The Great Telecaster Adventure of 2020-21 (Shop Thread)

[rv_bass]

Thanks, Bill

[edwardofhuncote]

Ha! I don't mind a derail... I kinda' like where they go sometimes, and I sorta' derailed my own thread a good while back, came full-circle and ended up back almost where I started - Alembicize a Tele. Super-Tele. I had two. I didn't really want to mess with the traditional Butterscotch Blonde one. I didn't really love the HH beyond the awesome sunburst and cutaway body. I had in the back of my mind maybe to trade it for a Les Paul Goldtop. Then I rescued a Les Paul Special from the local Craigslist and it totally suckered me. Ugly but stable headstock break. Another story. I got it, I fixt it, I love it. There, done. So then my plan of designing a guitar for Alembic Telecaster Activators got embarrassing. For the record, I can do it, and I will one day. Just plain don't have time right now.

Since we're on the subject this morning; some of the parts came in yesterday, a little bit earlier than I expected. So Telecaster Two (the Player Series HH) has now been completely disassembled and stripped of all its old hardware and electronics. So far, I have installed the new gold Klusons on the neck, and dry-fit the pickguard and gold control plate. Went ahead and installed gold strap buttons. The bridge should arrive tomorrow, the gold string tree, ferrules, neckplate, mounting screws, and jack plate will be here tomorrow or Tuesday. The knobs are coming Priority Mail from Alembic, so probably tomorrow or Tuesday on them too. The adapter plate for the bridge pickup has shipped, but I don't know when it'll get here from San Diego. Might be a while. I'll start putting it all together when it gets here, as that'll be the last piece, probably.

I like the aesthetic so far... it has this bling-y black and gold 70's look. Those Alembic witch-hats are going to be perfect on here. Like a big ol' exclamation point.

That's where things are.

[rv_bass]

Looks nice, should be cool when you have it all finished!  Just wondering  why is there a hole routed in the neck pocket?

[edwardofhuncote]

There is another one like it under the pickguard. I have read before that the Mexico factory CNC machines use these holes for aligning the billets for shaping. Or something like that. Don't quote me, but it sounds good. 

[cozmik_cowboy]

Don't forget the shielding!

And the CNC indexing is what I've heard, too.

Peter

[edwardofhuncote]

Don't forget the shielding!

And the CNC indexing is what I've heard, too.

Peter

Yes, absolutely. I still have a can of Stew-Mac paint, and a roll of copper tape. I was surprised at how much shielding it already had.

[edwardofhuncote]

Shielding of the cavities is done. I got three good coats of Stew-Mac Black in there. What do you guys think on the control plate and pickguard though? Copper tape? Should I mainly be concerned about coverage just around the neck pickup cutout, and the wiring channel to the control cavity? I can do either one...

I still have to drill the control plate for the Q-switch. Probably do that before I sheild it. I will dry fit all the electronics first, after the adapter plate arrives. Still need to plot where the battery ends up too.

I went to a lot of careful measurement locating the new bridge. Then I ran three screws into the vacant mounting holes for the old one. Could have plugged them. Might want to switch to a different bridge that uses that screw pattern though. Just leaving the option there. I love the way this one went on; Solid. Lines up perfectly with the string-thru holes.

I got the new vintage style string tree mounted on the headstock, and twiddled with these high-falutin locking tuners, trying to understand them. I really didn't care about locking tuners, but they were gold, and Klusons used to be nice, plus Stew-Mac had them on a closeout sale. They are smooth, I'll say that. Wish I knew what the ham-sandwich they did.

Installing the new string ferrules was scary. These things are splined. I had the required 5/16 - 8mm mounting holes, but pressing those things into a poly-finished body is just asking for sadness. I did it. Used my drill press and a wood dowel. Took a handheld countersink and took the edge off the bore first too. One by one, I pressed them into the back, just expecting a mess. Didn't happen. My nerves were shot after that, so I took some pictures and quit for the night.

Sure was nice being in my shop again. 

[lbpesq]

Lookin’ good!   I’ve certainly messed up a ferrule installation.   It’s nice when it’s done without issue.   As for shielding, I come from the “can’t be too much” school.  I’d cover the underside of the pick-guard with copper tape over the entire run of the rout.   Also, I run a little copper tape from within the shielded cavity and up over the edge so the cavity and under pick-guard shielding electrically connects.   I like to be able to touch the probes on my meter to any shielded points on the guitar and have continuity.

Bill, tgo

[edwardofhuncote]

Today's work; loaded the electronics onto the copper shielded control plate. It's now been drilled for the 3-position Q-switch, to be mounted between the Volume and Filter pots.

I've 'dry-fit' the output jack to the 7/8" bore, and set the depth for the gold electro-socket, but haven't drilled the set-screw holes yet. Just test-fitting, I think the battery should have room to lay flat in the bottom of the electronics cavity here, with room to spare. I'll do something to secure it... foam, adhesive, something. It's all looking pretty good so far. Waiting for witch-hat knobs and the adapter plate. I figure probably in tomorrow's mail.

Up next, mount the pickups.

[lbpesq]

I use these for mounting 9v batteries.

Bill, tgo



https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/components-and-parts/battery-clips-and-holders/9-volt-battery-mounting-clip.html

[edwardofhuncote]

Yessir, something like that would be perfect if I can make the space for it. Where did the battery in your "Telembic" end up located, Bill? Extra routing, or just in the stock tray? I still have options at this point... could even extend the battery leads and hide under the pickguard. (at risk of voiding my Wire-Dunce status, I could probably splice two wires without setting the shop on fire)   

It would be much better under the control plate I think... just two screws to take out...

[jazzyvee]

Looks like it's progressing nicely. I have two Strats that I have alembicised a USA maple necked Strat and a self build partscaster with a baseball bat neck with ebony finger board. I'd love to shave it down but i have no idea how close the truss rod is to the back of the neck so wary of doing it.

[lbpesq]

Yessir, something like that would be perfect if I can make the space for it. Where did the battery in your "Telembic" end up located, Bill? Extra routing, or just in the stock tray?

In the control cavity with no additional routing.  I don’t remember if I used the battery clip in it.   I’ve also used a foam block sliced down the middle to hold 9v batteries.

Bill, tgo

[cozmik_cowboy]

Yessir, something like that would be perfect if I can make the space for it. Where did the battery in your "Telembic" end up located, Bill? Extra routing, or just in the stock tray?

In the control cavity with no additional routing.  I don’t remember if I used the battery clip in it.   I’ve also used a foam block sliced down the middle to hold 9v batteries.

Bill, tgo

Wow - all I did was upgrade my MII Tele to MIA electronics, and I had to take a chisel to the cavity to make them fit in!

Peter

[edwardofhuncote]

Getting closer on the Super-Tele...

The bridge pickup adapter ring finally came, but once I had the pickup mounted to it, and slipped it into the humbucker rout... it fitn-dit. Had to trim just a little bit of wood from the front and back of that rout to allow for the "single-coil slant". I did it freehand, with a Dremel and cutting drum, and checked at intervals. Once it fit just right, I dabbed a few good coats of shielding paint in, and worked on the neck pickup mount while it dried.

(I'll do a little plug for the guy who makes these parts; they are very, very nice. Machined from billet aluminum, not a plastic mold. I ordered mine in black anodized, just to go with the other decor. Here's his Reverb store. https://reverb.com/shop/jbe)

I quit for the night once satisfied the pickups were installed for good. Getting closer... stay on target!