ShortScale.org

So, have been keeping a bit quiet about this as I build up the various components and stuff, but buying a baritone tele neck to stick on that Univox body effectively made me shout "Fuck, I miss having a telecaster". And my baritone love has been mentioned umpteen times before. So, here we go: I plan to make this thread about fifty pages long, despite the fact that I'm not really doing that much graft myself. And I reserve the right to lunch out taking photos at any stage and just quietly finish the project without telling you...

Anyhow, had the neck for a while, and today the body and bridge arrived.



Had a real stroke of luck with the body; stumbled across it looking for other parts for the Univox, and got it for a song. The seller even marked the price down a touch so I didn't get too stung with comedy tax. It's a brand new 2010 MIM Tele '69 thinline body, with all the electrics and stuff onboard. Tested it when it arrived, and it all works fine (as far as plugging it into an amp and tapping the pickups with a screwdriver can tell me). The neck is snug as a bug in the neck socket. Not fixing it on yet though because...

My first job is to finish the neck: after some words of wisdom from Francis B.C. Rich of this parish, I decided I'd go for tru oil finish: nice and easy to apply like danish/tung oil, but with hardeners as well. So I've just started putting that on; going to do about eight coats. This also leaves time for the nut, neckplate and string tree to arrive.

While I'm residing in manland, I've also swapped out the OG bridge for a Wilkinson bridge with compensated saddles: it's slightly thicker than the standard Fender bridge, and the corners (where I rest my delicate handies) aren't hideous mangled sharp things like on the Fender one. Plus, Trev Wilkinson's name on the guitar will add some much-needed UK guitar shop m@j@ to the guitar. And it gives me the option to topload the strings, which I like, and had on the Benecolcaster.



More news as it breaks, kinder...

Oh this should be awesome, love thinline teles and love baritones. Am excite!

Awesome stuff Tim, mint deal on that body. Hope the neck finish turns out how you want it.

P.S. The maple on the Telebastard Esquire is now looking almost 3D since the Oil has settled even more.

BONERTOWN USA

mrperson wrote:Oh this should be awesome, love thinline teles and love baritones. Am excite!

+1

am excite to see progress on this.

Fran wrote:Hope the neck finish turns out how you want it.

Just put the second coat on; planning on doing three coats a day over the weekend if I can. Rubbing it down with 0000 steel wool in between, then lightly dusting it with an old t-shirt. As an added bonus, it already smells like my old air rifle.

aen wrote:BONERTOWN USA

I thought you'd like it. You really should spring for a bari neck for one of your teles. I promise I'd never mention that "real men just tune down" video you made...

My baritone conversion neck is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

TELETWANZ AGIN

aye, what kind of chairs are those green ones.

nice guitar. x

Why, they are Ikea Urban chairs - I love them.

Project looks amazing!! I like those Wilkinson bridges alot. Are you sure you want to keep a top-loading set up if you are making it a baritone? I'm sure some of that lovely low end would vibrate beautifully thought the body if it was string through!

It's all about the options, young Sub... I'll start off going through the body, but toploading can be fun. Plus all my departed Dano's were toploaders, and they were never lacking in the rumble department.

thread needs [poll]: what height should i not have this guitar hanging from my shoulders when i finally get the money to finsh it, and how much might it possibly not cost to go on holiday to the former yugoslavia these days?

Sublimedo wrote:I like those Wilkinson bridges alot.

+1. Saddles a great, i'm gonna get me some brass saddles for an Esquire.

Lovely job, Tim. Looking forward to seeing it finished. I don't have much of a soft spot for baritones because my shortness makes them hard to handle; but if you got flaunt it, sister.

Fran, don't buy a set of comp'd wilky saddles without consulting me. I have a set you can have for postage if you like.

Going to put the eigth coat of Tro Oil on tonight; getting lovely and glossy now. Think I'll do two more tomorrow, then leave it at that. The last of the parts I need (neckplate, string tree and nut) arrived today, so I'll need to be a bit patient about letting the finish cure for a few days before fixing it all together - conventional wisdom seems to suggest letting it rest on there for a week.

Fucking dreading putting that nut on: while I've fixed, refitted and modified nuts before, I've never put a brand new one on.

ah, thought those were the urban! great chairs, and cheap cheap! (i am a total fruit for furniture)

tele looks great, stoked to see your progress with the oil on the neck.

not a fan of thinlines, especially in black, but i'd be hard-pressed not get a throbby one seeing anything slung around your shoulders.

hotrodperlmutter wrote:not a fan of thinlines, especially in black...

Why's that then, as a matter of interest? (Thinlines, I mean, not aesthetics). I used to have a 80's MIJ mahogany 69 thinline, and it was great, although fool n00b that I was (it was only the second guitar after a lengthy layoff dancing round my handbag) I put Texas Specials into the guitar, rather than take them out like most right-minded people do. Not usually a fan of black teles as a rule, but the huge white pickguard gives it a nice limousine look, as will the white-button Klusons.

well, ya bastahd, i'd never thought about why. more of a gut thing, really.

tbh, i think it's the pickguards, and the consequential control angle. i think black guitars look really cheap, and i can't get around it.

however, i'm just extremely fucking picky, and even more-so with telecasters (yet i don't own a complete one).