Official Luthiers Forum!

I’ve got a request to put together a quote for an electric guitar. It’s to be a basic solid-body Tele but with some interesting body wood. I’m looking at a couple different approaches, and any info would be appreciated. Right now I’ve got several questions:

Approx. how much time will it take compared to an acoustic?

What are some good sources of body wood. Gilmer has some neat Zebrawood.

What are some good sources for moderately-priced necks? International Luthier’s Supply has some made-in-USA maple necks for about $90. Anyone have any experience using pre-fabbed necks?

Suggestions for pickups and hardware would also be appreciated. I’d like to put together something for under a grand, but it has to end up a good, solid guitar. Keep in mind that with my limited experience my labor rate is in the “earning my dues” category.

Thanks.

I have built quite a few tele's. Weight is going to be a key issue. Don't get crazy with finding some super duper fancy wood or you will end up with a real boat anchor. My favorite Tele is a chambered mahogany body with a mahogany neck. (you will have to chamber it to keep the weight down).

If you wanted to get really fancy, you could get some of that crazy quilted sapele from Bob C and cap it with that and round over the edges. That would look really great.

You might even try putting a madrose fingerboard on it for a "non production" look (but I am not sure if I would like that until I saw it).

Cost? That is hard to speculate. I always think $2,000 is about the "getting started" retail price if you are selling it. But I use good hardware, good pickups (usually Fralins), etc. YMMV.

:-) Brock Poling38595.7251273148

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Bruce...I'm in the midst of building a Stewmac Tele kit. I bought their body (ash) and pre-fabed neck (maple) and all of the hardware and pickups (one-stop shopping)...all for around $600. I need it in a hurry for my son and it fit the bill. I received everything and was quite impressed with the quality. The neck was dead-straight and the fret work of high quality. The body requires pore filling and finishing. It should be complete in no time.

So far I can highly recommend it...I'll reserve final judgement until it's completed...another 2 weeks.

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I always thought this was a very handsome tele...

http://www.mimf.com/library/brown_tele.htm

Obviously different pickup arrangement, but the coco pickguard and back cap look really nice

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I can't believe you guys would use that cussin' word here....
"_l_ctr_c" Shame on you.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Oh... and you are the guy with the tin snips working on your reso...   

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Thanks, Broc and JJ. That mimf tele looks great and gives me some good ideas.

Don - I can't wait to see the Smiley Face coverplate on your reso build

Hey. No tin snips for this guy...my reso is a wood body!
And no smiley faces either!


Then again......

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Warmoth has many neck choices. It'll cost you more, but they offer several wood and profile (thickness & shape) options.

Warmoth is a great electric, neck manufacturer. I have bought many and they were always well done. Also, you can get compound radius and exotic woods of all sorts. I think they even offer stainless steel frets! I have built electrics using Zebrawood. If you must use Z use it as a drop top. Solid Zeb is expensive and very very heavy. The heaviest electric guitar I ever made was a Solid Zeb strat with a paduk neck and madagasscar fretboard. Weighed about 20lbs..at least it felt like that after an hour or so.

Gidwani from exoticwoods also made me a neck several years ago of Bocote that was spectacular.

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

I built a solid purpleheart body once. It weighed a ton. I ended up planing 1/4" off the top, chambering it and drop topping it with purpleheart. That made it better.

Lesson learned.   

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Zebrawood ain't that pricey, surely? Over here it's cheaper than Honduran.

Telecasters are really about the simplest guitar you can make. Slab body, no contours, bolt on neck. While back I started a Strat+Tele speed building project (which is, well, on hold for various life and not being near the shop reasons), and turned out two bodies and two necks, pretty much ready for spraying, in about a week/week and half's worth of full time work. Went fairly fast, but not hugely, and was hampered by lack of some tools (cutting out a body's much slower when you don't have a bandsaw, y'know). I guesstimate I could do the rough building on a Telecaster in a long weekend, assuming about 8-10 hours per day, and have it ready for finishing. Laminations and the like will add to your build time (glue has to dry and all that), but even building your own neck is pretty darn simple.

Body wood...well, if you want trad Tele tone, Alder or (swamp) ash are always good choices, and lam them. Potentially chamber them, too, although my two swamp ash bodies ain't bad. Check local lumber yards for those, although Gilmer does have a nice selection of electric blanks as well.

Bruce,
I am in the middle (kind of) of building an electric project right now. Mahogany body with mahog. neck, and a BEAUTIFUL Quilted Sapele Mahog. top from Bob C. I got the blank from Warmoth as well as the neck.I think I would go elsewhere in the future for the blank wood, nothing fancy. I was making my own neck, but baby came and I figured "I'll never get this done!" So I ordered a neck built from Warmoth.(I know you guys are cringing right now!) It's mahogany w/ Pau Ferro fretboard and abalone dot markers. It has 6130 frets and a Strat style bolt on end.It's a six degree paddle headstock
so I can design my own head.I ordered the neck this way so it took like over a month to get to NJ from Calif.About $200.00. They have necks ready to go. Look on their web site. Its def. a quality neck. nice work and clean. I am tweaking it to suit me a little better. I have been working on the guitar for a while now due to family and work. I would imagine an experienced builder can get it together pretty quickly. Month or so....good luck!

Don...Sorry for the cursing!
Mark

I don't like buying parts but I have a Stew Mac neck sitting storage at my house. Just a maple w/ebony and MOP dots. It's straight, looks good, and the headstock is oversized so it can be customized.

Bought it for a last minute build that never happened, now it's sitting with my curly spanish cedar and figured walnut B&S talkin smack about the Quilted Sapele that just moved in across the room.

_________________
CVT Inc.
A tour of our shop (Somewhat outdated)
My Personal eBay profile. BCWoodBug

I found a picture of the electric I made.
Honduran mahogany body and neck,quilted maple carved top,ebony appointments.
It is based on a Les Paul,but I made it about a 1/2" thinner which reduced the weight dramatically.

Cool guitar Brad. Clean, pretty and elegant!
Mark