Hey, it's done! My first Valcaster! (pictures)

Val-tone · January 15th, 2005, 10:33 PM

The world’s first Val-tone Valcaster!

This is the first guitar I’ve ever built. I started drawing up the plans sometime in ’96-’97 and got it completely done in October 2004.

I’ll do the Cliff’s notes version and just give the specifics. If anyone has additional questions or comments please post a reply and I’ll answer at my earliest inconvenience.

Neck:
-I got the neck for $50, 12” radius.
-tuners were from a pointy ‘80s Ibanez

Body:
-semi-thinline (pat. pending?) style, ¼” birch plywood top and back, the center is basswood. There’s a block of wood that runs around the bridge pickup going to the back end underneath the bigsby, and around the three back knobs, and that’s it. The rest is hollow. Water-based wipe-on stain and wipe-on urethane finish.

Electronics:
4 Pickups-starting at the neck-
-’52 RI tele
-pointy ’80’s rwrp strat-style (I got two Ibanez guitars worth of parts from a friend of mine at a really low price—will replace it someday with something more appropriate.
-Carvin TBH-60 Twinblade humbucker
-’52 RI bridge tele

Bridge: modified Stew-mac

Knobs and switches-starting with the knob on the horn and going clockwise-
-nothing--might make it a volume knob for the rwrp pup
-volume for humbucking pickup
-volume for 3 single-coil pups
-(inside knob) master tone
-large toggle-3-way for neck and bridge
-small toggle-on/off for pointy rwrp pickup

Random notes:

Having both the tele bridge pup and the Carvin was my poor-man’s attempt at getting a decent humbucker and single-coil sound out of the same guitar. The Carvin does an all right job. It’s definitely not as midrangey as a real humbucker, but it’s a lot louder (11 or 13 ohms) and somewhat warmer than the tele bridge. I thought since it was farther away from the bridge it might help it warm it up a bit, too. I like to use it best when the overdrive’s on.

I took it to an audition recently. I failed it miserably, but the guitar sounded great, it did everything I wanted it to do, and it looked better than me, too. I play through a ’68 Super reverb with a Boss turbo overdrive and Danelectro delay pedal. Elixir strings.

I haven’t had time to compare it with my other 10 or so other guitars (and I hate to say it, none of them are teles even though they’re my second favorite guitar next to my ’65 Mustang…) I finished it a couple of days before we moved. Most of my gear is packed away at the mother-in-law’s until we buy a house. I knew that if I didn’t get it done it’d have been boxed up until then too, along with my shop…

I just moved to the Milwaukee area. Any other TDPRIers in the Brew City?

Buck Cannon · January 15th, 2005, 11:42 PM

Hey,
I like it,
I wonder how thaT BUCKER SOUNDS? In that posistion..

It's got a Rock-a-Billy vibe going for the thing too!

:D

SteveY · January 16th, 2005, 12:44 AM

Pretty cool guitar!

I like it a lot better'n the Tele/Gretsch Custom-Shop there were pics of here, earlier this week.

Paul in Colorado · January 16th, 2005, 10:09 AM

I like it but I think it needs a Filtertron or Dyna-Sonic pickup in the neck position.
Good job!

nic'o'caster · January 16th, 2005, 01:36 PM

Very nice and uncommon variation on our favourite theme ! I'm very curious how you wired the 4 pickups together, and how it sounds. Please tell us more !

gtrwrks · January 16th, 2005, 03:27 PM

hip vibe. dig the "round-up" orange. where'd you get the 'guard? make it? cool.

e-merlin · January 16th, 2005, 04:17 PM

Schweet axe! Nice job. It's chock full of fresh ideas.

Val-tone · January 17th, 2005, 12:41 PM

When it comes to talking guitars, I can get somewhat long-winded. Anyway, here we go:

Buck: The humbucker does an okay job. It's not like a full-size one, that's for sure. But there is a noticable difference. I guess it could be described as a louder warmer tele tone. I have a Dillon Jazzmaster (an AWESOME guitar) with p-90's and have yet to compare the two.

The next guitar I make will be a 2 1/4" thick hollowbody jazzmaster. I'm going to take my '77 frankenstrat with Fralin pickups apart and put all the parts on that body. The body will be built like the Carvin Allan Holdsworth Fatboy with the twin-beam suspension http://www.carvin.com/products/guita...ItemNumber=HF2 I got some 50's tabletop formica at a rummage sale and that's going on top, with a chrome or adonized aluminum pickguard--go daddy go! Probably won't build it 'till my son is old enough to help me and he's 3 1/2. He's leading more to the drumming side though. Has his own set... Definitely playing from the Keith Moon school.

But I digress... I'm going to try the 4-pickup thing on that, except use a full-size 'bucker. It'll have an on/off switch for each pickup and the bucker will have its own volume.

I was in a band about 10 years ago and when we played live (only once) I was switching between that strat and a '67 epiphone olympic somebody before me put a humbucker in and thought to myself, "switching guitars onstage sucks. I'm going to build a guitar with a humbucker and a single-coil near the bridge," and that's where the idea came from. I've never liked humbuckers with coil taps. I know Rio Grande makes twangbucker pickups that probably do the job, but at this point in time those pickups are out of my price range. Carvin had a "free shipping" deal earlier this year so I bought the twinblade. I would have stuck in in my frankenstrat but I already had this one apart. Besides, teles are cooler than strats, IMO.

Paul in C: Yeah, I would have liked to have used one of those pups you suggested in the neck too... I ordered the pickups from Angela instruments and they didn't have those DeArmond ones available at the time, or else I would have ordered it... oh well. This is a good starting reference point though.

gtrwrks: yeah, I made the pickguard out of plexiglass. I made about 8 of them before I packed up and moved so I can change things around if I have a chance. Would like to try the Carvin pup in the neck.

Nic o caster: It looks like somebody puked wires underneath the back plate... it's scary. Wiring it was no picnic... Was tempted to make a big gold Keef pickguard but wanted to keep the Gretsch vibe... Didn't want to put on/off switches for each pickup on this one so the only way to get the 'bucker on by itself is to roll off the volume for the three single-coils. If I put the 'bucker on and roll on the bridge, it sounds kind of quacky but warmer than when the mid is on with the bridge or neck pup. I put the mid pup on its own switch so I can get the front and back together with the big toggle.

Thanks for your time. Hope this all makes sense.

Anonymous · January 17th, 2005, 02:22 PM

That's very cool. :-) And thanks for all the detailed info (we love it when you talk geeky to us... hehe.) But I think there's still room for at least one more full size humbucker on there – or <u>two</u> single coil-size somethings. (Hey, PRS has their "513" model...):

PRS "5 pickups, 13 sounds"

Hee. :-) CS

January 15th, 2005, 10:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Val-tone Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Milwaukee, WI Age: 42 Posts: 621 5 Photos	Hey, it's done! My first Valcaster! (pictures) The world’s first Val-tone Valcaster! This is the first guitar I’ve ever built. I started drawing up the plans sometime in ’96-’97 and got it completely done in October 2004. I’ll do the Cliff’s notes version and just give the specifics. If anyone has additional questions or comments please post a reply and I’ll answer at my earliest inconvenience. Neck: -I got the neck for $50, 12” radius. -tuners were from a pointy ‘80s Ibanez Body: -semi-thinline (pat. pending?) style, ¼” birch plywood top and back, the center is basswood. There’s a block of wood that runs around the bridge pickup going to the back end underneath the bigsby, and around the three back knobs, and that’s it. The rest is hollow. Water-based wipe-on stain and wipe-on urethane finish. Electronics: 4 Pickups-starting at the neck- -’52 RI tele -pointy ’80’s rwrp strat-style (I got two Ibanez guitars worth of parts from a friend of mine at a really low price—will replace it someday with something more appropriate. -Carvin TBH-60 Twinblade humbucker -’52 RI bridge tele Bridge: modified Stew-mac Knobs and switches-starting with the knob on the horn and going clockwise- -nothing--might make it a volume knob for the rwrp pup -volume for humbucking pickup -volume for 3 single-coil pups -(inside knob) master tone -large toggle-3-way for neck and bridge -small toggle-on/off for pointy rwrp pickup Random notes: Having both the tele bridge pup and the Carvin was my poor-man’s attempt at getting a decent humbucker and single-coil sound out of the same guitar. The Carvin does an all right job. It’s definitely not as midrangey as a real humbucker, but it’s a lot louder (11 or 13 ohms) and somewhat warmer than the tele bridge. I thought since it was farther away from the bridge it might help it warm it up a bit, too. I like to use it best when the overdrive’s on. I took it to an audition recently. I failed it miserably, but the guitar sounded great, it did everything I wanted it to do, and it looked better than me, too. I play through a ’68 Super reverb with a Boss turbo overdrive and Danelectro delay pedal. Elixir strings. I haven’t had time to compare it with my other 10 or so other guitars (and I hate to say it, none of them are teles even though they’re my second favorite guitar next to my ’65 Mustang…) I finished it a couple of days before we moved. Most of my gear is packed away at the mother-in-law’s until we buy a house. I knew that if I didn’t get it done it’d have been boxed up until then too, along with my shop… I just moved to the Milwaukee area. Any other TDPRIers in the Brew City?

January 16th, 2005, 03:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
gtrwrks Tele-Holic Join Date: May 2003 Location: oklahoma city, ok Age: 44 Posts: 723	hip vibe. dig the "round-up" orange. where'd you get the 'guard? make it? cool. __________________ www.myspace.com/toddlynchmusic

January 17th, 2005, 12:41 PM	#8 (permalink)
Val-tone Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Milwaukee, WI Age: 42 Posts: 621 5 Photos	My apologies for the lengthy reply... When it comes to talking guitars, I can get somewhat long-winded. Anyway, here we go: Buck: The humbucker does an okay job. It's not like a full-size one, that's for sure. But there is a noticable difference. I guess it could be described as a louder warmer tele tone. I have a Dillon Jazzmaster (an AWESOME guitar) with p-90's and have yet to compare the two. The next guitar I make will be a 2 1/4" thick hollowbody jazzmaster. I'm going to take my '77 frankenstrat with Fralin pickups apart and put all the parts on that body. The body will be built like the Carvin Allan Holdsworth Fatboy with the twin-beam suspension http://www.carvin.com/products/guita...ItemNumber=HF2 I got some 50's tabletop formica at a rummage sale and that's going on top, with a chrome or adonized aluminum pickguard--go daddy go! Probably won't build it 'till my son is old enough to help me and he's 3 1/2. He's leading more to the drumming side though. Has his own set... Definitely playing from the Keith Moon school. But I digress... I'm going to try the 4-pickup thing on that, except use a full-size 'bucker. It'll have an on/off switch for each pickup and the bucker will have its own volume. I was in a band about 10 years ago and when we played live (only once) I was switching between that strat and a '67 epiphone olympic somebody before me put a humbucker in and thought to myself, "switching guitars onstage sucks. I'm going to build a guitar with a humbucker and a single-coil near the bridge," and that's where the idea came from. I've never liked humbuckers with coil taps. I know Rio Grande makes twangbucker pickups that probably do the job, but at this point in time those pickups are out of my price range. Carvin had a "free shipping" deal earlier this year so I bought the twinblade. I would have stuck in in my frankenstrat but I already had this one apart. Besides, teles are cooler than strats, IMO. Paul in C: Yeah, I would have liked to have used one of those pups you suggested in the neck too... I ordered the pickups from Angela instruments and they didn't have those DeArmond ones available at the time, or else I would have ordered it... oh well. This is a good starting reference point though. gtrwrks: yeah, I made the pickguard out of plexiglass. I made about 8 of them before I packed up and moved so I can change things around if I have a chance. Would like to try the Carvin pup in the neck. Nic o caster: It looks like somebody puked wires underneath the back plate... it's scary. Wiring it was no picnic... Was tempted to make a big gold Keef pickguard but wanted to keep the Gretsch vibe... Didn't want to put on/off switches for each pickup on this one so the only way to get the 'bucker on by itself is to roll off the volume for the three single-coils. If I put the 'bucker on and roll on the bridge, it sounds kind of quacky but warmer than when the mid is on with the bridge or neck pup. I put the mid pup on its own switch so I can get the front and back together with the big toggle. Thanks for your time. Hope this all makes sense.

January 15th, 2005, 11:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
Buck Cannon Banned Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 516	Hey, I like it, I wonder how thaT BUCKER SOUNDS? In that posistion.. It's got a Rock-a-Billy vibe going for the thing too! :D

January 16th, 2005, 12:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
SteveY Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Age: 58 Posts: 1,381	Pretty cool guitar! I like it a lot better'n the Tele/Gretsch Custom-Shop there were pics of here, earlier this week.

January 16th, 2005, 10:09 AM	#4 (permalink)
Paul in Colorado Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Fort Collins, CO Age: 55 Posts: 4,123 3 Photos	I like it but I think it needs a Filtertron or Dyna-Sonic pickup in the neck position. Good job!

January 16th, 2005, 01:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
nic'o'caster Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: SwLd Age: 41 Posts: 322	Very nice and uncommon variation on our favourite theme ! I'm very curious how you wired the 4 pickups together, and how it sounds. Please tell us more !

January 17th, 2005, 02:22 PM	#9 (permalink)
Anonymous Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 0	That's very cool. :-) And thanks for all the detailed info (we love it when you talk geeky to us... hehe.) But I think there's still room for at least one more full size humbucker on there – or <u>two</u> single coil-size somethings. (Hey, PRS has their "513" model...): PRS "5 pickups, 13 sounds" Hee. :-) CS