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http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/bargoedboy/originaltele.jpg
Well this guitar started life 20 years ago, as I had a guitar shop, and I kept selling guitars that I wanted to use. So I had this idea that if I knocked up a guitar, it would have no real sale value so not worth selling.
So a mate was in and drew round a USA tele with a big permanent marker and said he would knock up a body and neck by next weekend. Well the body was made of Ash with a maple neck, and I had spare parts lying around so put it together, Bridge was a spare 6 saddle replacement which came with a 52 reissue, rest of stuff was just whatever was in including the top strap button from either an Aria ProII bass or an Ibanez, cant remember now.
Neck was always a bit too thin so I bought a Mighty Mite maple neck, which for some strange reason I stuck a X files badge into headstock. As you do!
The B bender was made by looking at a pic from the ultimate guitar book, and sort of copying it, cost me a pint or two and some crisps. Originally made it out of aluminium but after using it for a year or two, made a proper stainless steel version.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/bargoedboy/wholeBbender.jpg
I then had a mate offer to make me a body out of Ash and Spalted beech, so now I had a new neck and new body.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/bargoedboy/DSC01649-1.jpg
around this time about 2006-2007 I was really struggling to play as my hands were cramping up with Arthritus, so my mate Keith Robbins of KSR guitars offered to make me a new neck which would be much thicker, my brief was if you lay it on table with no machine heads on I do not want to see any light come though, in other words from Heel to back of headstock one straight line.
This much thicker neck did wonders for me, a lot less pain and cramps from playing as the larger diameters support the thumb area etc.
So now I am on 3rd neck and 2nd body, after about 20 odd pickups I have stayed with a Voodoo Broadcaster style pickup which is approx. 10.5 k or so. neck pickups was never happy so eventually made it into a Esquire. Around this time, I also struggled with wiring using a standard LP toggle switch so ended up hacking stuff about and putting a fender blade style switch in. Then I stained it with a mixture of cooking oil, 3 in 1, Boot polish, and some Danish oil as well I think!
so now it looks like this.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/bargoedboy/image_zpswxtflbgl.jpeg
and here is my review.
As a guitar, I am very lucky it is resonant, and has definitely been improved tonally and sustain via latest neck. The body with such a lot of routing is light and easy to handle. The neck which everybody who tries it thinks is too big, but after using it for a while they all agree what a playable neck. Sounds? well the main thing for me was to get a standard tele tone, which is not thin, sharp clear and biting yes but not thin. I wired it with 50's style tone arrangement yet use a 500k for tone with a .02 as opposed to .05 cap. I find I do not use or like the treble bleed stuff, myself, but I needed extra sounds, so I have done a slight variation on the cocked wah/eldred mod, which although not a great clean sound when put with a TS style OD really screams LP Custom tone.
I have used this guitar in HR bands, Cabaret, Country and in my RnB band and it just works. I could never put a value on it as its a bit of a pigs ear, but it would cost me a fortune to replace, and it will be my last main guitar.
Hope you liked the story and can see why it has the name!
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Comments
(formerly miserneil)
Kevlar, which was "sort of lent" to me :-\" just in case anyone took pot shots at me playing country music
Let me know if I can help in any way ok.
I will do mate thanks.
There's a book on the Fender Telecaster by Dave Hunter which has several close up shots of the back of Clarence White's original Tele, so that should be a good place to start.
The Clarence White Tele is pictured as it was when he died, which looks to be either a different system or something revised and altered to help him bend more than just the b string.
Either way that once in the Bacon book is worth having a go at.
Thought I would do an update pic on this as a few years has passed. I eventually went for a pearl pickguard and body has naturally lightened a bit.