TDPRI 2010 $210 Tele build challenge - Sheoakaster

[guityak]

I then raided this guitar to collect these parts.

[guityak]

To enable a mock up with a MIM neck. The pickguard in the shot is the template. I shall make the real thing soon.

[guityak]

I again forgot to take some action shots. But here is the neck fitting nicely in the neck pocket and the back of the neck with the skunk stripe in and planed. I also managed to cut the fret slots.

I do feel like it is looking and feeling like a guitar.

Tomorrow I hope to thickness and final sand the headstock, radius the fret board, install the frets, rout the pickup and potentiometer pockets, drill the string through holes and cut the pickguard. Somehow I don't think so.........it is Easter Sunday.

[CJFearn]

When I was younger I couldn't wait for the holidays. Now that I'm older they just get in the way.

[guityak]

Trimmed the headstock and rough sanded the transition. THen it was time for radiusing the finger board.

[guityak]

Look there a nice 12" radius. Only took me 1.5 hours of sanding.

[guityak]

Drilled the tuner holes and then drilled for some MOP dots.

[guityak]

Here is the glue and dots, and here they are glued happily together.

[CJFearn]

Very nice! Can't wait to see it done!

[guityak]

Originally Posted by CJFearn

Very nice! Can't wait to see it done!

Thanks CJFearn. Yours is looking pretty sweet as well. It must be nice having the CNC to do all those fancy bits.

[guityak]

Here is a mock up including the progress so far.

Cut the pickguard, routed the pickup pockets, sanded the neck and put on 5 frets.

Looks alright I guess. I'll show some closeups of the fretting tomorrow.

[CJFearn]

Originally Posted by guityak

Thanks CJFearn. Yours is looking pretty sweet as well. It must be nice having the CNC to do all those fancy bits.

WOW! That is looking spectacular! And that pickguard was just made for that wood!

You know, the CNC machine is really nice, but it's just a tool and it'll never replace a good idea (which you have!). It's also as much a curse as a blessing at times. I'm a computer guy in real life and, as I like to tell my customers, "Since I got this computer I can make more mistakes in one second than all of humanity in the last hundred years!"

[68thinline]

That would look sweet with a Bigsby! Then again, it would probably put you over budget.

Nice job on the neck.

[tgfmike]

Originally Posted by guityak

Here is a mock up including the progress so far.

Looks fantastic!

[guityak]

Originally Posted by CJFearn

WOW! That is looking spectacular! And that pickguard was just made for that wood!

Originally Posted by 68thinline

That would look sweet with a Bigsby! Then again, it would probably put you over budget.

Nice job on the neck.

Originally Posted by tgfmike

Looks fantastic!

Thanks all.

[guityak]

Ok as I promised here are some daylight photos.

I managed to trim the pup hole in the pickguard today, that was all I got done.

I also made a special guitar body protection device for drilling wiring holes. It has probably been patented by DIWIDI technologies already. I will see if any of you astute people can spot it in future pics.

[guityak]

Today I drilled the wiring holes, trimmed the HB route holes and routed the hole for the switch and pots.

[guityak]

Then I banged on the rest of the frets.

[guityak]

After dinner I trimmed and filed the fret ends.

[guityak]

THen I thought I may as well rough out the neck shape. So I used Preebs technique of marking 1/2 way and filing the ridge off then mark 1/2 way again and file the ridge off. You can see my markings in the pics.