Making a parts Telecaster? AND Show your parts Telecaster!

[Closed Eye]

There's a blonde Telecaster body at my local guitar store and I was kicking around the idea of building a parts Telecaster. I assume the body is a Fender (which I'll have to check on) and even if it isn't I figure I can still get one off of fleabay.

I already know how to solder a pickup to a switch/volume/tone pot and I've got a Telecaster bridge/control plate and some knobs lying around. It would also be an esquire setup anyway, only without the hidden neck pickup...so yeah, just a one pickup tele to bang around on and learn about guitar maintanence and what not.

What I don't know is about necks.

So, can you tell me what I should be looking for in the area of Telecaster necks?

I'm under the assumption from reading threads on this board that Tele necks are pretty interchangable with Tele bodies because the pocket and the neck measurements are generally the same size across the board. Is this true? What should I be wary of? Is there a way to tell an authentic Fender neck from a nonauthetic one? etc.

...oh yeah, and could a strat neck fit on there? Sort of like the fat strat headstocks on those 70s teles? Or would the pocket size not translate?

Thanks!

ALSO, show your parts teles and/or guitars in general!

[Rich_S]

Strat necks will fit in Tele pockets, but leave two small gaps in the corners. I had the opposite problem with my Tele project:


Schecter uses a Strat-shaped route, even on Tele bodies. I was mounting MIM Tele neck, so I had the repair shop route the curved end of the pocket out to a real Tele's square-pocket shape.

For your purposes I would recommend looking for a used MIM neck. They're plentyful and inexpensive and depending on the age, you can find them with small or large frets.

[sstanfield]

I have two I assembled. I love'em both! I used a Mighty Mite neck ($140) on a Warmoth Thinline body and a Warmoth neck ($195) on a Warmoth chambered swamp ash body.

[Benjy_26]

I'd shoot for a MIM or MIJ neck off of ebay. You should also be able to mount a strat neck with few problems.

BTW, Esquires don't have a neck pickup, hidden or otherwise. They do have a tone circuit that somewhat emulates a neck pickup sound though.

[Closed Eye]

For your purposes I would recommend looking for a used MIM neck. They're plentyful and inexpensive and depending on the age, you can find them with small or large frets.

For some reason MIM Tele necks are really easy to come by in San Antonio, so I may need to go that route. That PT Tele is sweet! I love the Goldtop!
Thanks for the advice!

I have two I assembled. I love'em both! I used a Mighty Mite neck ($140) on a Warmoth Thinline body and a Warmoth neck ($195) on a Warmoth chambered swamp ash body.

I love that second one!
Where'd you get the pickguard for the first one?

BTW, Esquires don't have a neck pickup, hidden or otherwise. They do have a tone circuit that somewhat emulates a neck pickup sound though.

Yeah, my mistake. I was refering to the one B_Bent sold me which was a regular lite ash tele with a neck pickup under the pickguard. I probably won't do the normal Esquire with a tone switch, but rather just a single pickup w/ volume/tone controls. Thanks!

[WhoFan]

Besides Fenders i only have one other tele that was thrown together from parts... it's a black Peavey slightly modded Tele shape alder body, and a china made Fender Strat neck, a tortise guard, 2 humbuckers and a Gotoh bridge... This thing is nice!!!!!!

and i also have a few tele bodies and necks i've made myself but have never painted...

[Closed Eye]

post a pic!

UPDATE: I actually found out it was a Warmoth body and it's got a really nice see thru blonde, really lite (thin?) finish. The woodgrain is just beautiful. It's cut for a standard tele bridge but the original owner stuck a wilkonson tele bridge on there. The dude at the shop (pretty knowledgable guy) said it's a direct drop in for a fender neck. He's even knocking some cash off the top 'cause I go in there so often!

[Voxman]

Here`s my warmoth tele deluxe no 1,i haven`t receved the buckers yet !



Warmoth will make you a tele with a neck pocket to fit a strat neck

[Closed Eye]

I love...that guitar...

[sstanfield]

I bought the black pearl pickguard when I ordered the Warmoth body, so that it would match the H-S-H routing they did.

[butnut]

All my Teles have come from different parts. Necks all bought separately, most from ebay.
http://www.telemodders.com./b_mikami.html
Once you start, it never ends...
Here's the Tele-Gib in it's new non relic bod...still with the Jimmie Vaughan Strat neck.

[Voxman]

All my Teles have come from different parts. Necks all bought separately, most from ebay.
http://www.telemodders.com./b_mikami.html
Once you start, it never ends...
Here's the Tele-Gib in it's new non relic bod...still with the Jimmie Vaughan Strat neck.

Did you cut that bridge ?

[butnut]

Yes. Originally, that Tele was a copy of the one Seymour made for Beck. He cut a Tele bridge. Wattage gave me this one, it was already chopped and string slots cut on the back for a Bigsby...very kool. On my new Tele, I ordered a 'aluminum' bridge since this was to be a pretty guitar, cutting that was very easy.

[ParameterMan]

I've got one in the works! I just landed this body to go with a set of custom pickups I got from Mr. Zhang. It gets a dark blue dye finish and a custom maple neck w/'64 Jazzmaster headstock.

What I'm going crazy trying to find is a Tele control plate with 3 holes, or no holes. I want a Switchcraft 3 way toggle in there.

[Voxman]

Yes. Originally, that Tele was a copy of the one Seymour made for Beck. He cut a Tele bridge. Wattage gave me this one, it was already chopped and string slots cut on the back for a Bigsby...very kool. On my new Tele, I ordered a 'aluminum' bridge since this was to be a pretty guitar, cutting that was very easy.

Cool,i`v never seen that before ! like it

[Closed Eye]

Yes. Originally, that Tele was a copy of the one Seymour made for Beck. He cut a Tele bridge. Wattage gave me this one, it was already chopped and string slots cut on the back for a Bigsby...very kool. On my new Tele, I ordered a 'aluminum' bridge since this was to be a pretty guitar, cutting that was very easy.

Nice! That Telecaster has always been one of my favorites on this, or any, board. It's just a really sweet lookin' axe.

but, hey, you ever think of stripping the rust off those screws and bridge barrels?

[butnut]

Thanks guys. Sold that body on ebay to get my new 'black look' line of gig giutars, just got my black Aerodyne Strat body in to replace my white relic Strat. I made those parts rusty as part of my relic look. Now that guitar has fresh and polished parts...


parameterman, I used to make my own plates from sheet aluminum, had some chromed too. Easy to make, but I'm not doing that anymore...as well as the kustom 'donuts'. Was fun though.

[kmcguitars]

Here it is, 83' SQ neck, Stew mac thinline body.

[big_black]

This is my BastardCaster. The neck is a ebony/maple USACG 24.75" conversion Strat neck. It works out well becuse it has a two fret overhang that covers up the gaps.

[ParameterMan]

...
parameterman, I used to make my own plates from sheet aluminum, had some chromed too. Easy to make, but I'm not doing that anymore...as well as the kustom 'donuts'. Was fun though.

I've contemplated aluminum. Easy to work, but it has the tendency to look like, well, aluminum. Not chrome.

I'm just thinkin' I could have a local guy get loose with his water cutter on a sheet of stainless, though....