Here comes Guitar 10
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Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: Music and Musicians Exchange
Forum Description: Talk with and get feedback from other musicians on the site
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=129368
Printed Date: November 21 2024 at 20:51
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Topic: Here comes Guitar 10
Posted By: Davesax1965
Subject: Here comes Guitar 10
Date Posted: July 22 2022 at 08:41
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Well, I did a thread on "here comes guitar 9", then my brother bought me a very nice Pau Ferro Fender Telecaster neck. New guitar to build. Watch this space. ;-) ------------- |
Replies:
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 22 2022 at 11:01
| Well, you can't have too many guitars. |
Posted By: mellotronwave
Date Posted: July 22 2022 at 12:11
| Interest ? |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: July 23 2022 at 08:08
Well, to summarise, this was Number 9...... ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: July 23 2022 at 08:11
This is what Number 10 will look like. Sort of.  ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: July 23 2022 at 08:15
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Few changes. This is the neck - Pau Ferro fingerboard, nice, eh ? The scratchplate will be a tortoiseshell one. I might use the Classic tuners as pictured above, may go for American Standards. Neck - stock Fender. Bridge - SD Alnico II (of course) Bridge - again a Fender, but with cutaway sides. Schaller straplocks. Metal knurled barrel selector switch.   ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: July 23 2022 at 08:17
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The body is going to be a Honey Burst in "swamp" ash - actually, "just ash" - two piece. Neck's really nice, I've not oiled it yet and probably won't. MiM, 9.5" radius. Medium jumbo frets. Chrome hardware throughout. Gold worked OK last time for the Strat, but it's difficult to get all the gold hardware matching, to be honest. ------------- |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 23 2022 at 09:21
Like the colour on that body.
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Davesax1965 wrote:Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: July 23 2022 at 10:32
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Cheers, Chopper ! The problem with cheap two or three colour sunbursts is if they're done badly, they tend to look awful, like some kind of RAF roundel. Hopefully this one will be OK or it goes on eBay. ;-) Anyway, most of the bits are coming next week. Everything apart from the bridge pickup and the electrics, which get done later as funds allow. You can actually assemble a partscaster in a day or two when you know what you're doing, most take 3-4 months to put together as you save up for bits, or absolutely have to order a specific bit from the US. When you've got it physically together and set up (a black art but easy when you know how) the next month is spent twiddling with the setup, anyway. ;-) ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: July 30 2022 at 04:35
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And !! The boss pays the wages late and the shop runs out of honeyburst bodies. Rats. So I go for a very nice three colour sunburst body with edge binding instead. ;-) The neck fits almost perfectly first time, it required two minutes sanding in the neck pocket as it was canted slightly backwards. Strings aligned perfectly. Getting the neck set up is the essential first step as everything hangs off it. So ! Everything should be physically together with a few hours work. The neck pickup is stock Fender US, there's a new bridge pickup coming next payday (exactly what to be decided, but probably Seymour Duncan Alnico II) - and the wiring loom, which I'll do myself. I'll put cloth covered wiring and Mullard Tropical Fishtank capacitors in... for a laugh. ;-) Tuners are Klusons, but not crappy old vintage, they're a "modern vintage" style which are build for Fender "two locator pin" necks. 19:1 ratio, very nice. The bridge is a proper Fender compensated one with brass saddles. there's an Electrosocket jack going in and some fancy 1952 style dome knobs coming in the post. Very happy with it so far. ;-) MiM necks have ludicrously high and difficult to cut nuts, so that's coming off and a Tusq nut going on, plus a vintage "round string tree", most likely. I'll get the Telecaster physically together first and then fine details like setting the neck up and cutting the nut slots properly all come later.  ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: August 07 2022 at 04:20
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Work so far. ;-) Right, the Telecaster is all together, with the minor problem that the neck pocket has been cut fractionally too deep. Luckily, my brother had a shim, so ! Neck off, shim the neck, neck on, see if that helps. I've never shimmed a neck before, so this'll be fun. With the neck too deep, the bridge saddles are at the maximum travel downwards and the string height is too high. The shim bends the neck back by one degree, which sounds counterintuitive, but that's the way you do it. Wiring to do this afternoon, and a string tree to add.  ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: August 07 2022 at 04:23
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Again, you run into problems, this time with the string tree. Older Telecasters had a round button string tree set high up on the headstock. (A string tree reduces the break angle of the strings over the nut and makes for better tuning stability.) The problem is that this is a modern neck and putting an old style string tree there might partially obscure the logo, as Fender of course helpfully moved the logo, didn't they ? I've got a few alternatives, but they're modern roller string trees, so I might get a "bit of metal plate" one. The whole setup for the neck is going to be done again due to the shimming, so it's really "see what works" after the shimming is done.  ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: August 07 2022 at 04:27
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It's looking really good, though. (Better than me, anyhow. ;-) ) I'll be doing the wiring this afternoon, using vintage cloth wire, Orange Drop capacitors (47uf / 250k CTS pots) - all that's needed after this is a nice knurled metal toggle switch and some very expensive Lollar 52 pickups, which come next payday. Most people I know put Seymour Duncan Alnico II pickups in Telecasters, but that produces a bit too "Stratty" a sound. So I'm going for a more original vintage Telecaster sound. Really pleased with it, it's had no expense spared on it and even with the neck not properly set up, it plays absolutely great.  ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: August 07 2022 at 04:33
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Anyway, the specs are: Fender MiM Pau Ferro neck, 9.50" radius Kluson 19:1 tuners (modern 2 peg fit) Tusq nut No name three ply tortoiseshell scratchplate, 8 screw with front neck pickup adjuster screws 3 piece ash body, 3 colour sunburst, cream binding US wiring - 250k CTS pots, 47uf Orange Drop caps with 150k treble bleed, CRL 3 way switch, Switchcraft jack Electrosocket jack plate Lollar 52 pickups (to follow) Fender compensated bridge with brass saddles Schaller strap locks Some thoughts on the build. In many ways, this has been an easier project than the blue Strat, above. However, I made the classic mistake of mixing US and non US hardware here, meaning some metric and Imperial parts wouldn't fit. It's been an enjoyable build, though. By the middle of next month, the pickups will be in and then it's a visit to my brother to hem hem borrow his nut slotting files, and then..... done. ;-) Next guitar (next year) will either be a Nashville Telecaster or a Jazz bass. Undecided. ;-) ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: August 25 2022 at 12:31
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Some very expensive pickups to wire in this weekend. Nut cut on Tuesday and then it's a setup and.... done ! ------------- |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: August 25 2022 at 12:40
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Nice work Dave! I'm soooo jealous. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: August 25 2022 at 13:37
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Steve, drop me a DM and I shall explain the black art to you. 😁 If you ever feel the urge to build one, happy to talk you through it. Believe it or not, there's not a lot to it. ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: August 26 2022 at 11:22
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It works ! Neck not set up yet. Sounds 3xcellent. https://youtu.be/ESOi3ywbXB8" rel="nofollow - https://youtu.be/ESOi3ywbXB8 ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: September 30 2022 at 03:04
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Finished ! Guitar 11 is being planned for next year. Well. I could break a string or something. ;-)  ------------- |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: September 30 2022 at 03:14
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Guitar 11. Mockup from Fender Custom Shop. This is pretty close. Tobacco sunburst body - although I maaaaay get an unfinished body, glue a bookmatched fancy veneer top on and finish it in poly. Roasted maple MiM neck, American standard tuners. Elite string trees. Tusq nut. (That's the formula so far, why change it ?) And yep, it's a Nashville, but with a difference - the middle pickup is going to be a Telecaster neck pickup and not a Strat one. This means gulp taking a router to the body. However. I want it to sound like a Tele and not a Strat. Custom scratchplate to be made, based around a Blacktop baritone. Black pearl. Pickups will be Lindy Fralin Blues, bring money. Bridge - Fender compensated. 5 way Oak Grigsby switch, top hat, flat top knobs, electrosocket, 250k pots with cloth wiring and Orange Drop capacitors. This will be "if the missus doesn't kill me and bury me under the patio". It'll pretty much conclude the guitar collection. I've been thinking of making custom high spec Partscasters as a sideline, but it's frankly tooooooo much hassle. ;-)  ------------- |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: October 02 2022 at 09:18
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Hi, I'll settle for one of these ... 4 or 5 string Streamline Bass Guitar would be good! Do you ever think, or have done, headless guitars? http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/index_home.html" rel="nofollow - Status Graphite. The finest hand-made graphite basses and guitars. Made in England. (status-graphite.com)
------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: October 10 2022 at 08:58
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Hi Mosh, nice to hear from you ! Ahhh, Status basses. We see a few over here. I think the last time I saw one was at a Suzi Quatro gig (my wife wanted to go. :-) ) Suzi played a bass solo. It was, er, interesting. ;-) Headless basses. There are some kits out there, including a very nice looking double neck guitar and bass over at https://www.gitarre-bestellen.de/products/Bass-Bausaetze/E-Gitarren-Bausatz-DIY-Kit-Headless-Double-Neck-Gitarre-Bass.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.gitarre-bestellen.de/products/Bass-Bausaetze/E-Gitarren-Bausatz-DIY-Kit-Headless-Double-Neck-Gitarre-Bass.html - the trouble is that most of the kits are (a) probably from China and with dubious manufacturing and (b) unfinished wood. The cost is in the finishing . ;-) I'm not really a fan of headless instruments, too old fashioned, I think. ;-) As for five string basses, I've never played one where the tension on the B string was pleasant, they always feel like a rubber band. Plus a lot of tuners won't cope with them (fret 5th, tune to E) - seems the wide neck is a big compromise to hit the lower notes. ;-) ------------- |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: October 17 2022 at 05:59
Hi, I'm about to get Guy Pratt's book and see if he says anything about this. Chris Squire, in general, did not need a 5-string bass, and many times down tuned the G string to get special sounds he wanted (special on the tube, and he shows how he does it. Very neat and far out and says a lot about his musical feelings and ability!). It's a strange thing and seeing that gent play the 6-string bass with Hiromi, is not only scary, but also far out. And he does just fine with a really crazy woman at the piano! Tradition is fine, but instruments also add a lot to the musical ability and design over the years, so a 5-string or 6-string is fine for me, as long as it is not wasted on Chuck Berry (so to speak) or on really poor rock bands where the playing is high school at best! It would be interesting if you asked that question to the Status folks or someone else ... I'm sure they would have an answer for you. ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |