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Post subject: Stratopartster IV & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:18 pm
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Stratopartster IV & Telepartster I Build...Intro

To Begin, this is a new Thread, Thread Build to be more exact.....I started this as a continuation in my Stratopartster I and II Rebuild Thread....
However, this is not a rebuild and actually is going to be a full build up as far as the bodies are concerned.

That is Bodies as in " Two "....A few days ago i was just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to score a pristine Telecaster Deluxe Neck for very little.
It is a 70's style Bullet Truss Rod Neck, in Maple, lightly figured, 3 screw Micro Tilt Adjustment.
After much running around On and Offline trying to find an appropriate Body in either Walnut or Lightly Figured Maple, I decided that it was going to be too expensive to have a body milled out to the specs I wanted......
First off this is a body featuring 3 Single pickups, Samarium Cobalt Noiseless, which are actually stacked humbuckers, One Master Volume and One Master TBX pot. A Super Switch which is actually a 7 way switch and allows you all variations of pup selection.
Of course this does not sound like much variation except that the Tele body will be contoured like a Strat body, all electronics will be routed from the rear, Jack will be recessed and from the side or edge, below the end strap button.
Tuners were found today, Grover Deluxe, all hardware will be in Gold, bridge is going to be an ABM string thru body hardtail...( german bridge excellent quality.)

So this brings the body configuration...unable to find or unwilling to order a custom spec body, that left only one solution......

Off to the supplier....after contemplating I decided on Tiger Maple Top...Bookmatched on a Two piece Walnut body, also bookmatched...
After purchasing the wood, it was obvious I would have more than enough to build not just One....But Two guitars...A Tele....and a Strat....
Both will be 70's Style Deluxe, similar pickups, electronics configuration.....
So here are the pics of the Slabs of Tiger Maple and Walnut, The maple is 8" wide by 2" thick by 24 inches in lenght...The wall nut is approximately the same size but only 1-1/2 inches in thickness....

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Last edited by 53magnatone on Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:20 pm, edited 6 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:39 am
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Hi 53: this is very exciting!

Need to hear a lot more about that timber. Where did you find it? Was it expensive? How well seasoned is it? Can you show us the end grain please, so we can see how it's been cut from the tree?

The flame on the maple is excellent considering it isn't even levelled yet. It is going to POP when it finally has a finish on it. Yum. The piece on the left in the first picture is especially nice. The right-hand piece presents some problems and it will be interesting to see you work around those. Eight inches wide, did you say? Hmm: thought provoking. Both pieces have good longitudinal grain as well as the flame: that's always good to see in a guitar front, to my taste.

Can't wait to see you sawing that maple in half and book-matching it. Many, many photos, please!

Best of luck with it: eager eyes will be watching. Go to.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:47 am
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Ambitious.....Not really, I'm a woodworker, currently i'm working in the Historic district of Providence repairing, renovating 1900 period residential homes...
I have all the required tooling from Tablesaws to Bandsaw to Joiner to Planer, Routers, Sanders and all the necessary clamps, chisels..handtools...the works....

I just refuse to pay hundreds of Dollars for a body that I can mill out myself with the details I want....
I can choose my own wood, according to the grain pattern I want and it also allows me to mill out several tops and bodies from the same boards which allows me to match two guitars as far as top grain configuration...
To have someone like Warmoth or the others customize a body to those specs would be close to a $1,000 just because of the labor involved in finding such select boards.
There is a supplier about an hour away from my home who carries domestic as well as imported wood, so sometimes in the future building my own necks will probably also happen..

The issue is the time span as it does take quite some time to line everything up...

I must add that there is a special satisfaction in whittling... :lol: your own instrument or for that matter furniture or redoing your own kitchen house...

EDIT.....
This was in reply to a post that as of today ( 12/16/11 ) is no longer on this thread as it has been removed.... :?:

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Last edited by 53magnatone on Fri Dec 16, 2011 7:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:06 am
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Ceri wrote:
Hi 53: this is very exciting!

Need to hear a lot more about that timber. Where did you find it? Was it expensive? How well seasoned is it? Can you show us the end grain please, so we can see how it's been cut from the tree?

The flame on the maple is excellent considering it isn't even levelled yet. It is going to POP when it finally has a finish on it. Yum. The piece on the left in the first picture is especially nice. The right-hand piece presents some problems and it will be interesting to see you work around those. Eight inches wide, did you say? Hmm: thought provoking. Both pieces have good longitudinal grain as well as the flame: that's always good to see in a guitar front, to my taste.

Can't wait to see you sawing that maple in half and book-matching it. Many, many photos, please!

Best of luck with it: eager eyes will be watching. Go to.

Cheers - C


Good Morning Ceri.....quickly since I have to be out the door...
The T. Maple slabs I bought at Woodcraft, the particular store is going out of business so it was a good deal...
The Walnut was an 8ft x 8" x 2" board I bought at Downes and Reader Hardwood http://www.downesandreader.com
I paid about $46.00 for the 8ft long Walnut board and $70.00 for the Maple boards.
When You consider the costs of a body from either Warmoth, B-Heffner, Stew-Mac, Allparts
it is inexpensive...Granted very few of us have the luxury of being able to mill out our own guitars if we so wish...So I do appreciate and sympathise for anyone buying a body or neck from the aforementioned...There..

There are some challenges with one piece, but I have enough and it is thick enough to have 2 tops from each Maple slab if I choose not to contour or just one top if contoured.
but from the same store the Walnut was too expensive so I went to Downes and Reader in Thompson Mass...they supply a lot of wood for cabinet makers and finish carpenters in the region. It's actually a luxury to be able to pick out your own stock...
I will add more pics end grain and all later....

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Last edited by 53magnatone on Tue Dec 13, 2011 7:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:15 am
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53magnatone wrote:
The T. Maple slabs I bought at Woodcraft, the particular store is going out of business so it was a good deal...
The Walnut was an 8ft x 8" x 2" board I bought at Downes and Reader Hardwood http://www.downesandreader.com

There are some challenges with one piece, but I have enough and it is thick enough to have 2 tops from each Maple slab if I choose not to contour or just one top if contoured.
but from the same store the Walnut was too expensive so I went to Downes and Reader in Thompson Mass...they supply a lot of wood for cabinet makers and finish carpenters in the region.

Great: thank you for that.


53magnatone wrote:
It's actually a luxury to be able to pick out your own stock...

Yes it is! :D

I'm looking forward to some proper grown-up carpentry on this thread. Time to take this Forum to the next level! 8)

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:04 pm
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Here are some additional pics, closer shots and end grain, though the end grain needs to be cut so that it becomes more visible

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Last edited by 53magnatone on Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:22 pm
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Yes indeed!!! Looking forward to this thread!!! We're here supporting you 53!!! 8) :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:51 pm
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I like the flame on that neck man!

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:05 pm
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Strataholic wrote:
I like the flame on that neck man!


Would you believe it from a MIM Deluxe.... :?: 8) :D 8)
I paid $50 for it... :lol:

I should post a design sketch so that everyone gets where I'm going with this.....
It is going to take a while but so far quite a few of the parts are falling into place.

But I still have to find a matching neck for the Strat part of the Build Equation.....

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:38 pm
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These are the Grover Tuners for the Tele...

Even though the previous tuners screw holes are prominent, they will be filled and are actually hidden once the tuners are inset...The holes need to be reamed out before install...
So the tuners are just inserted to see the layout, they are not flush and thus are sticking up about 3/8th of an inch...

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Last edited by 53magnatone on Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:43 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 7:29 pm
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I have to add that I may return to Downes and Reader on Friday or next week and pick out more Walnut, preferably Figured Walnut...Though that will be 3 times the cost per board foot...
But it will be worth it...

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:49 am
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53magnatone wrote:
I have to add that I may return to Downes and Reader on Friday or next week and pick out more Walnut, preferably Figured Walnut...Though that will be 3 times the cost per board foot...

If you felt like taking a camera with you it would be fascinating to see what you have to choose from. Just a thought...

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:22 am
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Hi Ceri, Good Idea, Thanks......

I could take a camera, but I would have to ask first as sometimes companies are a bit reluctant to allow someone running around with a camera..
But I usually always have the Canon EOS-40D with me,it has a 28-135mm lens so that is always a fun deviance... :lol:
I often take photo's on my way to and from work,,so At this point the I-photo has over 19,000 photo's ....Just a budding Photographer.....

But on this combined build, I plan on documenting the journey...That's the right word.....

I suppose you have gone to the Downes and Reader website, pretty cute, I like the way it is laid out with the wooden host figurine.
It gives me an idea for my own website....

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:53 am
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53magnatone wrote:
I suppose you have gone to the Downes and Reader website...

I didn't - but I have now. You're right, it's a cute website. Someone's done a lot of work with that little wood fella (wood feller - geddit?).

I was looking through the exotic hardwoods section. My local supplier has some nice bloodwood which I notice Downes & Reader also offer. Howzabout bloodwood fingerboards and matching pickguards? Tasty.

Just thinking out loud...

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster III & TelePartster I Build
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:06 am
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Ceri wrote:
53magnatone wrote:
I suppose you have gone to the Downes and Reader website...

I didn't - but I have now. You're right, it's a cute website. Someone's done a lot of work with that little wood fella (wood feller - geddit?).

I was looking through the exotic hardwoods section. My local supplier has some nice bloodwood which I notice Downes & Reader also offer. Howzabout bloodwood fingerboards and matching pickguards? Tasty.

Just thinking out loud...

Cheers - C


Yes but I would think he is quite nimble on his feet, I don't see an incurable dent in his cap.... :lol: :lol:

As far as the necks, I'm not up for milling out the necks just yet and I really want to keep both necks as Fender necks, I will in the future mill and then build the entire guitar but for this project it is just going to be the bodies.
As you well know there is a lot of jigs needed to build a neck correctly so that is for future planning..

But was it you or Xhefri that said " Once you build your own Strats, it is very difficult to look at one that is for sale from the manufacturer ", I would add that this also applies to Gibson or PRS. ( which does not mean I do not plan on not buying another Custom Shop in the future...)

Since I mentioned those two....I have been looking at the Coffetable sized book on PRS and the book by Yasuhiko Iwanabe " the Beauty of the Burst " as well as Custom Guitars and others...
I have to order the Fender Custom Shop Book for more reference.

Those are giving me ideas as to the layout for bookmatching and wether I'm going to clear coat with a very light cherry or tobacco burst or wether I will bind the edges with a contrasting wood strip......

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