Humbucker Routs on Tele Body

I've been reading up on building a Tele, and it looks like it's within reach. I wonder if I could get a little advice.

I love the ergonomics of the Telecaster. It's reasonably compact, it's very simple, and the neck access is good. I am thinking it would be fun to take the basic platform and stick humbucker-sized P90s on it, with a vibrato. Humbucker holes would give me versatility in case I wanted to fool around with different pickups.

Here's what I want to know: is it a giant pain to make a Tele body with humbucker routs, and is there any reason I should avoid the project? Also, if I don't go with traditional Tele pickups, will I need a Les Paul-type 4-pot setup, and is there a reasonably easy way to do that?

I guess the obvious question is, "Why not build a Les Paul?", but I have no faith in my ability to set a neck or carve a top, and I find the Tele shape friendlier.

Don't let the wiring stop you. You can find a diagram to do just about anything if you google a little bit. You can go with just two pots if you like that. I would, I find lots of pots to be overkill. "Why not build a Les Paul?" 'Cause it's not a tele. {:-) Tele's are the ultimate in fun for modifying. There isn't much you can't do with a few tools and some internet research. There are even companies that do p90 style pickups in a regular tele size. Check out the Rio Grande dirty harry pickup.

Thanks for the pickup suggestion. I have an American Special with Texas Specials, and I really like them, in spite of the negative press they get. If I were going to go with Tele-sized pickups, I'd just get those again. The bigger holes are intended to give me freedom to try other stuff.

Why not build a Telecaster Deluxe but without that big goofy headstock.

One of my favorite Teles is one that I made out of really light ash with 2 PAF humbuckers and a standard set of Tele controls. I did swap out the tone cap from a .047uF to a .022uF cap. It sounds awesome - like a not so dark Les Paul.

The 2 things I don't mess with that much on a Les Paul are the individual tone/vol knobs and I don't use vibrato - so that combo is the perfect guitar for most of the stuff I play.

Now I have to look up "Telecaster Deluxe" to make sure I don't say anything stupid. Let's see...

Okay, that's pretty much what I'm talking about, except I would want bookmatched walnut with as much of the wood showing as possible.

I thought a Telecaster Deluxe was one of those butt-ugly (oops, now I'll get yelled at) one of those distinctive-looking things Waylon Jennings played. Maybe that's an American Custom. The Telecaster Deluxe looks about right. The plastic Gibson knobs look wrong on that body, though. And wow, what an ugly...what a distinctive-looking pickguard.

RE the headstock, I figured I'd get a Warmoth neck. I can run a router and table saw, so I can probably make a body, but I can't even guess how a neck is made.

I feel a sick temptation to try a scalloped neck, but I would hate to see $500 worth of weird neck sitting in the scrap pile because it turned out to be too crazy for me.

Wondering what kind of trem to get. I have a Stetsbar, but I don't know if I want to blow that kind of money again, and they don't make a Tele trem in gold. A Bigsby would be exceedingly cool.

I already ordered templates, so I am committed to the princely tune of $45.

Now I have to look up "Telecaster ...
I feel a sick temptation to try a scalloped neck, but I would hate to see $500 worth of weird neck sitting in the scrap pile because it turned out to be too crazy for me.
...

Scalloped neck on a Tele - that's CRAZY TALK!! Just have Warmoth put some 6100 frets on it - you will never touch the wood while playing just like a scalloped neck without the mutilation of an otherwise good neck.

Here's a couple of my Teles:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/bridges/guitar.jpg
http://mojotronics.com/images/guitar/DSCN0550.jpg

I like seeing wood (I'll get around to finishing that one...) more than a big pickguard.

I just scalloped 12 and up on a grizzly neck I had laying around. Look pretty cool!

Oh, and this is a really dump question...what are the things that surround the humbucker and screw into the wood called? Searched ebay and stewmac but could not find them. Going to route some buckers on my custom build soon, but don't have a template as of yet.

Here's some (reasonably) standard Tele terminology:
Tele - Tele bridge, Tele bridge PU, Tele neck PU, 3 way switch
Nashville Tele - like Tele, but with an additional Strat pickup in the middle position, 5 way switch
Fat Tele - like Tele, but with a humbucker in the neck position
Double Fat Tele - like Tele, but with 2 humbuckers and a Strat-style fixed bridge
Tele Deluxe - Tele body, 2 humbuckers, big "distinctive" pickguard, Les Paul-style controls, Strat-style fixed bridge
Tele Custom - like Tele Deluxe but with Tele bridge and bridge PU (also, confusingly, the double-bound Teles made in the early 60s that otherwise were like Teles)
Tele Thinline - semihollow Tele, can have just about any PU combination

The new Blacktop Teles are like Teles but with 2 humbucking pickups and a Strat-style fixed bridge. - too soon to say if this will become a standard name

There are also all kinds of variations on these examples. But I think these names cover most of the common layouts.

Those are great-looking guitars. I didn't know you could build a Tele with no pickguard. I figured there was routing on the front.

I have a pathetic Tacoma Papoose, and it has a clear plastic pickguard which is very thin. It's barely visible. I'd like to use something like that.

What an awful guitar that Papoose is. I should plant flowers in it.