Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Guitar question

I've been bumpin round the net, scoping out Telecasters.

While I really really dig the 50's style Road Worn tele - it got me to thinking. In all the reviews I've seen of the guitar, they often mention the thin nitrocellulose finish. They say it helps the wood breath better and offer better tone.

1. Does this make sense to the guitarists here?
2. How hard would it be to apply such a finish? I can get a Baja tele for less, do a refinish and let the runt beat it up for the look.

I did handle a road worn tele on Saturday and instantly fell in love with it but not the $$ tag.



Side question - how hard would it be for me to piece together a tele from parts?

I have built three telecasters from rough cut lumber to a finished guitar. Tone wise you want be able to tell a difference. If the body and neck are dry then it won't make any difference at all. If the wood still has too much moisture then you wouldn't want it sealed. Deft clear lacquer is nitro, also reranch has all of the fender colors in nitro. Nitro is very easy to use.

Putting one together from parts is very simple. check out tdpri and the build forum.

Thanks - I am thinking that might be the way to go. I need to get a book first. Been bumping round the Warmoth page. Lots of stuff there I really dig.

1. Yes.

2. It's hard to do right.

Thanks plinker.

I am thinking that maybe I'd be a good chunk ahead to buy a regular Tele for just under 400. Change the pick-ups to something I like (Fralin blues specials) and go from there.

I love the sound of this tele -

The bridge & Fralin blues pickups has a lot to do with that sound. That one has 3 brass compensated saddles and a vintage style plate. The MIM pickups are okay. My faves are the Seymour Duncan 52 alnico set for a classic Tele sound.

Good luck on your quest.

Plinker - Campfire Gibson lover

That's exactly what they do in the Fender custom shop.

My first recommendation is to play every guitar you can get your hands on. When you fall in love you'll know it. Also, give some of the ugly ones (Like the Antigua) a try. Sometimes, the ugliest guitar in the shop has the sweetest sound, and you won't know until you pick it up. One of my best friends has an Antigua and it is a beautiful sounding guitar.

I have built Teles to custom order specs in the past.
It's not too difficult. If you DIY, it'll cost you right in the neighborhood of $750 with good basic hardware components, quality pickups, a decent neck and a pre-cut body...If you can do all the mounting and wiring yourself. Its no mean feat.

Or you can buy a standard Tele, swap out the pickups (and maybe the pots)

Your description of the sound and liking Fralin Blues pickups, I would also recommend swapping for Tex-Mex Strat pickups. IIRC that's what they are currently using in the factory relic Teles, and they have a nice quack to them in a Tele.

Any places I should be looking at components? I have Warmoth bookmarked as that's the name I hear a ton.

check out www.allparts.com

allparts is good. http://www.guitarpartsdepot.com/ is another good one.

Thanks - all bookmarked.

My Pride and Joy...The Frankencaster.

Hollow walnut body. Tele cutaway, Les Paul radius and waist, Strat Neck, Duncan 59 Bridge, Fender vintage overwound at the neck. Coil split and 5-way switched just like a strat. You can really see the metal flake in the second pic.

Awesome - what style of music do you play?

A little bit of everything in my good days...but mostly hard rock at the end. Sadly, I don't play much anymore at all. I have had two accidents and have nerve damage and lost a lot of strength in my left hand. So I mess around every now and then, but it's too frustrating (and painful) to try to pick it up full time anymore.

Damn that sucks. Sorry.

I was pretty bummed at first, but C'est la vie.

I still enjoy working on them and fixing them up for other guys, and making them sound good. It's an expensive passion, and now I occasionally get to do it on someone else's dime and hear them play far better than I ever could on an instrument that's worthy of their skill, and vice versa.

Plus, now I have more money for rifles!

More guitar parts sources:

http://www.stewmac.com/

http://guitarpartsonline.com/

http://www.wdmusic.com/