Building a few tele's from scratch - a build thread

[brianwahl]

Hello to all of you tele lovers out there! I'm new to these forums, and I was directed here from the harmony-central forums to look at Buck-o-caster's build thread. Wow - what a great thread.

Background:

About a year ago I decided it would be really cool to build a guitar or two with my grandfather. He was a carpenter in his working days, and since retiring he builds furniture and does other woodworking in his shop. He's in his 80's, but still very active. I just thought it would be a really cool experience.

So, again - still about a year ago, a co-worker and I (the co-worker is also interested in building a guitar) went to the local fine wood dealer and picked up enough alder and ash for several bodies. We also ordered the Ron Kirn tele templates from ebay.

So, first I'll just show off the concepts of what these guys will turn into. I'm calling them Wilbur-casters (Wilbur is my grandpa's name). I'm planning on printing out some decals and putting "Wilbur-caster I" and "Wilbur-caster II" on the headstock. Grandpa tried to talk me out of it (he's a pretty modest guy), but I'm gonna do it anyway

Next post: Concepts of the finished product

[brianwahl]

OK, so I ended up with 2 bodies (more on that later) - one alder and one ash. These will become "Wilbur-caster I" and "Wilbur-caster II".

Wilbur-caster I

Ash body, maple neck, rosewood board, dark brown stain, black pickguard, std setup otherwise.



and a real guitar in the same concept




Wilber-caster II
Alder body, maple board, daphne blue, mint PG (my favorite fender color combo), hopefully some more rock-sounding pickups like a 'lil 59 in the bridge or something.

[Stuco]

Cool, I'm looking forward to seeing how those turn out. Sounds like a good project to do with your grandfather. We should all be so lucky.

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by Stuco

Cool, I'm looking forward to seeing how those turn out. Sounds like a good project to do with your grandfather. We should all be so lucky.

Thanks! I do consider myself very lucky. He's such a great guy.

[brianwahl]

My grandpa lives about an hour from Oklahoma City, so a few weeks ago he was in town and I sent the wood along with our Ron Kirn tele template and some MDF to make working templates from.

Grandpa planed the wood down and joined it - awaiting our arrival this last Saturday. Well, grandpa is a morning person, and my co-worker (Tim) and I got a late start, so grandpa cut out working templates and started the initial routing before we go there.

Once we arrived, he had the bodies about half formed. We made another pass with the router and finished them off. We ended up with 3 bodies - 2 of ash and one of alder.

Next we got to work on the electronics cavities and the neck pockets. Finally, we had something that looked like tele bodies.

Now, these things are far from perfect. The edges are a bit wavy in areas, and if I hold it up to the original templates (and my '72 tele thinline RI) the bodies don't line up 100%, but that's just fine with me. As long as the bridge and neck line up perfect, all is well.

I took home one of the ash bodies and the alder body - so I've got two projects to work on. There is a lot of sanding to be done before I start any finish work. A lot of the waviness can be sanded out by hand. I'm a bit concerned that the pick-guard won't perfectly line up with the horn, since I did a lot of sanding to get the horn smooth, but if it plays good and feels good, that's all we need.

[brianwahl]

OK - pics! I thought about photo-documenting every step of the process, but it turned out I didn't. For one, grandpa had a lot of stuff done before we got there, and then we just went to work. We were on a bit of a schedule and this process took longer than I thought it might - I have 0 woodworking experience, so I didn't really know how long it would take.

Here are some shots of the final products. . .

Here is my co-worker Tim and I with the 3 bodies:



another. . . Tim is playing the "air neck" here



Here's Grandpa Wilbur - he was shocked we actually got something that looked like a guitar out of the deal, haha



and here's a shot of Grandpa and me

[brianwahl]

The process is going to be slow on these. I'm kinda strapped, so I'm able to spend about $100/mo on these projects.

I've got the neck, tuners, and bridge on the way for Wilbur-caster I, and I'll probably order some finishing supplies in the next few weeks so I can get started on the finishes. It will take another 3-6 months before I can even afford to outfit one of these, and then the same amount of time for the other. But don't worry - I'll keep you all posted. I could go cheap and buy lower-quality stuff and have it done sooner, but as soon as I can confirm that the neck/bridge lines up - I'm going to go with high quality stuff on these. If I don't do it now - I'll just end up doing it later. Buy once, cry once - as they say.

The next big step is making sure the neck fits OK. We drilled the holes for the neck and the bridge while the master template was clamped on, so they should be a perfect fit. If the pocket doesn't fit quite right, that can be sanded/filled to shape, but the holes have to line up right or it won't tune properly. I think they'll be OK - but I'll find out for sure in a few days.

The other thing I'm worried about is the shape of the horn on these two. On the alder body, there was sort of a squared off area that I sanded down to be round, and just the amount of sanding we did to smooth them out made the horns a bit smaller than the original templates. Since the pickguard runs right along the horn, I'm worried that it will kind of hang over in areas, or just not look very uniform. I'm hoping that if it does I'll be able to re-shape the horn of the guard somehow. This point is purely cosmetic, though.

[BritishBluesBoy]

Looks like you all had a great time... Keep us posted with your progress...

Cheers!

BBB.

[brianwahl]

I just checked, and USPS shows that my warmoth neck and tele bridge are waiting for me on my front porch.

This weekend I'm going to spend some more time sanding the bodies - getting them ready to put a finish on, but I can't wait to see how the neck fits/lines up when I get home from work (about an hour from now).

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by BritishBluesBoy

Looks like you all had a great time... Keep us posted with your progress...

Cheers!

BBB.

Will do, thanks!

I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions along the way. Like, for example - on the finish of Wilbur-caster I:

I want a dark brown stain on the guitar - allowing the wood to show through. I've thought of several options, but I'm thinking of buying some dark brown dye from StewMac and mixing it in either tung oil or tru-oil and finishing it that way. Pros/Cons? Suggestions?

[cradlehall]

Excellent work.

[telex]

Originally Posted by brianwahl

I'm a bit concerned that the pick-guard won't perfectly line up with the horn, since I did a lot of sanding to get the horn smooth, but if it plays good and feels good, that's all we need.

I just built a tele from the same templates, and I had to scrape the pickguard to fit the horn with a cabinet scraper.

So don't worry about the pickguard horn, you can scrape it down with a cabinet scraper later. As long as the pickguard fits the neck pocket and bridge.

You do have a cabinet scraper don't you? Cabinet scrapers are better than sandpaper! Smoother finish, and you can't re-sharpen sandpaper!

That was my cabinet scraper rant...love 'em.

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by cradlehall

Excellent work.

thanks!

Originally Posted by telex

I just built a tele from the same templates, and I had to scrape the pickguard to fit the horn with a cabinet scraper.

So don't worry about the pickguard horn, you can scrape it down with a cabinet scraper later. As long as the pickguard fits the neck pocket and bridge.

You do have a cabinet scraper don't you? Cabinet scrapers are better than sandpaper! Smoother finish, and you can't re-sharpen sandpaper!

That was my cabinet scraper rant...love 'em.

Cool - thanks for the tip. I'll make sure and use a cabinet scraper if I need to do some re-shaping (which I'm almost positive I will).

I just got home from work - and the neck is in my hands. Perfect fit on both bodies!!

Major hurdle passed (I hope).

This neck feels NICE. Frets are perfect. Radius feels great (it's the compound 10-16 radius), shape feels good. I can't wait to rock out with these when I'm all done. I have a feeling my '72 thinline RI is going to be lonely once the Wilbur-casters are on the scene.

[Roscoe]

I think the dark stained/rosewood looking guitar should be double bound in black...that would look sweet.

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by Roscoe

I think the dark stained/rosewood looking guitar should be double bound in black...that would look sweet.

No kidding - that would be sweet. I thought about trying some binding, but thought I'd just tackle a round-over for my first guitar(s).

If these go well - which it seems they will - I'm sure I'll be trying some more. I think grandpa had a great time working with these, and I think he'd like to help me with some more. I could see binding in my future.

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by telex

I just built a tele from the same templates, and I had to scrape the pickguard to fit the horn with a cabinet scraper.

So don't worry about the pickguard horn, you can scrape it down with a cabinet scraper later. As long as the pickguard fits the neck pocket and bridge.

You do have a cabinet scraper don't you? Cabinet scrapers are better than sandpaper! Smoother finish, and you can't re-sharpen sandpaper!

That was my cabinet scraper rant...love 'em.

Got any pics of the finished product - or is that it in your avatar?

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by brianwahl

Got any pics of the finished product - or is that it in your avatar?

Nevermind - just found (and am now enjoying) your build thread. Thanks for documenting it for us!

[Lostheart]

Yo Brian...this looks like another great thread that I'm going to check out every time I make a stop over at the TDPRI. Especially since you did the project together with your grandad and your buddy those guitars will always have a sentimental value next to their actual value.
And it kind makes me want to resurrect my self-made-Tele project that has been put aside.

BTW...I saw this "Watch me get a 6-pack" link and I must say that it takes some guts to put before and after pics up on the web for everyone to see. Congrats on shaping up so much!
Reminds me also to work out some more...but I guess I'll skip that and start on the Tele body first!!! ;-)

[Dr Gonzo]

Brianstorm welcome, these builds are looking dam promising! keep us posted....

[dibber124]

Inspiring story, keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing more on your project.

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by Lostheart

Yo Brian...this looks like another great thread that I'm going to check out every time I make a stop over at the TDPRI. Especially since you did the project together with your grandad and your buddy those guitars will always have a sentimental value next to their actual value.
And it kind makes me want to resurrect my self-made-Tele project that has been put aside.

BTW...I saw this "Watch me get a 6-pack" link and I must say that it takes some guts to put before and after pics up on the web for everyone to see. Congrats on shaping up so much!
Reminds me also to work out some more...but I guess I'll skip that and start on the Tele body first!!! ;-)

Originally Posted by Dr Gonzo

Brianstorm welcome, these builds are looking dam promising! keep us posted....

Originally Posted by dibber124

Inspiring story, keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing more on your project.

Thanks all!

Lostheart - better take one body at a time, huh? I'm working on three at once. . .

[brianwahl]

5/12/07 - Sanding

I spent a few hours sanding these bodies this afternoon. I got a block and started with 100 grit working my way down to 220.

I also learned that the neck wasn't a perfect fit after all. It turns out we routed our neck pocket edges a bit too round, and the neck didn't go all the way into the neck pocket. I had 2 options - sand out the rounds in the body, or sand down the neck edges. I started with the body, but soon went to sanding the neck itself, which proved much easier (though I'm sure it voided the warranty from Warmoth). I also must have widened the pocket on Wilbur-caster I a bit, cause it's not as snug a fit as it was at first. But, the holes in the neck line up perfectly with the holes drilled in the neck pocket, so we are good to go.

I was able to get rid of a lot of the "waviness" in the bodies with the 100 grit, but not all. Oh well - gives it character.

I also stopped by Home Depot today and bought finishing supplies for Wilbur-caster I - the dark stained ash tele. I'm going with an oil-based stain, dark brown. I picked up 2 shades, and I've got a bunch of spare ash laying around, so I'll test it and pick the best one.

My process is going to be as follows (unless otherwise advised by all of you good people):

1. Sand wood to 220
2. Apply grain filler, sand to 220
3. Apply stain, multiple coats until desired color, sanding w/220 between
4. Apply sanding sealer, sanding to 220 between coats
5. Apply DEFT spray laquer, wet sanding between coats with 320 or 400 (??)

OK, so now some pictures to better show what I've been talking about. . .

[brianwahl]

Wilbur-caster I

[brianwahl]

Wilber-caster I (cont.)

Sadly, the back of this one looks better than the front, grain-wise. . . Grandpa started routing it before we got there. . .



This shows some of the "waviness" I've been talking about

[Buckocaster51]

Mighty fine, mighty fine.

Keep the pictures and information coming

[brianwahl]

Wilbur-caster II



More waviness

[brianwahl]

Wilbur-caster II (cont)

[brianwahl]

Warmoth neck for Wilbur-caster I







And here's where I sanded it down to get it to fit better in the neck pocket. No more warranty - oh well.

[brianwahl]

Wilbur-caster I neck fit

Here's a glimpse into the future. . .



Pretty good on this side. . .





Not so snug over here. . .

[brianwahl]

one more. . .

[brianwahl]

Finishing supplies - Wilbur-caster I

OK - here are the products I'm planning to use, in the order I'm planning to use them.



First, grain filler for a nice level surface.

Next, pre-oil-based stain conditioner, so it doesn't end up looking all "splotchy"

Then, sanding sealer (is this the correct placement of the sanding sealer??)

Finally, DEFT laquer (this is a nitro laquer, right???)

Well, that's the plan, anyway.

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

Mighty fine, mighty fine.

Keep the pictures and information coming

Thanks, and will-do!

By the way, I printed out the first part of your butter-caster thread and used it as a manual for routing these bodies out. I can't thank you enough for all the info you've passed along.

When I start finishing these, I'm definitely going to be referring to your work.

[brianwahl]

Another thing I've noticed - alder is so much easier to work with than ash, probably because it's so much softer. Plus, its a lot lighter. The ash we are using is regular old ash - not the lighter swamp ash that a lot of guitars are made of. It's HEAVY. After handling the ash body, the alder body feels like styrofoam. I hope Wilbur-caster I doesn't turn into a 13 pound guitar . . .

I have a feeling Wilbur-caster II is going to turn out better, but we'll see.

[brianwahl]

Finish question - Stain the neck, or not??

So Wilbur-caster I will hopefully end up looking like this:



Notice the neck is stained - both the back of the neck and the headstock (obviously not the RW board).

I'm toying with the idea of staining my neck the same way with the stain I'm putting on the body. The ash will be a different shade than the maple on the neck, but in the photo above, the same thing is happening and it looks fine.

So, what would you do - stain the neck dark to kind of match the body, or just shoot it with nitro as-is??

And speaking of - if any of you would like to offer some advice on finishing the neck (as in - tell me how to do it), I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm assuming you just tape off the RW board, spray it, sand it, spray it, sand it, etc until satisfied??

[jwells393]

What you're looking at in that picture above is a Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt John Cruz Rosewood Telecaster consisting of a rosewood body and a rosewood neck. I'm not sure you're going to be able to stain ash to look like rosewood. I seriously doubt you could stain maple to look like rosewood.

Looking at your picture of finish products.......... the Minwax Wood filler is not a grain filler. Here's the Minwax description.

Minwax® Stainable Wood Filler is ideal for repairing cracks, gouges, nail holes, knot holes and other defects in all types of unfinished indoor and outdoor wood surfaces.

Sidebar: You're a little over the top with your self-promotion. Just my opinion ..... I find it a big negative. In fact some of it may break TDPRI posting guidelines.

[telex]

I'd have to agree with jwells 393 about the stain, and the self-promotion stuff.
It comes off as a negative thing to me too. I don't need to know about your workout routine , no need to post all that stuff every time!

It looks to me like you are using the drill press too much to clean out your cavities. If you use the router you won't have all those circles to deal with.

Check out the Re-ranch forum for some finishing talk.

Keep posting your progress.

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by jwells393

What you're looking at in that picture above is a Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt John Cruz Rosewood Telecaster consisting of a rosewood body and a rosewood neck. I'm not sure you're going to be able to stain ash to look like rosewood. I seriously doubt you could stain maple to look like rosewood.

Looking at your picture of finish products.......... the Minwax Wood filler is not a grain filler. Here's the Minwax description.



Sidebar: You're a little over the top with your self-promotion. Just my opinion ..... I find it a big negative. In fact some of it may break TDPRI posting guidelines.

Originally Posted by telex

I'd have to agree with jwells 393 about the stain, and the self-promotion stuff.
It comes off as a negative thing to me too. I don't need to know about your workout routine , no need to post all that stuff every time!

It looks to me like you are using the drill press too much to clean out your cavities. If you use the router you won't have all those circles to deal with.

Check out the Re-ranch forum for some finishing talk.

Keep posting your progress.

Sorry about the self-promotion thing. I just did a copy and paste of my signature from the HC forums, where it seems self-promotion and off-topic discussion is par for the course (even my workout routine ). I've noticed in my short stay here that both of those things are not looked highly upon. I apologize if I've caused any problems, and I'll take care of it ASAP.

As far as the staining goes - I figured that was a rosewood tele, and I was just using it as a model - I'm not really expecting to get something that looks exactly like that. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if I'd rather just paint the ash body shell pink - go with shell pink, a mint guard, and a RW neck.



The more I see the shell pink look - the more I like it over the dark brown stain look.

I'm going to go ahead and stain it and spray sanding sealer - then snap a shot of the neck on the stained body to see what it looks like (and not stain the neck). If I'm not thrilled with how it looks, I'll just spray on some primer and paint it.

The wood filler stuff is what was recommended to me by the Home Depot people as grain filler. They said to spread it on, work it into the grain, then sand smooth. I'll give it a shot on some spare wood to see how it works out before I put it on one of my bodies.

[brianwahl]

Is a web site link in my sig. OK?

[freshmattyp]

It seems like a shame to cover up that nice ash grain with a solid color. Maybe you could do a pink version of butterscotch blonde, leaving some grain showing through.

[brianwahl]

Originally Posted by freshmattyp

It seems like a shame to cover up that nice ash grain with a solid color. Maybe you could do a pink version of butterscotch blonde, leaving some grain showing through.

That is my thought - shame to cover the grain. . . . but - I just love the look of the pink tele.

I've already got a natural finished guitar made of ash. . .



I sure don't have a pink guitar. . .

Still, I'm going to stain it - then I'll decide what to do next: leave the stain or paint over it.