With the Mustang VI still on the "no progress" list, what better than to start another fantasy project. This was something I've imagined for a while, actually. I love:
- Jazzmaster bodies
- Tele Custom pickup configs
- Telemasters / offset Telecasters
- 70s black-on-black-on-maple aesthetics
- the necks and vibe of 70s Greco Fender copies.
What else could I do but plan a Telemaster Custom as if Greco had made one in the 70s?
So from trolling Yahoo auctions in Japan I bought a used 2019 Squier JM HH hardtail, and managed to snag a Greco neck that was covered in weird gunk and so was about 1/4 the price they usually fetch. There was also a Yamaha Super RnRoller 500 in the box but that's for another day.
After a lot of fiddle it turned out I could loosen the gunk on the neck and then chip it off with a careful razor blade, which took a while. It came up pretty well except the area between frets 3 and 4 was scraped to wood sometime long ago. So then I had three necks (the Yamaha is caked in some terrible coating, it's going to take time to figure it out).
Then started test fitting layouts - a long Gotoh bridge (no thanks):
and a cheap classic ashtray style bridge:
which was always the way to go. Aligned with the string-thru holes it sits forward of the hardtail screw holes but I'm not concerned, they will disappear easily.
Up against my beloved '83 Squier Tele Custom:
But! I already have a Custom with a humbucker in the neck. Maybe that JM neck pickup I've got ...
I think it might need a black cover tho.
Who knows when it'll actually get done, there's the problem of a pickguard (the Squier one isn't quite right, and altho it fits a standard JM one, the bridge pickup hole is a lot wider than the Tele bridge plate). Stay tuned but don't hold your breath.
