Lefty MIM redux finished....

Cole · May 6th, 2008, 11:26 AM

Whelp... here it is in all it's glory... front first:

backside...

The maple neck sports the ReRanch tinted clear coat... which is a little more yellow than the vintage amber tint they offer for maple necks. It seems to go with the ReRanch Fiesta Red body.

I keep the factory machines on it, but switched out the pups to Duncan vintage STR1 & STL1, right handed Callaham vintage T bridge w/enhanced brass saddles, Sprague orange drop cap & 2 lefty audio taper 250K pots. Oh yeah, bone nut too.

I carved out a tummy cut for the rear for comfort. The bridge and nut really made a huge improvement in sustain and string definition. I dig the tone and sound of the new pups too! I'll pop her cherry this weekend down in AR for a blues gig I was invited to... I'll keep you posted!

Cole · May 6th, 2008, 01:15 PM

I figured out how to add the pics instead of the links...

SouthpawGuy · May 6th, 2008, 01:31 PM

Very nice !

I take it that you kept the original pickguard, I'm trying to get a lefty one for my Am Std and it's proving very difficult.

Cole · May 6th, 2008, 01:34 PM

I'm going to order a parchment white for this guitar soon, I think I may like it better than this white one. But the MIM might not match up to an AM Std well... I'll holler at you when I get this'n replaced...

boris bubbanov · May 6th, 2008, 01:45 PM

Looks great. I agree, the neck and body color marry up well.

You might be able to get a parchment 5 hole lefty guard from Bill Callaham for around $23. The color he does would look great.

Congrats.

Cole · May 6th, 2008, 02:06 PM

I thought of Callaham's lefty pg but a Warmoth 8 hole lefty is slightly cheaper. And there's a set of Bills knurled knobs I want too. I think I'd rather stop upgrading on this one and call it quits. I'd rather start collecting parts for that pine caster project that keeps creeping into my head at night and won't let me sleep!

ThreePlyGuy · May 6th, 2008, 02:30 PM

I could never play that but I sure like it!
Nice looking player.

PJ · May 6th, 2008, 08:33 PM

Cole...you sprayed over the facory poly, or did you sand or steel wool the neck first? Which re-ranch product did you use?

6x47 · May 6th, 2008, 09:19 PM

Nice!

"I carved out a tummy cut for the rear for comfort", lucky it don't fit my tummy or there'd be nothing but neck an strap.

Cole · May 6th, 2008, 11:26 PM

Cole...you sprayed over the factory poly, or did you sand or steel wool the neck first? Which re-ranch product did you use?

PJ I sprayed ReRanch tinted clear coat over the factory poly yes. I scuffed the neck with #320 paper and sprayed away... Then I removed most of it off the back of the neck with #0000 steel wool and polished it smooth... it's very slick.

Rick Towne · May 7th, 2008, 12:06 AM

Or just a lighting effect?

Cole · May 7th, 2008, 12:19 AM

Yep... strung upside down... that's why I put the right handed bridge on her.

Cole · May 14th, 2008, 05:30 PM

well I popped her cherry (my new Tele MIM) at a gig last weekend playing a little crusty bar down in Texarkana called Fat Jack's playing with these guys: Big Red & The Soulbenders... man did I have a blast! I could hardly put this guitar down.

It was a lot darker sounding than i anticipated, that's alright though, I'm a blues player. She had sustain for days and the vintage seymour duncan pups i put in where surprisingly fat. I used the front pup for jazzy rhythms and quiet leads, I favored the middle position for most rhythm and solos... the rear pup was great for those inspired solos after the first 12 bars. I was real impressed with the pups... they were quiet too.

I found after a couple of songs I just by passed the whole pedalboard completely and played straight into the amp. I cranked my Dr Z Carmen Ghia up to about 2 o'clock and controlled my overdrive with my volume knob and pick attack...

I'm blown away with the tones I can get out of this guitar and i haven't even started foolin' around with the tone knob yet! This going to be very hard for me to go back to using a strat (on a regular basis)... why didn't I think about doing this years ago?

I had way too much fun last saturday!

May 6th, 2008, 11:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
Cole Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Louisville KY Age: 57 Posts: 215	Lefty MIM redux finished.... Whelp... here it is in all it's glory... front first: backside... The maple neck sports the ReRanch tinted clear coat... which is a little more yellow than the vintage amber tint they offer for maple necks. It seems to go with the ReRanch Fiesta Red body. I keep the factory machines on it, but switched out the pups to Duncan vintage STR1 & STL1, right handed Callaham vintage T bridge w/enhanced brass saddles, Sprague orange drop cap & 2 lefty audio taper 250K pots. Oh yeah, bone nut too. I carved out a tummy cut for the rear for comfort. The bridge and nut really made a huge improvement in sustain and string definition. I dig the tone and sound of the new pups too! I'll pop her cherry this weekend down in AR for a blues gig I was invited to... I'll keep you posted! __________________ ~Cole Cole's website Cole's MySpace "The only currency we have is influential communication." Last edited by Cole; May 6th, 2008 at 01:14 PM.

May 6th, 2008, 01:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Cole Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Louisville KY Age: 57 Posts: 215	I figured out how to add the pics instead of the links... __________________ ~Cole Cole's website Cole's MySpace "The only currency we have is influential communication."

May 6th, 2008, 01:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
Cole Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Louisville KY Age: 57 Posts: 215	I'm going to order a parchment white for this guitar soon, I think I may like it better than this white one. But the MIM might not match up to an AM Std well... I'll holler at you when I get this'n replaced... __________________ ~Cole Cole's website Cole's MySpace "The only currency we have is influential communication."

May 6th, 2008, 01:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
boris bubbanov Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Orleans, LA + in the past Posts: 8,518	Looks great. I agree, the neck and body color marry up well. You might be able to get a parchment 5 hole lefty guard from Bill Callaham for around $23. The color he does would look great. Congrats. __________________ Bubban0v

May 6th, 2008, 02:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
Cole Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Louisville KY Age: 57 Posts: 215	I thought of Callaham's lefty pg but a Warmoth 8 hole lefty is slightly cheaper. And there's a set of Bills knurled knobs I want too. I think I'd rather stop upgrading on this one and call it quits. I'd rather start collecting parts for that pine caster project that keeps creeping into my head at night and won't let me sleep! __________________ ~Cole Cole's website Cole's MySpace "The only currency we have is influential communication."

May 6th, 2008, 01:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
SouthpawGuy NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ireland Posts: 8	Very nice ! I take it that you kept the original pickguard, I'm trying to get a lefty one for my Am Std and it's proving very difficult.

May 6th, 2008, 02:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
ThreePlyGuy Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Southern California/Arizona Age: 60 Posts: 391	I could never play that but I sure like it! Nice looking player. __________________ Good luck with your projects! Last edited by ThreePlyGuy; May 6th, 2008 at 02:31 PM. Reason: strung backwards!

May 6th, 2008, 08:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
PJ Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,077 4 Photos	Cole...you sprayed over the facory poly, or did you sand or steel wool the neck first? Which re-ranch product did you use? __________________ PJ "I don't know if it's art, but I like it."

May 6th, 2008, 09:19 PM	#9 (permalink)
6x47 Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Northern ON - Northern MN Age: 64 Posts: 498	Nice! "I carved out a tummy cut for the rear for comfort", lucky it don't fit my tummy or there'd be nothing but neck an strap.

May 6th, 2008, 11:26 PM	#10 (permalink)
Cole Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Louisville KY Age: 57 Posts: 215	Cole...you sprayed over the factory poly, or did you sand or steel wool the neck first? Which re-ranch product did you use? PJ I sprayed ReRanch tinted clear coat over the factory poly yes. I scuffed the neck with #320 paper and sprayed away... Then I removed most of it off the back of the neck with #0000 steel wool and polished it smooth... it's very slick. __________________ ~Cole Cole's website Cole's MySpace "The only currency we have is influential communication."

May 7th, 2008, 12:06 AM	#11 (permalink)
Rick Towne Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 819	Strung upside down? Or just a lighting effect?

May 7th, 2008, 12:19 AM	#12 (permalink)
Cole Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Louisville KY Age: 57 Posts: 215	Yep... strung upside down... that's why I put the right handed bridge on her. __________________ ~Cole Cole's website Cole's MySpace "The only currency we have is influential communication."

May 14th, 2008, 05:30 PM	#13 (permalink)
Cole Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Louisville KY Age: 57 Posts: 215	well I popped her cherry (my new Tele MIM) at a gig last weekend playing a little crusty bar down in Texarkana called Fat Jack's playing with these guys: Big Red & The Soulbenders... man did I have a blast! I could hardly put this guitar down. It was a lot darker sounding than i anticipated, that's alright though, I'm a blues player. She had sustain for days and the vintage seymour duncan pups i put in where surprisingly fat. I used the front pup for jazzy rhythms and quiet leads, I favored the middle position for most rhythm and solos... the rear pup was great for those inspired solos after the first 12 bars. I was real impressed with the pups... they were quiet too. I found after a couple of songs I just by passed the whole pedalboard completely and played straight into the amp. I cranked my Dr Z Carmen Ghia up to about 2 o'clock and controlled my overdrive with my volume knob and pick attack... I'm blown away with the tones I can get out of this guitar and i haven't even started foolin' around with the tone knob yet! This going to be very hard for me to go back to using a strat (on a regular basis)... why didn't I think about doing this years ago? I had way too much fun last saturday! __________________ ~Cole Cole's website Cole's MySpace "The only currency we have is influential communication."