First-Ever Build: cheap-o Tele. This will be an experience.

[ComesATime]

Been playing guitar for a long time, and I'm a tinkerer. I'm always looking to change a pickup, different nut material, different wiring... Building a guitar seemed like a given. Granted, it seemed really daunting, but my wife got me a cheap-o kit off eBay ($65) for Christmas this year, and it's forced my hand. Time to put up or shut up.

I'm a very casual DIYer. I've learned to do a good bit of things in home repair from YouTube and forums like these. I'm definitely not well-experienced in any sense of the word.

First thing I noticed is that the wood on the kit had a real fuzzy feel from whatever rough sanding they did at the factory. I'm going to guess it was sanded to about 180. 3-piece body they said is mahogany burlywood, and I can see some areas on the side of the body that do look a bit like knots sanded down.

So first thing was first...to Home Depot for sandpaper, a respirator, and some butcher block mineral oil. I first tried the Dunlop 65 Lemon Oil on the fretboard, since it looked very pale and dry. The 65 cleaned it up a bit, but the shine didn't last, so the butcher block mineral oil will eventually get on there. The pic above is post-Dunlop 65 on the fret board.

I also first tried using a regular old N95 for sanding, but that wasn't cutting it. Respirator time.

I don't have a dedicated workbench or space. It's a cold, rainy winter here in New York, so outside work isn't a possibility. What I do have is a room with a window, a dehumidifier, a shop vac, and a plastic table (which I covered in garbage bags ripped along the seam. I like the blue bags because I can see how much material is coming off a lot easier than I can on clear. Plus I could just wrap up the plastic at the end of the day and no worries about sawdust or anything getting anywhere else.

So we got to sanding....180, 220, some wood filler, 320, a little mist to just help keep the dust down and raise the grain. It felt very smooth at this point, and I even thought about leaving the neck to just the bare maple, but this is about trying some different things. I thought I did okay here, but as I got to the later steps, I realize my wood grain filler technique was off. There was still some open grain--and this didn't matter too much for this particular build, but it's a good lesson for moving forward. I tried to really work the wood grain filler in by hand since my putty knife wasn't forcing it in to the pores, but I need to have more patience next go around to force it in the best I can, let it sit and dry, then sand.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

You can also use liquid-paint-on type fillers, use epoxy as a filler (similar in application but shrinks less), or use a coat of finish (or sanding sealer) to bind the fuzz for easier sanding and some minimal grain filling. Grain filler as such is more about filling the grain with less effort than many coats of finish for the same result, unless you're getting into a ceruse type finish where the grain filler step is also about creating a visual effect in the final look.

 

[ComesATime]

Next was to do some additional sanding, replace the very cheap plastic nut that the factory had put in there, and start thinking about a finish. I really wanted to do something with Copeland Guitars' "Painted with Fire" finish, but I was hesitant to try burning this wood when it's a 3-piece body. I had read some trying the sugi ban techniques ended up having the body separate at the seams. I went with @eddybuzzard 's suggestion of trying SpeedBall India Ink to stain the body and approximate the look. So here we go...

First. The nut. Just feeling the nut, it was incredibly cheap plastic. However, this thing did not want to come out. I used a razor to break the glue...no dice. Tied some taps...nothing. I even tried heating it with a hair dryer and a soldering iron. I finally tapped it out, but it took a chunk of the end of the fretboard with it (headstock side, thankfully). I reattached this with some Gorilla Glue and then cleaned the nut slot out with sandpaper and a razor. It's not pretty, but it'll look better once cleaned up. Pictured below is the culprit.

One thing that I wanted to do in this project is go to more local stores. My local guitar shop only had plastic nuts, so for $3, I went with that...for now. It still felt a lot better quality than the one that was on there. I've personally always preferred TUSQ nuts, but we can replace that later if we need to.






After the nut debacle was sorted out, I went over the body with some 400 grit since I didn't want to do too much sanding once I applied the ink. I will for any rough spots, but I wanted the ink to work like a stain. Using a microfiber, I started working it into the wood. At the time I took the pictures below, it was still drying, so there are some marks I'm hoping will clear up...otherwise we're back to sanding a bit. I also wanted to match the headstock, and I got some really clean lines along the edge. I noted the gorilla glue that seeped out remained on the headstock to some degree...you can see where it wouldn't let the ink soak in quite so well by the truss rod access. We'll get to sanding that.

The edge of the neck was also horrifically uncomfortable. I worked on rolling the edges by hand with a razor blade--45 degree angle, then angled slightly towards each side. After smoothing it out with 400-grit, it felt a lot better. I still may go a little more extreme with it, but I didn't want to accidentally scallop it, either.




While this was drying, I also wanted to mess with the clearcoat on the neck. For this, I really wanted a satin feel. I'm usually completely fine with (and even like) the super-slick glossy Fender finishes, but the satin feel of the 400-sanded neck had me thinking satin this time around.

Thanks to @gormsby for steering me away from the Minwax Polycrylic. I ended up picking up a satin wipe-on poly from a local paint shop, and I applied this to the back of the neck. The can recommends 2-3 coats, about 2-3 hours apart. This was after one coat.

The astute may notice a run near where the neck and headstock meet. This was an excess of the Dunlop 65 that ran down the back of the neck.

The Wipe-On Poly brought out the woodgrain a bit and tinted the neck a bit towards amber, which I personally really like and want more of. It will get at least another 2-3 coats.



Not much to do at the moment but wait for this to dry and for the ink to settle on the body.

 

[ComesATime]

You can also use liquid-paint-on type fillers, use epoxy as a filler (similar in application but shrinks less), or use a coat of finish (or sanding sealer) to bind the fuzz for easier sanding and some minimal grain filling. Grain filler as such is more about filling the grain with less effort than many coats of finish for the same result, unless you're getting into a ceruse type finish where the grain filler step is also about creating a visual effect in the final look.

This is good to know. Thanks for sharing. There are things that I'm going to slap myself for, thinking I should've known that already. My uncle is a retired firefigher and was a pretty good carpenter on the side in his day, but he's always been an extremely impatient guy and wasn't one willing to teach, so I'm always really grateful to everyone on here willing to share their knowledge and experience.

I wouldn't mind a bit of wood grain being visible in the final product. I'm going to see how it looks as I get closer to a final finish...this is as much art as it is a science at this point!

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Now that they've become a brand name with many products, hard to be sure, but if you used the original foaming polyurethane Gorilla Glue that's not a usual choice. Different folks might choose Titebond, (or their saved stash of unobtainable LMII instrument Maker's glue) epoxy, hide glue, or superglue for the same job.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

The ship’s already sailed but I’d recommend a test assembly if you haven’t already. It’s good to know if routes need to be adjusted or screw holes weren’t drilled before you’re too deep in the finishing.

Also, get a countersink. A local hardware store will have that. Run it in all the holes that are going to get a screw later. This helps keep that little chunk of grain from lifting the first time you run a screw in the hole. A drill press is nice for this but a hand drill and care works, I’ve even used my manual brace when I don’t feel like digging out the battery drill.

Last, be careful with said screws. I haven’t bought one of those kits but when it comes to the inexpensive hardware I have tried mounting screws seem to be where all the money was saved. I usually don’t even try the supplied screws. I’ll go to ACE or TruValue and get the same size stainless sheet metal screws.

The assembly is looking good so far though. Have fun!

Also, yeah, what T_bone said. I’ve used that foaming Gorilla Glue but not on instruments. I’m sure their wood glue is good if that’s what you meant.

 

[ComesATime]

Now that they've become a brand name with many products, hard to be sure, but if you used the original foaming polyurethane Gorilla Glue that's not a usual choice. Different folks might choose Titebond, (or their saved stash of unobtainable LMII instrument Maker's glue) epoxy, hide glue, or superglue for the same job.

Thanks for this. It wasn't anything foaming.

I think it's some variation of their superglue...typical cyanoacrylate stuff. I'm going to give it a little wiggle to see how secure it is. There's no pressure on this area, so if it's holding, I'll just leave it for now. I was able to place the nut in the slot for a fit check and worked it in with no issue. Otherwise, if I can get it off, I'll refasten it with some wood glue.

The ship’s already sailed but I’d recommend a test assembly if you haven’t already. It’s good to know if routes need to be adjusted or screw holes weren’t drilled before you’re too deep in the finishing.

Also, get a countersink. A local hardware store will have that. Run it in all the holes that are going to get a screw later. This helps keep that little chunk of grain from lifting the first time you run a screw in the hole. A drill press is nice for this but a hand drill and care works, I’ve even used my manual brace when I don’t feel like digging out the battery drill.

Last, be careful with said screws. I haven’t bought one of those kits but when it comes to the inexpensive hardware I have tried mounting screws seem to be where all the money was saved. I usually don’t even try the supplied screws. I’ll go to ACE or TruValue and get the same size stainless sheet metal screws.

The assembly is looking good so far though. Have fun!

Also, yeah, what T_bone said. I’ve used that foaming Gorilla Glue but not on instruments. I’m sure their wood glue is good if that’s what you meant.

Thanks for this. I'll dig through the various collections of tools in the basement that I've inherited from my grandfathers...pretty sure there's a countersink down there.

The pickguard was already on the kit when it came, including the pickups, so I feel sure about those fitting. I haven't tried the neck, though, so I'll do that before things get any further. The screws don't feel great, so I'm going to replace those. The control plate and the knobs feel dirt cheap (as I expected), so I'll replace those things bit by bit later on, as long as everything else goes okay.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

No need to break it out again - superglue is a pretty usual choice, and the brand doesn't matter.

 

[ComesATime]

Today's progress...a few more coats of wipe-on poly. The neck is slowly getting a bit more amber-like, and I expect this will intensify as the poly cures a little more over time. The neck has gotten about 4 coats at this point, but it's gone on extremely thin. I feel like it gives me some control to make sure it goes on evenly and smoothly. There are one or two spots (the end of the headstock and one bit by the heel) where it feels like it's almost crystallizing. I touched it up very lightly with 400 grit to take care of that, and I'll do that to the overall neck once I get a couple more coats on...maybe at 800 grit.

There are those two black bits in the grain of the wood...they wouldn't sand out, but I can at least live with it.



I decided to start with the back of the body. I had to hit the sides of the body with some 400 grit to take away some areas where the ink raised the grain. Only noticed this on the sides, though.

I wanted to see how the stained body would take the poly. I was wondering if it might actually "lift" the stain, but I haven't had that issue. There are one or two areas where the ink seems to have sunk in a bit more, leaving me with some of the underlying wood color poking through. I actually don't mind the look, but I would like to get a real solid black look here. I'm wondering if there's some chemistry happening between the poly and the ink. I put on a very thin second coat and I'm going to leave it overnight to see how it settles.

 

[ComesATime]

More coats of wipe-on poly.

We're up to 10 for the neck and 7 for the back of the body. Hopefully will have the neck finished this weekend and can make sure the body is well-blended.

The other part I'm thinking about now is upgrading...everything else.

The kit came with tuners, a bridge, the aforementioned plastic nut, pickups, and a wiring kit. I'm debating replacing all of that pre-emptively, but I'm also considering giving it a chance before tossing it all. My other concern is if one of the Gotoh bridges will fit on this particular guitar.

I do already have a replacement set of pickups on standby (Fender's Vintera set). Had no idea that this body had a humbucker rout in the neck until after it arrived and I was able to take off the pickguard, otherwise I would've considered that.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

If you don't try the kit parts, you won't find if any of them are "surprisingly good, actually"

If they are (as you apparently expect) not, you can always replace them later. I'm not going to track it down, but someone recently found the pickups they got with a kit that they were sure they'd have to replace were ... actually surprisingly good. It can happen, not that it always will.

 

[ComesATime]

If you don't try the kit parts, you won't find if any of them are "surprisingly good, actually"

If they are (as you apparently expect) not, you can always replace them later. I'm not going to track it down, but someone recently found the pickups they got with a kit that they were sure they'd have to replace were ... actually surprisingly good. It can happen, not that it always will.

That's fair.

It's more because I was thinking of gifting this (if it comes out in a way I'm happy with) to a guy who's been something of a mentor to me for the last 15 years or so, ever since I was in my first serious gigging/recording band. I wanted to make sure it was something he'd be able to use and gig with.

I am a bit confused as to why the pickup grounds are soldered to the switch..

 

[Matt Liebenau]

That's fair.

It's more because I was thinking of gifting this (if it comes out in a way I'm happy with) to a guy who's been something of a mentor to me for the last 15 years or so, ever since I was in my first serious gigging/recording band. I wanted to make sure it was something he'd be able to use and gig with.

I am a bit confused as to why the pickup grounds are soldered to the switch..

Without seeing a picture my guess is they landed the grounds close to where the hots connect then run one wire to ground or no wire to ground and let the control plate serve as the ground plane.

 

[ComesATime]

Without seeing a picture my guess is they landed the grounds close to where the hots connect then run one wire to ground or no wire to ground and let the control plate serve as the ground plane.

Guess I'm just used to my Strat and P where the ground is always to the back of a pot. This kit is also wired with connectors, so the hot and ground off the pickup selector go to a clip that can attach to a clip wired to the pickup.

I get it for a basic kit, but I kind of want the inconvenience of having to solder.

I'll wire it up as-is first to see what the score is.

I'll have to clip the connectors and strip the wire to get the Fender pickups in there.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Guess I'm just used to my Strat and P where the ground is always to the back of a pot. This kit is also wired with connectors, so the hot and ground off the pickup selector go to a clip that can attach to a clip wired to the pickup.

I get it for a basic kit, but I kind of want the inconvenience of having to solder.

I'll wire it up as-is first to see what the score is.

I'll have to clip the connectors and strip the wire to get the Fender pickups in there.

View attachment 7134896View attachment 7134899

Yeah, the control plate is the ground and the pickup wires just need to be soldered right there and don’t need extra wire for connecting the grounds thus saving a few yaun per kit. It works as long and the switch screws or potentiometer or output jack mounting nuts don’t come loose. You won’t hurt anything by adding ground wires.

If you really want to experiment when you change pickups get a 5 way switch and try this wiring. It takes a bit of playing around with capacitor values for the “half out of phase” sound but it’s a nice mod.

Mod Garage: The Bill Lawrence 5-way Telecaster Circuit

Get convincing “in-between” Strat sounds from Teles and other two-pickup guitars.

www.premierguitar.com

 

[ComesATime]

Still working on my coats of poly. Neck looks great and just about done. Made some extremely light passes with sandpaper on the fretboard to get rid of the rough feel and it feels perfect now.

Body is a work in progress.

I put on a coat of poly for the front and sides, but something odd happened to the back.

When I went to put on a coat this morning, there was an area on the back that looked as if a piece of plastic had become stuck to the body, a good 3 inches by 2 inches. I'm assuming an excess of poly had run down the back and sides, pooling on the back and not curing completely. I'm not quite sure how it happened, as my wipe-on coats have been very light so I have more control over building it up without the need for as much sanding.

I left it for a bit longer, but it stayed tacky and sticky, so I had to sand it down. Interestingly, I didn't see any clear/white dust on the paper like I would if I was sanding lightly between coats. I'm not sure if it had also lifted previous coats, which I didn't think would happen with a wipe-on poly.

Lesson learned. A better drying setup is in order if I do this again. Obvious mistake #72.

 

[getting-bassed]

I think I've built the same kit as my first kit. The guitar came out okay, but I'm disappointed in my finish work. Does your kit have all the wiring pre-terminated with clips so it's solderless? If so, that's a complete cakewalk to assemble, just follow the pictures to see which clip goes to which end, make sure your ground wire has plenty of exposed metal touching the bridge, and you'll be set.

For the finish on mine, I have four regrets:

• Not spending more time sanding and leveling and prepping. This was a huge problem later when I had nitro pool in a couple places while trying to get coverage of what turned out to be subtle high spots.
• Not spending more time sanding and leveling at the sanding sealer layer.
• Choosing to paint it in the first place.
• When I chose to paint it, making an attempt first with spray cans and then with a cheap gimmicky "all-in-one" paint gun from Amazon instead of just getting a gravity fed/air-compressor driven gun. I even already had the air compressor! I wasted a ton of time and lost significant lining to churning stomach acids from that frustration. (For this, I picked the inexpensive and awesome Aeropro A610. It's already inexpensive, and periodically goes on sale, too.)

As far as tips: Don't paint it. Stain it and use wipe-on poly clearcoat after your stain has had an appropriate drying and curing time. After you stain, use a high build poly sanding sealer to give yourself some margin for level sanding, and then level sand until your arms fall off. At each stage, make sure it's absolutely dry before applying the next layer.... I.e. The stain has completely dried and cured before putting on sanding sealer, and the sanding sealer is completely dried and hard before you level-sand and clean it to apply your clearcoat.

An oil finish is a choice, but if yours is okoume like mine, it's very soft and an oil finish would likely be pretty non-durable with it.

 

[ComesATime]

I think I've built the same kit as my first kit. The guitar came out okay, but I'm disappointed in my finish work. Does your kit have all the wiring pre-terminated with clips so it's solderless? If so, that's a complete cakewalk to assemble, just follow the pictures to see which clip goes to which end, make sure your ground wire has plenty of exposed metal touching the bridge, and you'll be set.

For the finish on mine, I have four regrets:

• Not spending more time sanding and leveling and prepping. This was a huge problem later when I had nitro pool in a couple places while trying to get coverage of what turned out to be subtle high spots.
• Not spending more time sanding and leveling at the sanding sealer layer.
• Choosing to paint it in the first place.
• When I chose to paint it, making an attempt first with spray cans and then with a cheap gimmicky "all-in-one" paint gun from Amazon instead of just getting a gravity fed/air-compressor driven gun. I even already had the air compressor! I wasted a ton of time and lost significant lining to churning stomach acids from that frustration. (For this, I picked the inexpensive and awesome Aeropro A610. It's already inexpensive, and periodically goes on sale, too.)

As far as tips: Don't paint it. Stain it and use wipe-on poly clearcoat after your stain has had an appropriate drying and curing time. After you stain, use a high build poly sanding sealer to give yourself some margin for level sanding, and then level sand until your arms fall off. At each stage, make sure it's absolutely dry before applying the next layer.... I.e. The stain has completely dried and cured before putting on sanding sealer, and the sanding sealer is completely dried and hard before you level-sand and clean it to apply your clearcoat.

An oil finish is a choice, but if yours is okoume like mine, it's very soft and an oil finish would likely be pretty non-durable with it.

Appreciate the response. The wiring all has clips, so it is solderless. I never minded soldering, and I have other pickups I think I'll ultimately put in there, so I might end up replacing aspects of the wiring anyway.

I did spend an equivalent of maybe 4 or 5 hours sanding the body before I went on to staining and that. I did make mistakes with the grain filler since I've never really worked with it before, but it ultimately didn't matter too much, as I just took extra steps in the poly step.

I did sand everything down to a smooth layer before proceeding to staining, up to about 600 grit or thereabouts, and most guides called for 220 or 320.

I was considering paint, but since I really just have a basement space without great ventilation (plus it's freezing here in NYC), I decided to go with staining the body with India ink. The ink actually took really well and dried fast. I was able to wipe on a couple layers, and it resembles the burned/sugi ban finish I was aiming for. It's water-based ink, so easy to clean up and I'm happy with the results.

I'm really taking my time with the wipe-on poly to build up a ton of coats to give me a lot of space to wrap things up and fix any mistakes. It dries within 2 hours, but I leave it for 3, and I have a dehumidifier going to help it dry and settle faster. I had read it's about 3 wipe-on coats to be the equivalent of one brush coat, so it's been a lot of time, usually one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at night. No problems with it drying smooth. It's just a lot of time.

 

[Beej]

Are you using Minwax wipe on poly?

The spot on the back is not likely a running/pooling situation unless you had put it on way too thick, as it should offgas fast enough to avoid pooling or runs when applied thinly. When I've used it, I wipe it over the surface and what remains is very thin and evaporates quickly. To get a protective thickness with wipe-on it's in the range of 20-30 "coats" or applications, as coats are very thin compared to spray finishes. Once the coat is 3 hours dry, I rub it with a white scotchbrite pad to remove any nibs, wipe it with a fiberless cloth (like dress shirt material) to remove dust and then apply another coat.

A humidifier is great but what wipe on really likes is heat. Your drying space should be around 25C to 30C (77-85 f) or it takes much longer to cure and atmospheric moisture can impact curing and drying. Higher than 30c and the finish will offgas too quickly and not dry as evenly.

This is not to say it won't work at all without these conditions, but this will get you the best performance out of the finish.

At this point, you should also be hanging your body up and applying a coat to the entire thing at once, don't do top, back, sides separately or you may get visible lines / areas when it cures.

Finishing is the worst. You have my deepest empathy.

 

[ComesATime]

Are you using Minwax wipe on poly?

The spot on the back is not likely a running/pooling situation unless you had put it on way too thick, as it should offgas fast enough to avoid pooling or runs when applied thinly. When I've used it, I wipe it over the surface and what remains is very thin and evaporates quickly. To get a protective thickness with wipe-on it's in the range of 20-30 "coats" or applications, as coats are very thin compared to spray finishes. Once the coat is 3 hours dry, I rub it with a white scotchbrite pad to remove any nibs, wipe it with a fiberless cloth (like dress shirt material) to remove dust and then apply another coat.

A humidifier is great but what wipe on really likes is heat. Your drying space should be around 25C to 30C (77-85 f) or it takes much longer to cure and atmospheric moisture can impact curing and drying. Higher than 30c and the finish will offgas too quickly and not dry as evenly.

This is not to say it won't work at all without these conditions, but this will get you the best performance out of the finish.

At this point, you should also be hanging your body up and applying a coat to the entire thing at once, don't do top, back, sides separately or you may get visible lines / areas when it cures.

Finishing is the worst. You have my deepest empathy.

Yes, it is the minwax wipe-on.

The neck got about 15-20 coats (didn't need to go too heavy on that before it felt comfortable), and the body is up to about 20 now. Still building those up, but doing my best to let it properly dry between coats...takes quite a while!

Definitely doing a lot of learning in this process--that's for sure.