ALBA Tele-copy dissection

Skrik · August 4th, 2008, 01:08 PM

A while ago, I saw

one of these for sale on EBay at under £40. After YouTubing it, I bought it. String-through solid hardwood body, six traditional-type saddles, maple neck: I considered it an adventure. (Much to my disappointment, the guitar stand didn't ship with the instrument.)

The first thing I noticed upon getting my mitts on the thing was the chubby shape of the guitar. The headstock is too wide

(get a load of that groovy decal in two type sizes!), though shaped like a Tele. The horn is also too fat, although the guitar is provided with a standard pickguard.

It looks like a parody of a Telecaster.

Strapping on the guitar, I was surprised to find how prone it was to neckdiving. The neck is heavier than the body. I wondered if the body was solid wood, as advertised, or if it was some kind of composite.

Then there were the pickups. With the tone up full, it sounded fine on both pickups; with the tone rolled off, the bridge pickup began to sound as if it was lost in a cave. It sounded spooky. The electrics felt OK, though: a good switch, with a positive action, and silent pots.

In any case, I decided to take the thing apart to have a look.

The body turned out to be solid hardwood.

But it is very light, and very soft.

(continued...)

Skrik · August 4th, 2008, 01:14 PM

The arrow points to marks left by my fingernail in the neck pocket.

My guess is lime/ basswood.

Since the body is oversized, there is the possibility of routing it to the correct dimensions, and using it in a project. That is, of course, if I can live with the neck routing:

I don't think I have seen one as scruffy as that. Not only is the rout the wrong shape, and too big, but it's very rough. Lucky everything is covered up. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the body, that I know of. A new going over with a router, and it'll be great.

Just like the neck.

(continued...)

Skrik · August 4th, 2008, 01:20 PM

Since the headstock is oversized, there is enough material to reshape that, too. I don't think I will shed too many tears over the decal. It also needs some work at the heel, though.

The heel juts out to around the 14th fret, which is too far IMHO. Some shaping there will do the trick.

The frets are a little sharp at the ends, but that's what Mr Bastard File is for.

What I have, then, is a usable body and a usable neck. Not bad for the money I paid.

Some of the hardware can be reused, too, but not the pickups -- not in a guitar of mine, thankyouverymuch.

(continued...)

robt57 · August 4th, 2008, 01:21 PM

Maybe plane 5/16" off the top and glue a hardwood drop top for the bridge to resonate through. Tom Anderson sez basswood with a drop is the bomb, I personally agree. ;)

Damn, that neck heal looks like the shaper went to the Ibanez school of neck shaping. ;) Better too much wood, than not enough I always say.

Skrik · August 4th, 2008, 01:28 PM

(A bad picture, I'm sorry to say, but my camera likes to focus on the reflections.) This is the bridge pickup. The chunk between the brassed plate and the bottom of the spool is a ceramic magnet that the pole pieces are stuck to. I don't have a multimeter, but I don't need one to tell that this is not the best design. The sound that this pickup made confirms my opinion. Funnily enough, the neck pickup sounded OK, despite being constructed the same way.

The ceramic magnet is on the bottom of the pickup.

Given a little work, then, and some new parts, this guitar could be a contender. And if I balls it up, it'll make a great practice project so I don't balls up any more expensive parts in the future.

There hasn't been much about these guitars on the web, so I thought I would share the results of my investigation.

Skrik · August 4th, 2008, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robt57

Maybe plane 5/16" off the top and glue a hardwood drop top for the bridge to resonate through. Tom Anderson sez basswood with a drop is the bomb, I personally agree. ;)

Something to think about, yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by robt57

Damn, that neck heal looks like the shaper went to the Ibanez school of neck shaping. ;) Better too much wood, than not enough I always say.

I have wondered whether it was intentional, to give DIYers a nice little project. Then I took the pickguard off and found the neck-pickup-rout.

JasonRobert · August 4th, 2008, 02:19 PM

did you play it before you stripped it down? If it felt good to play with a comfortable action and the strings lined up with the neck properly, then almost anything else can be fixed/made better. I dont think the neck rout is too much to worry about as it is always covered up by the pickguard.

robt57 · August 4th, 2008, 02:20 PM

Looking more at the string thru holes after looking at far how the neck pocket goes into the body, the bridge appears closer to the butt end of the body as well. You could probably get 6 screws in the neck/body union, and that could make for a great strong gigger / El~bonger Tele!!! un-ruley fans beware. ;)

boris bubbanov · August 4th, 2008, 02:35 PM

Be careful handling and reshaping that soft body. If that is at all similar to the mealy stuff the Squier 51s are made of, you stand a serious chance of the body breaking apart into pieces if you sand off the poly or do any major routing.

Any idea at all what part of the world this one was made?

GEISHA · August 4th, 2008, 03:25 PM

Alba sells a Stratocaster on Ebay Germany for YES EUR 38,30!!!!! See here:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ALBA-E-GITARRE-MO...QQcmdZViewItem
Body: Massiv Alder.

Alba must be from China and it could mean this guitar is something like 15 Euro ex factory??
I bought an Alba Jazz Bass set 2 month ago for 88 EUR delivered home, consisting of a massiv Alder guitar (made out of 5 pieces of Alder), covered with a veneer top to cover up.
Next I got a strap, a tuner, a gigbag, pick and cable and last but not least
a 20 watt Orange Bass amplifier.
To me Alba is worth its money you cannot possibly get that much for so little.
And the Bass is just fine, nothing special but just okay.
I changed the pickguard with adhesive foil, made a custom logo: DeFender
Jazzy Bass and I am gonna spray the body glossy black soon.
See pic:

Skrik · August 4th, 2008, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Be careful handling and reshaping that soft body. If that is at all similar to the mealy stuff the Squier 51s are made of, you stand a serious chance of the body breaking apart into pieces if you sand off the poly or do any major routing.

Perhaps a well sharpened plane would be the best way to go at it, then. If I can really be bothered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Any idea at all what part of the world this one was made?

Oh, it's Chinese.

Skrik · August 4th, 2008, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonRobert

did you play it before you stripped it down? If it felt good to play with a comfortable action and the strings lined up with the neck properly, then almost anything else can be fixed/made better. I dont think the neck rout is too much to worry about as it is always covered up by the pickguard.

It played fine. The action was OK, the intonation was spot on. The heads didn't keep it in tune too well, but they are also easily swapped for something more reliable.

There was nothing wrong with the guitar as a guitar at all.

I've also been toying with the idea of using it as a test bed for all the sinister plans I have for my other guitars...

robt57 · August 4th, 2008, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skrik

test bed for all the sinister plans I have for my other guitars...

My basswood body Schecter Strat is my test bed. It has been through more iterations than I originally thought possible. ;)

August 4th, 2008, 01:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
Skrik Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Norway Age: 38 Posts: 376	ALBA Tele-copy dissection A while ago, I saw one of these for sale on EBay at under £40. After YouTubing it, I bought it. String-through solid hardwood body, six traditional-type saddles, maple neck: I considered it an adventure. (Much to my disappointment, the guitar stand didn't ship with the instrument.) The first thing I noticed upon getting my mitts on the thing was the chubby shape of the guitar. The headstock is too wide (get a load of that groovy decal in two type sizes!), though shaped like a Tele. The horn is also too fat, although the guitar is provided with a standard pickguard. It looks like a parody of a Telecaster. Strapping on the guitar, I was surprised to find how prone it was to neckdiving. The neck is heavier than the body. I wondered if the body was solid wood, as advertised, or if it was some kind of composite. Then there were the pickups. With the tone up full, it sounded fine on both pickups; with the tone rolled off, the bridge pickup began to sound as if it was lost in a cave. It sounded spooky. The electrics felt OK, though: a good switch, with a positive action, and silent pots. In any case, I decided to take the thing apart to have a look. The body turned out to be solid hardwood. But it is very light, and very soft. (continued...) __________________ "Gary Moore should take his guitar and go home" -- John Lee Hooker

August 4th, 2008, 01:14 PM	#2 (permalink)
Skrik Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Norway Age: 38 Posts: 376	The arrow points to marks left by my fingernail in the neck pocket. My guess is lime/ basswood. Since the body is oversized, there is the possibility of routing it to the correct dimensions, and using it in a project. That is, of course, if I can live with the neck routing: I don't think I have seen one as scruffy as that. Not only is the rout the wrong shape, and too big, but it's very rough. Lucky everything is covered up. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the body, that I know of. A new going over with a router, and it'll be great. Just like the neck. (continued...) __________________ "Gary Moore should take his guitar and go home" -- John Lee Hooker

August 4th, 2008, 01:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
Skrik Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Norway Age: 38 Posts: 376	Since the headstock is oversized, there is enough material to reshape that, too. I don't think I will shed too many tears over the decal. It also needs some work at the heel, though. The heel juts out to around the 14th fret, which is too far IMHO. Some shaping there will do the trick. The frets are a little sharp at the ends, but that's what Mr Bastard File is for. What I have, then, is a usable body and a usable neck. Not bad for the money I paid. Some of the hardware can be reused, too, but not the pickups -- not in a guitar of mine, thankyouverymuch. (continued...) __________________ "Gary Moore should take his guitar and go home" -- John Lee Hooker

August 4th, 2008, 01:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
robt57 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 3,546 21 Photos	Maybe plane 5/16" off the top and glue a hardwood drop top for the bridge to resonate through. Tom Anderson sez basswood with a drop is the bomb, I personally agree. ;) Damn, that neck heal looks like the shaper went to the Ibanez school of neck shaping. ;) Better too much wood, than not enough I always say. __________________ Leo's Great, Leo's Good, let us thank him for our... Twang!

August 4th, 2008, 01:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
Skrik Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Norway Age: 38 Posts: 376	(A bad picture, I'm sorry to say, but my camera likes to focus on the reflections.) This is the bridge pickup. The chunk between the brassed plate and the bottom of the spool is a ceramic magnet that the pole pieces are stuck to. I don't have a multimeter, but I don't need one to tell that this is not the best design. The sound that this pickup made confirms my opinion. Funnily enough, the neck pickup sounded OK, despite being constructed the same way. The ceramic magnet is on the bottom of the pickup. Given a little work, then, and some new parts, this guitar could be a contender. And if I balls it up, it'll make a great practice project so I don't balls up any more expensive parts in the future. There hasn't been much about these guitars on the web, so I thought I would share the results of my investigation. __________________ "Gary Moore should take his guitar and go home" -- John Lee Hooker

August 4th, 2008, 02:19 PM	#7 (permalink)
JasonRobert Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paddock Wood, Kent, England Posts: 542	did you play it before you stripped it down? If it felt good to play with a comfortable action and the strings lined up with the neck properly, then almost anything else can be fixed/made better. I dont think the neck rout is too much to worry about as it is always covered up by the pickguard.

August 4th, 2008, 02:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
robt57 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 3,546 21 Photos	Looking more at the string thru holes after looking at far how the neck pocket goes into the body, the bridge appears closer to the butt end of the body as well. You could probably get 6 screws in the neck/body union, and that could make for a great strong gigger / El~bonger Tele!!! un-ruley fans beware. ;) __________________ Leo's Great, Leo's Good, let us thank him for our... Twang!

August 4th, 2008, 02:35 PM	#9 (permalink)
boris bubbanov Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Orleans, LA + in the past Posts: 8,430	Be careful handling and reshaping that soft body. If that is at all similar to the mealy stuff the Squier 51s are made of, you stand a serious chance of the body breaking apart into pieces if you sand off the poly or do any major routing. Any idea at all what part of the world this one was made? __________________ Bubban0v

August 4th, 2008, 03:25 PM	#10 (permalink)
GEISHA Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Zaanstad, Netherlands Age: 56 Posts: 283	Alba sells a Stratocaster on Ebay Germany for YES EUR 38,30!!!!! See here: http://cgi.ebay.de/ALBA-E-GITARRE-MO...QQcmdZViewItem Body: Massiv Alder. Alba must be from China and it could mean this guitar is something like 15 Euro ex factory?? I bought an Alba Jazz Bass set 2 month ago for 88 EUR delivered home, consisting of a massiv Alder guitar (made out of 5 pieces of Alder), covered with a veneer top to cover up. Next I got a strap, a tuner, a gigbag, pick and cable and last but not least a 20 watt Orange Bass amplifier. To me Alba is worth its money you cannot possibly get that much for so little. And the Bass is just fine, nothing special but just okay. I changed the pickguard with adhesive foil, made a custom logo: DeFender Jazzy Bass and I am gonna spray the body glossy black soon. See pic: __________________ In the beginning Leo Fender created the Precision Bass. And Leo said, “Let there be frets.” And the bass players saw that frets were good. And the out-of-tune notes were separated from the in-tune notes. And the world was transformed.