NGD: American Standard Telecaster on steroids
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:41 am
This isn't exactly a new guitar, I have been buying parts for it since 2008. But as of today, I believe it's finally complete. For years I have been looking for my dream Tele, only to find out that any model I'd looked into had at least one feature that I didn't like. So I came to choose my own Tele starting off with decent wood: I found this super light 2-piece alder body coming off an American Standard Tele on Stratosphere over 11 years ago. At that time, the AM Std went through some renovation and the body was pre-routed for 3 pickups in H-S-S configuration.
A few years later I bought the full Callaham hardware kit, with a 4-way selector switch. At that time I don't think Mastery existed yet, and anyway, the hardware and electronics looked of superior quality to anything I had seen on the market, particularly their Am Std bridge.
Pickups are from an Italian boutique, Mama pickups. Their bridge tele coil retains much of the twang and it pairs up very nicely with the humbucker I put at the neck.
For a few years I played this beauty with an All Parts licensed neck - in vintage specs. It's a beautiful neck but after playing my Jazzmaster with larger frets and 9.5" radius I realized I wanted something more modern on my Tele as well. I like "C" shape necks, and thought I could use the 22nd fret also. So two days ago I got a good deal on an American Std telecaster from 2008 (same year as my body) and I couldn't say no.
Overall, this guitar is only 7.3 lbs (3.35 kg). I feel much more comfortable with the flatter radius and larger frets, but I liked the Kluson tuners better, so I traded the Am Std tuners for the fender classic gear tuners which fit perfectly in a modern headstock without adapter bushings or drilling new holes. I wish I could retain the Callaham round string tree (vintage looking), but I would need to drill a new hole and I don't think I will.
Nowadays the American Performer H-S tele gets pretty close to it, but I doubt I could find an exemplar this light, and also I prefer the flatter bridge.
A few years later I bought the full Callaham hardware kit, with a 4-way selector switch. At that time I don't think Mastery existed yet, and anyway, the hardware and electronics looked of superior quality to anything I had seen on the market, particularly their Am Std bridge.
Pickups are from an Italian boutique, Mama pickups. Their bridge tele coil retains much of the twang and it pairs up very nicely with the humbucker I put at the neck.
For a few years I played this beauty with an All Parts licensed neck - in vintage specs. It's a beautiful neck but after playing my Jazzmaster with larger frets and 9.5" radius I realized I wanted something more modern on my Tele as well. I like "C" shape necks, and thought I could use the 22nd fret also. So two days ago I got a good deal on an American Std telecaster from 2008 (same year as my body) and I couldn't say no.
Overall, this guitar is only 7.3 lbs (3.35 kg). I feel much more comfortable with the flatter radius and larger frets, but I liked the Kluson tuners better, so I traded the Am Std tuners for the fender classic gear tuners which fit perfectly in a modern headstock without adapter bushings or drilling new holes. I wish I could retain the Callaham round string tree (vintage looking), but I would need to drill a new hole and I don't think I will.
Nowadays the American Performer H-S tele gets pretty close to it, but I doubt I could find an exemplar this light, and also I prefer the flatter bridge.
