Winter Build Off 2019: TeleBacker 9001

[Will_White]

Mash-Up Elements:
Rickenbacker treble side
Telecaster bass side

Build Specs:
9 Strings (3 courses of 3 strings)
Body: TBD, maybe mahogany.
Neck: Rondo Music 34" scale neck
Pickups:
Neck - 14.5k GFS Loud Mouth Humbucker
Bridge - 8.4k GFS NYII surface mount single coil
Electronics: 2 Volume, 2 tone, 1 selector. Push/pull bridge pickup bass cut, Push/pull series/ parallel. Ric-O-Sound stereo output.
Bridge: Tunomatic Chopped 3 saddle tele bridge
Tailpiece: R Style trapeze maybe "Custom" tailpiece.
Tuners: MGB Guitar tuners
Strings: Light Chromes, and Diadario Piccolo strings.
Colour: Natural with a twist. Teal glitter with Racing stripes.

 

[Will_White]

Went to the local wood store and their prices were super high so I might go a different way. I've had my eye on some glitter spray paint so I might try that out on a 4 piece poplar body.

 

[Will_White]

The plan tonight was to plug the headstock holes for this bass and the lambic but then this happened.

Tapped the dowel in, realized it was to tight and tried to tap it out and then snap.

I used the lambics headstock as a clamping caul, probably not the best idea but it works.

I cut out and glued the top together. I'm feeling woefully inadequate in the clamp department but I got a good squeeze out the whole length (already wiped in this picture)

I then cut out the the tail piece but I ran out of loud time to drill the holes and shape it.

I also picked up the paint this afternoon. I'm going to do a base coat of the teal, mask off a couple racing stripes and do the glitter, then a boat load of clear.

 

[Will_White]

Because my beautifully wife surprised me Wednesday with this for our anniversary.

You all get a condensed update, it's mostly boring clamp pics.
First, second half of body in clamps.

Body in clamps.

Body out of clamps and cleaned up.

I also got the holes plugged, this time without incident.

 

[Englishman]

I also got the holes plugged, this time without indecent.

Yes please, no indecency!

 

[Jon Clegg]

Yes please, no indecency!

Yeah, the mods frown on that sort of thing.

 

[Will_White]

Full size print,

Experimenting with pickup position, I think I'm going to do a full ric type pickguard around the neck pickup, I'll have to mess around with that on the drawing.

My plan with the gibson bridge isn't going to work but it's not a big deal, I was thinking of switching it out for a chopped compensated 3 saddle tele bridge to reinforce the tele aesthetic, I might mount the bridge pickup to the plate I'll see Thursday when it gets here.

 

[Will_White]

Drilled and installed the tuners,

And my first attempt at a nut

I'm not sure if this one will work, I made the slots shallow so that if it doesn't I can try again on the same blank. I also have another blank just in case.

 

[Will_White]

I'm not happy with how the strings are lining up with the pickups and the gap on the neck so I'm going to build a bridge and use some thunderbird pickups, it doesn't fit with either theme but it will look cool and should sound great.

 

[Will_White]

Neck pocket routed, Bo Diddly would be proud.