Getting started

First of all let me say thanks for the ones responsible for this forum and all contributors.

I'm 56 yrs old and finally going to build my first guitar, a tele of coarse.

I going to start collecting parts starting with the neck and would like to know what to look out for. I want to buy each part only once.

I'm looking at the Stewart Mcdonald neck at the moment. any and all advise would be appreciated.

I guess the bridge will be next, then the body blank, probably ash.

thanks
Jack

I believe StewMac is currently selling Mighty Mite (http://www.mightymite.com/necks/index.html) necks. They're okay, but QC is a little variable. If you buy that neck I'd advise that you get a (Mighty Mite) body from StewMac too for the best chance of a snug fit.

For a little more $$$ you can get an Allparts neck, which are made by the same company that produces the Fender Japan necks. With Allparts, you can get a finished or unfinished neck with a fairly wide range of options, and finishing a neck is quite easy.

Another option is the STRATosphere (http://stores.shop.ebay.com/The-STRATosphere__W0QQ_armrsZ1) on eBay, who buy new Fenders and part them out. You need to be fairly knowledgeable about Fenders guitars but as long as you don't get into a bidding war, you can get some real bargains.

Check out Guitar Parts Resources (http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/guitar_index.htm) and Darren Riley (http://www.darrenriley.com/main.html) for parts and prices.

Good luck with your build!

I reccomend Allparts! I got mine from guitarpartsresource and am really happy with it! Also check out usacustomguitars.com they get alot of praise around here and always have web specials! Good luck!

From my experience, parts not fitting is the only thing to be wary of.
I just mean, be ready for fit issues.
If you don't have any, then, consider yourself lucky.

Man, is my head hurting. I've been looking at necks for 2 day, so many to choose from. I haven't got a clue what I want. So many different radi to choose form. Fat neck, thin neck, wide neck, narrow neck.


Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllpppppppppp pppp :shock:

Jack

Might be a good idea to find a local music store and check out a variety of neck sizes and shapes to find out what works best for you. I've got long palms with chunky fingers so I find a thick neck feels best for me, although I don't mind a thinner neck if it's wide enough. There sure are plenty of options to choose from, ain't there? :)

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllpppppppppp pppp :shock:

It's a points of reference thing... if you ask what's best, you'll get as many answers as there are people.

If you have a favorite neck, start by measuring that. If not, or you're ready to try something different, then if at all possible, get thee to a guitar shop that has a wide selection ...preferably with a set of calipers, a note pad and pen in your pocket - though just knowing what specific model it's on will allow you to look up general info on it online when you get home.

you'll be able to zero in on what feels best to you quickly. measure the width at the nut and the thickness at the first and twelfth frets and get a feel for the contour of the back and compare to the contour drawings at sites like warmoth, usa custom guitars and musikraft... and others. Thickness aside, the shape of the contour will greatly effect the feel - i.e. a thick U or D may be way too much, but a thick soft V might be just right. You'll know it when you feel it.

while you're at it - pay attention to the frets also, even on necks sizes you don't like - whether they're super jumbo ultra wide mega frets - or thin and low or medium and high, etc - again, calipers if you have 'em handy.

radius - the 7.5 is good for chords and casual play... the flatter radii are generally better for lead with string bending etc... the 7.5 feels comfortable to my stiff hands, but gives me fits... as does the other extreme - the wide flat board of a classical guitar. As they say, your mileage may vary.

middle of the road these days seems to be a 1.65" nut - 9.5 radius with traditional or slightly higher than traditional frets. Thick contours are all the rage these days, but it's still a matter of taste.

I feel your pain, brother.

With all of my store bought instruments the choices were already made for me. With the ones I built or restored, I followed the plans or the original design. Finding the neck I want for the price I'm willing to pay has been tough. Just when I think I've scored one the bidding seems to go nuts.

I know that I prefer the look of rosewood/ebony but maple screams Telecaster.

I know I like U or D shaped necks... I just don't like the feel of V shapes. If you're not sure... head to the nearest guitar store and try 'em out.

Frets? I don't know that I care that much. Tenor banjos have these skinny little things and Gibsons have some huge honking ones by comparison. I don't even think about it when I switch back and forth.

Width? Again, I don't think I notice it that much. I honestly can't tell you the width of any of my store bought stuff... they all seem to work. But if I pick up somebody's classical or 12 string it feels like an aircraft carrier deck.

Radius? I would never, ever call myself a "lead guitarist". The guys I know that are seem to be the ones that are really picky about the radius (and everything else too. Like "Don't ever put a green gel on my side of the stage again 'cause I don't want to look like The Hulk!").

I guess it all comes down to what you play, what you prefer and what you want it to look like. That really starts to narrow down the choices pretty quick. Then it comes down to what's available and the depth of your wallet. Oh... and how big of a hurry you're in.

I would think that there is some help available in this forum and it's a matter of asking a detailed question... that seems to get the ball rolling.

So, are you an experience player? What type of music or style? Do you prefer the look/feel of rosewood or maple? Are you trying to duplicate a certain year/model?
Do you want to spend 50 bucks or 500? Does it have to be a genuine Fender or is an aftermarket one OK?

JCP11-Check out ebay (telecaster neck). There are some really nice birdseye maple necks on their site very cheap.

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=telecaster+neck+birdseye+maple&_sacat=0&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_dmpt=Guitar_Accessories&_odkw=telecaster+neck&_osacat=0

I will now attempt to help, perhaps oversimplifying it a bit :)

In terms of brand I would probably go for allparts, I haven't bought a neck from anyone, but they seem like a safe choice.

so to start

I would go for a maple neck if I were you, some make necks out of specialty woods, but if you want a tele like Leo meant them to be you will want to go maple.

The second option to consider is whether you want a maple fingerboard or a rosewood fingerboard. There are mainly three things to consider when it comes to this option. They are in no particular order:
Tone- Maple fingerboards tend to give a more snappy sound, while rosewood tends to have a more smooth sound. If you like the country-ish tone, and want the snap and twang, I would go for Maple, if you want a more smooth sound rosewood is your deal.
Feel- This one has some debate, but I would say that it's basically the difference between a satin feel and a gloss feel. Some say that the satin finish of the rosewood gives easier tremolo and a quicker feel, and some prefer the glossier feel of the finished maple.
Looks- Dark or light. easy enough? :)

Radius- If you do a lot of chords and not a lot of lead guitar with string bending then 7.5 is a good option for you. If you do a lot of lead and like a flatter board to avoid fretting out then 12 or 10 is a good idea. If you do a lot of both, a 9.5 would be good, and it's the middle of the road that I would probably reccomend.

As for frets I would go for a medium-medium jumbo, but as with all of the other things I would try to try some out.

Nut width I would go for 1-5/8” it seems most common

And lastly for thickness of necks it all depends, if you have big hands go big, small hands go small.

Overall I would reccomend a maple neck with a maple fingerboard, 9.5 radius, and neck of medium thickness.

hopefully that helped, if not feel free to cuss me.

Thanks for all the info.

I've been playing for about 45 yrs (in the closet):lol: Don't want to be heard, just play for my own enjoyment and my wife's misery.

I'm planing to really study my scales and chord progressions this winter with my brother and would like a nice playing tele. I usually play acoustic.

I have very large hands, long thick fingers. Looks like I need the wide flat fat maple neck, I love maple. now all I need to do is choose the contour and fret size for the most part.

Thanks again

Jack

Don't want to be heard, just play for my own enjoyment and my wife's misery.

Ah, a man after my own heart!

If wide, flat and fat appeals go find a local store that has a CP Baja in stock. That's about the closest you'll get from a production Fender. If that feels good try to find one on eBay - but they're in pretty big demand. Otherwise order a TMO-FAT from an Allparts dealer. You can get them for about $120 unfinished. Other than going to one of the custom makers like Musikraft, USACG or Warmoth, the TMO-FAT is just about the largest non-custom neck you'll find.

I like soft V necks on my strats and teles. They just feel good to me.

hey guys i am jack,20. i am a student from the u.k and i am building a telecaster for my final year project. i want to get a massive sustained sound, similar to billie joe of green day and pete townshend of the who. Ive looked at bodies and pickups but are any refernces anybody could give me? i know jb pickups are popular and especially swamp ash bodies for this type of sound i want.
hope to get a reply.:razz:
jack.

I think if I want to maximize sustain I'd be looking at a thru neck or a set neck rather than a bolt on. But, if you're set on a Tele, make sure the neck-to-body fit is very precise and clean. Take a look at what Axes-R-Us (http://www.axesrus.co.uk/) (in the UK) have to offer. They carry a wide range of parts for Teles.

And yes, swamp ash (as well as alder) is the traditional Tele body wood. It's known more for its brightness and twang - although so much depends on your amp - than for its sustain though.

Might be a good idea to find a local music store and check out a variety of neck sizes and shapes to find out what works best for you.

Jack, both Billie Joe and Townsend are/were playing guitars with mahogany bodies and necks and P90's. You may want to incorporate that into your design.

settled on neck size and radius. now looking at fret size. I have one question about frets, does anyone know if .095 X .055 is the medium jumbo?

I'm going to be bugging you folks for a while :grin:

Thanks for all the help

Jack