So, I've been thinking about building this guitar for a long, long time now. It looks as if I just might do it this time, so I put this blog together to illustrate my thought process, build, materials used, and skills learned. I did this so I could keep a record for my own sake, and also to give anyone else out there with similar inklings an idea of what I did so they can make their own decisions.
So - first thing's first - what am I doing here? I have been playing guitar for about 17 years now, and about five or six years ago, I decided that I wanted to learn to fix them. I am still learning, little by little, but back then, I bought a cheap Dean Evo at a pawn shop and tore it to pieces. Literally. Then, with the help of the internet and Stewart MacDonald (more about this company later), I fixed chips, repainted, customized wiring, built a bone nut, exchanged cheap parts for nice ones, and finally ended up with a pretty sweet cheap guitar. It seriously sounded top notch, and I learned a lot. I started applying these tips and tricks to my Gibson Les Pauls, my Flying V, and my Paul Reed Smith. My point in telling you these things is to give some context of my skills and my confidence in taking on a project of this magnitude. If you're just starting out, you may want to start on a cheapo like I did. I also highly recommend Dan Erlewine's Guitar Player Repair Guide. This book covers EVERYTHING. It is easy to use, and was a big help to me, and still is!
But this blog is about a telecaster. Here was my first inspiration - found this picture on the internet somewhere years ago. This image inspired me to build a custom telecaster.
I wanted to build a tele because, for one thing, all of my electric guitars are les paul style humbucker guitars. I wanted something with single coil pickups, capable of being bright and twangy, but I didn't want a hollow, thin sounding guitar either. I think the telecaster is a versatile workhorse, and if you set one up properly, can be a snarling, crunchy beast!
I wanted a tremolo but not a strat-style tremolo. The idea above, on the pine tele, had a B5 Bigsby tremolo attached, but with the original bridge (with slots cut for the strings to pass through) was very attractive to me. This plan keeps the string vibrations directly in contact with the body, thus improving tone.
The other influence in my design was the Fender "Nocaster". In 1951, Fender was threatened with a lawsuit by Gretch because their Broadcaster guitar was too close in namesake to Gretch's Broadkaster drum line. So, for a short while, Fender clipped the "Broadcaster name off off their headstock decals, and left only the Fender logo. These guitars are extremely rare, and I think they sound amazing. The early Broadcasters, Nocasters, and Telecasters featured a one piece ash body, and a one piece maple "boatneck". Nowdays, if you don't build one like I did, you'd have to spend about $6000 on a custom shop replica. This way, I don't feel so bad about customizing my guitar and playing it all the time. It's not a rare piece of history, and it's also not an expensive tribute. It's a really cool looking player guitar.
Next post, I'll go over my design ideas and cost estimates. I'll be listing everything I buy- there are a few tools I still need in order to do the work. I will describe all the tools and parts used, though, even the ones I already have here ready to use. See you next time!
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