Post Honeymoon Report - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

[MikeC]

I met up with Andries Vorster (luthier) a week or so ago and what a fountain of knowledge he is! So nec minit he's building me a custom Telecaster. Here's some progress pics of the Alder body and the bolt-on Maple neck (which will have an Ebony fretboard). I agreed to an innovative neck/carbon fibre/truss-rod arrangement. The bi-directional rod will adjust from the back.

Neck Construction.jpg (790.65 KiB) Viewed 3931 times

[MikeC]

Progress.. creating fretboard, first thickness sanded to 6.56mm. Then the 9.5 radius cut with a 9.5 ball noise bit. Now the fret slots at 0.7mm. Then the nut and dots.

Fretboard Progress.jpg (319.12 KiB) Viewed 3872 times

[bigporridgeday]

Nice! Interesting, unobtrusive place to put the truss rod access.

[Zaulkin]

Love Andries!

[AiRdAd]

Looks great, but where does the battery for the EMG fit?

[MikeC]

Looks great, but where does the battery for the EMG fit?

I can't like this, I just cant...

[robthemac]

Looks great, but where does the battery for the EMG fit?

Strange routing for a Floyd Rose, innit?

[MikeC]

Looks great, but where does the battery for the EMG fit?

Strange routing for a Floyd Rose, innit?

LOL, I guess I won't be selling it to you!

[Candeevr4]

Where the route for the evertune?

[MikeC]

Fret-board glued on & dots glued in. Fret slots don't go to the edge of the neck so no protruding fret ends!
.

Fretboard glued.jpg (2.19 MiB) Viewed 3615 times

[MikeC]

Fret-board radiused and leveled. Frets being pressed in.

Frets going in.jpg (705.91 KiB) Viewed 3498 times

[robthemac]

What's the reasoning behind the frets not going to the edge of the board? I thought that'd lead to either a pretty narrow range for fretting each note, or an unnecessarily wide board?

[MikeC]

I think the frets do go to the edge of the fretboard but the tangs don't - so you won't see the tang from the side and it is perhaps smoother to the feel? EDIT: It helps prevent moisture entering the fret slot too. Here's the pre-cut frets before insertion.

Frests nipped & ready to insert.jpg (907.9 KiB) Viewed 3476 times

[Bg]

I think the frets do go to the edge of the fretboard but the tangs don't - so you won't see the tang from the side and it is perhaps smoother to the feel? Here's the pre-cut frets before insertion.
Frests nipped & ready to insert.jpg

Yeah thats the standard way to do frets when theres binding involved (not that there is here but...) It makes it easier for Andries as :

1/ He has cnc
2/ He doesn't need to muck around filling the ends of the frets where the tang is.

[MikeC]

I think the frets do go to the edge of the fretboard but the tangs don't - so you won't see the tang from the side and it is perhaps smoother to the feel? Here's the pre-cut frets before insertion.
Frests nipped & ready to insert.jpg

Yeah thats the standard way to do frets when theres binding involved (not that there is here but...) It makes it easier for Andries as :

1/ He has cnc
2/ He doesn't need to muck around filling the ends of the frets where the tang is.

Good to know! For a guy that's good with a soldering iron watching this build is very informative.