How did I NOT know about the Offset Teles?

[Peegoo]

Wilkinson bridge?

Yes, the VS100 model. All stainless steel with the push-in bar/adjustable clutch. One of the best two-point non locking bridges available.

That's probably one of the most sensibly configured guitars I have seen- I never used the Strat bridge pickup a lot, but I probably would have if it had been a Tele pickup and I kind of miss some of the Strat sound. Body shape & comfort aren't a problem, but being able to get that sound would be great.

Dangit! Now I want a Strat again!

This guitar started as a Warmoth body, with the intent of sticking a Tele bridge pickup in it. In this case, it's a Duncan Five-Two.

I never warmed up to the volume control location on a Strat, and I never used two tone controls separately. So for this one I plugged the top control hole and wired a volume and a tone, just like a Tele, with a twist: the tone knob pulls out to activate the bridge pickup. This provides two additional pickup selections a standard Strat 5-way switch doesn't. All three pickups on, and neck + bridge like the middle pozish on a Tele. This guitar is super versatile.

 

[58Bassman]

Yes, the VS100 model. All stainless steel with the push-in bar/adjustable clutch. One of the best two-point non locking bridges available.


This guitar started as a Warmoth body, with the intent of sticking a Tele bridge pickup in it. In this case, it's a Duncan Five-Two.

I never warmed up to the volume control location on a Strat, and I never used two tone controls separately. So for this one I plugged the top control hole and wired a volume and a tone, just like a Tele, with a twist: the tone knob pulls out to activate the bridge pickup. This provides two additional pickup selections a standard Strat 5-way switch doesn't. All three pickups on, and neck + bridge like the middle pozish on a Tele. This guitar is super versatile.

My Strat Plus started out with the Wilkinson two point bridge and roller nut, but the nut and tuners were replaced with LSR. The bridge was flawless but the first thing I did when I brought it home was remove the TremSetter- didn't want that, didn't need it. It had the TBX control and I almost never used it lower than the 5 position because I mainly used the middle to neck switch positions but if I had known about it, I might have set it up with the Reverend Guitars bass roll-off control. That makes a big difference that's more usable than the TBX, IMO.

The number of controls and switches is the main reason I never had any interest in Jaguars and Jazzmasters, other than the body shape. While I was working at the music store in 1975, people generally weren't customizing guitars to the extent possible now, and the manufacturers were sticking to the basics. At this point, I'm not very interested in the traditional configurations- a friend has been building electric guitars and selling them at his cost to people who wouldn't be able to pay a high price, some are given away. I probably wouldn't have popped for the Offset so fast, but seeing the recent possibilities got me interested in a way that has never happened before.

What type of paint did you use?

 

[Peegoo]

What type of paint did you use?

All of my own builds are the result of wanting something (function, feature, appearance, etc.) that's unavailable in a name-brand item.

The finish in that Strat body is a Warmoth-applied small flake poly called autumn sunset or desert sunset...something like that.

 

[Unionjack515]

Just barely, but it is an offset…

 

[58Bassman]

All of my own builds are the result of wanting something (function, feature, appearance, etc.) that's unavailable in a name-brand item.

The finish in that Strat body is a Warmoth-applied small flake poly called autumn sunset or desert sunset...something like that.

I have been thinking about the Texas Tea on the Ultra models and when I went to the vinyl wrap shop to pick up some material for my Offset's pickguard, they had an AMG Mercedes inside- the color was similar, but darker. I saw a Tele Ultra on Saturday and it's still high on my color list. I have also been watching YouTube videos of car painting- most of the colors are a bit too much for me, but some are incredible. I think a Texas Tea body and headstock with all black hardware would look good, but with a pickguard that's not necessarily brushed, anodized Aluminum. However, they definitely got that one right with the satin hardware. Reminds me of a bike on Biker Build off, by an English guy (Russell Mitchell)- IIRC, it was satin black frame/tank/covers with brushed metal and all of the cables were hidden, so it was very clean and under-stated.

 

[58Bassman]

Just barely, but it is an offset…

View attachment 1092835
View attachment 1092836

Oof!

 

[McGoldTopp]

maybe I'm old and grumpy but slapping tele pickups in any shape doesn't make it a tele. (any more than two humbuckers make anything a lester paulson)

but I don't mind different pickups in a tele shaped body...

and I'm building a dubble cutaway tele...

so I'm selectively grumpy...

and I have a carved gold top mahogany telecaster with two cream humbuckers....

so if I don't like it you aren't allowed to, and criteria is subject to change without notice....

 

[58Bassman]

Let me know how you like those.

There was no "I wonder if I'll like them", I wanted them because I already had them and don't like the standard knobs.

 

[neptunedriver]

maybe I'm old and grumpy but slapping tele pickups in any shape doesn't make it a tele. (any more than two humbuckers make anything a lester paulson)
. . . .

Damn, well I tried!

 

[cyclopean]

There was no "I wonder if I'll like them", I wanted them because I already had them and don't like the standard knobs.

So that’s a yes.

 

[58Bassman]

So that’s a yes.

It's much easier to tune, IMO- I have big hands and if I turned one of the bean type knobs, I would sometimes move at least one that's adjacent if it's set in line with the headstock on a guitar where they're placed as close together as they are on a Tele. With these, the motion of tuning is the same as if I were rubbing my thumb and index finger together and my wrist isn't used, at all.

 

[FortyEight]

For some reason i cant get on board visually with a tele headstock on anything other than a tele body..... i feel like im not usually picky but the looks of a tele headstock with an offset or strat body just looks wrong to me. yet at the same time i like the look of the big strat head on a tele custom..... i dont get it. when i was younger i didnt like the looks of the big strat headstock on a strat. now i prefer it.

people are weird. lol.

Jaguar looks the best to me. a stripped down strat with no knobs and switches in the way feels the best. and the tele controls if u want two pups are the best placed. out of the way enough for a long strummer. but a tele body needs contouring in order for me to consider it comfy to play.

 

[Feck Studios]

I had been thinking about building a bass and thought that a Jazzmaster body would be interesting but time & other crap got in the way. About two weeks ago, I saw some videos on YT about offset Teles, in the Paranormal Squire line and also the limited Fender MIJ models. What the what?

I don't need a pink guitar and Poplar as a body wood isn't particular interesting to me, aside from the fact that dings wouldn't be as deep as they can be in Alder. The one that really hit me was the all-Mahogany Fender MIJ with a P90 at the neck. Sonically, it's what I would want in a Tele because it doesn't do the ice pick in the ear thing- I had a Baja Tele and it was very good at that and, even though I had played with the height & all controls, it was a bit too much. The neck didn't coincide with what I like, even though it seemed great when I originally checked it out.

Anyway, I looked around online and found one not far from me, so I checked it out yesterday and bought it.

I was going to change the strings to what I normally use and at the same time, pull the pickguard, control plate, etc to see how it was built. It was noisy when I played it, so I assumed the wires are just laid in the body & covered by the pickguard- yup, typical.

Why have they NOT gone to twisted wiring after decades knowing that twisted pair wiring is one of the best ways to reject noise????????????????? No shielding tape, nothing on the backside of the pickguard, bupkis. OK, I have something to do.....

Overall, the fit & finish is much better than I have seen on most Squire guitars and the few Vintage Vibe guitars looked great, but the hardware was crap, IMO- the tuners, controls AND bridge on the Vintage Vibe were pretty bad and the neck on one was mounted on an angle, so the high E fell off of the edge, but both played really well and the necks were very comfortable. The neck issue is no big deal, just a matter of filling the holes and re-drilling.

One of the things I wondered about was whether they routed the body for a Tele-style pickup, or something larger. It's not only routed for a P90 or humbucker, it's also routed for a middle single coil pickup.

I like the slightly less biting sound, so far- will see how I get along with it as I play it more.heya excuse my ignorance but what's twisted wiring?

 

[Feck Studios]

I think they're bloody awful looking, but I bet they're really comfy to play.

Hey, do thay have any neck angle like the other offsets or are they straight like normal teles?

 

[58Bassman]

I think they're bloody awful looking, but I bet they're really comfy to play.

Hey, do thay have any neck angle like the other offsets or are they straight like normal teles?

Angled, like a Gibson? No, it's like other Fender guitars.

Eye of the beholder, right?

 

[Feck Studios]

Angled, like a Gibson? No, it's like other Fender guitars.

Eye of the beholder, right?

Eye of the beholder of course.

Yeah, jags and jazzmaster should have a bit of neck pitch too for proper setup which is why I was curious.