Rainbow Tele: build thread with a twist!

[Sarge]

Man...that's gonna' be really sweet!

[woodman]

got to the mountain about 4 p.m. yesterday -- perfect early-spring weather, temp in the 50s. tonight: blizzard conditions, 28 degrees. but we're gettin' 'er done! got the neck pocket routed today, a major victory, plus all drilling done on the body. Iron John and i are both on our first build-a-body from scratch project, but things have gone well so far. he made a nice set of templates from 3/4" birch plywood and they've worked beautifully.

here are a few pix, but i'm keeping them small cuz they're on dial-up modem here and i'd like to get 'em uploaded before tomorrow morning! the dry wood's not as dramatic as the previous mineral-spirits induced offerings, but i think when the finish goes on, it'll look just dandy.

*Iron John's shop (yesterday)
*Iron John getting after the neck pocket
*neck pocket done
*back -- ferrule holes not as perfect as a CNC job, but close enuf for me.

[Scott McCray]

Where is the drooling smiley? =P~ That looks sweet - y'all are doing a real nice job...stay warm tonight.

How far are you from Cullowhee?

[telechaser]

Looking great. Can't wait to see it finished.

Scott, here's some drooling smileys for you.

[eddiewagner]

alright, that house on the hilltop looks like the perfect place, where a telecaster body will be made. that is spectacular! so he made only one body? eddie

[Unkie Al]

[woodman]

Originally Posted by eddiewagner

alright, that house on the hilltop looks like the perfect place, where a telecaster body will be made. that is spectacular! so he made only one body? eddie

yeah, one was all we could handle this time, both being rookies ... he's got the templates now so next time will be easier. he's got another blank sitting around and several planks in the shed.

processing pix to post right now ....

[BritishBluesBoy]

Hey Woodman,
I really wasn't sure about the look of this one at first - but after looking at those latest pictures I have totally changed my mind. It looks just beautiful. That house is making me want to run for the hills too...

Very, very cool man.

Thanks for sharing...

[woodman]

the big blizzard on the mountain dropped 20 inches (compare this shop pic with the shot on my previous post -- what a difference a day makes! by the way both shots of the shop were taken with me standing on the Tennesee-North Carolina state line). but we kept working steadily, with a brief break to put the snowplow blade on Iron John's tractor.

got the tuners on, then, in preparation for aligning the neck, we mounted the bridge and glued the nut in ... it's an Earvana. ordered black because i thought the neck would be darker, but now i almost wish i'd ordered the ivory color. oh well! the black will look good when the neck gradually darkens, i hope.

[woodman]

managed to get off the mountain, thanks to some ol' boys who came over to pick last night and stayed overnight ... i had parked my car down in the valley the night before the big snow came, figuring i wouldn't get out for days otherwise. these guys find it great sport to tool around in their 4WD's in deep snow!

as we wrapped it up yesterday, we had all penetrations done except the strap buttons and string tree, which i'll do myself after all the finishing's done.

here's the saga of the neck mounting, first pic shows the neck aligned and clamped for drilling; then the "wedding" -- first time the happy couple has been united (sorry for the crappy shot!). of course i had to tear it back down afterward, but it was satisfying to see it in one piece, however briefly! we

last shot is a view from the back of the shop i took right before pulling out. i hated to leave, but it's good to be home. now i'll embark on my new career: SANDING!

[Doug Ferguson]

I've just been scrolling slowly through this thread going "wow" about every time I come to a photo. Can't wait to see it finished, woodman. Lookin' great so far.

[woodman]

one thing i neglected to document was the roundover ... that'll pop up in subsequent pics, though

weighed the body and it comes in at about 3 1/2 pounds -- yeah, baby!

[Mark-00255]

Looks great! I can't get over that cool neck wood - what a combo with the rainbow poplar.

One question about finishing - I'm pretty sure you are using wipe-on poly, right? Can you give me some details about your process? I'm about to start coat 5 on mine and it's going well, but I can always use some helpful hints, or try to learn from others experience Thanks!

BTW: Being an avid hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail on the west coast, I'm drooling over the mountain and cabin shots as well! What a great spot that is!

[boris bubbanov]

Good to see you guys in WNC get some precip.

That's a mighty fine vantage point you have up there on that bald!

I don't know which of the three most recent pictures there I like the best.

I suspect as good as this guitar will look with some coating on it posted here, it will be best seen in person.

Congrats again.

[woodman]

sanded 'er down with 120 grit to remove router marks and the line from the round-over -- Iron John didn't have the exact bit for that, so he took a bearing off one bit, put it on another and got it pretty close.

but that was then, this is now ... back home with no power tools or adult supervision, the project's fate in my klutzy hands alone, dreading what Ron Kirn calls "that classic homemade piece of crap look."

[BTW, huge props to Ron for his templates. we routed from the birch-plywood temps Iron John made from Ron's, but whenever we had a discrepancy, we could slap the original on there to clear up the mystery.]

so: now it's time for the first heresy against Leo -- i'm going to do some gentle forearm and belly contours -- not as extreme as Strat contours, but tailored to my personal playing style and ergonomics. my current ol' warhorse has the Strat contours courtesy of Warmoth and i love the feel, but it's overkill for me. why waste wood gratuitously?

so i mounted the neck and the strap buttons, marked off what i want to take out, and scared myself $hitless at what i was about to do. figgered i'd plead for any ideas you experienced hands might have on the subject. dismantled and cleaned 'er up with mineral spirits so's to see what's what and think about it for awhile!

p.s. -- i worried that the light body would make it neck-heavy -- not so! it balances beautifully (i cheated a little toward the neck with the top strap button and the gamble paid off).

[jwells393]

Well woodman .............. the guy in your avatar looks like an adult to me.......... not quite as adult as I. What tools do you have for doing the belly contour? I used a 7 in disc sander but I'm guessing you probably dont have one of those. You could use a rasp or Surform tool and coarse sandpaper to remove the bulk. Mark your arc on the back. Mark you thickness limit on the edge and stop before you get to those lines. Leave enough wood to remove rasp and coarse sandpaper scratches without removing more wood than you want.

[woodman]

but, Jack! the guy in my avatar is my grandfather! HAHAHAHAHA!

i've got a buddy who might have a disc sander, maybe i can borrow that. if not, i do know how to work a rasp! thanx man.

[ibobunot]

There's a purple heart body on ebay.

[kp8]

woodman, you are the woodman

[Dan R]

WOW! That is incredible Woodman. That is something truly special. It was an excellent idea to use the woods you chose. It looks great and unique. Congrats.

Dan R

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Mark-00255

One question about finishing - I'm pretty sure you are using wipe-on poly, right? Can you give me some details about your process? I'm about to start coat 5 on mine and it's going well, but I can always use some helpful hints, or try to learn from others experience

Mark, i glossed over your post in the confusion of coming home -- sorry!

many TDPRI'ers are far more savvy than me on wipe-on (cf. Rob DiStefano), but here's my experience: i stopped at 3 coats on the back of the neck, cuz i want it to wear down rat-hole smooth. 6 on the headstock, laying the scotch-brite to it between coats ... just enough to seal the maple. tried to feather the back of the headstock into the thinner finish on the back of the neck. i'll do one more *very careful* coat over the decal (homemade) once i get it on there and it's hardened up some.

as you can no doubt tell, the body's a looooong way from seeing its first coat!

[woodman]

rasp or Surform tool and coarse sandpaper

Jack,
got my rasp, boldly plunging into the stone age. that, plus some heavy-grit and some elbow grease, should get me there.

tried a few strokes before it got too dark to work (no inside shop), and it looks like i won't butcher it too bad. gotta go to an out-of-town funeral tomorrow, but i'll work on it later with whatever light i got left.

[mistermullens]

I'm a little late to this thread, woodman, but its lookin' great! I'm curious what color pickguard you're going with? Have you though about a clear one?

[woodman]

no pickguard on this one -- i don't wanna cover up this hunk o' wood. i'll mount the neck pickup in a chrome mounting ring. another heresy against Leo!!! i know mounted-to-body pickups are all the rage, but i just don't like 'em that way, either functionally or esthetically.

[gtrwrks]

I really love all of the build threads, but this is one of the hippest - I really dig the body grain, etc; one of my favorite things about it though is the beautiful neck - I don't believe I've ever seen that shade of maple - the grain is killer, but the color is wonderful. Nice stuff, guys.

[robt57]

I gotta ask, "What did he neck cost?" It is really sweet, I bet in person it really really looks SWEET!!

[Ed P]

A friend and I cut belly and arm contours into my 52 AVRI about a year and a half ago. It was fun - he's a great woodworker and made the contours to fit me. Advise he gave me forty years ago when we painted a car together, and we used on the contouring as well - before you start split a sixpack or two and get a mild buzz on - just enough to calm the nerves but not enough to ruin your judgement.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by robt57

I gotta ask, "What did he neck cost?" It is really sweet, I bet in person it really really looks SWEET!!

yessir, i gotta admit it does! Tommy at USAGC gave me a sweet deal too -- he and his boys made the fretboard from a piece of purpleheart they had "just laying around" for the price of a maple board. total of $230 included mother of pearl dots and rolled edges.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Ed P

A friend and I cut belly and arm contours into my 52 AVRI about a year and a half ago. It was fun - he's a great woodworker and made the contours to fit me. Advise he gave me forty years ago when we painted a car together, and we used on the contouring as well - before you start split a sixpack or two and get a mild buzz on - just enough to calm the nerves but not enough to ruin your judgement.

hahaha! hope OSHA doesn't see this! but i gotta admit, i did have a brew just to brace my nerves before cutting into it ... got a little bit done on the forearm cut before the cavalry rode to the rescue: my bud Mike McBride of Giant Guitars fame has offered to help me out with the contours -- he's got power tools and a brain-full of Fender savvy. yeah baby!

now it's off to the funeral. wish i had a clone i could send!

[woodman]

made it thru the funeral, chomping at the bit to get back to the rainbow pop. went out to Giant Guitar Mike's place where he applied some power sanding to the forearm and belly cuts.

as i said previously, i had mounted the neck and strap buttons, then strapped it on to see where i needed relief from the slab. marked the spots and turned Mike loose with the sander. *it was a considered decision to go with contours* ... i love the feel of how the guitar nestles in and becomes part of your body, but a full Strat contour is excessive for my needs and, frankly, they make a Tele body look weird.

so we took out just enough to give a good ergonomic angle on the forearm and a gentle cut to tilt the body to a slight upward angle against my rib cage (i strap up fairly high). Mike also gave me a sanding lesson -- he sanded down the forearm contour and showed me how smooth wood feels. DUH! suddenly i got it, what separates an OK finish from an impressive one, and it's mostly elbow grease, a keen eye and the right sandpaper at the right stage.

i wish i could take credit for the way this project is shaping up, but without Mike and Iron John, it would still be a plank sitting in the lumber pile. these guys have been the eyes and hands that made a wacky vision in my fevered brain come true. THANX, BOYZ!

and thanks also to you TDPRI bro's who have encouraged and offered advice. a long way to go, but it's looking like it might not suck too bad.

anywaze, on to the pics: the first two are in low light, trying to catch the arc of the contours. the second two are straight-up body shots to show that the Tele shape isn't totally perverted by the contours (as my current Strat-contoured player is).

my next three agenda items: (1) sand, (2) sand, and (3) sand.

[Mark-00255]

Looks great, woodman! The contour's look excellent, but you've still kept the Tele shape and look, just like you were planning!

BTW: Thanks for answering my question about the poly - I've got 9 coats on mine, and am calling it. The finish is even now and very glossy, yet I've still got some grain character as well, which is what I wanted. Good stuff, that wipe-on poly!

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Mark-00255

Looks great, woodman! The contour's look excellent, but you've still kept the Tele shape and look, just like you were planning!

BTW: Thanks for answering my question about the poly - I've got 9 coats on mine, and am calling it. The finish is even now and very glossy, yet I've still got some grain character as well, which is what I wanted. Good stuff, that wipe-on poly!

it is good stuff -- Rob DiStefano was the one who convinced me. i've been real pleased with it!

[riggergreg]

Sweet looking tele there, Woodman.

The contours really make a difference when you play for awhile.

I love mine

[psychotelepathic]

You had me worried there for a minute. I had to click in and check. For a second I though you were going after something like this:




That's a nice piece of wood there!

[woodman]

Originally Posted by psychotelepathic

dang! never thought of that -- stop the presses, go to plan B!!!

[woodman]

got up early and started sanding -- 120, 220, 320 and 400 grit. i'm so sick of sanding i could scream and holler, but after eight hours, she's cueball-smooth now. gonna knock off for today and look at it again in the morning when i'm not so bug-eyed and clean up the rough spots.

i'm hoping to start the finishing tomorrow if all goes well ... wanna get 'er sealed up as quickly as possible. it seems like the color's already faded from when we first cut the blank, but i may just be paranoid. it's also possible the planing and sanding exposed layers not visible in the blank. i dunno, but i'm ready to get on with it!

pix don't show much that hasn't already been shown (sanding photos are about as exciting as watching paint dry), but i laid it out with the neck to get an idea of how she'll look. the ragged ferrule-hole line drives me crazy, but there's nothing i can do about it except grit my teeth over a rookie mistake and drive on.

[woodman]

finishing up the process, but have a query for you guys who know what you're doing: should the inside of the neck pocket be sanded? if so, how much? worried about keeping it flat ... any advice?

[jwells393]

I say no .............. but I have a disclaimer.

[woodman]

ha! thanx Jack ... i asked myself what the hell you know, and the answer was, a hell of a lot more than me! reckon i'll just clean 'er up around the holes and let it be.

[Buckocaster51]

Wow!

I haven't been watching this thread as well as I should.

Job well done!

You are going to have a great looking guitar that you will have every right to be very proud of.