The Baritone Tele Build

I was in the studio a while back when the producer said "play something low". I instantly identified with his mindset. Thoughts of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" came to mind. We recorded my Tele solo and he dropped it in pitch by an octave with one of those fancy computer plug-ins. He added vibrato and coolness emerged. I was driving home and thought to myself...Why don't I have a Baritone Tele? What have I been thinking? I have many guitars to bring variety to a recording project, but never a baritone.

I went to Warmoth website and ordered the BTN232.
http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/warmoth_neck.jpg
It's a 28-5/8" scale maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard.

It appears now, Warmoth only has the BTN254 (http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseNeck.aspx?i=BTN254&Body=1&Path=Neck) as a rosewood (non-birdseye) offering.

I planned on the body color to be something i don't already have. Can you believe I don't have a RED Tele? I didn't want to put the time and effort into finishing a body, so I bought a MIM Candy Apple Red body off eBait.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/candy_red_mim_body1.jpg

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/candy_red_mim_body1.jpg

The first item is the nut. I measured the nut slot thickness.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_slot_measure.jpg

HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_slot_measure.jpg)

But I found the treble side to be larger.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_slot_thickness.JPG

HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_slot_thickness.JPG)

I was puzzled but that. How could it be made that way and why? So I continued to mess with the nut.

Here is the nut width.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_width.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_width.jpg)

The Stewmac 10" radius shaped White Bone Nut (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddles/String_nuts/White_Bone_Nuts.html)is perfect. I have already cut it to length here.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_radius.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_radius.jpg)

I checked the radius. It doesn't rock and there is no light visible in under the nut.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_radiuscheck.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_radiuscheck.jpg)

I sand the nut on sandpaper laid on a flat surface. I measure and check fit the nut in the slot after a bit of sanding.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_sanding.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_sanding.jpg)

It turns out, the treble side being larger allows the nut to slide in from the treble side and be very tight on the bass side. Please let me know if any of you think Warmoth did this as a feature.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_rough_in_slot.JPG
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_rough_in_slot.JPG)

I use a carpenter's pencil refill lead to mark a reference line on the nut. I file a diagonal so the line drawn will be the same height as the frets.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/carpenters_pencil_refill.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/carpenters_pencil_refill.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_marking2.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_marking2.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_marking3.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_marking3.jpg)

This gives me an idea as to how high to trim the top of the nut and file the slots.

Some of you may have seen my TDPRI article "Going Nuts Over Nuts" (http://www.tdpri.com/2009/10/03/going-nuts-over-nuts/). I use an Excel spreadsheet to calculate centerlines of string spacing for nuts so a scaled page can be printed. This template is glued to the top of the nut with Elmers glue. It gives sharp precise lines to start the nut slots. Here is the template applied.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_template_applied.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_template_applied.jpg)

The slotting begins with the Stewmac 0.010" fret file.
http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_initial_slotting.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_initial_slotting.jpg)

This is a hhgmmmm (speaking in a baritone voice) great project Terry

I had a chance to play a Baritone National last summer.
It just stood out proud in the mix.
You'll be loaded for bear when this project gets done.

I'm with you

Terry!

Don't leave us hanging! :wink:

That is a fine neck.

I once upon a time found an Allparts maple-boarded baritone neck.

Here is the decal paper. I sprayed 4 coats of acrylic (Krylon Clear Coat), starting with very light mist coats.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/decal_paper.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/decal_paper.jpg)

The decal applied.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/decal_on.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/decal_on.jpg)

This is a hhgmmmm (speaking in a baritone voice) great project Terry

I had a chance to play a Baritone National last summer.
It just stood out proud in the mix.
You'll be loaded for bear when this project gets done.

I'm with you

Thanks Groovey!!

Terry!

Don't leave us hanging! :wink:

That is a fine neck.

I once upon a time found an Allparts maple-boarded baritone neck.

Thanks Bucko. After dealing with finish on frets in maple and doing refrets, I drifted away for the maple fingerboards that I love the looks of so much.

The neck with the rosewood fingerboard masked for shooting the clear coats.
http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/neck_hanging.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/neck_hanging.jpg)

Here is the headstock with about 30 coats of polyurethane applied.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/headstock_finish_applied.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/headstock_finish_applied.jpg)

The poly has dried for a week and I wet sanded the face of the headstock to reduce the decal outline by a mil or so.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/headstock_last_coat.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/headstock_last_coat.jpg)

5 additional coats are added and allowed to dry for a week.

wow, nice logo, what text did you use for the "BARICASTER" if you don't mind me asking?

wow, nice logo, what text did you use for the "BARICASTER" if you don't mind me asking?

It's
HelveticaNeue LT 67 MdCn
24 points and expanded by 1.4 points. No kerning.

The Downs part is:
Fender Font
Fill is Red = 204 Green = 153 Blue=0
Outline = black 1.5pt
Height = 0.49"
Width = 1.66"
Fill transparency = 0%

There is lots of work to do on shielding. Here is the control cavity shielded with self adhesive copper tape. Notice thin strips connect the cavity shielding to spots where the control plate screws mount.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/shielding_cntril3.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/shielding_cntril3.jpg)

It's
HelveticaNeue LT 67 MdCn
24 points and expanded by 1.4 points. No kerning.

The Downs part is:
Fender Font
Fill is Red = 204 Green = 153 Blue=0
Outline = black 1.5pt
Height = 0.49"
Width = 1.66"
Fill transparency = 0%

Sweet, thanks!

Here's how I shield the jack hole. Curl some of the copper tape into a form with a smaller radius than the jack hole and insert it into the hole.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/shielding_jack_hole_2.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/shielding_jack_hole_2.jpg)

Here's how it looks inside the cavity.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/shielding_jack_hole2.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/shielding_jack_hole2.jpg)

Outside the jack hole
http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/shielding_jack_hole3.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/shielding_jack_hole3.jpg)

Using a screwdriver to conform the tape to the radius of the hole.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/shielding_jack_hole4.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/shielding_jack_hole4.jpg)

The trimmed and finished shielding. It takes another piece around the top.
http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/shielding_jack_hole5.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/shielding_jack_hole5.jpg)

If that is a standard Tele body, does the bridge work out at the right distance from the nut for a baritone neck?

If that is a standard Tele body, does the bridge work out at the right distance from the nut for a baritone neck?

Yes. The neck dimensions take care of that. Good question. Believe me, I researched that before I got started. It would be terrible to have bridge that would become "out of range".

hIf that is a standard Tele body, does the bridge work out at the right distance from the nut for a baritone neck?

I was wondering the same thing Ironwolf.

The Fender Bass 6 was wired like this.

http://zeus.lunarpages.com/~jimshi2/wiringdiagrams/bass6.jpg

Notice the switch with a series capacitor switched in (see capacitor item 31). That cuts the low bass out. It makes sense that using this type instrument as a solo guitar needs the low bass removed. With this thought, I decided to put a high pass/low pass filter in the Baricaster using a Fender TBX pot. Notice it is not wired like a regular TBX pot. The TBX pot lends itself to a lowpass/high pass filter configuration.

The Downs Baricaster Wiring Diagram (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/baritone_wiring_diagram.pdf)

Since the TBX results in a 250K low pass load to the pickup, I decided on a 1meg volume pot. The 330K resistor across the treble bypass capacitor makes the volume work very nice and smooth.

That's one of the clearest and easiest wiring diagram I've ever read Terry

Your spoiling me

That's one of the clearest and easiest wiring diagram I've ever read Terry

Your spoiling me

Thanks. It just takes some attention to detail.

I decided on these strings.

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/regular/0/8/3/544083.jpg

On the first Baritone I built I used those same strings but I found it didn't "growl" the way I was hoping and I went for a set of 13/72 instead. It sounded much better to me. Mind you my scale length was an inch longer so that probably had something to do with it as well.

*EDIT*
the strings i used were (13 - 18 - 30 - 44 - 56 - 72)

Great Terry!!!! Can't wait to hear "Ghost riders" Bellowing from that baby!!
Cheers
ED

On the first Baritone I built I used those same strings but I found it didn't "growl" the way I was hoping and I went for a set of 13/72 instead. It sounded much better to me. Mind you my scale length was an inch longer so that probably had something to do with it as well.

*EDIT*
the strings i used were (13 - 18 - 30 - 44 - 56 - 72)

Thanks for the input. I was wondering if I was missing out on a larger gauge. Who makes the set you use?

Great Terry!!!! Can't wait to hear "Ghost riders" Bellowing from that baby!!
Cheers
ED

Thanks Ed. I feel like such a weeny novice compared to the skilled builds you do. You would have made that baritone neck from a tree in your back yard!!

Thanks for the input. I was wondering if I was missing out on a larger gauge. Who makes the set you use?

I'll check when I get home. It was either D'addario or Ernie Ball.

I am going to be using on my baritone for starters D'Addario 013-062 EXL158 they do make a thicker set. I am having to ream out my bottom string pole as it will only take up to 058 but can go as wide as 072, these are Sperzel lockers.

I was going to check with Dean Farley for you guys but his web site is down.

Any info ?

Here's the control plate.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/cntrl_plate1.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/cntrl_plate1.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/controlpl1.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/controlpl1.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/controlpl3.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/controlpl3.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/controlpl_finished.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/controlpl_finished.jpg)

Thanks for the input. I was wondering if I was missing out on a larger gauge. Who makes the set you use?

Terry, I checked and they were Ernie Ball, Baritone Slinky.

http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/images/0001/5050/eb-baritone.jpg

I began the process of using a Tele pickguard with neck adjustment screw holes along with a transfer punch to make a ding in the cavity for drilling the pilot holes for the neck pickup.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/pg_hole_transfer.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/pg_hole_transfer.jpg)

Then I realized the position of the hole is right on the ledge of one of the swimming pool route cavity features. I had forgot a MIM body is not easily conducive to a body mounted neck pickup.

So I screwed the old pickguard with neck pickup mounting screw holes to the new pickguard and used it as a drill jig.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/drilling_pg_hole.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/drolling_pg_hole.jpg)

Here's the pickguard with the bridge mounted. It's a Stewmac Gotoh thingy. The vintage bridge a was planning on using did not cover the indentations in the body made by the original MIM bridge.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/pickguard_check.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/pickguard_check.jpg)

Terry, I checked and they were Ernie Ball, Baritone Slinky.



Awesome. Thank you. I like that lavender packaging. But, they should have saved that for the bluegrass pickers! :shock:

My notes say:

Gotoh Kluson tuners from Stewmac string holes accepts a #45 drill bit which is 0.082” dia.

So a 0.072" B string will work. The tuner hole is the limiter.

IIRC, I had to drill out my low E tuner hole... but I don't remember what tuners I had used.

Great Build Terry !...unless I missed it earlier with all the talk of String gauge, have you mentioned how you will tune it yet ?....B to B...or A to A ?

Great Build Terry !...unless I missed it earlier with all the talk of String gauge, have you mentioned how you will tune it yet ?....B to B...or A to A ?

Howdy Melle!!! Thanks. I was planning on B to B. Any suggestions?

To B or not to B: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? :roll:

If you use the lighter guage strings B to B should be fine. With the heavier ones that I used I found A to A worked best for me. But again, my scale length was longer as well. YMMV.

Howdy Melle!!! Thanks. I was planning on B to B. Any suggestions?

To B or not to B: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? :roll:

Heh Heh....Terry, I think you'll be fine w/ the .013-.062 on that Scale length and B to B....Another Great Bari part is in LeeAnn Womack's "A little past Little Rock" from about 10 years ago ?

B to b is what i will be tuning to, my neck scale is 28 5/8th", i can take my acoustic to drop C so the B to b is a breeze. I reamed my tuner with a round craft file took 5 minutes.

....Another Great Bari part is in LeeAnn Womack's "A little past Little Rock" from about 10 years ago ?

You think I haven't had my mind on that???? That requires the low B to be drop tuned to A. That baby will really growl then. :shock:

B to b is what i will be tuning to, my neck scale is 28 5/8th", i can take my acoustic to drop C so the B to b is a breeze. I reamed my tuner with a round craft file took 5 minutes.

Thanks for the info. :smile:

I had applied 25 coats of poly and let it dry for a week. I flat sanded the decal area some to lower the mesa height. I added 5 more coats and let it dry a week. I then flat sanded until the decal outline was gone and no shiny spots.

I buffed it out on the buffing arbor
http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/buffing_arbor/arbor_front.jpg

Here's the shine. I intentionally photographed it in a glare to show the lack of decal outline.



http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/buried_decal1.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/buried_decal1.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/buried_decal2.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/buried_decal2.jpg)

I think a decal buried in clear coat with no outline is a really nice look. It's the satisfaction at the end that makes me not dread applying the thick coating the next time. I always know what I'm gonna get. I've tried to shortcut this, but after sanding into decal material a few times, I stick with the conservative approach.

I'd be interested in hearing how many coats you folks use to "bury" the decal.

The build-up of clear coat inside the tuner holes combined with the build-up of polishing compound makes the diameter of the hole too small and pounding a tuner ferrule in can be dangerous, stressing/cracking wood. The ferrules are designed for 11/32" diameter, not 11/32" minus 30 coats of poly and polishing compound.

I used a step drill bit by hand to remove the accumulated material.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/cleaning_peg_hole.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/cleaning_peg_hole.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/cleaning_peg_hole2.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/cleaning_peg_hole2.jpg)

I made the ferrule insertion tool a few years ago. The tip is sized for string ferrules, but works fine for tuner ferrules as well.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/ferrule_setting_tool.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/ferrule_setting_tool.jpg)

It keeps the hammer away from the wood. You are more likely to hit your hand with a hammer than the finely finished guitar, which is what I prefer.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/ferrule_setting_tool_use.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/ferrule_setting_tool_use.jpg)

I didn't like how hard the ferrule was to drive in. It's obvious the depth of the step bit was not adequate to clear the hole. So, I used an 11/32" twist bit in a tap chuck.

You gotta be careful. One little slip and that mirror polish gets DINGED.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/cleaning_peg_hole_wbit.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/cleaning_peg_hole_wbit.jpg)

After this cleanout, the rest of the ferrules went in nice and easy. You can tell how the hammer sounds different when the ferrule is fully seated. It's time to STOP hammering.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/ferrules_installed.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/ferrules_installed.jpg)

Also notice the masking tape on the fretboard has been removed and the residual adhesive was cleaned up with naptha.

This where I always get scared. I've never drilled tuner pilot holes all the way through a headstock. The 3 weeks of labor expended for finishing the neck gives me intense discipline in watching what the heck I'm doing. I use a 5/64" bit that has a 1/4" apex hex shaft mounted into a cordless screwdriver. I measure the length of the screw and put a piece of masking tape around the bit that distance up on the bit from the tip. The depth of the drill should be the length of the screw PLUS the thickness of the tuner mounting flange (~0.1"), but I don't include the flange. I acccept the fact that the tip of the screw will penetrate a bit of solid wood. I'd rather error on the conservative side than take a risk of drilling through the headstock. That would be so awful!!! I place the tuners in the holes and use the holes in tuner flanges as match-drill guides.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/pilot_holes_tuners.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/pilot_holes_tuners.jpg)

I drill until the tape touches the tuner flange.

I also hole a soft (not metal) straight edge against the array of tuners to keep them aligned straight when drilling the holes.

Vintage tuners installed. Aren't they sexy lookin'?

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/tuners_installed.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/tuners_installed.jpg)

Nice work, Terry! On my whopping four whole builds, I've pressed in the tuner ferrules using some channel locks and some wood shims - I worry about hammering those things and cracking maple. I think your driver "bit" makes hammering feasible, though.

I like the buried decal look as well - it looks very professional that way.

Nice work, Terry! On my whopping four whole builds, I've pressed in the tuner ferrules using some channel locks and some wood shims - I worry about hammering those things and cracking maple. I think your driver "bit" makes hammering feasible, though.
.

I hear ya Mark. I worry about cracking maple too. The way I look at it, pressed in or hammered in, the stress at the end is the same. To be safe, they should go quite easily. They are not structurally holding anything except themselves. In the past I have used a tapered reamer so the initial press-in is not much interference at all. In my experience, a cleared 11/32" hole works out OK. I like your idea of channel locks. You can "feel" the stress. An arbor press would be bad because you would not be able to "feel" the stress. Let me know what you think.



I like the buried decal look as well - it looks very professional that way.

Thanks. That's what I like to make happen.

Using a hinge bit to drill pilot holes for the Electrosocket. It's a #3/#4 hinge bit in a cordless screwdriver.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/pilot_hole_electosocket.jpg

HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/pilot_hole_electosocket.jpg)

Finished assembly. It's a LONG NECK.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/finished2.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/finished2.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/finished1.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/finished1.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/finished3.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/finished3.jpg)

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/finished_body.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/finished_body.jpg)

Filing the nut slots.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/thumbs/nut_filing.jpg
HI RES (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/nut_filing.jpg)

Bee-yoo-ti-ful! I love that red...

Love those vintage tuners. Where did you find them?

Awesome project and documentation. I'm going to go back and reshield one of my guitars based on this....

What amp are you planning to use with your baritone? I've been using my regular guitar amps (tone king imperial and sf twin) but I'm interested to know your thoughts on this.

Love those vintage tuners. Where did you find them?

Stewmac 0648 (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Gotoh_Tuners/Gotoh_Vintage-style_Oval_Knob_Tuners_6-In-Line.html)

Awesome project and documentation. I'm going to go back and reshield one of my guitars based on this....

What amp are you planning to use with your baritone? I've been using my regular guitar amps (tone king imperial and sf twin) but I'm interested to know your thoughts on this.

Thanks!!

I always shield my guitars that have noise cancelling pickups in them. The pickups have cancelled the noise, so why let exposed control cavity wiring contribute to the noise??

I wanted something different to bring in the studio and I have mostly been using a Line6 POD. I don't use an amp much anymore for recording.

Looks great Terry !

On the tuner ferrules - try using your insertion tool mounted in a drill press. Then you just "press" the ferrule in place with the drill press "off". Just use the wheel to push it downward. No hammering or anything to "shock" the wood, goes in nice and smooth. :)

I don't use an amp much anymore for recording.

That was fast Terry

Wondering why you don't use an amp to record anymore?

Pod doesn't seem to Vintage or state of the art to me.

I spent some time with the AX-FX processor.

It was excellent for live sims and recording. Many magnitudes beyond the line 6 stuff.

Still I need my analog. Just doesn't feel the same without it.

Looking great so far Terry !

On the tuner ferrules - try using your insertion tool mounted in a drill press. Then you just "press" the ferrule in place with the drill press "off". Just use the wheel to push it downward. No hammering or anything to "shock" the wood, goes in nice and smooth. :)

Aw man...I'd rather try it with the drill press ON!! :shock:

A makeshift arbor press. Why didn't I think of that? Excellent suggestion. I initially made that tool for string ferrules and my drill press throat is not wide enough for string ferrules. I guess the thought of me hammering in the string ferrules continued right on into the tuner ferrule application. It never crossed my mind to use the drill press. I hope I remember to try that next time. Thanks again.

Glad I can help !

It gives you a better "feel" for the tightness of the ferrule too. That way if it feels too tight, you just stop, pull it, and widen the hole a smidge. Tough to "feel" that when you're hammering it in.

PS - I figured I'd better mention having the press "off" - not because of you ( I knew you'd realize to keep it off), but because you never know who might be reading this, and how many brain cells are still functioning in their head !

Oh yes, I understand with regard to the comment about the drill being off. That's what a good forum member should do.

What tooling do you use in your drill press to install yours?

Oh yes, I understand with regard to the comment about the drill being off. That's what a good forum member should do.

What tooling do you use in your drill press to install yours?

I don't actually need to use any ! When the chuck is all the way closed it slides just inside the ferrule hole, so I insert the chuck and press down ! Voila !!!

:mrgreen:

PS - in the "not at all necessary" category, I also put a bit of painters tape around the ferrule edges to keep them nice looking. Most if the guitars I build are "aged", but I haven't seen too many vintage guitars with marred up and dinged tuner ferrules, so I take the extra precaution ! :)

What a great thread and build. I love your attention to detail. Thanks so much for sharing.

.............Still I need my analog. Just doesn't feel the same without it.

Well, I don't feel the same without it either. Studios are getting smaller and they just seem to want to get me in and out as quickly as possible. They seem to prefer it over a honking tube amp.

Regarding the Line6 POD, I only like the original version 1.0. After they added all those various speaker cabinet simulations, I never could dial up a tone I liked with it. Well, I don't know what I'm saying because I rarely like the tone I get on anything I play, and I darn sure don't like my playing either. So, having that said, why should I care as long as the customer is happy??

Here's a recent sample of a clean jazzy solo I did on a sax instrumental project using the Line6 POD. Let me know what you think. I was using the Brent tele with the Gibson mini-humbucker selected. I guess it is a little stale and digital.

Fly Me to the Moon (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/fly_me_to_the_moon_solo.mp3)


I don't actually need to use any ! When the chuck is all the way closed it slides just inside the ferrule hole, so I insert the chuck and press down ! Voila !!!



Genius. I need to start reading ALL your posts.

What a great thread and build. I love your attention to detail. Thanks so much for sharing.

Thanks for the kind words.

Sound clips of the Baricaster to follow.....

Well, I don't feel the same without it either. ........

...........
Here's a recent sample of a clean jazzy solo I did on a sax instrumental project using the Line6 POD. Let me know what you think. I was using the Brent tele with the Gibson mini-humbucker selected. I guess it is a little stale and digital.

Fly Me to the Moon (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/fly_me_to_the_moon_solo.mp3)


Sound clips of the Baricaster to follow.....


Nothing stale about that considering its an MP3 over computer speakers

Your playing has a taste of Wes's touch. Magic how you move straight into the run down the neck.

No the pod's doing its job of delivering what you need. Can't help but think Chet's or Wes's Standel would of done nicely as well.:wink:

Come to think of it from what I've read Wes would have had the same sentiments as you regarding the gig as far as equipment and getting the job done

I can't fault your logic on give te customer what they want either.

Beautiful job on the Barri I can't wait to hear the track

DANG!......I knew I should have hid that pickguard from the 67'!!...:grin:

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/ehawley/bodycloseinspectiontag.jpg

Great job Terry! Looking forward to the sound check!
Cheers
ED

Hey nice work!

I just had an idea looking at that loooonng neck...
What about a baritone tele, with the bridge moved all the way to the bottom of the body (near strap pin) and the neck set that same distance further into the body?
Make sense? This way the neck wont stretch out so far from the body and might help with possible neck dive issues? the neck p/up can be moved down too so no need to lose that.
It'd look a little funky maybe, and i guess the horn might need to be cut a bit deeper or something.... still , not a bad idea hey?

Terry, as always, you post superb pictures and document your work in the best manner possible. Thanks for your help in the past - and for this excellent thread!

Thoughts of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" came to mind.

Don't forget the end of "Galveston"

thanks for bringing us along on the build.

Wow. That is one of my dream guitars. :shock:

.......

No the pod's doing its job of delivering what you need. .................I can't fault your logic on give te customer what they want either.
...................Beautiful job on the Barri I can't wait to hear the track

Thanks so much for the feedback. I'm always second guessing myself on stuff like that.

DANG!......I knew I should have hid that pickguard from the 67'!!...:grin:

Great job Terry! Looking forward to the sound check!
Cheers
ED

Ed, You knew I was looking!!! Thanks.

Hey nice work!

I just had an idea looking at that loooonng neck...
What about a baritone tele, with the bridge moved all the way to the bottom of the body (near strap pin) and the neck set that same distance further into the body?
Make sense? This way the neck wont stretch out so far from the body and might help with possible neck dive issues? the neck p/up can be moved down too so no need to lose that.
It'd look a little funky maybe, and i guess the horn might need to be cut a bit deeper or something.... still , not a bad idea hey?

Cool idea, but it seems as if it would be awkward to pick that far back on the body. Maybe not.

Terry, as always, you post superb pictures and document your work in the best manner possible. Thanks for your help in the past - and for this excellent thread!

Thanks. I appreciate the kind post.

Don't forget the end of "Galveston"

thanks for bringing us along on the build.

Oh yes. I forgot about Galveston. Thanks.

Wow. That is one of my dream guitars. :shock:

Well, go build ya one. :smile:

Here's the first sound clip.

A Little Past Little Rock - Intro (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/sound/little_past_little_rock_intro.mp3)

It's running a bit short on sustain, but I guess I'll have to live with it. :oops:

Here's a demo of the guitar.

1. Bridge pickup
2. Bridge pickup with bass cut
3. Bridge & Neck (funky quacky)
4. Neck pickup
5. Neck pickup with treble cut

Baricaster Sound Demo (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/sound/baricaster_demo.mp3)

also
Witchita Lineman - Solo (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/sound/witchita_lineman_solo.mp3)

Terry thanks very much for sharing your self and your many talents here at TDPRI.

I know for me you are one of the many reasons TDPRI is such a smokin place

The depth of your talents I am sure are only partially seen and heard through this medium.

I hope one day to see you play live and get a chance to see you let it rip.

About the samples all I can say is MORE !

A lot more please!

Aww man. You are too kind. I'm just an old hack with a big love for the Telecaster guitar. :smile:

Cheers,
Terry

It's running a bit short on sustain...

Yeah, that's the first thing I noticed. Had you thought of taking the felt mutes off? :roll:

and for decency's sake, can't you at least pretend to have trouble adjusting to the thicker strings?

kidding aside... sounds great. the range of tones surprised me. It should be lots of fun trying out new things on it.

Wait. I haven't taken the felt mutes off yet. :roll: If I take them off perhaps I could power my shop beer refrigerator with the output of the guitar. But then I would need to play all night.

Thanks. It will be fun to try it on projects.

Here is a summary of the parts used to round out the documentation of the build. This has been fun. Thanks for the kind comments and the very helpful suggestions.


Body – MIM Candy Apple Red eBay
Neck – Warmoth Showcase BTN232, 6105 frets, Maple/Indian Rosewood, 1 11/16" Nut Width, Standard thin Contour, 10-16" Compound Radius, Mother Cream Face Dots Inlays, Vintage Style (11/32") Tuner Ream (BTN232 appears to no longer be available)
Pickguard – TPG11 Warmoth Silver Pearloid
Tuners – Stewmac Gotoh Vintage Oval Knob Tuners 0648
Nut – Stewmac 6002 Shaped 1-45/64" x 3/16" x 1/8" (43.26mm x 4.75mm x 3.18mm) 10" (254mm) top and bottom radius
Bridge – Stewmac Gotoh Modern Tele Bridge 0025
Bridge pickup – Guitar Fetish Lil Puncher H29
Neck pickup - Guitar Fetish Neovin NEOTN7
Volume pot – 1MEG Audio – 330K in parallel with 0.001µF mylar treble bleed
Tone pot – TBX not wired as TBX but wired as low cut/high cut – 0.047µF mylar high cut, 0.001µF mylar low cut
Pickup selector switch – Stewmac 3-position Japanese 3191
Neck plate, control plate, knobs – cannot identify, been in parts bin too long, possibly Stewmac
Strap buttons - Dunlop Straplok System
Electrosocket jack cup
Pickguard/Control Plate Screws – Boltdepot.com #4 x ½” Sheet metal screws - Slotted oval head - Stainless steel 18-8 (4.1 cents at qty 100 – 10% the cost of Stewmac not counting shipping)

Well played my friend!

Well played

:smile:

Well played my friend!

Well played

:smile:


Buckocaster,
You are too kind. I'm honored that a TDPRI stalwart like you would take the time to reply to one of my mediocre posts.

I've learned a lot from you and I always appreciate your posts.

I've been playing around with other tunings than B to B. I had forgot about Alan Jackson's "Who's Cheatin' Who". I believe Brent Mason played on that, so I can only assume he played the baritone part as well. Anyone know what kind of baritone Brent plays? It was quite obvious it was tuned G to G, and the loose narly strings go along with the original sound. I was surprised my guitar was that controllable and playable tuned that low.

Here's my demo (should have learned it better but you get the drift):
Who's Cheatin' Who - Solo (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/sound/whos_cheating_who_solo.mp3)


For reference back to the original, here's a Youtube link. The baritone comes in around 3:00.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OlNY6-3_xY

I believe Brent Mason played on that, so I can only assume he played the baritone part as well. Anyone know what kind of baritone Brent plays?

a yup.. though it's "6 string bass" in the credits.

I was able to re-find this:
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=463026&page=2
...so jerry jones bass6 and neptune double cut?

From what I've heard, I think the one you have now sounds about as good as it gets... but you might want to make one out of MDF and go for the world record.

Here's my demo (should have learned it better but you get the drift):
Who's Cheatin' Who - Solo (http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/baritone/sound/whos_cheating_who_solo.mp3)
....

That's cool! Nicely done, and the sustain is to die for. Always amazes me when set-neck zealots scoff at a Tele or Strat and turn up their sustain noses - you do it right you can get incredible sustain from some maple, a plank, and a string-through bridge!

BTW: There's some great bari in Vince Gill's Cowboy Up from These Days (Disc One).