DIY Tele
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Building a Telecaster James Roy is a Tele-lover and all around talented guy. Recently he decided to build his very own telecaster — and to document the process with photos. Since projects like this are something that many of us dream about we asked Jim if we could include his photos on the TDPRI. If you’re thinking of building your own Telecaster use this information to gauge the process. Remember it won’t always be the same process for every person, this is just how things went for Jim. Building a Telecaster This was my last Homebuilt project, a Telecaster using a MusiKraft body and the rest Fender parts. I had initially seen the advertisements in Vintage guitar for Musikraft bodies and wanted to try them as a replacement for former homebuilt guitar. I wound up building this one complete instead. (click on thumbnail to see larger image) |
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 50’s style 2 piece ash body from MusiKraft in Sicklerville, NJ |
 I started this project intending to just replace another body for this one. |
 The holes for the string ferrules did not come countersunk |
 I like the squared off edges and edge radius similar to early Fenders |
 This body was considered paint grade and therefore only cost about a $100 |
 The bridge mounting holes were tapped but not drilled (as were the neck) |
 Note my super clean work area. |
 To get the proper shade of filler for the ash I mix light with natural |
 The filler is applied into the grain and the excess wiped off |
 I’ll clean the ferrule holes out later |
 It will hang to dry overnight |
 At this stage neatness is not a big concern |
 The next day I’ve taken it outside to sand the excess filler off |
 I’ll remove the filler from the surface leaving the pores and grain filled |
 A sanding block helps keep the surface flat |
 A vibrating sander speeds things up |
 I’m now ready to apply a lacquer sanding sealer. |
 Brushed on it will hang to dry overnight |
 Back outside again to sand off the sealer from the surface |
 Nearly messed it up trying to rub on a tint coat (I also added the channel to the neck) |
 The lacquer is strong so will hang in the garage overnight |
 Using a foam brush I was able to tint it a little more consistently |
 I now begin to spray several coats of clear nitro cellulose lacquer |
 It helps doing this in the sunlight lacking a proper booth |
 A couple of coats, sanding in between and I let it harden overnight |
 Back outside for a few more coats |
 A lot of the coats will come off during the wet sanding process |
 That’s about it for spraying |
 I used a Sherwin Williams lacquer and and amber tint |
 After drying overnight outside its back in the cellar for a week |
 A week or 2 (I forget) to cure and I’m ready for sanding |
 Different grades will be used to smooth the finish |
 The bucket of water is there to keep the paper clean and wet |
 I do the top, back and then the sides |
 After the sanding comes the rubbing compound |
 Its pretty much the same as automobile finishing |
 Lots of elbow grease |
 Well, we got a body. Might as well finish it. |
 I most of the other parts (Fender) from Smart Parts (the pickguard will go back) |
 A friend had a tool that allowed us to counter sink the ferrule holes very accurately |
 I had to mod the pickup cavity a little to get things to line up |
 I drill a hole to run a bridge ground before installing the bridge |
 I chose a vintage 3 saddle bridge with the Fender Noiseless pickups |
 I begin to assemble the control plate but am awaiting a 4-way switch |
 I got a Fender 50’s MIM neck on ebay (this saved a lot of work) |
 The neck came finished, with a serial number and tuner screw holes drilled |
 There is even a logo from the factory |
 After drilling neck holes I soap the neck screws for easier installation |
 The neck also came with a Fender neck plate and nickel plated screws (not slotted though) |
 The necks on. The channel aids in truss rod access |
 Getting there. |
 I had some strap buttons, the locking kind (but no locks) |
 They’ll do fine |
 The rest of the parts are here |
 The drill press comes in handy pressing the tuner bushings in |
 The Vintage style tuners just screw on (slotted) |
 With the VN pickup I found it necessary to dig out the the cavity a bit |
 The ground strap will be removed and a third wire soldered as per 4-way switch spec. |
 The only non fender component is the RS ceramic .047 cap |
 All soldered up and nowhere to go (4 way switch and a No-load tone pot) |
 I’ve don’t want to mount the controls without the pickguard |
 The guard was on special order, but I cancelled and bought a 52 RI instead |
 As I thought, the control cavity is too far back |
 I will have to mod the cavity to mount the plate |
 I drill a hole with the press out of the ledge of the cavity |
 I then glue a piece of dowel in to build up the ledge |
 Using another guitar as a template I’ve marked the slot positions on the nut |
 I start by cutting slots with a razor saw |
 I use a needle file set for the thicker string gauges |
 I now have rough cut the nut |
 with strings installed I fine cut the nut slot depth |
 Protecting the finish I intonate it |
 From the back its complete |
 After finishing it, I loaned it to a studio for a couple of weeks and then 6 months later sold it. |
Thanks to James V Roy for providing this information and allowing the TDPRI to use it. Visit Jim’s website at: http://www.pbase.com/jroy/root |
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