COMPLETED -- "Tidycatster", the $100 telecaster challenge

The bridge.... I thought I'd try my hand at making a bridge plate from thin aluminum plate. I cut a few squares 3.75 x 3.75 and used a scratch awl and try square to layout some lines. I had these options for cutting out the corners and such. Hack saw, band saw, and notcher. I opted to use a hand held sheet metal notcher to notch out the corners and remove some hunks of metal in strategic places. I drilled some holes for the saddle screws and two holes to ease the corners in bending. More tomorrow.

 

BEEP BEEP BEEP....Low tech operation ahead.....BEEP BEEP BEEP.


Now the trick will be to get it to bend where I want it to!




I stuck it in my little HF machinist vise. I hand bent it and then crisped up the corners and angles with a plastic hammer. The floor made a good anvil to absorb the blows.

 

and you had your doubts....right? OK.... Yes, I admit it, that one hole is a hair (but only a cat hair) off.

 

I'm thinking new saddles here, but you get the idea of where this is headed.

WOW, that was worth saving 7 dollars instead of using a commercial Fender bridge...yeah right.


Oh, the pickup slot? What pickup slot? We don't need no stinkin pickup slot. It's a stealth pickup...yeah... that's it.
We do need a little brushing of the aluminum and final tidying up...( tidy cat....Ha...)

 

Audience participation time...... Would the 2 or 3 of you clicking on my thread this week please enter your answer........

What is a 3.75 x 3.75 square of aluminum worth? It's been around since at least 1982. Let the bidding begin.


These 5 slides were brought to you by Starbuck's Italian Roast of which I enjoyed 2 cups prior to the drill press drilling, and hand bending, and hand filing.

* Hand- no power tools involved. It was so easy a caveman could do it..... (Judges, remember this when you are adding up the points please.)

Now I am off to study and practice a Monet painting for my final panorama of colour for the final finish coats. I will be attempting to do this with a Boeing 737 aircraft engine blowing the paint onto the guitar body.

Random thought #6.....Common ScatterLee...I'm running out of material here. Save some water for the fish, eh?

 

I found a mistake in my saddle adjustment screw holes....Darn... My two outer holes are off and need to be brought closer together. The pressure must be getting to me. Too bad I already drilled them in the other plates I made. It'll work but......

 

Well today I glued in the black lap steel dot markers. I also made myself an electrosocket and a couple of strap buttons with the aluminum scraps I saved and some hex rod. Pictures forthcoming as the wife is out with the camera.

My electrosocket doesn't have internal threads, it needs a nut and lockwasher on it. I was going to just do a red jack plate but had time this morning. It was fun just winging it on the metal lathe. I'm no machinist as you can tell. I'm gonna spring for some switches at Radio Shack with the money saved.

 

OMG, that bridge looks horrible and uncomfortable. LOL and oddly appropriate. The saddles don't even line up with the neck. Is this a 2 string guitar?

I believe I said the saddles need some work....LOL. No... it is a 3 string guitar and yes... the saddles are quite uncomfortable at the moment, however the cost is extremely low....LOL.

 

This is a set of aluminum ferrules I am in the middle of making. I still have to drill the string holes and chamfer the ends. The homemade electro- socket fits, and is in place next to the aluminum strap button I made. The strap button is held on with a black drywall screw temporarily.

 

I glued the knobs together ( toothpaste caps and tidy cats handle sections) and drilled and inserted 3 soft touch on-off switches. I liked the red buttons and they are clinching the deal for a switch set up. one for the lap on, one for the bridge pup, and one for a future neck pup. This was my first purchase so far 3 switches at 2.69 each.
I'm thinking putting some plastic tops in the caps for added colour.