Tele Build Project - Finished

Self built and self assembly ;)

Moderators: Slowy, Capt. Black

User avatar
Molly
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 24937
meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
Has liked: 2482 times
Been liked: 2794 times

Tele Build Project - Finished

Post by Molly »

Thought I'd document my '52 Tele build now all the parts have been gathered together. The neck will eventually find its way onto an AllParts body I've just bought from Troy but until a suitable fat Tele one appears it'll do fine.

First things first. Strip the body. This must've been before anybody invented the term 'thin skin' because it's 1mm thick. Peels off nicely with a hairdryer.

Image

Body is from a US Fender '52 reissue. Still have the original bridge with serial number. All the screw holes, serial stickers etc. verify it as such but I can't believe how thick they used to put the paint on.
Last edited by Molly on Sat Nov 25, 2017 2:22 pm, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
Olderama
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 7007
Joined: Sun Dec 22, 2013 8:04 pm
Has liked: 971 times
Been liked: 876 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by Olderama »

Molly wrote:Thought I'd document my '52 Tele build now all the parts have been gathered together. The neck will eventually find its way onto an AllParts body I've just bought from Troy but until a suitable fat Tele one appears it'll do fine.

First things first. Strip the body. This must've been before anybody invented the term 'thin skin' because it's 1mm thick. Peels off nicely with a hairdryer.

Image

Body is from a US Fender '52 reissue. Still have the original bridge with serial number. All the screw holes, serial stickers etc. verify it as such but I can't believe how thick they used to put the paint on.
lol reminds me of a chunk of edam
:mental:

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by Single coil »

Horners Squier tele body had a fucking mental think finish. 1mm is nothing lol
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
Molly
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 24937
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
Has liked: 2482 times
Been liked: 2794 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by Molly »

Well, that didn't take long. An hour maybe. Couldn't find my heat gun so just used a hair dryer.

Image

Can't date it from this, eh? Not that it matters.

Image

User avatar
Molly
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 24937
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
Has liked: 2482 times
Been liked: 2794 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by Molly »

Not going to be precious about the refin. I'll just seal the grain and put a single coat of nitro on. Some or other DuPont colour I expect.

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 40878
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 7685 times
Been liked: 4157 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by jeremyb »

Holy shit that was easy!! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this Brian!!
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

User avatar
Molly
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 24937
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
Has liked: 2482 times
Been liked: 2794 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by Molly »

jeremyb wrote:Holy shit that was easy!! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this Brian!!
It really was! Already given it a light sanding. If I had any paint here it'd probably end the day finished and assembled. And sold... LOL.

Not sold. That's just for comic effect. ;-)

User avatar
olegmcnoleg
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 5542
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 11:26 am
Location: Awkland
Has liked: 860 times
Been liked: 741 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by olegmcnoleg »

Molly wrote:
Not sold. That's just for comic effect. ;-)
Even so, you should probably ask around and find somebody else's favourite colour, cos...you know...

I really like a surf green Tele BTW :-)

User avatar
Molly
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 24937
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
Has liked: 2482 times
Been liked: 2794 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by Molly »

olegmcnoleg wrote:
Molly wrote:
Not sold. That's just for comic effect. ;-)
Even so, you should probably ask around and find somebody else's favourite colour, cos...you know...

I really like a surf green Tele BTW :-)
You're in luck. That's what I was thinking of going with. :thumbup:

User avatar
StrummersOfThunder
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 7160
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 2:23 pm
Has liked: 807 times
Been liked: 1295 times

Re: Tele Build Project

Post by StrummersOfThunder »

There's something surfy going on ...
Surf green needs a trem. Bigsby ?

User avatar
Molly
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 24937
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
Has liked: 2482 times
Been liked: 2794 times

Re: Tele & Strat Build Project

Post by Molly »

Might as well use this thread to document the Strat build too I guess.

Set today aside to do the wiring. Green pickguard because that's what I had lying around. Fralin Vintage Hot pickups from TradeMe. New pots etc. from ToneLounge. Took my time and was happy with the connections but with the best will in the world I don't think I could ever make it look as neat as a Custom Shop Strat. One thing I do try to do is to have a single length of black wire connected everywhere it's supposed to be connected.

Image

These are really handy. They're surgical clamps. Hold things nice and tight whilst you solder them and also act as a heat-sink.

Image

Looking good so far. Will change the pickup covers from stark white at some point.

Image

Fuck...

Image

The neck, it seems, is from a Strat with a contour heel so is not designed to fit in a standard body. This is a problem.

Took the body and neck around to the local guitar builder I met recently just to get a second opinion. I'm going to have to dowel the screw hole you can see in the pic, buy a contour back plate and shape the body around it, then drill another hole. Pisser is that I'll also have to refinish the body. Shitload more work and expense than I was expecting.

You live and learn. Eh?

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: Tele & Strat Build Project

Post by Single coil »

Hurdles like this are a blessing in disguise.

Once you’ve done it, you’ll go “Oh, fuck. That wasn’t so bad. When’s the next one?”

Nek minit you know how to do it.
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
Molly
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 24937
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
Has liked: 2482 times
Been liked: 2794 times

Re: Tele & Strat Build Project

Post by Molly »

Single coil wrote:Hurdles like this are a blessing in disguise.

Once you’ve done it, you’ll go “Oh, fuck. That wasn’t so bad. When’s the next one?”

Nek minit you know how to do it.
Well, important to keep it in perspective for sure. If I can get a decent paint match I'll try to get away with just painting the corner I've had to cut and shape.

User avatar
Slowy
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 22638
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:13 pm
Location: Orcland
Has liked: 1011 times
Been liked: 2465 times

Re: Tele & Strat Build Project

Post by Slowy »

Flick the neck and get the right one.
And that Tele body is one piece!!!!! 8)
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

User avatar
Molly
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 24937
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
Has liked: 2482 times
Been liked: 2794 times

Re: Tele & Strat Build Project

Post by Molly »

Slowy wrote:Flick the neck and get the right one.
And that Tele body is one piece!!!!! 8)
Nobody's going to buy a contour heel Strat neck. I'll need to persist with it.

Actually, I thought the Tele was one piece too but it's three. You can see it when you look at the arse end. Nice bit of wood though. :thumbup:
Last edited by Molly on Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

Post Reply