This guitar represents a long-term project - almost exactly 2 years in fact but there was never any particular urgency. I've always liked the sound and look of Gretsch guitars but to me a Tele is like a comfortable pair of old trainers. It just feels right.
I like a blackguard Tele as much as anyone and have had a few but I've also always regarded a Tele body as a blank canvas to create different configurations and aesthetics. I'm not precious about them at all. At one time or another I've had just about every Tele configuration possible - but not a Gretsch-influenced one. Yes I know the Cabronita sort of does that but it's not for me.
With a Tele starting point and the love of an earlier owned '57 Duo-Jet in mind I sat down to sketch out some ideas that later turned into detailed drawings and specs. It ended up as this, my Self-Indulgence-Caster:
The body is chambered mahogany with a maple cap and no f-holes, in
other words similar construction to my old '57 Duo-Jet. The neck is mahogany with ebony fretboard. The body is bound
on front edge only. All mahogany is stained slightly darker and
finished in clear nitro-cellulose. The front is Shoreline Gold
metallic laid on by Rexter.
The
pickguard was made to my design by Tim at Scratch-It!
The graphic is a poster I have by the American hotrod artist Larry Grossman. My other half deemed it perhaps not not quite PC for display in the house so I instead displayed it on the pickguard
Pickups are TV Jones Filtertrons in P90
format. I always liked the look of a Tele with P90s and this was a chance to
combine the two pickup formats.
Controls
are pickup selector switch, master volume and master tone. The third
knob is a pickup blend control that works only when the selector switch
is in the middle position. To achieve that I used a 4PDT (12-terminal)
selector switch. It made the wiring a little more complex but it means the pickups are
unaffected by the blend control when the selector switch is in the neck
or bridge position. With that blend control arrangement I can achieve
any degree of mix of the two pickups and switch to it instantly. The
knobs are from TV Jones. All wiring is shielded, as is the control cavity, so the amplified guitar is silent even close to the dreaded dimmer switch.
The trem is a
Bladerunner which seems to work well. The
machine heads are locking Klusons. I prefer Sperzels but the set I
received were not up to their old standard so I sent them back and got
the Klusons. We'll see how they perform.
I thought about stringing it with flatwounds but at present I'm trying a set of
D'Addario EHR370 half-round 11 - 49. I've not used them before so it's a trial. If it doesn't work out I'll go to EPN115 pure nickel round wound.
Playability is good after the usual fettling and it sounds excellent through my DRRI.
I know this guitar won't appeal to the Tele purists and may even get me tarred and feathered and run out of town
As I said, it's a Self-Indulgence-Caster.
@skullfunkerry and one other kindly WOW'd it in Rate My Guitar so there's hope
Comments
...with the exception of the scratch plate if im being honest. Sorry!
Seriously though the rest is ace.
Did you make it yourself?