Been working on this for 9 months. I'm not the quickest but I am steady! First guitar project build if you will. First nitro job and man did I spend an unreal amount of hours on it. I had a ton of help from some people at ReRanch and elsewhere to answer all my dumb questions.
I figure the traditional Tele lovers will hate this. The gold harware haters will hate it and well Tele haters hate it anyway :P But I like it :)
Body by Plaid Sabbath purchased on the second hand market. The neck is a Warmoth Wenge wood.
(http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/9282/img2102c.jpg)
(http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/6172/img2099z.jpg)
(http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/9851/img2104kv.jpg)
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2209/img2089y.jpg)
(http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/5195/img2095tl.jpg)
(http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/5273/img2090dz.jpg)
Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. And traditional tele players should not take offense. P-90 sound phenomenal in teles, in fact why more guys don't build them that way I don't know. Now, if you put a floyd in, put a motherbucker in the bridge, and painted it pink, I could see a minor revolt (wait, pretty sure Fender did that with the HM series).....
John, i hoped that you'd post it here aswell, she's just gorgeous! 8)
Wow! That's an amazing finish. I've got a La Cabronita body that's been hanging in my closet for about 10 months because I've been too chicken to wet-sand it. This might be the inspiration I need. Might have some questions for you in the next couple of weeks.
Enjoy it! I'll bet those P-90's sound great.
Whoa! :o
Nice job. For some reason, this is the type of Tele I believe a hitman or mob boss would play. It looks so classy, yet sinister. I love the neck!
Thanks fellas.
MG, ask away when it is time. I'm surely no expert but I did learn a lot of "what not to do's" as much as what to do that is for sure. To be honest I was pretty nervous the entire lacquer/clear coat/wet sand process but I just went into it careful and with a plan through preperation the best I could.
Someone else mentioned a James Bond thing too WB. So I have mob boss and James Bond. I like it !
Gorgeous Tele. Great job on the finish. Funny last year I built a similar tele but finished it in Tru-oil.
wow!
Quote from: pryde on August 20, 2012, 09:08:05 PM
Gorgeous Tele. Great job on the finish. Funny last year I built a similar tele but finished it in Tru-oil.
Thanks.
Brothers from other mothers ! ;D
Damn that's intensely gorgeous. Hearty congratulations.
Quote from: TNblueshawk on August 20, 2012, 07:41:58 PM
I figure the traditional Tele lovers will hate this. The gold harware haters will hate it and well Tele haters hate it anyway :P But I like it :)
:D
Not sure if i fit in any of those cathegories :D ...
It looks all classy to me. Verrrrry nice job!
Really nice! Beautiful job on that finish. I have a wenge neck on my Warmoth Strat and I love the feel of it.
Wow! :o
Love P90s. What manufacturer did you use for the pickups?
wow, super nice. Jealous!
Love it!!!
Very nice ;)
Excellent :o :o
That is beautiful. Have you posted it in the Home Depot section on tdpri.com? They'd love it.
The wenge used in the neck looks quite ridged, is that cosmetic, like figured maple?
Quote from: slimtriggers on August 20, 2012, 11:28:46 PM
Really nice! Beautiful job on that finish. I have a wenge neck on my Warmoth Strat and I love the feel of it.
Oooo, tell me more! Anything you don't like about the neck? I assume you just wipe it off and no care is needed to the neck?
Quote from: midwayfair on August 21, 2012, 12:54:32 AM
Wow! :o
Love P90s. What manufacturer did you use for the pickups?
Jon, those were custom wound by a guy who hangs on BYOC, Scootercaster. He is in Tampa, FL. His shop is Granville Guitars. Also an amp guru.
Thanks again for the comps guys!
Quote from: alanp on August 21, 2012, 10:01:01 AM
That is beautiful. Have you posted it in the Home Depot section on tdpri.com? They'd love it.
The wenge used in the neck looks quite ridged, is that cosmetic, like figured maple?
Actually is is slightly ribbed when you press down and feel it on the headstock. But it is sanded down smooth on the neck. That was one reason I sidn't put a decal on it as I wasn't sure I could get it to take. If it was a cheap neck I would have gone for it but that neck wasn't cheap so blamk it is.
It's a shame you couldn't get the finish any smoother :D
Wow, that's just spectacular. I'd be scared to touch it!!!
Yep, liking that a great deal.
You already told us who made the pickups, which is cool because like Jon I was about to ask.
Tell us more about how those P-90s sound in there! I've been thinking about this combination quite a bit.
Quote from: TNblueshawk on August 21, 2012, 10:42:43 AM
Quote from: slimtriggers on August 20, 2012, 11:28:46 PM
Really nice! Beautiful job on that finish. I have a wenge neck on my Warmoth Strat and I love the feel of it.
Oooo, tell me more! Anything you don't like about the neck? I assume you just wipe it off and no care is needed to the neck?
Nothing I don't like about it. When I saw it for the first time in person I was worried the open grain would be weird. It turns out I really liked the feel of the natural wood grain. I haven't done anything to it whatsoever, no finish, just raw wood. The back of the neck is a little darker and smoother from playing over the years, but no cracks or splits. It has held up beautifully!
Absolutely awesome! And those gold P90s are beyond rad. Really cool!
Quote from: Bret608 on August 23, 2012, 05:55:07 PM
You already told us who made the pickups, which is cool because like Jon I was about to ask.
Tell us more about how those P-90s sound in there! I've been thinking about this combination quite a bit.
Well, after playing them a bit I am thrilled with them. Now, if you want jangly then forget it! These things are beefy, but that is the sound I prefer most of the time so I'm stoked. I don't know if he wound them for that type of sound or how much is the neck/guitar and the rest of it but they are thick. He put 11,003 turns on each one (I figure it was those last 3 turns that did it :P) and just reversed the polarity on one. They are as quiet as a church mouse whether it is both, the neck or the bridge.
If I do want a little more brightness I switch to the bridge which seems to be a unique combo of thick and bright if you will.
I've never played a Tele with "normal" single coils so I really can't compare but these sure do sound good. But again, like anything, it's about what you like and what you are looking for.
Only down side is now my Blues 90's in my Gibson Blueshawk sound weak and now I want to replace those!
Quote from: slimtriggers on August 23, 2012, 06:21:55 PM
Quote from: TNblueshawk on August 21, 2012, 10:42:43 AM
Quote from: slimtriggers on August 20, 2012, 11:28:46 PM
Really nice! Beautiful job on that finish. I have a wenge neck on my Warmoth Strat and I love the feel of it.
Oooo, tell me more! Anything you don't like about the neck? I assume you just wipe it off and no care is needed to the neck?
Nothing I don't like about it. When I saw it for the first time in person I was worried the open grain would be weird. It turns out I really liked the feel of the natural wood grain. I haven't done anything to it whatsoever, no finish, just raw wood. The back of the neck is a little darker and smoother from playing over the years, but no cracks or splits. It has held up beautifully!
Thanks for the report Ted. I'm surprised how smooth the neck is already. I love the lack of a finish on there. Every guitar I have played as had some kind of lacquer on the neck which as you know can get sticky at times when you sweat etc... I may stick with the unfinished necks from here on out.