question about thin tele bodies (1.5")

gbenson · March 27th, 2006, 08:58 PM

I really like the feel of the Squier Affinity Tele bodies and it looks like they're about 1.5" as opposed to 1.75" thick. It makes a big difference to me in terms of comfort. I was thinking of ordering an aftermarket body and either having them make it thinner or doing it myself with a handheld router.

my question is this:

what do you think is better---
a)thinner on the top so that the neck sticks up 1/4" more out of the pocket

b)thinner on the bottom, so that the neck pocket is 1/4" more shallow

c) 1/8 off the top, 1/8 off the bottom

WickedGTR · March 27th, 2006, 09:37 PM

B.

Except, it would make the body wood behind the neck pocket thinner, not the neck pocket shallower.

If you did (A) or (C) the neck would be high in relation to the top surface of the body, making it difficult to align the bridge saddles and neck...

You'll need shorter body/neck screws as well....

gottabeash · March 27th, 2006, 10:11 PM

its been done. i think there are guys on the "tele tech" side that have made 1.5" pine bodies like the originals. id be interested in what they have to say about it.

good luck in finding answers,

s.

TG · March 28th, 2006, 03:55 AM

It would be easier to get a butterscotch Squier affinity tele and change the other bits.
I'm not sure, but aren't some of the Mighty Mite bodies 1.5"?

I like my Squier 51 'creation' for that reason. It's my stay-at-home messing around guitar and it's wonderfully lightweight and comfortable with its thin body.

Ron Garson · March 28th, 2006, 12:45 PM

I have a partscaster with a 1.5" body. The body is 1 piece pine and was bought from Glendale. It was made by Brian Poe, who posts on here regularly. Being thinner makes it slightly more comfortable, but it is also light weight, and the guitar weighs only 6lbs. I've got a fat Allparts neck on it, Glendale bridge and compensated saddles, and Lollar pups.

The neck pocket is normal depth, and the neck doesn't sit high. Normal neck screws are fine too. I didn't have to use shorter ones.http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showp...00/ppuser/2276

gbenson · March 28th, 2006, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Garson

I have a partscaster with a 1.5" body. The body is 1 piece pine and was bought from Glendale. It was made by Brian Poe, who posts on here regularly. Being thinner makes it slightly more comfortable, but it is also light weight, and the guitar weighs only 6lbs. I've got a fat Allparts neck on it, Glendale bridge and compensated saddles, and Lollar pups.

The neck pocket is normal depth, and the neck doesn't sit high. Normal neck screws are fine too. I didn't have to use shorter ones.http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showp...00/ppuser/2276

wow, that's some beautiful lookin' wood there (the whole guitar, that is). I just find the thinner bodies so much more comfortable and fun to play. Well, I'm seriously considering just routing 1/4 off the bottom of my current body. It's a decent weight, but maybe it could stand to lose about 0.5-1 lb. I know it's frowned upon, but it's a USA Telecaster, all original, but I'm not that happy with the color anyways.

"It would be easier to get a butterscotch Squier affinity tele and change the other bits. "

I was tempted to buy a used one the other day for $100, but 2 things:
1) I would have to drill new neck holes in the pocket. (the holes aren't lined up with standard necks)
2) the one I tried was made of plywood (not like the newer ones).

But, I might make this a toploader eventually. I loved the tone of the affinity I used to have...

neocaster · March 28th, 2006, 04:52 PM

On those butterscotch Affinity guitars. I'm not sure whether to bring it down another 1/8 with a router, or just shave under where the new switch is trying to live with a wood chisel. Any advice? Just thought I'd throw that in because if you do use one of those Squiers, you'll probably want to be rid of the toy switch as quickly as possible. It was quite possibly the flimsiest part of the guitar (maybe tied with the black plastic output jack mounting plate)

Whatever you do, post pics.

timgreene · March 28th, 2006, 06:36 PM

Put a musikraft neck, vintage top loader bridge, lollar 52 pickups, and acme wired control plate, with CTS pots, and fender 3 way switch.

The neck sits a little higher than the old neck did. The saddles still raised up enough, it was not a problem. The upgraded pots, and switches fit right in no need to route any wood.

Playablity is excellent. This is my number one tele right now. The neck is a monster, one inch thick, with no taper, and jumbo frets.

affinity upgrade

affinity upgrade2

yegbert · March 28th, 2006, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neocaster

On those butterscotch Affinity guitars. I'm not sure whether to bring it down another 1/8 with a router, or just shave under where the new switch is trying to live with a wood chisel. Any advice? Just thought I'd throw that in because if you do use one of those Squiers, you'll probably want to be rid of the toy switch as quickly as possible. It was quite possibly the flimsiest part of the guitar (maybe tied with the black plastic output jack mounting plate)

My son's MIC '04 Affinity and my MII '05 Standard Teles' control routs were deep enough as is, to accomodate vintage style 3-way CRL switches. My MII '98 Standard is too shallow, but fortunately the stock switch in it has held up fine.

odiemann · March 28th, 2006, 07:18 PM

does the route fit with a vintage topper?

March 27th, 2006, 08:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
gbenson TDPRI Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Queens, NY Posts: 90	question about thin tele bodies (1.5") I really like the feel of the Squier Affinity Tele bodies and it looks like they're about 1.5" as opposed to 1.75" thick. It makes a big difference to me in terms of comfort. I was thinking of ordering an aftermarket body and either having them make it thinner or doing it myself with a handheld router. my question is this: what do you think is better--- a)thinner on the top so that the neck sticks up 1/4" more out of the pocket b)thinner on the bottom, so that the neck pocket is 1/4" more shallow c) 1/8 off the top, 1/8 off the bottom

March 27th, 2006, 09:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
WickedGTR Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hillbilly Hollywood Posts: 2,127 4 Photos	B. Except, it would make the body wood behind the neck pocket thinner, not the neck pocket shallower. If you did (A) or (C) the neck would be high in relation to the top surface of the body, making it difficult to align the bridge saddles and neck... You'll need shorter body/neck screws as well.... __________________ http://www.myspace.com/jameswilsey

March 28th, 2006, 12:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
Ron Garson Tele-Holic Join Date: May 2003 Location: UK Posts: 650 20 Photos	I've got one! I have a partscaster with a 1.5" body. The body is 1 piece pine and was bought from Glendale. It was made by Brian Poe, who posts on here regularly. Being thinner makes it slightly more comfortable, but it is also light weight, and the guitar weighs only 6lbs. I've got a fat Allparts neck on it, Glendale bridge and compensated saddles, and Lollar pups. The neck pocket is normal depth, and the neck doesn't sit high. Normal neck screws are fine too. I didn't have to use shorter ones.http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showp...00/ppuser/2276

March 28th, 2006, 04:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
neocaster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chester County, PA Age: 35 Posts: 3,532 11 Photos	Control cavities run shallow... On those butterscotch Affinity guitars. I'm not sure whether to bring it down another 1/8 with a router, or just shave under where the new switch is trying to live with a wood chisel. Any advice? Just thought I'd throw that in because if you do use one of those Squiers, you'll probably want to be rid of the toy switch as quickly as possible. It was quite possibly the flimsiest part of the guitar (maybe tied with the black plastic output jack mounting plate) Whatever you do, post pics. __________________ "...You don't need faith if you know it's gonna work!" "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

March 28th, 2006, 06:36 PM	#8 (permalink)
timgreene Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 1,257 10 Photos	I did this a month ago on my BSB affinty tele. Put a musikraft neck, vintage top loader bridge, lollar 52 pickups, and acme wired control plate, with CTS pots, and fender 3 way switch. The neck sits a little higher than the old neck did. The saddles still raised up enough, it was not a problem. The upgraded pots, and switches fit right in no need to route any wood. Playablity is excellent. This is my number one tele right now. The neck is a monster, one inch thick, with no taper, and jumbo frets. affinity upgrade affinity upgrade2 __________________ opinions expressed are the view of the author, and are not necesarily correct.

March 27th, 2006, 10:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
gottabeash Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: greenville, sc Age: 31 Posts: 166 5 Photos	its been done. i think there are guys on the "tele tech" side that have made 1.5" pine bodies like the originals. id be interested in what they have to say about it. good luck in finding answers, s.

March 28th, 2006, 03:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
TG Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Beside a bog in the west of Ireland Age: 47 Posts: 4,504 7 Photos	It would be easier to get a butterscotch Squier affinity tele and change the other bits. I'm not sure, but aren't some of the Mighty Mite bodies 1.5"? I like my Squier 51 'creation' for that reason. It's my stay-at-home messing around guitar and it's wonderfully lightweight and comfortable with its thin body.

March 28th, 2006, 07:18 PM	#10 (permalink)
odiemann Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Denver Age: 42 Posts: 1,406	affinity bridge does the route fit with a vintage topper?