Looking for superlite alder Tele body

[kenoflife]

Does anyone know where I can find a quality unfinished ALDER tele body that is in the 3.5 lb range? Seems VERY hard to find.

I've come up w/ a 4 lb body from USACG - not bad, but I have my ideal weight in mind...I know I know.

I have a 52RI that weighs 6.5 lbs that I love for the all-niteness of holding it. Its a great guitar and I know that there is a lot contributing to its tone - and that .5 lb isn't huge. But my ideal is to get that weight in a sister alder/rw guitar - so if you know... let me know.

Thanks

[boris bubbanov]

Ash likes to be light or middlin' or heavy.

Alder likes to be middlin or middlin' heavy.

Really light pieces are just not easy to come by.

I frankly dunno why we don't see thinlined alder bodies; seems like a good approach but there's no history for it.

[Telemarkman]

Originally Posted by kenoflife

Does anyone know where I can find a quality unfinished ALDER tele body that is in the 3.5 lb range? Seems VERY hard to find.

You can't change nature ...

[Mark Davis]

Alder is pretty constant as far as weight.

Most Alder body Teles end up around 7.5 lb as an average.

A 4 lb Alder body will end up right around 7lbs even or just a tad lighter.

[elelpe]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Ash likes to be light or middlin' or heavy.

Alder likes to be middlin or middlin' heavy.

Really light pieces are just not easy to come by.

I frankly dunno why we don't see thinlined alder bodies; seems like a good approach but there's no history for it.

Squier VMT Thinline has alder body. Well, it's 'vintage modified'. I agree alder usually come in mid or mid-heavy.

[AlexCarlson]

If weight is a higher priority than wood, I got a featherweight Paulownia body from GFS that I really love. Helluva price, too - got it on sale as a blem.

[Deadcenter]

I wonder how a thinline alder body would be ... I live near an alder mill, I can get it direct from the kiln.

I've been wanting to build some alder bodies.

[StratBluesRock]

Originally Posted by AlexCarlson

If weight is a higher priority than wood, I got a featherweight Paulownia body from GFS that I really love. Helluva price, too - got it on sale as a blem.

I've heard that Paulownia is way too soft for a tremolo Strat body, but thats good it works for you.

[Deadcenter]

Originally Posted by StratBluesRock

I've heard that Paulownia is way too soft for a tremolo Strat body, but thats good it works for you.

I thought we were talking about tele bodies ... ?

[dconeill]

Originally Posted by kenoflife

... where I can find a quality unfinished ALDER tele body that is in the 3.5 lb range? ...

Warmoth makes what they call a "chambered Tele" body that has channels routed in the body to reduce weight. This is said to reduce the body weight by 25%.

USA Custom Guitars makes the "T-hollow" which is solid in the middle but has a hollow chamber on each side of the middle.

Either of these is available with or without f-hole(s).

[boris bubbanov]

My recollection is, this Thinline body is 4 pounds. Alder back, 2 piece:



Front is bookmatched koa:



If you insist on a solid alder body and 4 pounds or more, normally it will NOT be pretty.

[tcarp]

If you insist on a solid alder body and 4 pounds or more, normally it will NOT be pretty

I'm awaiting this Strat Hardtail body from Warmoth....3 lbs 15oz. I'm hoping I can find the right Mohawk trans toner to compliment the grain.

Tom

[Ronkirn]

Just a thought, ‘cause this light-weight stuff is spiraling out of control…

Light weight is a guarantee of nothing more than the body will weigh less than a heavier one.

Light-weight does not automatically mean “more resonant” .. and that is what the real motivation is all about isn’t it? I mean, the whole guitar picking world hasn’t come down with herniated disks all at once has it?

Light weight almost always means softer… thus easier to beat the doo out of…while you’re gigging..

The most resonant of light-weight woods suitable for a guitar body is Paulownia… but you get “neck heavy” with stuff that light….

Generally speaking heavier bodies yield better sustain… lighter bodies generally are lighter…. That’s it….

Chambered bodies are a sure-fire guarantee that there are holes in your body, holes don’t weigh anything…holes are worse tone “barriers” than the glue joints guys seem to think kill tone.. What most effectively kills tone is the “off” switch on your amp. What tends to produce the “best” tone is your liking the sound you are hearing.

Generally regarded as the best and most “resonant” tone wood ever, Brazilian Rosewood, followed by Indian Rosewood, both weigh a ton…. And that’s the light weight Rosewoods… the other hardwoods used in instruments where resonance is paramount are ALL heaver ‘n neutron star material too… < that’s a joke for the sense of humor challenged… But woods like Mahogany, Maple, Koa, Black Limba, known as “tone woods” (I hate that description) etc, etc are all pretty far up the “don’t drop a hunk of this on your toe” list too.

If the difference between a 7 pound.. and an 8 pound guitar makes that much of a difference, you should be in bed, not on the stage.. You have more than one pound of crap in your pockets… and your sneakers weigh a couple of pounds too.

The 3 pound 15 ounce body displayed is one ounce shy of the horrible threshold of 4 pounds… it will weigh more than 4 pounds when finished with a quality finish.. and why aren’t you guys looking for light weight pickups, pots, caps, bridges… such exists ya know… loose the pickguard, save a few ounces…

Just thought you would like to have another reason to throw darts at a pix of me…

Ron Kirn

[notdave]

Originally Posted by Ronkirn

Just a thought, ‘cause this light-weight stuff is spiraling out of control…

Light weight is a guarantee of nothing more than the body will weigh less than a heavier one.

Light-weight does not automatically mean “more resonant” .. and that is what the real motivation is all about isn’t it? I mean, the whole guitar picking world hasn’t come down with herniated disks all at once has it?

Hang on Ron, didn't heavy bodies = 'more resonant' back in the 80s? When did the physics change?

Or have we all really turned into 8 stone weaklings who can't hold a guitar that weighs more than 6 pounds?

[tcarp]

Ron

Your points are certainly valid, but guitar weight comfort zones are an individual preference.

I'm primarily an acoustic player and just a part time electric player. My first Tele was a gorgeous Hwy1 but it was a boat anchor, my guess is that it was close to 9 lbs. I ended up swapping it outright for a much more comfortable 7lb Thinline, and though it's still much heavier than my Rosewood dread, 7 pounds or so for an electric is in my comfort zone. I've since built an alder Tele partscaster in the 7 lb range as well.

The Strat body I pictured will also be in the 7 lb range, but I posted it more to demonstrate that a decent grain can be found on Alder bodies....not as pronounced as Swamp Ash or some of the amazing Pine bodies that you create, but never the less a workable pattern for a trans finish.

Tom

[TheGuitarist]

Mark from MJT has the bodies you are looking for.
http://mjtagedfinishes.com/forsale.htm
You can check his ebay store but most of the bodies are nitro painted.
Just write him an email and you will get an unfinished body.
But I would get a bidy with his finish and ageing. You won't find better for the money.

[notdave]

BTW, half a litre of paint weighs upwards of 500 grammes. That's over one whole pound!!!

Better just have an oiled finish on that body.

[Steveareno]

Was around in the 70's when the buzz was heavy, exotic wood bodies with brass parts for increased sustain. Shecter, Kubicki, Mighty Mite, etc all selling bodies made from maple to walnut. Fender came out with the Walnut Strat with brass parts, Ibanez had some super heavy solid bodies. Jerry Garcia's Alembic weighed a ton...all boat anchors. Then Albert Lee opened up his mouth about how he preferred light Teles in his first instructional video and it was like someone threw switch. Light suddenly equalled more resonant. Started hearing the term "feather" at guitar shows. Since having serious back surgery, I've jumped on the light bandwagon and do find them much more confortable. Even drove over 100 miles to try a chambered Tele, I thought would be perfect. Unfortunately I found the sound to be very thin and chimey. Went the Paulownia route and am very happy. Utra light, but still feels and sounds like a real solid body. I do think Ash is a better "quality" wood and is probably the best choice for a tele.
Swang on,

[TheGuitarist]

Originally Posted by Steveareno

Went the Paulownia route and am very happy. Utra light, but still feels and sounds like a real solid body. I do think Ash is a better "quality" wood and is probably the best choice for a tele.
Swang on,

Well you can't compare Paulownia with with Ash.
Ash gives you classic tele sounds with a lot of twang.
Paulownia will not. Much more warmer sound and almost no twang.
By the way a lot of people think Paulownia or Empress is a very cheap wood.
This can be true. There are 7 different species.
And not all of them are suitable for guitar bodys.
Because the wood is too soft and has grown too fast, which will have negative influence on sound.
I've read a lot of posts where people bought very cheap Paulownia bodies from a certain company.
I am sure that these bodies are of lower quality.
In Asia Empress is used for many high quality traditional guitars. And it's not a cheap wood.
It takes at least 40 years for a Paulownia tree to grow to full length and only these trees with a slow growing process have strong wood with light weight.
So this wood is much more expensive than trees which grow in 10 years to full length.

[boris bubbanov]

A half a liter of paint is also mostly volatile substances, which are lost in time and don't carry over.