Ash Thinline Telecaster

[Jim Becker]

What mistake??? (Nice recovery) I really, really, really like this one, Mark. That straight grain on the ash is majorly attractive to me.

I like number 8, although the bottom edge of the guard doesn't follow the body contour on those you cite...

[Joe Leigh]

#1 gets my vote.

[Dan Forman]

I think #3 and #7 do the most to emphasize the vent. From my perspective as a player, I would want the pickguard uninterrupted in the area under the strings, as I drag my pinky there, so 4 and 5 would be right out, and I would have reservations about 2. If I had to choose one, it would probably be 7, but maybe 3 if I was a rock and roller.

Dan

[Doug Shepard]

#2
I think the back edge of the PG parallel with the slant of the PU looks better than some of the others.

[Hal Peeler]

My vote is #1, and I am really enjoying your threads, here and on the tele forum. I learn so much from watching people like you. I've done one from a kit, and hope to do another from scratch soon. Keep the pics coming.
Hal

[Mark Crenshaw]

I'm drooling!! This is as bad as waiting on Christmas to arrive

Bruce

Thanks Bruce. I know what you mean and I have control over when it's done...still feels like it's taking forever.

Nice recovery Mark! Glad to see you back on track. I really like the black binding too. PG's....I like 4 and 8.

I like the black banding as well. I think it will look really good when done.

I think #6 and #8 are the best.

JMO,
Doug

Ted, Doug. Thanks for the input. I've given myself too many options on this one. There's something I like about each of them.

Wot mistake?

Yup, I know the feeling when router templates slip. But you're right - wander away, watch some TV, or play with the dog. Come back with a fresh mind, and all will be good.

I like the coverage of #8, but if its upper right matched the curve of the body's upper right, I think it would be a winner; similar to the way #1 follows the guitar's waist/hip.

Nice, nice, nice. Same for the walnut build.

Cheers,

Seth

Hi Seth. Good to hear from you again. I think I'll end up cutting several and looking at them in person to see which I like best. I may go back the Photoshop file and combine some of the looks...see what comes up.

What mistake??? (Nice recovery) I really, really, really like this one, Mark. That straight grain on the ash is majorly attractive to me.

I like number 8, although the bottom edge of the guard doesn't follow the body contour on those you cite...

Hi Jim. Thanks! The mock up was done with images that don't really match up. The pickguard is a vector image and the guitar body is a photo I took but has a bit of parallax distortion in it from my camera lens. I'll cut a complete PG instead of altering one so it will all line up with the body edges.

#1 gets my vote.

Thanks Joe.

[QUOTE=Dan Forman;1345024]I think #3 and #7 do the most to emphasize the vent. From my perspective as a player, I would want the pickguard uninterrupted in the area under the strings, as I drag my pinky there, so 4 and 5 would be right out, and I would have reservations about 2. If I had to choose one, it would probably be 7, but maybe 3 if I was a rock and roller.

Dan[/QUOTE

Hey Dan. That's an interesting point about how you use the PG...not something I had considered. I play so many guitars with no PG at all that I hadn't considered that.

#2
I think the back edge of the PG parallel with the slant of the PU looks better than some of the others.

Great observation Doug. I guess your talking abou 2 & 4. They mimic the Thinline PG that's standard on most models. They do seem to follow the line of the bridge pickup.

My vote is #1, and I am really enjoying your threads, here and on the tele forum. I learn so much from watching people like you. I've done one from a kit, and hope to do another from scratch soon. Keep the pics coming.
Hal

Thanks Hal. Sometimes I feel like I'm repeating myself on these build posts but I guess not eveyone follows every build.

If I start repeating myself like an old man, you guys let me know. I'll consolidate some of the posts.

Peace,
Mark

[Mark Crenshaw]

I started on the PG this morning. Still not sure which I'll use but I have to start somewhere. My plan is to cut them out of MDF and use them all on projects down the road.

I sized and printed the designs and mounted them on card stock. I used spray mount, or as the guys in the set shop call it, "Misty Glue". I sprayed both surfaces, let it set up for a few minutes and then used a plastic squeegee to smoot them down onto the card stock.



Then I rough cut them from the sheet of card stock.



Then trimmed them out. I didn't cut right on the edge of the printing. I wanted to have some room for shaping after the MDF is cut.

[Mark Crenshaw]

I decided to do one more mock up after cutting them out. These are numbered as they were in the original contact sheet I posted. I think it made it even tougher to decide...I like them all. But, I'm moving forward with my plan of starting with #3 and see where that leads.

[Mark Crenshaw]

Continuing on with the PG. I laid out 2 of the designs, 1 & 3, on MDF. And rough cut them on the bandsaw.



After some filing and sanding, they're fitting pretty nicely.





After I got one of them real close, I clamped them together and filed the "common" areas so they would have the same fit on the guitar.

[Mark Crenshaw]

Cutting the PGs is a simple operation. I use double stick tape to fasten the PG material to the template and to secure the template to the bench. I use a small diameter flush trim bit so it will get into the small turns.

It's important to work from the top side of the PG while routing in this way...the next step, while they're still attached and lined up, is to use a chamfer bit on the edges to bevel them.



Here are some shots of the actual PGs on the guitar. I didn't get the "V" cornered as cleanly as I would like. I'll have to take another pass at it when I get some more black material in.





I'm digging this one though. It even made me think about going without a neck PU. Hmmm. I'd have to come up with another solution for the vol & tone since I wouldn't need a switch. But I think I'm gonna want the tonal options a second PU offers.

[Mark Crenshaw]

A couple of beauty shots...the guitar with the plastic PGs in place





Peace,
Mark

[Seth Dolcourt]

Exemplary work, as usual.

Just an un-offered opinion, I do like the pick guard on the bottom picture, I like how the vent gets to stand off on its own.

Saw something interesting on the drum forum I post to - a guy had a CarveWright machine, and there was a guitar body in it. For less than $2K, the poster said, one can get a bench top CNC and knock out the bodies. It's probably not hard to get a ready-made file for guitar making, too.

But, my preference is the CrenWright...

Have you thought about a hollow body with big 'ol F holes? Like Brian Setzer's Gretch?

Cheers,

Seth

[Van Huskey]

Thanks! I really love all the pics and watching it come together as well as the design process.

[Brad Schafer]

+1 on both the recent pick guard selections ... when corners are sharpened, think i will prefer the one that wraps the vent, but either will work. a previous poster (dan?) referred to a more complete pick guard coverage - agree with that. others looked interesting but might make for weird feel while playing.

have you ever considered an "inlaid" pick guard? make 'em interchangeable.

+1 as well on the dual pickups (unless your intent is to only play Junior Brown covers ).

missed this earlier, so will ask a stupid Q - what kind of material is the binding, and where do you get it from?

[Mark Crenshaw]

It's been awhile since I posted an update on this one. I've made progress, just haven't had time to organize pics and such...until now.

Well, for those who have been following along, I made a decision on the pickguard. I went with #1. I just couldn't look at the other one without being reminded of the Bat Signal. And really, it's just a standard PG with a notch cut in it...not very custom at all.

I've always liked #1 because it flows away from the vent and continues it's lines nicely...see the yellow line in the pic. This line is mirrored at the bottom of the PG...red line. And both the yellow and red lines follow nicely with the waist of the guitar.



OK, with that said and done, Next was lining up the neck so I could place and route the bridge. Again, my little jig makes this easy. Here are a couple of shots. It's very simple to make. Just a piece of MDF with 2 countersunk holes in it. The string spacing is marked as they would be that distance from the saddles...they're not parallel, so the spread is a bit wider at the jig.



A couple of clamps positioned so they don't interfere with the strings. And they elevate the guitar off of the bench nicely while I string it up. Twist, move, eyeball and cuss until it all lines up.



I moved on to the string thru/ferrule holes. I started by using my test bridge that I keep on the bench to start the string holes from the front side. I'm really liking the pin jig I made. It has removed all anxiety from this step of the build. You can see the details in my other Tele builds.


And, it's dead on accurate, too.