Building a Telecaster
I’m assembling the parts list for the electric guitar I’m building.
Leo Fender came up with the telecaster design in the 1940’s, and nothing surpasses it for americana music. It’s a twang machine, pure and simple. I’m trying to build a guitar that emulates the tone of Don Rich, the guitarist for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. I’m also a fan of Redd Volkaert and Junior Brown.
The best examples from the early broadcaster and nocaster years sell for 50K and up. Way out of my price range. Cheap versions made today incorporate pot metal and inferior wood.
So I decided to try to assemble one from high quality parts. Luckily, there is a rabid group of people on boards like The Telecaster Discussion Forum who readily exchange information about it and have most of it figured out.
The basic recipe is swamp ash body, maple neck, single coil pickups, and brass saddles. However, the devil is in the details. The hardest part is going to be be finishing the wood in period correct nitrocellulose lacquer, and doing the wiring and setup work. A lot of the other stuff will be easy — for example, my neck and body are going to be cut on a laser machine up in Washington state, so I just have to bolt those together.
It’s really a great time to be alive if you are interested in finely crafted things. Look all around and you can see it. Fine wines from the Willamette Valley. Fine cheeses from Tillamook and Rogue. Luthiers doing their thing. Fly tying. Boat building by the fine folks at Willie Boats, Clackacraft, and North River. You name it. We live in a great place.
Who else is interested in building things as a hobby?
Well, it’s not so much in the “finely crafted” vain, but there’s always DorkbotPDX, which is full of makers and crafters of various varieties. There are quite a few people in that community who cross over into a lot of the more traditional craft areas. There has also been talk of starting a group to get together and talk about homebrewing. I’m not sure where that stands now, but I’d love to meet more people who enjoy making their own (whatever it might be). Portland is definitely among the most lively craft-loving cities I’ve seen.
I build fences and pergolas and fix up my house. I try and find new ways of re-using stuff I see at the rebuilding center.
Thomas,
Cool, I took a look at DorkbotPDX. Home brewing is on my list of things to try as well.
I love that their are so many perfectionist geeks out there who revel in doing things extremely well.
Cheers,
Motor
dieselboi,
I’ll have to pick your brain sometime about pergolas. I have a plan for one that I just need to save up for.
Motor
Mmmmm… Fender guitars….
I’ve destroyed many guitars over the years, but never tried building one. I want to try that thing out when you’re finished.