72 Custom-esque Telemaster - almost finished!

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

My father‘s router has a vacuum table and while it would work perfectly for making bodies - this makes working on already finished bodies extra difficult - so we decided to make it by hand...

The Dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm...



So as you can see - I made some holes a little too deep - concerning shielding - would you rather:
a) fill the holes with some resin
b) ignore them and use copper-tape
I got shielding color at home but copper tape might be more effective in covering things up...

Also the pickguards are finished (I carved the bevel with a blade as the router misses the tool to make a bevel). Still can‘t decide whether to go with mint or black...




Shielding is done.
Next step is to wire that thing up:

What I have: Ruebezahl Wide Range Humbucker and Tele Bridge Pickup, 3 way toggle, 2x 2 way slide switches - 3 Pots

My plan would be to make the WRHB switchable from series to parallel and add a strangle (or a blower) switch and make it dual volume single tone.

Right now I have 3 1 Meg pots in it - one should be logarithmic and one linear - but the third one I can't tell - it says CTS 1000 1513 on it - and google wouldn't spit out what it is...
All the 72 custom and Telecaster deluxe wiring diagrams used 500k or 250k pots (which is probably the Mexican reissue from a few years back) - I also have one 250k pot (CTS 250V 137 1951) - and as I'm totally new to Telecasters - but I do know about their twang and bite attributes - should I go with the 250 in the Bridge position? or on the tone?

[Larry Mal]

I'd probably just use wood putty to make it level, then copper tape or shielding paint (get the good stuff, not the Stew-Mac stuff).

[bodhi]

You could also consider just using shielded wire inside the guitar and not do any shielding for the cavity itself...

[mbene085]

You could also consider just using shielded wire inside the guitar and not do any shielding for the cavity itself...

Shielded wire leaves all your components unshielded. It's a half-measure. I only use it in situations where there are long tunneled wire runs outside of shieldable cavities, or cavities that are inaccessible for shielding like on one of my Gretsches.

Larry's suggestion is a simple way to level out the bottom of the cavity. If you're feeling lazy, I don't see why you couldn't just put the tape down as-is. It's not weight-bearing so there's nothing that'll break through the tape where it lies over the holes. Making the cavity flat before shielding is what I'd do if I was being a perfectionist on my own guitar or building it for money for a client if I was running a business, but from a functional perspective on my own personal guitar, I'd have no qualms with just putting the tape down as-is. There's plenty of flat surface for it to stick to.

[timtam]

Another vote for just copper-foil-tape over it.

[andy_tchp]

'Speed holes' and extra weight relief. Copper tape over the top.

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Thank you all for your replies!
As we are in lockdown no. 3 from tomorrow on it might get a little tricky to get both the wood putty and the copper tape - I‘d might be more lucky with the putty as my cousin (who is a carpenter) lives within a 7min walking distance!

For the shielding: I got „ground control“ from Rockinger (a german luthier supplier) - which is labeled as „simply the best shielding paint there is“. I‘m happy how it worked out in my other Rexter-Firemist body... but on the other hand I always wanted to try copper shielding... but there will be more guitars/projects...

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Shielding is done.
Next step is to wire that thing up:

What I have: Ruebezahl Wide Range Humbucker and Tele Bridge Pickup, 3 way toggle, 2x 2 way slide switches - 3 Pots

My plan would be to make the WRHB switchable from series to parallel and add a strangle (or a blower) switch and make it dual volume single tone.

Right now I have 3 1 Meg pots in it - one should be logarithmic and one linear - but the third one I can't tell - it says CTS 1000 1513 on it - and google wouldn't spit out what it is...
All the 72 custom and Telecaster deluxe wiring diagrams used 500k or 250k pots (which is probably the Mexican reissue from a few years back) - I also have one 250k pot (CTS 250V 137 1951) - and as I'm totally new to Telecasters - but I do know about their twang and bite attributes - should I go with the 250 in the Bridge position? or on the tone?

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

First assembly! I finally decided in favor of the black pickguard! and against the black bridge. Chrome looks so much better with the WRHB.
I need to finish the wiring - but at least I have a diagram that I can use - let's see if I can put it together! It will be series parallel and a strangle or another tone control switch! Because you never know...
I somehow lost one of the tuner thimbles while sanding the cavities on the stairs to the terrace/garden - and two of the pickguard screws don't find grip (because of what I already explained above) - shall I just glue some wood to it and be good with it or is wood putty enough? Maybe my luthier guitar tech can step in - as I need him anyhow for cutting the nut.
But overall I'm pretty pleased. It's very light. I'm really not used to this - I don't know if it's just the missing of the vibrato or if the weight relief/speed holes were too much... not so light as my 60s Tribute Les Paul but my lightest offset!

What do you think of those big knobs? too much? I gave my Telecaster Deluxe style knobs (and had just two anyhow) to our new bassist as we couldn't separate the old knobs from the pot when we changed the scratchy volume pot. But as I need some other parts too I might just order another set! :-)

[Shadoweclipse13]

That's lovely looking! I am loving the guard shape especially!!

[dinosaurkale->]

that's beautiful
i want one

[Shadoweclipse13]

Also, where did you get the knobs?

[mgeek]

That's really cool! Not normally that into the combinations of two guitars, but this one really works... think the scratchplate shape, switching and WRHB do it. I'd stick with those knobs personally, they look great. Give it a touch of individuality rather than 'explosion in the fender parts bin' if you know what I mean

Also, where did you get the knobs?

I got some of those from this Ebay seller

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/37mm-Alumini ... 2749.l2649

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

That's lovely looking! I am loving the guard shape especially!!

Thanks! I really spent a long time figuring out which guard shape to take and came up with very similar shapes - and then I stumbled across that one from Andrew somewhere in the bareknuckle forums - I think I posted this some time ago...


telemasterII_MG_9905.jpg by andrewrjw,

I was able to track him down and he was so kind to send me his old photoshop mockup - which was usable enough to make some arrangements (WRHB and knobs, and screw position) in illustrator and export it as a dxf so that my father's cnc could read it.

that's beautiful
i want one

thank you very much! :-)
Hit me up if you need that pickguard-file!

That's really cool! Not normally that into the combinations of two guitars, but this one really works... think the scratchplate shape, switching and WRHB do it. I'd stick with those knobs personally, they look great. Give it a touch of individuality rather than 'explosion in the fender parts bin' if you know what I mean

Also, where did you get the knobs?

I got some of those from this Ebay seller

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/37mm-Alumini ... 2749.l2649

I got my knobs from Musikding in Germany - where I also get my diy-effect pedal kits from... but these are available at many different electronic parts retailers...JPTR FX uses them a lot...
I'm not a fan of mixing characteristic parts of guitars either - well at least mostly not... but given the opportunity and the fact that everybody needs a Telecaster style guitar at some point of their lives... I think I made the best out of it! :-)
And yes, the knobs are staying!

Next step: get an electro socket jack - as the Fender one just won't stay in place...

EDIT for getting the quotes right.

[Unicorn Warrior]

Those knobs look great! Very cool build!