Have tele body, will build

[dragonworks]

Bought a body off ebay from brazil, 46.00 bucks plus 24 shipping. 1/4 inch thick tigerwood top with solid mahogony unerneath. Cut out for standard tele pickups and tele neck cutout. Back routed for electonics les paul style.
What do ya think, a gold bigsby would go nice eh?
I will machine a nice brass pickguard, get all gold hardware, nice locking tuners and good pickups.
I am looking for an unfinished neck with no inlays. Found one on ebay by a first time woodworker in a lutier class. On ebay going for sixteen bucks now. He bought the fretboard which has no frets installed but is cut out for them. Ebony on maple. If it stays low I will bid on it.

here is a picture of the tele body without the tigerwood top.

and a bass with a tigerwood top.

 

[JKestle]

Here is a pick of my MIM Tele, I put a bigby on it, it was tough and I still need a new bridge pickup plate. The red lace sensor's are HOT! Great sustain.

It used to be a black guitar. I just had to make it my own.

I say go for it! The bigsby is so much fun, and looks so cool.

It worked out great, stays in tune but hard to restring the first couple times.

 

[Middleman]

I noticed the ferrule holes for the strings are not drilled. Take your time on these or it can look pretty bad when you turn the guitar over. Perfect 90 degree accuraccy is required so drill slow and use a stabilizing bracket on the drill. If you try and do it by hand it will screw up; experience talking here. Drill 1/2 deep from both sides to keep your holes looking nice from top and bottom.

 

[dragonworks]

I noticed the ferrule holes for the strings are not drilled. Take your time on these or it can look pretty bad when you turn the guitar over. Perfect 90 degree accuraccy is required so drill slow and use a stabilizing bracket on the drill. If you try and do it by hand it will screw up; experience talking here. Drill 1/2 deep from both sides to keep your holes looking nice from top and bottom.

I am a machinist. I have access to 100,000 dollar machines and measuring equipment out the ying yang.I don't believe I will be using that style bridge anyway, never liked them. If I put the bigsby on as planned I wont need those holes.

On my buddys mexican tele the strings are pulling through the body little by little.

 

[apl]

Check out Carvin's excellent bolt on necks. You can get them with all manner of fingerboards, woods, inlays, fretwires, headstocks, etc. Check out their bbs for discussions about the options, and call. There are tons of ways to get it that aren't shown in their website. Last time I checked, there was over 270 ways, not including different woods.

http://www.carvin.com/products/part.php?ItemNumber=BN

 

[dragonworks]

I want a neck with no inlays, no holes drilled, no nut, unlaquered, etc. Carvin doesn't sell them unless you can special order necks which I don't remember seeing. It is worth contacting them though if I don't get this other neck. I haven't found many places where there is an affodable neck like what I am looking for.

 

[apl]

I want a neck with no inlays, no holes drilled, no nut, unlaquered, etc. Carvin doesn't sell them unless you can special order necks which I don't remember seeing. It is worth contacting them though if I don't get this other neck. I haven't found many places where there is an affodable neck like what I am looking for.

800-854-2235. Talk to Sean. You can get all that. What fingerboard? Ebony (my fave)? Rosewood? Birdseye maple? Sure you don't want abolone inlays or dots? Headstocks: Standard, pointy, traditional (3+3), flying V, CT (kinda PRSy). Laminated, like one of those schmantzy basses, maple-walnut-maple-walnut-maple, or just maple, or mahogany? Stainless frets, or jumbo, or...

 

[dragonworks]

Thanx Apl you lunatic you
will definately keep all that in mind.
will call on monday and see what kind of price they will give me if I dont get this other neck I am looking at.

You start ordering all that stuff then you wind up with a 300 dollar neck. I cant afford that.I can cut out my own pockets and and install my own inlays. Can drill all holes and install all my own tuning pegs, nut. etc.

I did make the deal for the gold bigsby B5 vibrato tailpiece. Will be getting it next week.

 

[apl]

Thanx Apl you lunatic you
will definately keep all that in mind but when,'

You start ordering all that stuff then you wind up with a 300 dollar neck. I cant afford that.I can cut out my own pockets and and install my own inlays. Can drill all holes and install all my own tuning pegs, nut. etc.

I did make the deal for the gold bigsby B5 vibrato tailpiece. Will be getting it next week.

You can do that, too. You can get a blank headstock. The things that get me jazzed re Carvin necks are:

1. Ebony fingerboards. I really don't think there's anything that plays better.

2. Tilted headstock. String trees are crap.

 

[dragonworks]

just went and looked at one of their bolt on necks, price is fairly nice. Emailed them asking if I can get a paddle headstock and no inlays in the fretboard.
I am afraid even though I am asking for less, the price will rise substantially, I hope to be suprised.
If I can get this other neck though I will. Right now the ebay price is sixteen bucks. Even if it is fucked up I can use it as a practice neck for milling the inlay pockets. It has an ebony fretboard.

 

[dragonworks]

here is the actual body. should I put a nice mirror polished engraved brass pickguard on her? Or should I go with something minimal to show the wood? I can make whatever I want out of whatever I want.

 

[apl]

That is a kickin' body! Love the grain. Check out their board:

http://apps.carvin.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=1

Get a login name, and ask your questions. Those guys make the Nice Brigade look like a bunch of brownshirts!

 

[apl]

So whatcha gonna do? Hmmmmm?

 

[Henri Devill]

http://www.guitarattack.com/index.html

Looks like a good site...Roll your own

 

[Scooter B]

I second the Carvin necks!

I ordered a Carvin bass but did not care for their pickups and sent it back but I absolutely loved the neck and fingerboard.

So much so that when I built my fretless I ordered a Carvin neck for it. They have outstanding quality control, wood and I love their ebony fret boards!

Here is my creation

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=50918

And a close up of the flame...body not from Carvin though - hand cut from "Neck blank" of figured maple from Stew Mac

 

[donkeystyle]

you might check warmoth too. http://www.warmoth.com

 

[SHEPPARDB.]

here is the actual body. should I put a nice mirror polished engraved brass pickguard on her? Or should I go with something minimal to show the wood? I can make whatever I want out of whatever I want.

Both...................................

 

[dragonworks]

Carvin informed me that they do not make necks for telecasters. So they are out. Warmoth is so overpriced it is out of my range.

 

[Scooter B]

You might give this guy a shot

http://www.honestronsguitars.com/main.htm

He is a local luthiere here in Oklahoma City.

I can personaly vouch for his work and I had a custom bass built by him as well and he does outstanding work for much less than Warmoth.

Check out his gallery and there is a link to e-mail him for prices, estimates etc.

 

[apl]

Carvin informed me that they do not make necks for telecasters. So they are out. Warmoth is so overpriced it is out of my range.

Sorry, DW. I thought you could slap a Strat neck in a Tele.