Hollow Tele build - woods

[AlexR]

Well, I've been keen on a hollow tele for a while now, and the GAS isn't going away. I've looked hard for the last few months at construction and woods, but I'm still undecided. Here's what I do know:

I'm left handed, which makes everything (especially tele parts for some reason) harder to find

It will have p90's in it

It will come as body/neck then parts from Warmoth/USACG or similar (to avoid the import duty for parcels over $1000 in value).

My main interest is with the woods and how they'll interact/sound with p90's.

My personal preferences would be Ash body (as that looks great with a clear type finish), with a maple or ebony fretboard.

Your thoughts????

[ItsaBass]

Re: Hollow Tele build - woods

Mahogany o' de way, man! A classic combo with P90's. IME, while P90's can sound good even if taped to a piece of cardboard, they sound their best in mahogany.

Maybe a mahogany neck too. Rosewood board would look nice on a transparent tint finish over mahogany grain. Ebony would be nice with a solid color.

[dr. ad]

Re: Hollow Tele build - woods

hey dude
it's going to be tough for people to give you first-hand opinions, as you're probably one of the only lefties tasteful enough to want a hollow tele
i was going to say adkins!! but they don't make a lefty.
similar to what IAB said, i can also vouch for P90s sounding good in an agathis body with a thick enough poly finish to withstand being drunkenly rammed into a door-frame

haven't had a lot of experience with hollow teles; i'd lean towards alder as it's cheaper and more neutral than ash, and P90s in a hollow ash tele could end up sounding like a harsh combination of upper-mids and screaming feedback

you'll end up with something awesome.
you always do

[orpheo]

Re: Hollow Tele build - woods

korina with p90's is heaven. especially paired with a goncalo alves neck with an ebony or pau ferro board for warmth and a bit of edge and clarity to your tone, or wenge for more clarity or pau ferro for even more clarity.

[AlexR]

Re: Hollow Tele build - woods

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

What I should add is that I have a 60's tribute SG and a 60's tribute LP already, so I guess I'm trying to find a slightly different tone to these two......will the fact that its a Tele shape + bolt on neck do that just by itself??

[jeremy]

Re: Hollow Tele build - woods

ive built three hollow tele type guitars. maple cap/alder, all mahogany, and sycamore cap/swamp ash. the all mahogany is the warmest but also the least vibrant.

the bolt on neck and other construction differences will influence the tone quite a bit. i wouldnt worry too much about ash being harsh with p90's, itll be a lot different than what you have though