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Post subject: Custom Telecaster build
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:04 pm
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Hey fellas, i am in the proccess of doing a custom tele build for my grade eleven shop class and i am need of some help. this is my first time putting one together, but i have no idea how to install some parts, most importantly the fretboard. i am hoping that i could get some pointers from you guys as to what order i need to drill holes to mount the bridge, pickguard,etc. my biggest concern at this point is putting in a truss rod and the fretboard, because i know these are two of the most important parts of the guitar, and if i dont get this right it could mess up the entire guitar. thanks for your time and ill be checking all the time so feel free to send me your suggestions anytime.


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Post subject: Re: Custom Telecaster build
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 1:51 am
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Daniel Roy, hello and welcome to the Forum. I have been playing guitar since 1956 and in all of this time have learned how to change strings, set up action/intonation, basic guitar electronics and truss rod adjustment. Changing necks/bodies have always been done for me by professional luthiers. You are taking on an immense task with this project. Pic's of progress as you go along, we love pic's. Have fun.

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Post subject: Re: Custom Telecaster build
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 10:08 pm
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Drilling and installing the bridge is the last thing you do.


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Post subject: Re: Custom Telecaster build
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 3:57 am
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My first suggestion would be that you pick up a copy of "Make Your Own Electric Guitar" by Melvyn Hiscock. For the person building completely from scratch (as you seem to be doing), this book really is worth it's weight in gold!

Second to this, I would suggest doing AS MUCH research on the internet as possible...there's a ton of info out there (more than I could quote or paraphrase in a single thread here on Fender.com). Stew Mac's website is a good place to start (if nothing else, they sell most of the tools you'll need), but if you simply Google "make your own electric guitar", you should find a wealth of information.

Third, if you're not already, I would STRONGLY urge you to get another Tele to work from as a template so to speak...something you can essentially "copy" and reference as you're building your own.

The main thing to be concerned with regarding the majority of your build (IMHO) are measurements. Cutting the slot for the truss for example, shouldn't be too big a deal...pretty simple router work with a channeling bit really (although access to a Shop Bot makes it easier), however you have to consider the depth and length of the slot, etc. Same goes for the fretboard as well...you're going to need to do a radius on that fretboard (which may require you to buy or build special tools). You'll also need to make sure that the fretboard thickness (after it's been given a radius) with work with the thickness (profile) of the neck and the neck pocket on the body...you don't want to end up with something where it's too high for the bridge or so low that the strings end up sitting flat across the pickups...the thickness of the neck (with the fretboard) corresponds directly to the depth of the neck pocket. Then of course, there's cutting the slots for the frets...while the fret slots can be cut with something as simple as a thin miter box saw ( even the old hand style), these measurements need to be precise and will relate to the scale length of the instrument.

Drilling the holes for the pickguard and the bridge shouldn't be THAT big a deal once the majority of the work is done, as you can use the pickguard and bridge that you'll be using as your templates...again however, you MUST pay attention to scale length, otherwise you'll never be able to properly tune the guitar. This is where having the book mentioned and/or info from the internet and/or a sample tele to work from is vital...drilling the holes for the bridge isn't a big deal.....positioning the bridge so that the scale length is correct and so the strings run straight and true down the neck, THAT's the big one.

I will say that I disagree with Fly Whitlock about drilling the bridge last...I suspect you'll want to do this BEFORE you do the finish work on the guitar body. This is just my own opinion of course, but if you're doing something like a nice lacquer finish or something similar, chances are you're not gonna wanna screw that up when you go to install the bridge by having to mark things out...I'd pre-drill first there, so that once the body is finished, you -know- where the bridge is supposed to go.

This is just my own personal opinioin but 9/10'ths of building a decent, playable guitar comes down to measuring well. Everything I've mentioned here is covered in that Hiscock book mentioned above and the author goes to the trouble of giving you the measurements and such you'll need (like the scale length thing). I don't know about more recent versions of the book, however the older version I have, the author walks you thru a double fat Tele build...it would be well worth reading for you.

Beyond all of that, perhaps the best advice I can give you is this; be patient and always double check you're measurements (as they say, measure twice, cut once). This can be really fun, but it can also be frustrating and you're going to make mistakes (mistakes are part of the learning process). When things seems daunting, remember this, Anton Stradivarius didn't create his first violin over night (and Leo Fender didn't do that first Tele (Esquire) overnight either)...take your time, be patient and be persistent.



I hope this helps and good luck!


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Post subject: Re: Custom Telecaster build
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:12 am
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I have another question, i purchased a pre-fabricated fret board with the frets already placed inside. the board is a little bit wider than the neck towards closer to the body of the guitar. is there a way that i can trim the fret board to fit after i glue it to the neck?

Thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Custom Telecaster build
Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2015 1:44 pm
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Daniel Roy wrote:
I have another question, i purchased a pre-fabricated fret board with the frets already placed inside. the board is a little bit wider than the neck towards closer to the body of the guitar. is there a way that i can trim the fret board to fit after i glue it to the neck?

Thanks.


The only way I can think of (at the moment) to do this after the fretboard is attached would be to use a bench mounted belt sander and CAREFULLY remove stock from both sides of the fretboard a little at a time until you're close, then maybe finish it up with a sanding block. That said, this would certainly have it's risks to be sure!

This is just my own opinion, but I would think it might be much easier to do this BEFORE you glue it all up. If absolutely nothing else, my thinking is that if you make a mistake or mess something up, you won't damage the neck as well.

With that, I would also offer one small suggestion...there aren't too many of them in the world, but check and see if you have an educational institution (i.e. college) that has a "Fab Lab". Here in Northern Ohio, Lorain County Community College has a Fab Lab that, among other things, is equipped with a "shop bot"...basically a large, robotic milling machine. I'm sure there are shops and companies that also have similar machines available, however if you happen to live near to a Fab Lab, you can use it for free (at least the public can at LCCC). By using such a machine, you could in theory just program in what you need to do to the fretboard and it will mill off the excess stock (frets and all).

Short of something like that, I'd probably look at using a band saw or again a large bench mounted belt sander. It might be easier to remove the frets first, then trim and reinstall them after the fretboard is altered. Again however I would recommend doing this before you mount the fretboard to the neck...you certainly don't want to screw up the neck and even if you only damage the fretboard, removing a fretboard can be tedious work at best.

Hope this helps and good luck!


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Post subject: Re: Custom Telecaster build
Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 7:22 pm
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If allowed, I'd suggest finding a great template. I built my first guitar off a Ron Kirn template from Ebay. Worked out great. Wish you luck on your progress!


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