IKEAcaster #3: the double uncut Tele build

[iansmitchell]

Originally Posted by tuuur

Hmmm... the neck sits high, and the saddles of that Wilkinson bridge can't go that high.
Plus I don't have a Tele bridge pickup lying around.

But I do have a humbucker and a ABR with studs...

So I been thinking....

Maybe this is the way to go?



(not overhasting things... )

YES! DO IT!!
I also have a neck-mount pickup, if you plan to go with something like that...
A CC tele neck pickup as the only pickup in it would be a pretty cool setup, too.

[tuuur]

I'm sacrificing tele-ness this way, but then again: I do have a humbucker lying here, but no tele bridge pickup; and I actually do want a bigsby on it.
No neck pickup though, I am more of a rocker; was thinking more along these lines.





I like the cream ring version! Now to get some gold Gibson knobs...

[olaftheholy]

Again Tuuur, top two on the right side of the box.
Top one is a 6.4K, bottom one 8.6K tele bridge.
They both have bar magnets but do have a brass plate
One is from the ash topbound kit (tomotone) the other SX.
I save all those things to help people out.
Just let me know and it's in the mail
Bridge is still there too

[tuuur]

Hey Olaf, thanks for the offer!
Maybe I could use a Tele pickup for a next build (thinking of an orange General Lee type Esquire).

I continued this build with the figsby, tunomatic and the humbucker... and made some nice mistakes underway. pics later on...

[tuuur]

I took my time measuring everything, put painters tape on it and drew all outlines on that, left it a while, redid the whole thing when I spotted a mistake, left it a while, and then went for it and drilled the holes, and after that fitted the posts of the TOM bridge using the drill press. Only to find out...

I drilled the holes too close to each other... though I spend an entire afternoon just measuring and thinking how to do it. Remind me not to use tune o matic bridges ever again...

So I pulled the post out again by fitting the post into the drill press and let that do the work. Doweled the hole and redrilled it.



Then I fitted the post and it went ok. Got impatient (what else is new) and stringed it up... pickup is working, action is going to be ok...

[tuuur]

Fitted the volume control...



and the jack input...



Been playing it a bit, and it turns out... it can't be intonated because the bridge is positioned too much towards the neck, and it has to be moved back. Only this time I am not able to remove the bushings. (did I mention I won't use tune o matics any more?) I am now considering moving the neck back a little in the neck pocket. Would that be sensible or stupid?

[Brendo]

Originally Posted by tuuur

Fitted the volume control...



and the jack input...



Been playing it a bit, and it turns out... it can't be intonated because the bridge is positioned too much towards the neck, and it has to be moved back. Only this time I am not able to remove the bushings. (did I mention I won't use tune o matics any more?) I am now considering moving the neck back a little in the neck pocket. Would that be sensible or stupid?

If that's what you've gotta do, then that's what you gotta do. bummer of a mistake, but if you do the neck fix, you should only be able to see it when you look at the guitar from front on. I've got a strat copy I did the same thing to. Neck change, measured it all OK, but now the new neck is 5mm further up the pocket. Like I said, it's only visible if you look at it.

[tuuur]

Thanks Brendo. Will do that after a LOT of carefuller measuring.

[iansmitchell]

That, or you can find one of those butt-ugly tune o bridges gibson used in the 70s, that have about an inch of play in the saddles.

[iansmitchell]

You can hide the frowardness of the neck by using a 24 fret neck, too.

[tuuur]

Originally Posted by iansmitchell

That, or you can find one of those butt-ugly tune o bridges gibson used in the 70s, that have about an inch of play in the saddles.

Ha, I got one of those. But it's gold and I lost the posts...

[iansmitchell]

screws and metallic spray paint? ;)
Great work on the build. Kinda EVH in a totally-not way.

[Gary in Boston]

I think I saw this on Nip / Tuck
Gary

[tuuur]

Originally Posted by Gary in Boston

I think I saw this on Nip / Tuck
Gary

Hm, you gotta enlighten me there... did some google search on that, but it only came up with a TV soap about plastic surgeons I can't recall ever seeing.

[Gary in Boston]

The estate of Leo Fender pulled it from the shows' archives.....

Gary

[umasser2004]

Where did you get the figsby? How much was it? I'm making my first tele and will probably end up getting the b5 but I'm quite intrigued by this look-a-like!

[tuuur]

Originally Posted by umasser2004

Where did you get the figsby? How much was it? I'm making my first tele and will probably end up getting the b5 but I'm quite intrigued by this look-a-like!

It was fitted on my old 1973 Aria 1528t tele copy, which I bought for 190 euros.
I wouldn't advice on getting one like that, it's not very stable tuning wise.
If I pull it down, let it go to normal string tension, or pull it up and let it relax again, there is about half a note difference. Maybe it's the spring.

[umasser2004]

Originally Posted by tuuur

It was fitted on my old 1973 Aria 1528t tele copy, which I bought for 190 euros.
I wouldn't advice on getting one like that, it's not very stable tuning wise.
If I pull it down, let it go to normal string tension, or pull it up and let it relax again, there is about half a note difference. Maybe it's the spring.

Ahh I see. At least it looks good though. Thanks for the response. I'll end up with the Bigsby. I'm not sure whether it will be the B5 or B50 though. I just wish there was a halfway decent cheaper option besides routing out a cavity for a strat trem system or similar.

[iansmitchell]

Originally Posted by umasser2004

Ahh I see. At least it looks good though. Thanks for the response. I'll end up with the Bigsby. I'm not sure whether it will be the B5 or B50 though. I just wish there was a halfway decent cheaper option besides routing out a cavity for a strat trem system or similar.

http://yhst-50206111187217.stores.ya...tsumowhba.html

[umasser2004]

Originally Posted by iansmitchell

http://yhst-50206111187217.stores.ya...tsumowhba.html

Yeah I did check that out. I'm not sure how I feel about it though. Has anyone here tried this item out? I wouldn't wanna drill holes in my new tele and then end up not liking it. Not only would I have unwanted holes, but in retrospect I will have ended up paying twenty five bucks more for the Bigsby because I'd have wasted this unit.

[JasonRobert]

I would be tempted to add wood to the bottom of the neck pocket, and then extend the black part of the sunburst around the bottom of neck pocket a little bit so the black covers the added wood.

I cant quite tell from the picture, but just make extra sure that you are going to be moving the neck the right way by measuring from nut to 12th fret, and then from 12th fret to bridge... in the end you want the measurements to be the same....

if 12th fret to bridge is less than nut to 12th fret then you need to add shims to the bottom of the neck.....

and if 12th fret to bridge is more (or bigger) than nut to 12th fret then you need to make the neck pocket bigger.

by measuring you will also know how much you need to add to the neck pocket...

I only say this because I personally have made mistakes like drilling the holes for tuneomatics wrong (too far to one side, too wide etc) and I have made them worse by rushing to correct them and not measuring properly...

[tuuur]

Originally Posted by JasonRobert

I would be tempted to add wood to the bottom of the neck pocket, and then extend the black part of the sunburst around the bottom of neck pocket a little bit so the black covers the added wood.

I cant quite tell from the picture, but just make extra sure that you are going to be moving the neck the right way by measuring from nut to 12th fret, and then from 12th fret to bridge... in the end you want the measurements to be the same....

if 12th fret to bridge is less than nut to 12th fret then you need to add shims to the bottom of the neck.....

and if 12th fret to bridge is more (or bigger) than nut to 12th fret then you need to make the neck pocket bigger.

by measuring you will also know how much you need to add to the neck pocket...

I only say this because I personally have made mistakes like drilling the holes for tuneomatics wrong (too far to one side, too wide etc) and I have made them worse by rushing to correct them and not measuring properly...

Thanks Jason, I appreciate your advice...
I left it lying some time, played it a bit at the rehearsal of my band. It's a rock monster! If I don't touch the bigsby that much it actually stays in tune enough to play some leads or barre chords.

Lowered the action a few millimeters, and it is still not intonated right. Gonna leave it some more to let it get used to being a guitar and then try to intonate it in ernest...

One thing I learned here is to take your time in order not to screw things up to bad!

[iansmitchell]

Try a real roller(or graphite) bridge, roller(or graphite) nut, and locking tuners. And stretch your strings, a lot. That's basically the care and feeding of a bigsby.

Great to hear it's a rock machine! Clips any time soon?