rick]

Required?  Mmh ...  also besides a burst over looks good.  As to much darker seam take a look at my jazzmaster pics ..  I wouldn't say it's a dark seam in fact it's undectable.  It's all a matter of personal taste.  I will say the more color contrast body wood to lam top probably would be better with a binding of some sort. Just go with your instinct.  If not do what your wife tells you to do.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

I have a feeling you may be on the right track with the Korina or maybe roasted swamp ash, but its hard to be sure as you wrote.

I thought the turquoise dye looks pretty nice in the builder, so I'm interested to see what you end up choosing!

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

For some reason the ESP guitars stick in my mind.  This one is called Marine Blue.  I think its a dye, but I'm not sure how similar it would be to the warmoth one.    ESP tend to paint the back of the guitar black, but I think I that darker blue would achieve the same effect.

 

[wardens355]

Required?  Mmh ...  also besides none a burst over looks good.  As to much darker seam take a look at my jazzmaster pics ..  I wouldn't say it's a dark seam in fact it's undectable.  It's all a matter of personal taste.  I will say the more color contrast body wood to lam top probably would be better with a binding of some sort. Just go with your instinct.  If not do what your wife tells you to do.

That does look nice on the seam. My main concern is that my favorite body I'm looking at is maple top, roasted swamp ash body. Since the body is much darker due to the roasting, I assume that would be very apparent with an all trans turquoise finish. Was the Jazzmaster an alder body with alder lam top?

The other body I like is maple on white korina, that combo might be close enough in wood shade that a masked edge might not be required to look better. I just love the quilt maple on the other body so it's a tough choice.

 

[wardens355]

I have a feeling you may be on the right track with the Korina or maybe roasted swamp ash, but its hard to be sure as you wrote.

I thought the turquoise dye looks pretty nice in the builder, so I'm interested to see what you end up choosing!

While I was initially drawn in by the trans turquoise finish as shown in the Warmoth rendering, I'm beginning to like the turq dye more and more. I think that with a trans turq back w/ the roasted ash body could work. Now I'm just trying to figure out how a clean line vs burst-over will look at the transition between the two. It's hard finding those details it seems.

 

[Rick]

Yep that one is all alder but I’ve had bodies with swamp ash and maple top.  Also undetectable as to color .  Roasted you will see a difference .  Up to you to decide if it’ll bother you.  If you have the money why not get one with whatever binding you want.  Either way it will look great.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

I think that with a trans turq back w/ the roasted maple body could work.

I guess you meant roasted swamp ash, not a roasted maple body.

Have you owned a telecaster with an ash body before?  The combination of the single cut shape, rigid wood and lack of significant routing tends to make them bright IMO.  I think that Alder telecaster bodies are already bright.

 

[wardens355]

I think that with a trans turq back w/ the roasted maple body could work.

I guess you meant roasted swamp ash, not a roasted maple body.

Have you owned a telecaster with an ash body before?  The combination of the single cut shape, rigid wood and lack of significant routing tends to make them bright IMO.  I think that Alder telecaster bodies are already bright.

Good catch, I did mean roasted ash, just edited that. I have not owned a roasted ash body, just alder. The body I'm looking at is a three piece, chambered roasted ash body, if that makes any difference.

 

[teleme01]

brings up a drunken afterthought .... why arent there roasted maple bodies?

 

[Rick]

I was in this house in Australia and they had the craziest thing ... roasted maple flooring, imported from the USA.  Stairs and banisters too.  Astounding.  House was about 4000 sq ft.

 

[wardens355]

I've narrowed it down to two potential options:

Body 1:
Quilt Maple Lam - Transparent Turquoise Gloss
White Korina Body - Transparent Turquoise Gloss
50/50 on masked edge, trying to figure out if white korina darkens a lot during staining

Body 2:
Quilt Maple Lam - Turquoise Dye Gloss
Roasted Swamp Ash Body - Transparent Turquoise Gloss
Natural Masked Edge

I should just flip a coin at this point, I'm probably overthinking it.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Turquoise over white korina is probably going to be shift the colour slightly green.  Not as much as Mahogany or Alder though.  It might be ok, but I feel like there's a risk.  Have a look at the colours on the builder which seem to give a clue.

 

[wardens355]

Turquoise over white korina is probably going to be shift the colour slightly green.  Not as much as Mahogany or Alder though.  It might be ok, but I feel like there's a risk.  Have a look at the colours on the builder which seem to give a clue.

Yeah korina does look a little bit yellow, so that makes sense. Unfortunately, there's no white korina option on the builder to reference. If I go that route then masked edge would help divide the contrast, so maybe with both options masked edge is appropriate.

The lighter parts of the black korina on the builder look similar to trans turquoise on maple. So maybe they'd both really turn out a bit more green shaded, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

AFAIK, "White korina" is the same wood as "black korina", except they exclude the parts with black grain and mineral streaking.

I'm curious to see how it matches, but if I was choosing for myself I would get the Korina and choose a different finish like "Blue burst" or "Tequlia sunrise".