Telecaster Deluxe / Tonar Nitro *DONE!*

[jay4321]

Ok, well here it is.... essentially done save for a couple minor things & setup. Sorry about the photos, it's the best camera I have at the moment. And it's overcast out at that.

[size=12pt]Specs:

Swamp ash one-piece Warmoth body (no contours)
Maple 10"-16" Warmoth Pro compound radius neck
Corian Earvana nut
Nitro finish (see notes below)
SD SH-2 Jazz neck pickup w/ cover
SD SH-4 JB bridge w/ cover
CTS 500k pots + nice aftermarket caps and other electronics
Schaller locking tuners
Flat mount strat bridge

The finish:

Tonar did the body and neck in Nitro (my first nitro finished guitar). The serious grain kicked his ass a little bit, but the finished product looks great and I'm very happy with it. The color is a natural/yellow mix with a very subtle mustard-green hint to it. I will wear this into oblivion over the next 10 years or so, but for now it looks nice and new.

The decals:

Oh boy. I know some folks despise the idea of putting Fender decals on a Warmoth, but after a lot of thought I decided I just like the look of them. An actual 70's Deluxe is vastly different than this guitar in many obvious ways, so it's not like there's going to be much confusion. In any case, it's mine. The sig decal on the back is a nice touch. $10.

Sound:

What I was really setting out for was a brighter version of a Les Paul - I generally love those for rhythm but done care for the fat lead tones (unless played clean).

I have a lot of adjustments to do yet, but here are my initial impressions... as far as clean sounds, the JB sounds great and the Jazz is just a little on the muddy side but surprisingly warm. Both pickups really excel in the medium-gain rhythm area, particularly in the Keith Richards to Angus Young range. It's certainly not as bright as I expected - there's no ice pick at all, and it sounds nothing like a Tele or Strat whatsoever.

The sustain is pretty good, about 80% of my LP and vastly better than my strats. In fact that's about the closest comparison to the sound - lead playing sounds somewhat fat. A little heavy on the mids but nothing I can't dial back on the amp.

The Earvana:

Worth every penny. Nice to have all of my chords in tune - if you're on the fence I'd try one out. They looked pretty bad before Warmoth started offereing the Corian ones, but as you can see here it's not an obtrustive look at all. I can't imagine passing this option up on any future project (I have a strat neck with one being finished as well and have used the old kind in the past).

I could use a little help!:

I used blue painter's tape to mask the finish while I was putting sheilding paint in the cavity, and have residue in a couple spots. Anyone know how to SAFELY clean it off a nitro finish?

[/size]

 

[rapfohl09]

Man that thing is AWESOME! I love that color!

Everything I would ever want in a deluxe.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Amazing score!

 

[Tonar8352]

I used blue painter's tape to mask the finish while I was putting sheilding paint in the cavity, and have residue in a couple spots. Anyone know how to SAFELY clean it off a nitro finish?

Jason,
Use Benzene on a soft rag and it should wipe right off, and then polish it up with the Virtuoso.

It looks real good put together!!!  Great build.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I agree with you about the earvana.  My friends ask what it sounds like and it is hard to describe.  I settled on, "you know that shimmering sound when the B and E are in tune?  It sounds like that when you play open chords."  I can't wait for Warmoth to offer it for tilt back headstocks as well.

Beautiful guitar, looks like you will have years of fun with that monster.
Patrick

 

[stubhead]

Where do you find the corian Earvana nut on Warmoth's site? On Earvana's site it's listed as an "LSR" replacement.

 

[Rick]

Nice!

 

[m4rk0]

Excellent! very nicely done!
and also, the only guitar on which the big porno headstock looks great!!  :icon_biggrin:

 

[taez555]

Talk about perfectly replicating the 70's tele custom look, but with all the advantages of going the Warmoth route.    That's a sweet guitar.  Congrats!

 

[Mor Paul]

No, it's a deluxe. I've got something more like a custom. Humbucker in neck, tele bridge pup.

 

[jay4321]

Jason,
Use Benzene on a soft rag and it should wipe right off, and then polish it up with the Virtuoso.

It looks real good put together!!!  Great build.

Great, thanks, I guess they'll have that at the Pharmacy.

 

[jay4321]

Where do you find the corian Earvana nut on Warmoth's site? On Earvana's site it's listed as an "LSR" replacement.

You just select it as an option when you purchase a compatible neck, I don't think they offer for tiltback headstocks yet. It's actually about the size of an LSR and the nut channel is wider than normal nuts.

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/StringNut.aspx#earvana

 

[stubhead]

OK, thanks. They don't have the corian Earvana listed under hardware, cause it's not just a retrofit. I was alarmed to hear what they had to say about bone (blanks):

Bad-smelling dust.

Hardcore Warmites have grown to like the smell of cutting bone.... :evil4: just don't let it get ahead of the number of guitars... :evil4: :guitaristgif:

 

[jay4321]

I heard the bone nuts do smell kinda bad when cutting them, but it's not as if you're going to be snorting the stuff every day. Tonar likes them.

I'm "pretty sure" this Earvana is corian, but you might want to confirm that

 

[blue313]

Hardcore Warmites have grown to like the smell of cutting bone.... :evil4: just don't let it get ahead of the number of guitars... :evil4: :guitaristgif:

It's not bad actually.  It's not in the neighborhood of most bad smelling things.  It smells like....well....bones.  I've only made a few dozen nuts from blanks but it hasn't bothered me in the least.   But bleached bone smelled worse than unbleached IMHO.



Sweet Tele!  :icon_thumright:

 

[jay4321]

Some random thoughts about the guitar building experience

1) Warmoth is very easy to deal with in the event of an issue. I apparently ordered the wrong neck by accident, as as it turns out the Earvana nut prep was kind of shoddy. This was returned and replaced with the other neck complete with a new Earvana without a problem (they would have been within their right to simply rework the old neck).

2) The grain on one-piece bodies made to order are a crapshoot. A nicely matched 2-piece would have most likely looked better, and cost less. Still, I wanted a solid block of wood and I'm still happy with it, just something for others to think about if you're considering going with a 1-pc ash sight unseen.

3) Tonar's work is as good as advertised. The body looks great and the neck is flawless.

4) Decal edges will still show somewhat with a light nitro finish over them.

5) Stew-Mac conductive shielding paint is a nice idea, but copper tape is cheaper, less messy, and more effective. 

6) I predict Earvanas will become the standard guitar nut by high-end builders before very long. The intonation improvement is unmistakable. 

 

[Soloshchenko]

Sweet. Probably pisses all over the original dodgy 70s versions that were made with various cost cutting measuresin mind. I like the decals personally.

 

[jay4321]

Sweet. Probably pisses all over the original dodgy 70s versions that were made with various cost cutting measuresin mind. I like the decals personally.

I do miss the bullet truss rod thing though.

 

[OzziePete]

Sweet. Probably pisses all over the original dodgy 70s versions that were made with various cost cutting measuresin mind. I like the decals personally.

And the varying quality control issues too, I bet! Great looking guitar.

In fact, thinking about the variances of QC in those original 70s Fenders and the absurd prices people want for them nowadays, you'd be better off going the Warmoth way and ensuring the guitar has better build tolerances and things like the neck pocket don't become an issue - for half the price or more.  :icon_thumright:  :icon_thumright:

 

[OzziePete]

6) I predict Earvanas will become the standard guitar nut by high-end builders before very long. The intonation improvement is unmistakable. 

Jay,

Have you had a chance to play with other guitarists and bass players yet with the guitar? I have an older type of Earvana on my Tele and a guitar repairer who did the setup for me mentioned that there *might* be a clash of tunings if played with other guitars or bass guitar that have the usual nut instead of a compensated nut like the Earvana. I'm yet to record with mine to find out if that is the case (using my other guitars on different dubs & I suspect my dud ears won't hear it unless it is painfully obvious anyways).

Would be interested to hear how the Earvana-fitted guiatr works with other guitars that do not have the same nut.