Finaly got another!

2tone60thAsh · May 18th, 2007, 10:05 PM

Hi there.

I had to sell my 06 Fender American Ash Tele shortly after purchasing it several months ago, but now I'm back with a Tele I pieced together myself.

Pretty easy, as the body was pre-loaded and all I had to do was bolt tuners on the neck and bolt everything together/set it up.

Warmoth Mahogany body with maple top, warmoth birdseye maple neck with rosewood fingerboard (vintage specs, boatneck contour) and Kluson tuners (vintage).

I am BEYOND satisfied with everything, my only complaint is one that appears to be cosmetic. There's just the SMALLEST gap between the end of my neck and the beginning of the body/pickguard. I tried to squeeze in the neck as far down as I could but the gap remains, however slight it is. Everything else is flush in regards to the neck/body joint/connection except at the end where the neck meets the body/pickguard. Neckplate screws line up and everything is tight, but there is also a visible discoloration of the laquer on the neck outside the neckplate of a nearly identical length as the gap between the neck and the body, so I'm thinking maybe I should unbolt it and see if I can force it in this last .00000001 of an inch

Any thoughts? It plays and stays in tune wonderfully, there's no looseness whatsoever in the neck/body joint, but the gap is just irking me to no end!

Is this "normal" or acceptable?

Thanks!

Sleph · May 18th, 2007, 10:15 PM

how about posting a few photos so we can see if somethings wrong or if you're just being too fussy.

I don't think you should have to "force" anything...and if it really is only
.00000001 of an inch, you may just be being too picky.

2tone60thAsh · May 18th, 2007, 10:23 PM

Here's some pics:

With the picture of the back of the guitar, you can see how much the flat "platform" part of the enck sticks out, if that's any help...

2tone60thAsh · May 18th, 2007, 10:24 PM

And here's what I'm tlaking about with the gap. It's not big enough to fit my Fender Xtraheavy picks into, but im sure a thin could dive in:

jjkurtz · May 18th, 2007, 10:32 PM

I wouldn't sweat it.

I really like the pickup covers. The whole guitar, for that matter, looks great.

johnnylaw · May 18th, 2007, 10:41 PM

If that thing plays as good as it looks, you're in business. A gap in your tone would be a much greater problem to have! Nice axe.

2tone60thAsh · May 19th, 2007, 12:02 AM

Thanks fellas. Yeah the gap is just a small quirk that seems to be a bit of a nuisance, but the guitar looks, sounds and feels fantastic, couldn't be happier! (unless the gap was gone...

) That tiny gap is the ONLY problem I have with the way it ended up, and it's not even a huge problem it seems.

The pickups are some Z-90 I think, and yeah it's cool how it blends in with the pickguard too!

I love the sound it's got, and the boatneck contour is a near perfect fit for my hands.

Diggin' it! And thanks for the reassurance that it's just me being picky and fussy over my first small project. Maybe next time I'll start completely from scratch but this was a good first project as everything was basically assembled for me and the prices were right (everything together was well under 600)

mellecaster · May 19th, 2007, 01:01 AM

Boy I'm Happy to see someone More ANAL than Me (hehe)

That wouldn't bother me at all....if it were mine....maybe a Customer's, but not one of mine.......

BritishBluesBoy · May 19th, 2007, 01:04 AM

I wouldn't sweat that at all.. looks just dandy to me!

Enjoy that thing...

BBB.

2tone60thAsh · May 19th, 2007, 05:28 AM

Thanks again, just got done a many-hour all-nighter jam with her, playing just fine and sounding even better!

It'll always bug me but who cares, plays, looks, and sounds great!

jeffhigh · May 19th, 2007, 08:21 AM

It would probably bug me too.
If it were mine I would remove the screws and see if it will move up flush or what it is hanging up on. If it is able to move to flush, I would elongate the screwholes in the body towards the bridge to allow it to be assembled flush

2tone60thAsh · May 19th, 2007, 04:20 PM

Hmm, I may give it a try, thanks for the tips. I am not sure if I feel comfortable drilling holes in the body but we'll see.

2tone60thAsh · May 20th, 2007, 05:10 AM

Got it flush! :)

May 18th, 2007, 10:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
2tone60thAsh Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 23 Posts: 367	Finaly got another! Hi there. I had to sell my 06 Fender American Ash Tele shortly after purchasing it several months ago, but now I'm back with a Tele I pieced together myself. Pretty easy, as the body was pre-loaded and all I had to do was bolt tuners on the neck and bolt everything together/set it up. Warmoth Mahogany body with maple top, warmoth birdseye maple neck with rosewood fingerboard (vintage specs, boatneck contour) and Kluson tuners (vintage). I am BEYOND satisfied with everything, my only complaint is one that appears to be cosmetic. There's just the SMALLEST gap between the end of my neck and the beginning of the body/pickguard. I tried to squeeze in the neck as far down as I could but the gap remains, however slight it is. Everything else is flush in regards to the neck/body joint/connection except at the end where the neck meets the body/pickguard. Neckplate screws line up and everything is tight, but there is also a visible discoloration of the laquer on the neck outside the neckplate of a nearly identical length as the gap between the neck and the body, so I'm thinking maybe I should unbolt it and see if I can force it in this last .00000001 of an inch Any thoughts? It plays and stays in tune wonderfully, there's no looseness whatsoever in the neck/body joint, but the gap is just irking me to no end! Is this "normal" or acceptable? Thanks! Last edited by 2tone60thAsh; May 19th, 2007 at 12:05 AM..

May 19th, 2007, 01:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
mellecaster VENDOR Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,360 17 Photos	Boy I'm Happy to see someone More ANAL than Me (hehe) That wouldn't bother me at all....if it were mine....maybe a Customer's, but not one of mine....... __________________ Expert Repair....ReCrafting...and Set-ups Making your World a Better Place...One Guitar at a time Contact Info

May 19th, 2007, 01:04 AM	#9 (permalink)
BritishBluesBoy Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 7,466 62 Photos	I wouldn't sweat that at all.. looks just dandy to me! Enjoy that thing... BBB. __________________ BBB.

May 18th, 2007, 10:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Sleph Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,219 6 Photos	how about posting a few photos so we can see if somethings wrong or if you're just being too fussy. I don't think you should have to "force" anything...and if it really is only .00000001 of an inch, you may just be being too picky.

May 18th, 2007, 10:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
2tone60thAsh Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 23 Posts: 367	Here's some pics: With the picture of the back of the guitar, you can see how much the flat "platform" part of the enck sticks out, if that's any help...

May 18th, 2007, 10:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
2tone60thAsh Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 23 Posts: 367	And here's what I'm tlaking about with the gap. It's not big enough to fit my Fender Xtraheavy picks into, but im sure a thin could dive in:

May 18th, 2007, 10:32 PM	#5 (permalink)
jjkurtz Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Southaven, Mississippi, USA Age: 33 Posts: 227	I wouldn't sweat it. I really like the pickup covers. The whole guitar, for that matter, looks great.

May 18th, 2007, 10:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
johnnylaw Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New England Age: 52 Posts: 467	If that thing plays as good as it looks, you're in business. A gap in your tone would be a much greater problem to have! Nice axe.

May 19th, 2007, 12:02 AM	#7 (permalink)
2tone60thAsh Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 23 Posts: 367	Thanks fellas. Yeah the gap is just a small quirk that seems to be a bit of a nuisance, but the guitar looks, sounds and feels fantastic, couldn't be happier! (unless the gap was gone... ) That tiny gap is the ONLY problem I have with the way it ended up, and it's not even a huge problem it seems. The pickups are some Z-90 I think, and yeah it's cool how it blends in with the pickguard too! I love the sound it's got, and the boatneck contour is a near perfect fit for my hands. Diggin' it! And thanks for the reassurance that it's just me being picky and fussy over my first small project. Maybe next time I'll start completely from scratch but this was a good first project as everything was basically assembled for me and the prices were right (everything together was well under 600)

May 19th, 2007, 05:28 AM	#10 (permalink)
2tone60thAsh Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 23 Posts: 367	Thanks again, just got done a many-hour all-nighter jam with her, playing just fine and sounding even better! It'll always bug me but who cares, plays, looks, and sounds great!

May 19th, 2007, 08:21 AM	#11 (permalink)
jeffhigh Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 184	It would probably bug me too. If it were mine I would remove the screws and see if it will move up flush or what it is hanging up on. If it is able to move to flush, I would elongate the screwholes in the body towards the bridge to allow it to be assembled flush

May 19th, 2007, 04:20 PM	#12 (permalink)
2tone60thAsh Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 23 Posts: 367	Hmm, I may give it a try, thanks for the tips. I am not sure if I feel comfortable drilling holes in the body but we'll see.

May 20th, 2007, 05:10 AM	#13 (permalink)
2tone60thAsh Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 23 Posts: 367	Got it flush! :)

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