You've got a $1k budget to build a Tele. How are you spending the money?

[Helmholtz]

Ok, hard tail strat here. Seems I remembered wrong with Lowell George.
But what a precision in slide playing!

[tedmich]

this Tele just popped up on my CList
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/msg...482556148.html

900 yr old ancient growth ash!

[koldobrew]

When we all had a lockdown I also finally found time to build a guitar, I have a lot of experience playing this particular instrument, so I was confident that I would succeed.

[tedmich]

Almost all of an early guitar players experiences are conforming themselves to the physical makeup of the guitar, hitting the strings right, fretting and picking, building up strength and calluses. Keyboard players notably lack a few of these requirements (the notes are all "right there"!) and can often focus more on the music being produced.

Its a quantum leap for players later development (many never get there) when the guitarist begins to modify their guitar to match their physiology, playing style etc. But many people never mod cars as well; they just remain consumers of other peoples "car ideas".

check the Abasi take on an evolved Tele, their Space T


All the good parts of the Tele are there, but added are ergonomic design elements like a leg cutout for a more upright classical position, and a radiuses upper bout to allow both hands to easily be all over the neck. Its like a Strats wonderful ergonomic design was finally brought to the "band saw guitar" design simplicity of the Tele.

When you're building a guitar for you its trivial to do some of these mods or ones specifically to fit YOU.

Unless you are designing solely for resale uniformity (oh look, yawn, yet another Tele...) , its highly advisable to take Dr Frank-N-Furters admonishment to heart, to paraphrase: "I didn't build it for YOU!"

My $0.02 !

[SoulFetish]

Spoken like a real bass player

[tedmich]

Spoken like a real bass player

my only bass is a 6 string tuned as an octave guitar (drop D) and played...like a guitar!

[big_teee]

I like it.
I would like it better, with three pickups, and the neck pickup moved up near the 22 fret.
Put in a strat middle pickup, a 5 way switch, and you would have a modern looking versatile tele.
I put 3 pickups in several tele's with a 5 way, and rwrp the middle pickup.
Everyone I've done that for like them much better with 3 pickups.
My $.02
T
**I'm not a bass player either, but I own one.

[Greg_L]

That thing looks like an official KISS trademarked Gene Simmons bottle opener.

[The Dude]

Almost all of an early guitar players experiences are conforming themselves to the physical makeup of the guitar, hitting the strings right, fretting and picking, building up strength and calluses. Keyboard players notably lack a few of these requirements (the notes are all "right there"!) and can often focus more on the music being produced.

Its a quantum leap for players later development (many never get there) when the guitarist begins to modify their guitar to match their physiology, playing style etc. But many people never mod cars as well; they just remain consumers of other peoples "car ideas".

check the Abasi take on an evolved Tele, their Space T

If you're a thumb over the neck player or even partially over, or if you just have giant hands like mine, you'd hate that guitar. Playing past the 12th fret would be difficult. IMO, that's a lead singer's guitar.

[The Dude]

In fact, why obscure just half the frets. Why not just obscure them all?

[SoulFetish]

In fact, why obscure just half the frets. Why not just obscure them all?

Looooove it

[Greg_L]

IMO, that's a lead singer's guitar.

Half time strumming cowboy chords half the time. You have to wonder though how it's balanced hanging behind the singer's back. That's a big consideration for a lead singer guitar.

[SoulFetish]

Here’s a practical update; I went about $400 over budget. It’s all the little sh*t that adds up.

My tele went like this:
•Alder body/Mirror Black Nitro finish/single binding.
•Gotoh bridge plate w/cut down sides and Wilkinson adjustable brass saddles.
•Lollar pickups. Dunlop Ridiculous($) Pots, CRL 3-way switch. Electrosocket jack plate.

•Birdseye Maple neck w/ Chunky C profile. Rosewood fretboard
•9.5”-12” compound radius.
•modern cast 2-pin Machine heads.

neck wasn’t finished, which wasn’t ideal, But it checked a number of other blockes that were important so I pulled the trigger. Had to ream out The tuner holes and dye-stain in the neck

[tedmich]

Here’s a practical update; I went about $400 over budget. It’s all the little sh*t that adds up.

My tele went like this:
•Alder body/Mirror Black Nitro finish/single binding.
•Gotoh bridge plate w/cut down sides and Wilkinson adjustable brass saddles.
•Lollar pickups. Dunlop Ridiculous($) Pots, CRL 3-way switch. Electrosocket jack plate.

•Birdseye Maple neck w/ Chunky C profile. Rosewood fretboard
•9.5”-12” compound radius.
•modern cast 2-pin Machine heads.

wow odd finish , there's a smiling guy in it!
Seriously though while I'm increasingly wanting my wood to look, "woody" thats a nice piano black lacquer .
No Skunk stripe on neck, are the frets SS or disposable?

[Chuck H]

OOooo, pretty. And I'm a fan of the fat neck profile too. And I also love the curly and/or birds eye maple look but I've heard a few road dogs complain that they aren't as stable as less figured necks. Though I might expect less trouble with the chunky C profile. Looks great so far. My own guitar (strat) has no such custom finish but it IS made entirely from custom parts. Warmoth, Seymour Duncan, Gotoh, etc. I purchased two necks for it. One with a maple fingerboard and one with rosewood. I ended up preferring the maple fingerboard, which is strange because prior to this one guitar I've always preferred the feel and tone of rosewood. But I just fell in love with this all custom parts build and it's been my main instrument for over twenty years! I hope you get the same experience.