Tele build. Ugliest guitar ever!

[karpathion]

I'm starting to get parts coming in everyday now, I guess it's time to start doing something.

First things first. I had to get the body finished.
Believe it or not, there is not one drop of wood stain on this body. I asked in a thread how to cut ebony stain, or another method of getting a smoke color. Dr.K, mentioned that he heard you could use fabric dye. Well, I got to digging around on-line, looking for something like that. I finally wound up on a wood finishing page, on methods used a long time ago on furniture.
I used black, uncut, liquid fabric dye. Now, when this stuff is not watered down it acts funny, be prepared to play with it a little. I put it on very thick and let it dry. After it dries, it gets like an ashy look to it, like there is a powder on top of it. Now you get a moist rag and rub the piss out of it. You can take as much off as you like to get your desired effect.
I wish I had taken pictures of this process, it was fun.

Next I got a bottle of Tru-oil, mixed in a little bit of scarlet fabric dye, and I have a red tinted finish to put on my guitar.
This worked out really well. It actually gave the body a bit of a purple look to it, but it just depends on the angle you look at it.

I'm pretty pleased with the look of the body so far, but it's not perfect. If I had it to do again it would look alot better.

Well, here is what fabric dye and 15 coats of red tinted Tru-oil looks like.
I know I'm teasing you guys with just a back shot, but I'm not ready to show the front yet.

Edit: I never would have thought it was so much fun to rub out a piece of wood. "Sorry for the bad humor."

Before and after:

[bluesbend]

Lets see the top.

[karpathion]

Lets see the top.

Not untill the hardware and pickguard go on. I made a couple of uh-ohs on it that'll get covered up.
It was my first time doing it like this and I had to learn some how.

[karpathion]

What the heck!

Don't laugh to hard. I thought the two spots on the arm where belt sander burns, but the more I sanded on it by hand, the bigger they got. I guess it's just some defect in the wood.
I rubbed a little to hard on the spot below the bridge pickup cavity, and I just didn't get the look I was trying to get.
It's not perfect, but in my defence I had never used this method before. If I ever do another one, it will be 100x better.

[Kam]

Looks good, man. What colour scratchplate are you going to go with?

[Bones]

Looks good, man. What colour scratchplate are you going to go with?

No.

[karpathion]

Looks good, man. What colour scratchplate are you going to go with?

It's a custom order. It hasn't arrived yet. I'll post a pic when it goes on.

[CTN]

What's so ugly about that?

I think it'd look absolutely fantastic with a cream pickguard.

[JOLLY]

What's so ugly about that?

That's exactly what I was wondering.

[CTN]

cream pickguard would make the guitar look like coffee.

mmmmmmmmmmmmm coffeecaster

[bluesbend]

I agree with convoys, and cream colored pickguard would look great on it.
Nice job! I'm also very critical about the little stuff that I think will look like crap when i do a build. After it's together and you live with it awhile and you get compliments, you'll forget about it.
They're alot like a woman that way.

[TheLivingDead]

Ugly my foot.

[karpathion]

It's not really that I think it's ugly. It just doesn't look like the image I had in my head.

[CTN]

It's not really that I think it's ugly. It just doesn't look like the image I had in my head.

Neither did my homebrew'd axe when I was making it. You just gotta open yourself up to the possibilities that the wood can yield. Start loving the wood more, and you'll start being happier with the results

[karpathion]

Neither did my homebrew'd axe when I was making it. You just gotta open yourself up to the possibilities that the wood can yield. Start loving the wood more, and you'll start being happier with the results

It's definitely starting to grow on me.

[MetalManiac]

I do think its ugly, if it wrere me I'd sand it back down and go natural or amber tint..thats got some nice grain. but will reserve final judgement till its complete.

[karpathion]

Got a nice box of goodies today.
I think I went a little over board on Fender branded parts, but this is my version of an American Tele. It doesn't hurt my feelings any.

[Hoss]

Looks good man!

[formula73]

Hahahaha...love the wood...

Nice! I, too, want to see this thing all buttoned up. Maybe an off-white guard?

[Scott_F]

Looks good to me.