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New project Guitar


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A real shot in the dark here, but this is my new project as I felt like a change form motorbikes and model boats etc which arrived today

[IMG]http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t215/f1steveuk/guitarkit.jpg[/IMG]

The last one I did turned out ok

[IMG]http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t215/f1steveuk/100_5917.jpg[/IMG]

but I wonderd if anyone else "mucked about" with guitars, and I'm looking for suggestions for what colours to do it............

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As it's a Tele, if you are a bluesman it should be green, as in Muddy Waters, or yellow as in Steve Cropper.

I take it that is a kit, may I ask where from and how much? I got rid of my Tele (copy) when my left wrist gave up, and I've always missed it. Not that I can play worth a damn, but it was a lovely guitar to play.

Edit - is it the Torres Kit? And is it all-in at that price?

Edit edit - you've got me all excited! It's my birthday soon!

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]
Edit edit - you've got me all excited! It's my birthday soon!
[/quote]

Me too!  I was going to build a boat, but this looks cooool-er.  Unfortunately my birthday's a long way off.

Mum!  I'm going to be a rock star!

Patrick

 

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65 quid ebay.co.uk!!   but the Music King do them as well,

http://www.themusicking.co.uk/products.php?cat=57&nav=12

for £69. The wood is good the neck, excellent, but some of the fittings leave a bit to be desired, but I picked up a pukka three saddle tele bridge (Fender) for £8.00, again, Ebay, where I have also sourced and purchased very resonably a copper shielding kit, Esquire type pick gaurd, seymour duncan bridge pick up, and some gotoh tuners, all up with out the paint, it stands me in at less than £75. I'm going to do it as an Esquire (single bridge pick up).

You'll also find bass kits, a Les Paul, Strat, and a PRS kit on the above link, and they are threatening an SG (which I'll have to do, but as a junior!!!). Sadly for me my birthday is Christmas day, so I'm going to have to wait anyway!!!

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[quote user="Dick Smith"] I take it that is a kit, may I ask where from and how much? I got rid of my Tele (copy) when my left wrist gave up, and I've always missed it. Not that I can play worth a damn, but it was a lovely guitar to play.

[/quote]

What about learning bottle neck instead? I don't play well, only what I was taught when I worked in the music industry, but if your having fun, does it matter!!!

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Well the one in the box doesn't sound too good!! The blue one, my son "borrowed" (never saw it again!) and even without changing anything it played really well, had the proper Tele twang. I did one for a mate, and changed tuners and bridge (he wanted a humbucker at the bridge) it it was at the better end of copy range, but not Fender!

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Well the last bits arrived in the post today, and we're heading on home to Belves Saturday.

First job will to be cut a block of alder to fill the space where the bridge pick up would normally live, fill the gaps, do a dry run constuction (make sure it all lines up, little trick is to use fishing line instead of a set of strings!!), put matches in the holes I want to keep, and get rubbing!! Might even have it in primer by this time next week...........................

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Obviously I can't say or call the guitar a Tele#a@te*, nor use anything else that is copyrighted by Fender, so I have drawn up my own headstock for my "Replicaster"

[IMG]http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t215/f1steveuk/TeleHeadstockPattern.jpg[/IMG]

Does that look similar to anyhting else????!!!

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That's one of those nasty Acepro things, very cheap, and there's a good reason for it!!!

As requested

http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/

surf around on here and there is all sorts of tips on how to build the tele and the prs type kits

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What a brilliant idea. I see they do a Precision Bass, something I have always fancied, but most of the copies are horrible and even the Mexican Fenders need better hardware adding. It would be great to build one of these and add decent pickup, tuners and bridge. I might even consider a second jazz-style pickup as well as the split PB one. I'd also fit a 1960s-style bridge cover to give somewhere to rest my right hand. It would be perfect alongside my 1967 Baldwin/Burns EB-2 style semi-acoustic bass and Crafter acoustic bass.

Any tips on finishing? I want a professional-looking finish, and rather fancy natural wood. The blonde Telecasters look lovely.

 

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The site I pos above, manchester guitars, talks you through a sunburst, I usually go for solid colours, if you look at his tele build guide, he tells you how to get a good finnish. The biggest tip, other than lots of rubbing down with different grade papers, is polishing compound!!!

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I've just made a start on the LP (blonde maple) using yacht varnish. Unfortunately the long drying time, the fact that I was sanding in the workshop yesterday and the strong wind today meant that the surface was pretty dusty after the first coat. I may well go for sanding back and polishing. What polish do you use, Steve?

Kit came with no instructions AT ALL, and despite a nice phone call today to a lady in Brum and a promise that instructions would be emailed to me, nothing has arrived. I think I can work out most of it, except for the positions of the humbuckers and why there is a fifth hole in the neck where it meets the body (the other 4 being screw holes), and a matching hole in the body, but no obvious piece to put in it. Any ideas?

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Dick, that arrived quickly.

I did notice on the website that most of the kits did not have instructions, but the company would send tele or strat instructions as most of it was the same. The site Steve posted above has info on building kits that look very much the same, and also a lot on finishing. The guy sells nitrocellulose lacquer, which he recommends. Here is the link in clickable form:

http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/

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The big hole under the neck fixing plate also occurs on the Tele kit, I assumed it was to hang it while painting, but I prefer screwing a dummy neck on and uing it as a handle.

The polishing compound I use is from Halfords, in a yellow tube (can't give you the name, I'm in the UK, my polish is in my garage in Belves), but once the hospital has kicked me out, we're off home for three weeks I'll find out. T cut tends to make the finish go hazy.

I did a "relic" Strat for my son, using a Squier copy, made it look like a 1959 one that had been palyed everyday since, and the best finish I got on the plain wood was to rub it down with 1200 wet and dry, then flour paper (which is barely abrasive) and then coat after coat after coat of Bri-wax, natural bees wax, and I used a  tinted one. I'm tempted to do the Esquire/Tele/Replicaster neck by just waxing it, but I've never done it on a neck before..............[+o(]

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Yacht varnish is a no-no. It is horrible, attracts dust like a dead cow attracts flies and looks like moulded plastic. It's also a b to sand off again...

I've read the praises of nitro-cellulose lacquer, only query - can I spray it straight on to the sealed wood on the guitar top?

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I would have thought with a light sanding nitro would work, but I bet you'll need a fair few light coats to loose the grain!! The speed your going you'll be playing it before I get the tape of the box on mine[:-))]

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