Thoughts on my Tele

stevie_bees

stevie_bees

Cat In The Hatministrator
A few years ago I decided I wanted to build myself a Telecaster. I had no previous experience so thought I'd just get a junk body and neck from eBay and fit it out and drop in decent pickups/pots/caps etc to see how it turned out. I was pretty pleased with the result, but it was always going to be upgraded. It looked like this...
Tele 1.jpg

A little while later, a mate of mine offered to make a body and neck for me. Even though the neck was cheap, I liked how it played so I got him to just make a new body. I asked for a 1-piece ash body.
I was then sent away to Afghanistan, but he continued to build the body, only he added a thick figured maple top to the body. It ended up looking like this...
NewTele1.jpg

I was pleased, although as you can see the scratch-plate doesn't line up correctly. When I originally specced out the guitar, I planned to have a torty plate on it, so I bought one from eBay and fitted it myself. I tried to adjust it so that it fit better than the white one. It was better but still not perfect...
200878_10150212028757053_2264950_o.jpg

So yesterday I was pondering about the guitar. I have though on a couple of occasions that if I'd realised quickly enough what my mate was building for me, I'd have suggested that it was put together with no scratchplate at all. I removed the plate yesterday, and now it looks like this...
20150426_232624_Richtone(HDR).jpg

I've put the pickguard screws in to just fill the holes for now. You may also be able to see that there are 2 addition holes on the lower bout where the first one was misaligned.

I'm not sure what to do now. I quite like the bare wood look, but have the old holes to deal with. Should I just keep the screws in, or try and fill them? Should I maybe try and make a feature of them?

What do you reckon fellas?
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

It looks soooooooooo much better with the guard. I'd just have a luthier custom build you a guard that fits the oddly shaped body. A classic clear-coated black phenolic guard would look best IMO.
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

You'll have a heck of a time trying to fill the holes un-noticeably while keeping the wood look. I like the idea of making the screws a feature. The way it is right now looks okay to me... kind of like it's been relic'd. Here's a thought... how about a clear pickguard? It would keep the wood look, but give the screws a reason to be there.

Cool project!
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I like the way it looks with the tortoise pickguard. I usually can't stand the way those things look on anything.
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

i agree with jolly i liked the red pickguard but you could always get a clear one also saw the spinning red special guitar at the bottom awsome brian mays my favorite guitarist
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

Given my history of rather abrasive behaviour, of which I apologize, I was reluctant to say this, but a Rosewood and Swamp Ash is a very well accepted tone faux pax, and was done throughout the tone-void of the 70's. Just a foo opinion, but get a maple neck ,You'll be so much happier with the sound in the long run..trust me, God never meant for Ash to be paired with Rosewood. MY Tele, has a 35 year old air dried Swamp Ash body,with a Koa neck w/Ebony fretboard, and it just teeters on the brink of that too-much-siizZle sound of Ash/Rosewood, but I think cause of the brighter than Rosewood Koa, and especially the Ebony board, it puts it slightly OTT and sound more like a maple neck.
Alder and Rosewood is fine, but ...
 
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Re: Thoughts on my Tele

Maybe from a different angle I'd think something else fits better... but from the pictures: Tortoise - great, White - could work, None - no.
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

Being a Blackguard fiend, I would normally suggest a five screw Bakelite item.

Clear is a good but slightly boring suggestion. It also leaves the "extra" screw hole showing. How about 'bursting a clear guard around the edges, like on Paisley and Floral Fender Teles? Needs to be subtle. Enough to define the edge (and hide that screw hole) but not enough to obliterate the wood.

Of course, you could just have a wooden guard made.
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

If I'm going to stay with a pickguard I think I'm going to have to get a custom one made.
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

Looks great with the screws, no pickguard. That said, if it was mine and I had to have a pickguard I would go with a black guard.
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

im in the leave it as it is and rock it. i like the bare wood and who cares about a few holes. the tort or white guard is fine but i like the bare wood best
 
Re: Thoughts on my Tele

I like the bare wood but I think a clear guard, for protection only, or a wooden one made out of Birdseye would be the way to go? To me that's not the kind of axe you want to relic, a wood guard & about 20 coats of lacquer should do it!
 
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