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

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Re: She's finished - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by StrummersOfThunder »

So good

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Re: She's finished - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by Zaulkin »

Hawt!!

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

Post by MikeC »

It's been a little while, 2 months in fact since I got my Andronis Custom Tele. I've had a chance to get to know her, set her up to my liking and try her out in a "band" situation. My first impression on collection day was that she smelt really good, but the second was that she was heavy (heavier than my Strat). I'm no Tele expert so I didn't put much weight on this thought but as soon as I got home I weighed her at a little over 9 lbs, did some googling and confirmed she is indeed a couple of lbs overweight for an Alder body Tele (albeit she has some heavier-than-vintage hardware such as the tuners) . But how does she sound? I had a play without plugging in and had immediate trouble with the strings being close to fretboard edge, damn. I'm used to my Strat which is a 2010 USA Standard with the modern 2-point bridge i.e modern (narrower) string spacing on a standard neck. So lots more room on the board for my "sloppy" playing. So what I did was to slightly groove both E string saddles to keep the strings from sliding which which pretty much solved the problem. I'm loving the neck which was modeled on my Strat's neck. The back is satin and it plays really easily (better than my Strat). She holds tuning really well and the intonation is excellent (the compensated steel saddles help). The Graph Tech Ratio tuners are fantastic, I highly recommend them. Unplugged she sounds "tight" and bright, bends are easy (with my usual D'Addario Nickel Plated 10-46 strings) and she's comfortable to hold sitting down (she has some slight body contouring and a slight belly cut). Plugged in at low volumes she is clear and bright even on the neck pup. Happy so far!

I've had a couple of chances to play her in a "band" situation" with a good session last night prompting this report. I played my Strat for about an hour then shifted to the Andronis Tele. She sounds great with a band with a cut that my Strat doesn't have. The neck is great to play but I still had an occasional issue with the E string falling off the fretboard. Technique will cure this I'm certain as I'm not used to this guitar. My friend said she sounded great and very "Tele" (especially in the middle position - lol). I got very pleasing tone through my Trinity Custom Plexi 6V6 and my 112 "Wideboy" cab loaded with a Celestion G12-65 Heritage T3053. On my board I was using a Rat, a TS, a Delay and a Reverb. I did however still sound like me (sigh...). After about an hour I realised that the weight is an issue for me. With a slightly sore back from recently leaning over my workbench for a few hours I felt the need to sit down.

After last night I am thinking about weight relief. I'm gonna have a chat to Andreas Vorster (the builder) about this and am open to him building me a new light weight Alder body to replace mine. I don't want to change anything else at this stage and will keep you posted. P.S. If I ever have another guitar built I will specify a total weight :)
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Re: Post Honeymoon Report - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by Jay »

MikeC wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 9:51 am It's been a little while, 2 months in fact since I got my Andronis Custom Tele. I've had a chance to get to know her, set her up to my liking and try her out in a "band" situation. My first impression on collection day was that she smelt really good, but the second was that she was heavy (heavier than my Strat). I'm no Tele expert so I didn't put much weight on this thought but as soon as I got home I weighed her at a little over 9 lbs, did some googling and confirmed she is indeed a couple of lbs overweight for an Alder body Tele (albeit she has some heavier-than-vintage hardware such as the tuners) . But how does she sound? I had a play without plugging in and had immediate trouble with the strings being close to fretboard edge, damn. I'm used to my Strat which is a 2010 USA Standard with the modern 2-point bridge i.e modern (narrower) string spacing on a standard neck. So lots more room on the board for my "sloppy" playing. So what I did was to slightly groove both E string saddles to keep the strings from sliding which which pretty much solved the problem. I'm loving the neck which was modeled on my Strat's neck. The back is satin and it plays really easily (better than my Strat). She holds tuning really well and the intonation is excellent (the compensated steel saddles help). The Graph Tech Ratio tuners are fantastic, I highly recommend them. Unplugged she sounds "tight" and bright, bends are easy (with my usual D'Addario Nickel Plated 10-46 strings) and she's comfortable to hold sitting down (she has some slight body contouring and a slight belly cut). Plugged in at low volumes she is clear and bright even on the neck pup. Happy so far!

I've had a couple of chances to play her in a "band" situation" with a good session last night prompting this report. I played my Strat for about an hour then shifted to the Andronis Tele. She sounds great with a band with a cut that my Strat doesn't have. The neck is great to play but I still had an occasional issue with the E string falling off the fretboard. Technique will cure this I'm certain as I'm not used to this guitar. My friend said she sounded great and very "Tele" (especially in the middle position - lol). I got very pleasing tone through my Trinity Custom Plexi 6V6 and my 112 "Wideboy" cab loaded with a Celestion G12-65 Heritage T3053. On my board I was using a Rat, a TS, a Delay and a Reverb. I did however still sound like me (sigh...). After about an hour I realised that the weight is an issue for me. With a slightly sore back from recently leaning over my workbench for a few hours I felt the need to sit down.

After last night I am thinking about weight relief. I'm gonna have a chat to Andreas Vorster (the builder) about this and am open to him building me a new light weight Alder body to replace mine. I don't want to change anything else at this stage and will keep you posted. P.S. If I ever have another guitar built I will specify a total weight :)
Interesting summary Mike.
When I built my strat many years ago, Adrian (of Radian fame) told me to keep checking the weight....

I didn't quite understand him and my strat ended up weighing 6kg... Fender apparently made some even heavier ones but I learned a lesson the hard way.

While building the latest one early last year, I set myself a target weight of 3kg. Every item was weighed and totalled. I only had control over body and neck material so kept on reducing them and re-weighing... The end result was a few grams over 3kg. So yes, you providing a target weight is very valid :thumbup:
When faced with quality, I recognise it every time.

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

Post by AiRdAd »

This guy does great work with weight relief. Highly recommend

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 850135847/
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Re: Post Honeymoon Report - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by Zaulkin »

Yikes. A thing of nightmares.

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

Post by Bg »

Regarding the string falling off, is it worth slackening the neck screws and realigning the neck - is it centered properly?

Most necks have a little bit of give and you can shift a few degrees and this can be enough. Else getting the nut recut may help.

And yes, tele bridge design does not help.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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

Post by MikeC »

AiRdAd wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:41 pm This guy does great work with weight relief. Highly recommend

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 850135847/
I saw this coming Danny...
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Re: Post Honeymoon Report - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by MikeC »

Bg wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 5:41 pm Regarding the string falling off, is it worth slackening the neck screws and realigning the neck - is it centered properly?

Most necks have a little bit of give and you can shift a few degrees and this can be enough. Else getting the nut recut may help.

And yes, tele bridge design does not help.
I need to slightly widen the neck :crazy:
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Re: Post Honeymoon Report - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by Bg »

I’ve had this before, a shift a degree or two can make the difference
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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

Post by MikeC »

Bg wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:41 pm I’ve had this before, a shift a degree or two can make the difference
OK, will look into it. Thanks.
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Re: Post Honeymoon Report - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by NippleWrestler »

MikeC wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:44 pm
Bg wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:41 pm I’ve had this before, a shift a degree or two can make the difference
OK, will look into it. Thanks.
https://youtu.be/XJNrG2iqBO4

As a guide. I did this on my strat and it worked a treat.

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

Post by MikeC »

Bg wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 5:41 pm Regarding the string falling off, is it worth slackening the neck screws and realigning the neck - is it centered properly?

Most necks have a little bit of give and you can shift a few degrees and this can be enough. Else getting the nut recut may help.

And yes, tele bridge design does not help.
Another option is to install the original steel "threaded" Tele saddles. Intonation adjustment will be compromised but I've seen people bend the screws to compensate.
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Re: Post Honeymoon Report - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by MikeC »

NippleWrestler wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 9:39 pm
MikeC wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:44 pm
Bg wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:41 pm I’ve had this before, a shift a degree or two can make the difference
OK, will look into it. Thanks.
https://youtu.be/XJNrG2iqBO4

As a guide. I did this on my strat and it worked a treat.
No its not this issue. The problem is that the 2 1/8th string spacing (set by the vintage Fender bridge) is just a titch too wide for the neck (fret) width given that the strings can slide across the currently installed (smooth) compensated steel saddles and because the saddles themselves can move a little. To be fair I stopped the "E" strings from sliding by grooving the saddles. But the issue whilst greatly improved is not eliminated. So I will re-install the vintage steel threaded saddles which already have deep grooves and hopefully the saddles won't move as much as the compensated ones.
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Re: Post Honeymoon Report - Follow the Progress of my "Andronis" Custom Telecaster Build

Post by MikeC »

Another option is to install a top loading Tele bridge with narrower string spacing if such a beast exists.
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