Double neck Tele body?

[olddawg]

I’ve been considering a project for a while. That’s why I posted about that cheap clunker double neck earlier. Thought I might just use the body and pickguard. But it’s a 12x 6 and probably weighs a ton. What I want to do is build a double neck Tele using some decent old Squier necks and hardware I have laying around. I want to build 6x6 not a 6x12. I also want to put a Strat trem unit in the bottom guitar. The top neck will be for slide. Also.. it needs to be basswood, pine or alder to keep the weight sane. Preferably unfinished. I haven’t had much luck sourcing such a body. To have one custom made by Warmoth is a bit ridiculously expensive. Any suggestions?

[big_teee]

Theres a few on ebay.
Check this one out!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MJT-Officia...-/312377499634

[Chuck H]

Well you could still just buy a couple of junk project or cheapies and kludge together a double neck body. I did this with MSpaint. If you make the cuts right and then glue them together with a long biscuit it'll probably be tough enough to handle what most other guitars can. The first image is the rough glue (and shows where the cuts would be) and the second would be after trimming the between neck bout and the bottom. You would only need a table saw, a barrel sander (or barrel sander bit for a drill if you're good) and a random orbital sander.

[John_H]

I was curious how big one of these would have to be, so I did a rough layout on some cardboard, trying to keep the size to a minimum. I ended up with 17" at the lower bout, 13 3/4 at the waist, and 16 at the front. The size doesn't feel awkward when holding the cutout.

Keep in mind that there is a lot of area that will be covered by pickguard that you can relieve for weight.

If the top neck is going to be used for slide. It gives you the option of making it any scale length that you want. It wouldn't need a fretboard or a truss rod.

[olddawg]

I thought about that.. You can get knockoff bodies for $50. But, to get decent neck access the necks are usually staggered if you look at the few real Fender ones made.

[olddawg]

Thanks T! I searched the sh@t out of eBay and couldn’t find one! Guess you have the magic touch! That one is ash! I wish they would give the weight! Must weigh a ton!

[big_teee]

You may want to email, or call mark jenny?
See if they would make you a unpainted body, in the wood of your choice?
http://www.mjtagedfinishes.com/order2/
T

[big_teee]

How about this?
https://www.solomusicgear.com/produc...basswood-body/

[olddawg]

How about this?
https://www.solomusicgear.com/produc...basswood-body/

They have this too:
https://www.solomusicgear.com/produc...body-maple-fb/

There’s a bunch of these kits out there from various suppliers. I thought about it. Problem is the neck pocket is large for the 12 string neck and I would have to rout it for the Strat trem myself. I guess I could shim and rerout the neck pocket. And the necks aren’t staggered. BUT... it’s not a lot of money and you get some hardware and a pick guard. I assumed the necks would be garbage, but I have some old Japanese Squier necks like I said. I was thinking of throwing one together. Maybe have $300 in it. If I like it and it doesn’t weigh as much as a park bench, then maybe do a decent finish and some better pickups/electronics. They don’t like to give you any specs on anything.

[big_teee]

The one I showed is a double 6 string.
It has the strat on top though.
You could make the bottom guitar a 3 pickup.
I've done that mod a few times.
Could the 12 string model, head be modified?

[olddawg]

The one I showed is a double 6 string.
It has the strat on top though.
You could make the bottom guitar a 3 pickup.
I've done that mod a few times.
Could the 12 string model, head be modified?

Anything can be modified. The 12string neck is just wide and I don’t expect usable necks at this price point anyway.... at least not usable to me. But I’ve always loved the maple Japanese Squier Tele and Strat necks with the rosewood fretboard.
If I could keep the beast around 12 lbs it would be great. Hard to tell about these things without the parts in front of you. I did take a chance with my LP Jr and got lucky.

[Helmholtz]

Thanks T! I searched the sh@t out of eBay and couldn’t find one! Guess you have the magic touch! That one is ash! I wish they would give the weight! Must weigh a ton!

It says swamp ash, which should be a little less weight than alder on average.

[olddawg]

It says swamp ash, which should be a little less weight than alder on average.

Yeah.. I PMed him. He says its 6.5lbs. That's not too bad. My guess is the total build would be about 12lbs.

[big_teee]

Yeah.. I PMed him. He says its 6.5lbs. That's not too bad. My guess is the total build would be about 12lbs.

Like John said, rout some holes in the body, under the pickguard!
T

[olddawg]

Like John said, rout some holes in the body, under the pickguard!
T

Yeah like a “smugglers” Tele. Lol. Or “Mexican chambering”, lol! Honestly 12lbs isn’t bad for a double neck. A heavy LP can weigh that much. Unfortunately I think this body is going to get bid up ridiculously in 6 days. We will see. Shimming and routing a kit is looking more and more likely.