I’m going to build a Tele

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GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
in Making & Modding tFB Trader
Now, there’s a reason I’ve jumped from doing the Jazzmaster to this and I’ll document that shortly.

First up, id like to know how much info do you want in this thread? Full fat? Semi skimmed? Skimmed? 

Im happy to detail the entire process or simply provide pictures with a sentence to accompany each one. In the next post I’ll put more info about why I’m doing a Tele and some of the research I’ve done to explore the ins and outs of the build.

Obviously I could bore you to tears with a diary style thread, maybe something like that would be good so that you can see what goes on at SC Relics HQ.
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Comments

  • poopotpoopot Frets: 9098
    +1 for picture heavy full diary style thread!...
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27568
    Gold top.

    Unless extra thick double cream is an option. 

    No! Lard! 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    Sporky said:
    Gold top.

    Unless extra thick double cream is an option. 

    No! Lard! 
    All shall be revealed my good man :)
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  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10337
    poopot said:
    +1 for picture heavy full diary style thread!...
    +1
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    Full fat with pics. Don’t worry if you think no one’s reading. We do read, but we tend not to comment much.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    edited May 2018
    Full Fat with photos gets my vote, there is always something to learn form someone elses experiences during a build.....looking forward to it!

    I'm hopeful for a bit of a relic tutorial.....
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • eSullyeSully Frets: 981
    I love build threads. The more details the better. Look forward to it!!
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  • NeilMcGNeilMcG Frets: 62
    Full detail with tools and techniques - the works.
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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    Thanks guys, as @Roland said I’m sure this will be read but don’t be scared to interact.

    Now, I will say this... while this is going to be full fat I will be omitting some details. It’s not that I don’t like you but I’m not disclosing details that will affect my business. Tbh, you may not even notice that anything is amiss.

    Soooooo... why am I’m building a tele? Well as it turns out I need one as a demo guitar in my workshop. But I’ve also wanted a Tele for years and I genuinely don’t remember the last one I owned. It *may* have been while I was at uni 13 years ago. It was a heavily polyurethane coated Japanese blue floral model with a neck like the thick end of a cricket bat. 

    There is another reason.. I was contacted by a chap I did a body for last year. Lovely fellow, nice to work with and easy to speak to. He said he had acquired a vintage tele but had harvested the neck to use on the body i did for him. This was only meant to be a stop gap but apparently the guitar is now his number one guitar so hey, result right? That left him with a 69 body (which has been refinished already) and this....

     
    https://i.imgur.com/P2r3HdX.jpg

    https://i.imgur.com/UMDLA57.jpg

    An original 69 fender bigsby unit complete with all the fittings. Now I know there are some of you who will say “amazing!” and some who will say “nooooo don’t do it!” but hey, these look cool, it’s all original and I’ve always wanted a bigsby on a guitar. When things like this fall on your lap you grab them with both hands. The customer and I have struck a deal that works for both of us and I also get to refinish a 69 tele. We’re both smiling about this one!

    I think I’m going to break this up into a few posts because I’ve got a little bit of info to get through before anything happens and of course feel free to chime in. I’ll be thinking out loud quite a lot in this thread so you’ll be able to see how my poor little brain works. 
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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    The eagle has landed...

    https://i.imgur.com/1K2bDp6.jpg

    Okay, turning my attention to the finish for a moment simply because this will dictate whether I use ash or alder.

    If I go with a solid colour I’m going alder, if I go blonde then it’ll be ash. I tapped @Gassage for some tele info as well as checking out a lot of info myself and guess what? It’s a mine field but I suppose that’s common of the guitar market back then.

    By the time the tele (that the bigsby was on) was made fender had changed a few details. The routing channel was gone, the finishes weren’t nitro and the hardware was chrome. In my head I was hoping to be faithful to the era of the bigsby by replicating a tele from 69. Tbh, by the time you throw in the 7.25 neck it’s starting to become a guitar that I wouldn’t be too fond of.

    But, back to the finish... here’s a few images that I’ve used for ideas 

    https://i.imgur.com/HUsTbBr.jpg

    https://i.imgur.com/WgKjYAA.jpg

    https://i.imgur.com/5bWmIyO.png

    https://i.imgur.com/WJj9Hj4.jpg

    https://i.imgur.com/bZCFRjF.jpg

    https://i.imgur.com/WRqTdSv.jpg


    My current thoughts are id use a burst on a bound body, and I’m veering towards blonde or sea foam green (allowing the clear coat to yellow over the years naturally). 
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    The SFG looks like the Daphne Blue I did which @Alnico now has - I think DB looks great on a tele, specially when aged an satin. I suspect that it would look mighty fine with a Bigsby on too...
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    A Bigsby would look good against something like Daphne or Sea Foam. It has the style of an  American Classic car, with wings and all that chrome.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • poopotpoopot Frets: 9098
    Daphne blue on a tele every day of the week!!!!


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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    Yep. This is the one I did - I reckon that Bigsby would look pretty damn fine on it..


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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    Thanks guys, so... we’ve got the retro greens and blues shining through along with satin/matte burst or a blonde? I actually wasn’t keen on the blonde idea myself until I did a mock up using a body I’m doing for a chap in Germany 

    https://i.imgur.com/PTamdkB.jpg

    Tbh, this has really thrown me a bit. 
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    lonestar said:
    Thanks guys, so... we’ve got the retro greens and blues shining through along with satin/matte burst or a blonde? I actually wasn’t keen on the blonde idea myself until I did a mock up using a body I’m doing for a chap in Germany 

    https://i.imgur.com/PTamdkB.jpg

    Tbh, this has really thrown me a bit. 
    Blonde? Two a penny. Go pastel.
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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    lonestar said:
    Thanks guys, so... we’ve got the retro greens and blues shining through along with satin/matte burst or a blonde? I actually wasn’t keen on the blonde idea myself until I did a mock up using a body I’m doing for a chap in Germany 

    https://i.imgur.com/PTamdkB.jpg

    Tbh, this has really thrown me a bit. 
    Blonde? Two a penny. Go pastel.
    Here’s the thing... I have too many colours in front of me. And I can do a mix of anything I want. Although I’m still liking sea foam green lightly tinted to keep it in style with the age of the trem.

    Any love for shell pink? Fiesta red? Sonic blue? I’m not sure I want sunburst unless on a bound body but I haven’t ruled that out.
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    edited May 2018
    Shell pink good, but not with a Bigsby.

    Fiesra red? Nope.

    Sonic Blue? Maybe. But if blue then daphne. 
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12253
    Inca silver
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    munckee said:
    Inca silver
    Good call.
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