Pine Tele Build

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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Maggieo
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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by Maggieo » Mon Sep 09, 2019 8:35 am

antisymmetric wrote:
Sun Sep 08, 2019 3:22 pm
Really nice project and thread, inspiring me to get busy and finally get myself a Tele out of the old pine I've saved for the purpose.

Kind of a thread jack, but all this talk of pine Teles, shellac, Rick Kelly etc makes me want to mention the recentCarmine Street Guitars film. I just got to see it as part of a film festival. Totally worth watching! (Searching for the link to post here also turned up this:The Intelligent Hand) :-* :-*
The Rick Kelly documentary is just a fantastic picture, and I'm not saying that because I have two of his guitars. OK, well, maybe a little. :blush:
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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solfege
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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by solfege » Wed Sep 25, 2019 6:28 pm

No pics, but pickups came, and they're beautiful. Unfortunately, the hot wire from the bridge got broken just short of where the leads attach, so it's got to go back to Tim for repairs. He's being amazing about it (we have no idea where or how it happened), and I should have a temporary replacement in a couple days -- which I'll eventually swap back out for the one going back to be repaired b/c they're lacquer potted and the replacement will just be wax. The neck sounds *glorious* and I'm eagerly awaiting the other.

I do have a problem though. I'll eventually end up with an extra very nice Broadcaster bridge pickup. Surely it can't be allowed to go to waste. Which means that I now have to start imagining a guitar to put it in.

My immediate thought is some kind of Esquire, but that leaves pretty much ever other aspect of the guitar open.... humm.

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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by solfege » Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:22 am

Finally done! Tim decided to lacquer pot the replacement pickup rather than wax potting it, so that changed the timeline, but it also means the guitar is done done now that it's arrived.

Here are the quick shots I took last night after I got it all up and running.

Image

Image

Here are the original pickups (I didn't take a picture of the replacement bridge, but it's identical, just shy of 10k). They're a Broadcaster set, A3 magnets, 43AWG uncoated wire, lacquer potted, and wound to 7k and 10k respectively, neck and bridge. Setting up took a bit of figuring, sine the A3 magnets generally want to be closer to the strings than your typical A5s would be, and the difference in pickup strength means that the neck is ever so slightly much closer to the strings than the bridge. It's a use your ears situation.

Image

In the end, though, I couldn't be happier. Tim's pickups are wonderful, rich and chimey. The middle setting is amazing, and they do exactly what we discussed, which is to play nice with amp settings that I also use for my offsets. The guitar itself is remarkably light. I think if the body had any less mass it might be neck divey. As it is, we're just short of that.

Here's a few shots I took this morning in my office with better light.

Image
Image
Image

Happily, most of my visible imperfections in finishing are on the back!

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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by Rgand » Wed Oct 16, 2019 8:15 am

That's beautiful! Pure Tele. Congrats, it looks like a keeper.

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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by marqueemoon » Wed Oct 16, 2019 8:31 am

Very nice! Looking at that makes me want to play guitar.

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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by Maggieo » Wed Oct 16, 2019 8:32 am

solfege wrote:
Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:22 am
Finally done! Tim decided to lacquer pot the replacement pickup rather than wax potting it, so that changed the timeline, but it also means the guitar is done done now that it's arrived.

Here are the quick shots I took last night after I got it all up and running.

Image

Image

Here are the original pickups (I didn't take a picture of the replacement bridge, but it's identical, just shy of 10k). They're a Broadcaster set, A3 magnets, 43AWG uncoated wire, lacquer potted, and wound to 7k and 10k respectively, neck and bridge. Setting up took a bit of figuring, sine the A3 magnets generally want to be closer to the strings than your typical A5s would be, and the difference in pickup strength means that the neck is ever so slightly much closer to the strings than the bridge. It's a use your ears situation.

Image

In the end, though, I couldn't be happier. Tim's pickups are wonderful, rich and chimey. The middle setting is amazing, and they do exactly what we discussed, which is to play nice with amp settings that I also use for my offsets. The guitar itself is remarkably light. I think if the body had any less mass it might be neck divey. As it is, we're just short of that.

Here's a few shots I took this morning in my office with better light.

Image
Image
Image

Happily, most of my visible imperfections in finishing are on the back!
That is utter Tele perfection. Well done!!!! :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :?
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by solfege » Wed Oct 16, 2019 1:32 pm

Thanks, everyone. I'm pretty happy with it.

And I have this other problem of what to do with the pickup that got busted whenever Tim gets it back to me. My current thought is an Esquire Telemaster, but I was also thinking of 12 strings (or even doing the 9 string thing).

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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Thu Oct 17, 2019 2:24 am

solfege wrote:
Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:22 am
Image
Money shot! Beautiful Tele!!
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by postchrist » Thu Oct 17, 2019 10:32 pm

it’s perfect!! :-* :? absolutely dreamy...
lying dog-faced pony soldier.

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Re: Pine Tele Build

Post by solfege » Sat Oct 19, 2019 2:36 pm

Thanks, everyone.

Got to play it some more today, at volume on the big amp. It's really airy and has an almost acoustic quality to its sound, and it just rings and sustains beautifully. I ended up doing a lot of Feelies-esque open chords and rhythm playing and it was glorious.

Image

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