Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I called my friend Cris today, the arch top guitar builder. Cris has two of my guitars, archtops: one is getting overhauled/rebuilt; and the other is being assembled.
There is a third guitar that is a Tele that is done. I also want to pick up some more of my gear that Cris held in storage.
He should have a pair of vintage Jensen C12Q’s that I can use to build out the blackface Pro Reverb I found being thrown out in Manhattan.
I contend that the world is not that big, even though there are 8 billion people. I mention Tim Lerch, and Cris says he is a good friend of Tim Lerch, and if I ever go attend any guitar shows out west I can get introduced.
Cris tells me that formally Tim was once a monk for many years. This kinda explains a lot and has a deeper meaning for me. I have had a somewhat hard life with a harsh beginning that was fraught and full of anger and turmoil.
I finally feel that I have the peace and the safe place to really see what kind of musician can evolve from here…
Cal
There is a third guitar that is a Tele that is done. I also want to pick up some more of my gear that Cris held in storage.
He should have a pair of vintage Jensen C12Q’s that I can use to build out the blackface Pro Reverb I found being thrown out in Manhattan.
I contend that the world is not that big, even though there are 8 billion people. I mention Tim Lerch, and Cris says he is a good friend of Tim Lerch, and if I ever go attend any guitar shows out west I can get introduced.
Cris tells me that formally Tim was once a monk for many years. This kinda explains a lot and has a deeper meaning for me. I have had a somewhat hard life with a harsh beginning that was fraught and full of anger and turmoil.
I finally feel that I have the peace and the safe place to really see what kind of musician can evolve from here…
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Cut and installed a nut on the new Snakehead neck, which got its first coat of lacquer. A second coat will happen in a few hours.
A pretty productive day. Relaxing and taking my time.
Pretty much the bottleneck is waiting for the pickup to build out the Cabronita.
It turns out that the 1965 National/Valco 5 watt amp is really great for setting up guitars. Since there are no tone controls it pretty much is a great reference amp, and since it is somewhat bright if a guitar sounds great on the National/Valco it will sound great on other amps I have.
Cal
A pretty productive day. Relaxing and taking my time.
Pretty much the bottleneck is waiting for the pickup to build out the Cabronita.
It turns out that the 1965 National/Valco 5 watt amp is really great for setting up guitars. Since there are no tone controls it pretty much is a great reference amp, and since it is somewhat bright if a guitar sounds great on the National/Valco it will sound great on other amps I have.
Cal
PaulW128
Well-known
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Paul,
A Tele is pretty basic and simple, and I think that’s its charm.
Funny though hope it is comfortable in all genre’s: rock, blues, jazz, country…
Pretty much all you need.
Tim though takes it to another level though…
Cal
PaulW128
Well-known
Cal,
Not only are Teles versatile, you can find them at all price points; Fender is selling the Squire Affinity series guitars for $231.00!! That's cheaper than their dealers sell them for. How is that not unfair??
I found a few Squire Affinity Teles online for $199.00 and used on Reverb for $150-ish!! Very tempting indeed
I'd like to think I'm beyond the point of caring what's written on the headstock (Squire vs Fender) For my purposes and ability, I think the Squire line is a no brainer
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Paul,
My friend Dave is a Strat-head and has mucho guitars. He told me he once went to buy a Strat and compared a Mexican made Strat with an American Standard. He tried a few American Standards, but this Mexican Strat seemed to be the better guitar. He ended up buying the Mexican Strat.
Moral of the story is a good guitar is a good guitar.
Another friend, Eddie-Jeff, made a point that early vintage Fender’s from the 50’s were pretty much made or highly probably made by Mexicans living in California.
Anyways price and origin does not equate quality or playability.
Consider that in the future you might “upgrade” the pickups, or the bridge saddles in the least.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I moved up to 12’s on two guitars: one is the short scale (Gibson 24 3/4 inch) carved top Tele; and the second is a regular Tele with a full scale. Both are tuned to pitch, and pretty much I love the extra tension. It slows down my playing a bit, but I have the hand strength and dexterity from playing acoustic guitars and heavy strings as well as bass guitar.
The tone is very pretty.
I now use a wound “G” string and had to customize the bridge saddle to intonate the “G” string.
So now I have more sustain and thicker richer tone on hand.
I love it. It is where I want to be. I think the slower playing will smooth me out. I already think it has.
Cal
The tone is very pretty.
I now use a wound “G” string and had to customize the bridge saddle to intonate the “G” string.
So now I have more sustain and thicker richer tone on hand.
I love it. It is where I want to be. I think the slower playing will smooth me out. I already think it has.
Cal
PaulW128
Well-known
Cal,
From what I've read about the low end Teles is that replacing the pickups, tuners and bridge saddles would make a decent guitar for the money even better! That would actually be a fun thing to accomplish now that I think of it
PaulW128
Well-known
Cal,
From what I've read about the low end Teles is that replacing the pickups, tuners and bridge saddles would make a decent guitar for the money even better! That would actually be a fun thing to accomplish now that I think of it
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Paul,
Pretty much you don’t have to go crazy or spend mucho money to have a great guitar.
If you like vintage Tele pickups that are low output and bright the Fender Custom Shop sells 51 Nocaster pickup sets for about $150.00.
Read the reviews and do your research.
Most of all have fun, be thoughtful, and enjoy the experience.
Best if you get to try before buy IMHO. You want to buy a good one.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I ordered 16 sets of strings to stockpile and to save money. I love DR Strings and pay a premium for them, but they were on sale so I loaded up the truck.
Eight sets are with a wound “G,” and the other eight sets have a plain “G.” The sets with a plain “G” for bending and lower tension cast a little more.
Overall I think I like the wound “G” for a fuller more balanced tone, but the plain unwound “G” is easier to play.
I’m finding that my acoustic playing has prepped me well for graduating to a 12-52 gauge set. I can play at pitch and have a great tone.
I never realized how plinky my sound was with 11’s because of my acoustic playing. I also have my electrics set up more as if acoustic guitars. Of course I gave up on some speed, but I gained mucho tone, warmth and sustain. Not a bad trade off. I’m very pleased that I can play at pitch.
Last night I set up the guitar known as “WORM” that has a one piece body made from old barn wood that is distressed with worm holes. This guitar is basically a one pickup “Snakehead” that utilizes a Fender Custom Shop 51 NoCaster pickup.
The strings are not my usual DR “Pure Blues” that are “Nickel Strings” that have the 50’s-60’s vibe that trade warmth over brightness for that old school sound.
Right now this small pickup maker Don Mare is not taking orders, and the wait is about 9 months. He is a one man operation, so shortages and delays continue…
I was interested in a pickup Don Mare makes called “The Big Box Tele Neck Pickup.” Pretty much an overwound Tele neck pickup with taps (6.5K ohms and 7.4K ohms) with Alnico 5 long magnets that might have a combination of 42 AWG and 43 AWG windings to create an arch top sound in a Tele.
Tim Lerch demo’s this pickup and it has a sound I’m interested in.
Many Tele players want a Tele neck pickup that has a more enhanced bottom, but playing 12’s at pitch has the bottom end and added warmth, even with a low output 51 CS No Caster pickup that has low output.
Realize that the thicker strings not nay thickened the sound, but also created more signal and a higher output, especially at pitch. Detuning kinda softens the tone and the output.
My magic formula is take a bright guitar, use low output pickups, and create a big output loaded with overtones by using thick strings at pitch.
I kinda get a piano sound out of my Tele. Of course plug and play.
Cal
Eight sets are with a wound “G,” and the other eight sets have a plain “G.” The sets with a plain “G” for bending and lower tension cast a little more.
Overall I think I like the wound “G” for a fuller more balanced tone, but the plain unwound “G” is easier to play.
I’m finding that my acoustic playing has prepped me well for graduating to a 12-52 gauge set. I can play at pitch and have a great tone.
I never realized how plinky my sound was with 11’s because of my acoustic playing. I also have my electrics set up more as if acoustic guitars. Of course I gave up on some speed, but I gained mucho tone, warmth and sustain. Not a bad trade off. I’m very pleased that I can play at pitch.
Last night I set up the guitar known as “WORM” that has a one piece body made from old barn wood that is distressed with worm holes. This guitar is basically a one pickup “Snakehead” that utilizes a Fender Custom Shop 51 NoCaster pickup.
The strings are not my usual DR “Pure Blues” that are “Nickel Strings” that have the 50’s-60’s vibe that trade warmth over brightness for that old school sound.
Right now this small pickup maker Don Mare is not taking orders, and the wait is about 9 months. He is a one man operation, so shortages and delays continue…
I was interested in a pickup Don Mare makes called “The Big Box Tele Neck Pickup.” Pretty much an overwound Tele neck pickup with taps (6.5K ohms and 7.4K ohms) with Alnico 5 long magnets that might have a combination of 42 AWG and 43 AWG windings to create an arch top sound in a Tele.
Tim Lerch demo’s this pickup and it has a sound I’m interested in.
Many Tele players want a Tele neck pickup that has a more enhanced bottom, but playing 12’s at pitch has the bottom end and added warmth, even with a low output 51 CS No Caster pickup that has low output.
Realize that the thicker strings not nay thickened the sound, but also created more signal and a higher output, especially at pitch. Detuning kinda softens the tone and the output.
My magic formula is take a bright guitar, use low output pickups, and create a big output loaded with overtones by using thick strings at pitch.
I kinda get a piano sound out of my Tele. Of course plug and play.
Cal
PaulW128
Well-known
Cal,
I'm officially down the Tele rabbit hole! I've gone from: buying an inexpensive Tele and replace/upgrade components to: checking out complete guitar kits and building my own Tele from scratch to: let's just buy an inexpensive Tele, play it, and THEN decide if I want to replace pu's, tuners and/or bridge saddle.
Quite a ride in such a short amount of time wouldn't you say? Buying a kit would probably cost me more money than I would care to spend and honestly, would probably be beyond my capabilities anyway.
I'm officially down the Tele rabbit hole! I've gone from: buying an inexpensive Tele and replace/upgrade components to: checking out complete guitar kits and building my own Tele from scratch to: let's just buy an inexpensive Tele, play it, and THEN decide if I want to replace pu's, tuners and/or bridge saddle.
Quite a ride in such a short amount of time wouldn't you say? Buying a kit would probably cost me more money than I would care to spend and honestly, would probably be beyond my capabilities anyway.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Paul,
Guitar GAS can be worse than cameras. Don’t forget amps…
For me assembling parts casters is easy because I have the simple skills.
I’m in the opinion that a serious guitarist needs to learn how to set up their own guitar. BTW soldering is not hard unless you are sausage fingers. All simple stuff but a lot to learn…
The Cabronita body I bought came from BloomDoomGuitars.com. He is a good source of a nitro cellulose finished body.
I love Callaham Guitars for their Tele bridges.
Check out Stew Mac for small parts.
I got my discounted bulk strings at JustStrings.com.
Cal
PaulW128
Well-known
Cal,
First step would be to put you in touch with my wife so you can explain to her (way better than I can) why I NEED this guitar and why I NEED to get some upgrade goodies to make it even better!
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
PaulW128
Well-known
Cal
I'm realizing that building a guitar is not about putting together a guitar at a reasonable price, it's about putting together a guitar that's exactly what YOU want! A custom guitar that will sound exactly how you want it to and which will play exactly how you want it to feel. at a price that is a bargain compared to buying a custom stock guitar
It's seems obvious to me now, after checking out BloomDoom and Callahan. Very cool websites.
I get it now Cal Thanks for showing me the light
Paul
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Paul,
Pretty much buy to keep and stop the gear churn. Also can be cost effective and save money if you take your time.
The last Snakehead neck I kinda had to buy because it featured the 9 inch radius on the fingerboard that I wanted and was priced at only $177.00. It featured a “Fat-back” profile which is like a baseball bat so no one really wanted it, but because of my experience building and assembling guitars I just reshaped the neck.
I visited the Warmoth site and I look at the necks they have in stock. I prefer the vintage style necks over the vintage modern or modern necks.
Learning how to set up guitars is an asset that helps you become a better player.
Also Fenders are kinda modular so pretty much there is a lot of freedom.
Also look at used part-casters. Pretty much people sell at a loss after spending lots of money. Pretty much you can take what you need and recover your cash by parting out what you don’t need.
I was looking at Fender Custom Shop guitars that have crazy prices. For a fraction of that cost I can build a custom guitar with boutique everything.
I think eventually I will recycle the new Snakehead neck eventually. I’ll use it on the Cabronita for now.
Also a certain amount of maturity is required because you kinda have to know what you want and need. In my case I like low output pickups for the dynamics, clean sound and the vintage vibe. I have three Tele’s that are variations of the same.
Then I have my Esquire-ish guitars that feature only a bridge pickup.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
About 2 years ago I found a unique Tele body, it was a Tele body claimed to be made from 100 year old barn wood.
It featured a reloc’ed translucent nitro cellulose finish, but on the back and sides there were also “worm-holes” so I call this guitar “Worm.” The body had a Snakehead route that preceded the invention and development of the Telecastor, and know that basically this means it only has a bridge pickup route.
When I got delivery I had a couple of surprises: one discovery is that the body is one piece (bonus); and another great feature is that it is a slab cut that is perfectly quartersawn. Double bonus and pretty much a great piece of wood.
The price was not bad either.
The coolest thing about this body is that the wood cupped from the slight runout in the quarter sawn, so the effect even though it is a flat body the top is arched in a perfect manner that aids in playability.
So how did I get a unbelievable body? Highly unusual and so interesting. Crazy good.
Cal
It featured a reloc’ed translucent nitro cellulose finish, but on the back and sides there were also “worm-holes” so I call this guitar “Worm.” The body had a Snakehead route that preceded the invention and development of the Telecastor, and know that basically this means it only has a bridge pickup route.
When I got delivery I had a couple of surprises: one discovery is that the body is one piece (bonus); and another great feature is that it is a slab cut that is perfectly quartersawn. Double bonus and pretty much a great piece of wood.
The price was not bad either.
The coolest thing about this body is that the wood cupped from the slight runout in the quarter sawn, so the effect even though it is a flat body the top is arched in a perfect manner that aids in playability.
So how did I get a unbelievable body? Highly unusual and so interesting. Crazy good.
Cal
PaulW128
Well-known
Cal,
Excellent suggestion; used parts-casters! I also started looking at MIM Teles. And of course the Squires. But as you said "a certain amount of maturity is required".....That's what I need most of all. To slow down, maybe play a few and figure out what I like before buying something online
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Paul,
Time is your friend for sure. Shop around and explore things fully.
Most of all enjoy the excitement and experience.
Know that My carved top Tele is still evolving. The Brandon Wound and Harmonic Design Vintage 54 pickups are great pickups, but perhaps a little too bright for a semi-hollow body that is made of swamp ash. Semi-hollows tend to scoop mids.
When I get my string order I’ll change the pickups. I have a Fralin Blues Special for the bridge and a Fralin Big Single to try. If that does not do the trick I can go back to a set of Harmonic Design Z-90 and S-90 for a retro P-90 sound.
What will be different this time if I go back to P-90’s is a shorter Gibson scale neck. Pretty much almost a ES-335 except with single coils.
As you see things evolve and it takes time…
Cal