New Body Material Build w Sound Clip

[Wop Geronimo]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

Must've been all that MDF glue that made me think it was synthetic!

So does it lose any Tele mojo by not having a 3-saddle bridge?

Pete

Your kidding right? lol

[David Barnett]

You've gotta put strap lugs on it and take it to at least one gig before you recycle the parts.

[maestrovert]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

You've gotta put strap lugs on it and take it to at least one gig before you recycle the parts.

+1....jes' m.h.o., but i think it's a must !

[David Barnett]

I can't make up my mind if it's shaped more like Utah, or Alabama?

[jwells393]

Definitely Utah.................

......

[RomanS]

Originally Posted by aznrambo481

oooh, another idea for my lapsteel project...

Hey, I had exactly the same thought - that kind of sustain would be great for a lap steel.
Actually, there was a lap steel for sale on Autrian Ebay a couple of weeks ago, that was made from a kitchen counter top - probably the same kind of stuff...

[tdowns]

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

Well I'll be...

One of the things that I have to do in the next month is build a couple of double necks (Doublecasters?)...and I have been planning on making an MDF test body...just to see if I had everything in the proper place...now this has me to thinking...

As the Old Road Hog would say...

Mighty fine!

Mighty fine!

Mighty fine...might purty!! Ole Wichitaw don't say much. He purty much gets down to buzness on the neck of a gitar.

Originally Posted by David Barnett

Is the center slice cut out to create a chamber or chambers?

Nope. All solid.

Originally Posted by JohnnyCrash

I was wondering the same thing myself...

That there is some dense and heavy ply... interesting suggestion. I bet it'd kill your back, but I'd be very curious about the sound/tone.

Oddly enough, that square "shoebox" of a body fits everything about a Telecaster (especially the no-frills functionality)... I sort of like it. Don't save that neck for a "real" project - that MDF Tele is really cool in my book, it already is a real project!!

Really? I'm loving the neck. I can't see myself keeping this silly thing together.

Originally Posted by tuuur

Terry, that's great, good job!
A minimalist square tele. Reminds me of the bo-caster.

Thanks. What is the bo-caster?

Originally Posted by Johnny Isaacs

...are you taking orders for these?! Looks great!

Johnny Isaacs

Hey Johnny!! Yes. Send $50,000 via Palpal to terry@terrydownsmusic.com and I'll take care of the shipping charges.

Originally Posted by Wop Geronimo

Ditto, i'd buy that sucker right now!

Well it's a one of a kine. You better get that $50K over here before Johnny does. Hehe.

Originally Posted by maestrovert

+1....jes' m.h.o., but i think it's a must !

I'd rather have a pretty guitar like one of your beauties!!

Originally Posted by jwells393

Definitely Utah.................

......

Yes. Should we start calling Utah the "Cutaway State"??

Boy, the multi-quote function on the TDPRI is GREAT!! Doing this in the past was quite a pain. Thanks Paul!!

[tdowns]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

You've gotta put strap lugs on it and take it to at least one gig before you recycle the parts.

I'd get some funny looks for sure!!

[Jason R.]

Mr. Downs,

You are quite the engineer...that MDF-caster is better crafted than some of the mass-made stuff at GC!

I made my personal "sonic discovery" when I changed out my 6-saddle bridge for a 3-saddle Callaham last year. IMHO, the body wood as less to do with tone than amp, age/guage of strings, how you attack the strings and bridge type.

Regards,
Jason

[tdowns]

Originally Posted by Jason R.

Mr. Downs,

You are quite the engineer...that MDF-caster is better crafted than some of the mass-made stuff at GC!

I made my personal "sonic discovery" when I changed out my 6-saddle bridge for a 3-saddle Callaham last year. IMHO, the body wood as less to do with tone than amp, age/guage of strings, how you attack the strings and bridge type.

Regards,
Jason

Yes sir,
That is what I needed to prove to myself. Ever tightly hugged an acoustic guitar and killed its tone? I have. Ever tightly hugged a solid body electric and changed its tone? I haven't.

All that sustain came from new strings and the slightest bit of compression in the Line 6 POD.

I can't admit that I did any favors to the audio track with my personal string attack, but I do "whatever it is I do" to all my guitars when I play.

Regarding the bridge, you can prove to yourself how important the "take-off" point is on the bridge by slightly touching that area. Any loading of the string near that point is crucial to the sound.

Thanks for the response Jason.

[tuuur]

Originally Posted by tdowns

Thanks. What is the bo-caster?

That's a botched up Johnson Telecaster copy. Someone reshaped the body into something looking like Bo Diddly's version of the Telecaster. It was posted on the telemodders board.

Pictures of the finished thing are no longer online, but during the build the body looked like this:

[Wild Rice Chris]

Hey Terry, I missed this thread! My dad and I built one out of particle board and pine years ago while on lunch break from installing cabinets in a truckers office. I used to drag it out just for the looks I'd get. Hanging in the shed for a few years killed the pickup, I need to rewind it, take some new pictures for the TDPRI, and start playing the ugly beast again.

[Ronkirn]

the ugly beast

that's what Fender wants everyone else's guitars to look like... except for the headstock...

Ron Kirn

[Wild Rice Chris]

That's an SX neck I got from KBR for $35. I better go protect that body design...

[Schnauzer]

Jellecaster:

You are killing me!. I have coffee running out my nose and all over my keyboard and monitor. Great sense of humor.

Add Don Rich and Roy Nicholes and give 'em anything in return. Like all the NFL players recently arrested.


Jim

[Glen W]

oops

[boris bubbanov]

Chris, that is just a perfect headstock profile you made there out of that strat neck. As long as you don't mind, I'll duplicate that shape the next CBS style headstock I get stuck with.

Bubbanov

[guitarbuilder]

Oddly enough, some Gibson Kalamazoo guitar bodies of the 60's were made from MDF. I have 3 here, one mahogany and two mdf.
Marty

[tdowns]

Originally Posted by Wild Rice Chris

Hey Terry, I missed this thread! My dad and I built one out of particle board and pine years ago while on lunch break from installing cabinets in a truckers office. I used to drag it out just for the looks I'd get. Hanging in the shed for a few years killed the pickup, I need to rewind it, take some new pictures for the TDPRI, and start playing the ugly beast again.

Hello Chris. That is very cool. Thanks for sharing.


guitar builder,
That's interesting info. You sure don't want to get it wet.

[Pete Galati]

Terry, someone over in one of the Duncan forums discovered that his cheap Epi SG is made out of fiberboard. I was trying to remember the name of the guitar Gibson made that was made out of fiberboard. Finally came to me this morning. The Gibson Sonex, and they called their fiberboard "Resonex", but I guess what they had was a real wood core, with fiberboard laminated to that from what I can tell.

But it kind of reminded me of your Utahcaster. What ever happened to that?

Here's a webpage on the Sonex:

http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/sonex.php



There're several of them on ebay, and they're asking insane amounts of money for them, claiming that they're rare.

Pete

[eyema_believer]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

Terry, someone over in one of the Duncan forums discovered that his cheap Epi SG is made out of fiberboard. I was trying to remember the name of the guitar Gibson made that was made out of fiberboard. Finally came to me this morning. The Gibson Sonex, and they called their fiberboard "Resonex", but I guess what they had was a real wood core, with fiberboard laminated to that from what I can tell.

But it kind of reminded me of your Utahcaster. What ever happened to that?

Here's a webpage on the Sonex:

http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/sonex.php



There're several of them on ebay, and they're asking insane amounts of money for them, claiming that they're rare.

Pete

I used to own one of these when I was a teen! It actually played and sounded pretty good....too funny!

~Shawn

[Pete Galati]

Originally Posted by eyema_believer

I used to own one of these when I was a teen! It actually played and sounded pretty good....too funny!

~Shawn

If they weren't asking ridiculous amounts of money for them, I'd even consider buying one.

Actually, the ones in the finished auctions seem to go for around $350, which is a little more reasonable.

Pete

[eyema_believer]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

If they weren't asking ridiculous amounts of money for them, I'd even consider buying one.

Actually, the ones in the finished auctions seem to go for around $350, which is a little more reasonable.

Pete

I think that's about what I paid for mine brand new!

[Pete Galati]

Originally Posted by eyema_believer

I think that's about what I paid for mine brand new!

It'd be maintaining it's value if you still had it!

Trouble is that an Epi Plain-Top Les Paul sells for about $300 new, so I don't think I could bring myself to paying $350 for a used Sonex.

It might be fun borrowing their Multi-phonic body construction idea though.

Pete

[tdowns]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

.....

But it kind of reminded me of your Utahcaster. What ever happened to that?

Pete

I used the parts from the "Utahcaster" AKA "Esquare" on another guitar and the body is in a cabinet in my shop. I never intended to use it for anything other than to see what it would sound like.

[Pete Galati]

Originally Posted by tdowns

I used the parts from the "Utahcaster" AKA "Esquare" on another guitar and the body is in a cabinet in my shop. I never intended to use it for anything other than to see what it would sound like.

You should donate the body to the next TDPRI raffle!

[tdowns]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

You should donate the body to the next TDPRI raffle!

Hehe!! Can you imagine the poor sucker that made a TDPRI donation and wound up with that POS???

[Pete Galati]

Originally Posted by tdowns

Hehe!! Can you imagine the poor sucker that made a TDPRI donation and wound up with that POS???

I would be significantly better than not winning anything.

Especially with graphics!

[David Barnett]

I want to go to Dinosaur, Colorado!

[Shoved BassVIII]

I know its an old thread, but Lindert guitars were chambered MDF, and sounded awesome

[boris bubbanov]

I wondered when this 'un would make its return.

Teaches you a few things about, well, how crummy the speakers are in your computer!

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by tdowns

Looks like an upside-down Mississippi.

I could say adding up-side down to Mississippi is redundant, but I live in Louisiana, so I'd have no-where to stand, would I?

[robt57]

Danoelectros are masonite, so why not...

[robt57]

Can I order a body in Swamp MDF ???

[robt57]

Make a lefty and paint Homer Simpson face on it and call it a Okla Homer. [someone shoot me]


BTW, The Esquare had me rolling....


Considering it did sound like a Tele, it bears out the Bridge plate make a Tele sound like a Tele Theory...

[hugo]

Raffle? Did someone say raffle? Whassup wit dat? Splain plese.

[Pete Galati]

Originally Posted by hugo

Raffle? Did someone say raffle? Whassup wit dat? Splain plese.

"raffle" was probably a bad choice of words. There's a TDPRI fundraising contest every year. Cool prises ranging from guitar parts like bodies & necks & bridges & pickups, to whole guitars, and effects pedals. I think those things are donated as prizes, not paid for by the contest entries.

If I'm wrong about the details..... don't be surprized.

[Telarkaster]

This is one of my all time favourite threads on TDPRI!

Whenever I get caught up about the nitty-gritty details of a guitar, I think of this thread and remind myself not to buy into the hype...

[Wild Rice Chris]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

"raffle" was probably a bad choice of words. There's a TDPRI fundraising contest every year. Cool prises ranging from guitar parts like bodies & necks & bridges & pickups, to whole guitars, and effects pedals. I think those things are donated as prizes, not paid for by the contest entries.

If I'm wrong about the details..... don't be surprized.

The prizes are donations, the money from the entries goes to the TDPRI. It's great fun. I've won a body and a neck, and donated two Rice Custom guitars and a set of Fender Nocaster pickups.

[getbent]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

I want to go to Dinosaur, Colorado!

Yo David... I used to work outside of Vernal, UT in my my youth (building quarters for natural gas rig workers) and we used to run over to Dinosaur (about 35 miles) to get 'real' beer (non 3.2)

Not much there but a bunch of concrete dinosaurs... unless you get out in the country (ha ha like 10 steps) you can get prongs there and if you know what you are looking for you can see the most amazing fossils anywhere!

Good call!