Baldman Seven String Tele

[Jon Clegg]

This all started when my friend Bret, who goes by the name Baldman, posted on FB this picture of the new Solar T1.6AN and lamented that it wasn't available as a seven string:

Of course, I remarked "If only you knew somebody who could build you one..." After a bit of back and forth we settled on a 5 piece walnut-purpleheart neck, cocobolo fretboard, cherry body topped with wood from a bourbon barrel lid, aged aluminum pickguard, Hipshot tuners (nickel which will get aged) and Hipshot hardtail bridge.

I like the body style -- a bit of a fresh take on an old classic. The 7 string headstock will probably have a bit more of a classic Tele feel with a twist of metal . Woodpile pics coming soon

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Nice take on a Tele body. The pointy cutaway isn’t my favorite but, overall, I like it.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Could probably tone down the pointiness of the cutaway and retain the bevel, but it does feel metal.

Sketches:

Neck wood:

The back:

 

[Flamingo21]

Dare to be different! Do a 5+2 headstock.

 

[RichterScale]

I like the look. I would be concerned about the extreme point on the lower horn getting damaged. So, I might make it just a hair more blunt/rounded, but not so much that it changes the look.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Dare to be different! Do a 5+2 headstock.

I'd love to. I'm bouncing the sketches off Bret right now.

 

[Jon Clegg]

I like the look. I would be concerned about the extreme point on the lower horn getting damaged. So, I might make it just a hair more blunt/rounded, but not so much that it changes the look.

I expect that I will blunt it a little bit in the process of building it.

 

[Rôckhewer]

Wow... I love that design!!
(and I'm NOT a fan of Telecasters)
That cutaway creates a gorgeous, kinda yin-yang- fibonacci flow from the upper wing...
And that hard forearm bevel? Nice.

I would keep it pointy.

I would be concerned about the extreme point on the lower horn getting damaged.

Neal Moser doesn't seem too concerned. Valid question though.
Next time I talk to him I'm going to ask if he gets a lot of requests to fix busted tips.

 

[RichterScale]

That looks dangerous.
I probably can't own one in NY anyway.

 

[Jon Clegg]

That looks dangerous.
I probably can't own one in NY anyway.

Requires a background check, DNA sample, and a 7 Day waiting period in NY. And it helps if you're related to the local sherrif.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Wow... I love that design!!
(and I'm NOT a fan of Telecasters)
That cutaway creates a gorgeous, kinda yin-yang- fibonacci flow from the upper wing...
And that hard forearm bevel? Nice.

I would keep it pointy.

Neal Moser doesn't seem too concerned. Valid question though.
Next time I talk to him I'm going to ask if he gets a lot of requests to fix busted tips.
View attachment 4431239

Yeah, Tele's have always been kind 'meh' in my book. The bevels remind me of what ESP did with their EC series guitars take on the Les Paul.

I think we're going with this variation on the 6+1 headstock:

Added bevels to echo the bevels on the body.

 

[Jon Clegg]

My garage smells wonderful:

The label will probably end up hidden by the pickguard, though the numbers might be kinda cool to show.

 

[micguy]

If my parents were alive, they'd tell you that that thing will put somebody's eye out.

 

[Obese Chess]

The Solar guitars are really awesome and this is a great take on an already very cool idea.

 

[Jon Clegg]

The Solar guitars are really awesome and this is a great take on an already very cool idea.

Thank you very much!

 

[Arie X]

what kind of pu's are you going to use?

 

[Jon Clegg]

what kind of pu's are you going to use?

Bare Knuckles War Pigs with aged nickel covers. He's still deciding it Alnicos or Ceramics.

 

[Arie X]

Cool. I put SD Black Winters in my latest 7.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Cool. I put SD Black Winters in my latest 7.

Cool. The 7 is kind of a new world for me. It will be good to get some feedback as I go along

 

[Killing Floor]

Humbuckers for the win.
And that pick guard is cool. That’s a good reference point for a great design.