Conference napalm::guitar

    Hi
    
    There are routing templates for almost any style of pickup you want
    to use. Use the template as a guide to rout a proper area for the
    humbucker over the existing pickup hole.  With the template clamped
    in place this is not dificult but be careful and take your time!
    I don't know how the existing cutout will match up you may wish
    to start with a body only routered for the neck.
    
    Do you want to use the standard Tele style control system? If not
    the uncut body will do better. It will be more work and take more
    planning but it may be worth the effort.
    
    Out of phase signals when mixed will tend to cancel ona another.
    This can be good and bad depending on how they interact and what
    effect you want to produce. Be careful here as well... some
    experimenting will help you decide what kind of sound you want.
    
    Jim
    
    

    
    	Hi,
    
    	The "out of phase" connection of two pickups gives your basic
    tinny, "chinky-chink" sound, useful for "clean" sound work -
    
    	Joe Jas
    

    Have a good repairman rout the body for humbuckers..no need to angle
    the bridge pickup, they do that on single coils so they can get
    some bass response out of the pickup...
    
    Best pickup? For what? In whose opinion?
    
    My recommendations:
    
    For inexpensive: EMG selects bought at Stewart McDonald's (1/2 your
    dealer's price ie: $21 and change)
    
    For very expensive: EMG low impedance with the preamp
    
    For medium expense: (my preference) Semour Dunacan's...any of them
    and there's a whole bunch of choices...
    
    
    good luck
    
    dave

    I would recommend you buy a body routed for humbuckers. Mount
    the humbuckers straight up and down rather than slanting the
    treble pickup. You can get a bridge made for this setup. Jeff
    Beck used a tele set up this way on his album  "There and back".
    Use a stock tele pickgaurd and jackplate. Add a coil cut switch
    to cut the dual coils down to single coil. I wouldn't bother
    to attempt an out of phase connection. The 2 coils on a humbucking
    pickup are already wired out of phase to effect the humbucking
    effect (common mode rejection). I have a book at home on guitar
    wiring. It has a chapter on hotrodding, and includes scehmatics
    for most popular models of guitars.
    
    	Let me know if you would like to use the book for reference.
    
    	Mark Jacques

	Could you post the name and author of the book? I'm very interested...

Thanks,

	Larry

Townsend used Schecter's last time I saw the band.  Lot's of em, he
swapped every couple songs.  Numbers #1 - 14? in 6" high characters.
I don't think they were tuned different, maybe he just strums so hard
they don't hold tune.  Could be different active electronics?

I was in the third row, and only a little judgementally impaired.
Not close enough to determine what gauge strings he used, though.

Dave

    rat hole: Townshend used to use heavy gage strings! They were the
    only ones that could stand they way he powerchords...he also spend
    most of every tour with stiches in his strumming hand to repair
    the damage the strings did to him...
    
    Those tele's were schecters...his Les Paul's used to be numbered
    too....
    
    db2

    Re: .0 & .3
    	I'd second the advice as to Semour Duncan PUs - He offers a
    considerable variety of sounds - just pick the one that's right
    for you.  I had replaced the treble pick up in my Hagstrom Swede
    with a PAF a few years back & found no difference between it and
    the original.  Then I added a SD invader, and that was really
    noticable!
    						jpb

    Re. .5   See note 332.23 for name and author of book.
    
    Mark Jacques
    

    Well folks, thanks for all the advice; now I've got more questions.
    The parts I mentioned in .0 were from Stewart McDonald's mail order
    catalog.  I went to a local music store and was telling one of the
    salemen what I wanted to do and he told me that the Stewart McDonald
    bodies and necks were sh*t.  He told me that he was a Warmoth dealer
    and that I should look into buying from him, because Warmoth offers
    much higher quality bodies, necks, etc.
    
    So I looked at the Warmoth catalog and they DID have a lot of really
    nice (exotic) woods, etc.  If I bought the least expensive Warmoth
    body and neck, it'd cost me $210 (never mind the hardware) vs $250
    for the whole deal (not p/u's).  What I'm wondering is how much
    better do you all think it would be?  One thing is that Warmoth
    will route the body any way I want it.  Both bodies were alder and
    both necks were maple.
    
    Also, is it possible for an average person to build a guitar that
    is *really* nice (i.e. rivals custom-made, or at a minimum, factory-
    stock guitars)???
    
    Joe.

    Yes. The average person can build thier own instrument & do as
    well as the factory. You can screw it up also, however, so can the
    factory. Take your time & find out what the best materials are.
    I suggest calling Luthiers Mercantile [(707)433-1823] & get thier
    catalog (it has lots of instructions & ton of parts / materials),
    and then get some Luthiers Guild instructions  [(206)472-7853]
    concerning what you have in mind. If you buy parts (as you seem
    to have tracked down), it will be a lot easier. I suggest that you
    buy a neck (Stewart McDonald's are good quality), and decide if
    you want to make your own body. I would also suggest that you consider
    buying mid range components (don't spend a fortune on you first
    guitar). If you want a Strat type of guitar, you can do it. If you
    want to make the whole thing yourself, I'd consider doing quite
    a bit more research & planning to buy lots of specialized wood
    working gear. Drop me some mail if you have specific questions. 
    
      				Jens_who_builds_his_own_guitars

    Joe, of course he's gonna tell you Stewart McD's are shit, he can't
    compete! One of the fellows here bought a body form there and it's
    very nice...he got a neck elsewhere but they fit right together
    like a glove...it's not done or Id be able to say more...
    
    Warmoth (sp?) are probably great also but I never trust the local
    guy because they all dump on mail order outfits....
    
    db2

    

    I agree with dbII, the local guy is just try to sway you towards HIS 
    stock. When I was shopping for a neck I did as much hands on comparison
    as I could. I tried Schecter, Dimarzio, All Parts, etc. They're all 
    pretty much the same price wise, but they all felt different. Every
    place I went to tried to tell me their stock was the best stock.
    
    FWIW, I bought a Warmoth neck and I love it. The craftsmanship is flawless,
    it came finish sanded, and was built to my specs. They are a little
    more expensive, but I think they're worth the extra price. 

    Dan

    re .10 (Is it possible to build something that rivals custom made,
    or at least factory made guitars).
    
    	I would say it is difficult, if not impossible to build something
    that will compare to a non bolt-on neck (through body) type guitar.
    That is, unless you are really into woodworking, have all the necessary
    tools, and maybe some experience building guitars from scratch.
    Bolt-on neck guitars cannot compare to through body designs for
    sustain, intonation, and even tone (ie. no dead spots on the neck).
    This would apply to both custom and factory built through-body guitars.
    
    	If you will settle for a bolt-on neck guitar (I personally have
    no problems with bolt-on neck guitars), then with the right parts,
    some patience, and lots of attention paid to detail, you should
    have no problem assembling, finishing, and setting up this guitar
    you have in mind. I think you will find a Telecaster with Humbuckers
    to be a real good guitar, especially if you use coil cut switches
    to go from dual coil to single coil. I would recommend, however,
    that you purchase the body routed by the factory for the pickups
    you want to use. Maybe it is not that difficult to rout a body
    (I don't know, I have never tried it), but I wouldn't attemp it,
    even though I have a router, and have some experience with it.
    Let the factory do it, rather than taking the risk of screwing it
    up. I realize this takes away some of the challenge of building
    it yourself, but I would be more concerned about the end product
    since you will no doubt spend more time playing it than you will
    building it.
    
    	What do you have in mind for a bridge for this creation ?
    How about tuning machines. Since necks come through with no
    screw holes in them, you can use any tuners you want. I would
    recommend you consider using Sperzel Locking tuners, unless
    you plan to use a locking nut. Locking nuts are great, but
    in order to tune up, you have to loosen them (usually done
    with an allen wrench). Sperzels allow for quick string changes.
    Unless you plan to use a tremelo system, I don't think you need
    a locking nut, anyways.
    
    	Some day I would like to "assemble" a component guitar from
    hand picked parts as well. Since I already have a Telecaster, I
    would probably build either a Strat or a Bass.
     
    	One thing that I would attempt is the finishing job. I have
    done one lacquer job, and would never pay someone to lacquer an
    instrument again. It is not that hard, and if you mess up, you
    can always strip it and start over. You can't do this with the
    pickup routing. Once you make a cut, you are stuck with it.
    Some manufacturers offer bodies already finished. If you want
    something exotic, like a sunburst body with binding (real nice
    on a Tele), then you might as well buy it finished.
    
    	Enough for now. Good luck whatever you decide.
    
    	Mark Jacques
    
    

    re .14
    Yeah, I'm definitely gonna let the factory do the routing.  I have
    no experience with routers and the only experience I have had in terms
    of building guitars was when I completely rebuilt my old '63 Fender
    Jaguar (stolen a couple of years later).
    
    As far as the bridge goes, Stewart Mac's. sells a Tele. bridge made
    specially for a humbucker with individual saddle adjustments.  Tuning
    machines will be Schaller mini's. that I've had kickin' around for
    about a year.
    
    I'm not sure if Stewart Mac's. will route the body for me.  It would
    be nice if they could, 'cause they've got what looks like a nice
    curly maple two-piece bookmatched Tele. body.  If all else fails,
    then I'll probably end up ordering a Warmoth body and neck (what
    the heck, I don't have the money anyway).
    
    BTW, I'm gonna go with coil tapping pour certainment.  I mean it'll
    be nice to have an axe with humbuckers (first time in this puppy's
    life), but I've got to be able to get the "Tele sound" too.
    
    Joe.

    
    I have a guitar with humbuckers (Gibson ES345). You are in for
    quite a treat when you play a guitar with humbuckers. They sound
    so fat. There is something magical, though, about a solid bodied
    guitar with humbuckers. They sustain a lot more than hollow bodied
    or semi hollow like mine. Mine has a real sweet sound, where a solid
    body will provide more sting, and a more solid bass response.
    Add to that the fact that a Telecaster has a bridge which is made
    of very dense metal, and surrounds the pickup (actually the pickup
    is normally spring mounted directly to the bridge), and you will
    no doubt get a really bright sound. Sometimes humbuckers sound muddy
    depending on the amp used, but on a Tele, that probably won't be
    the case.
    
    	I have a Guitar World magazine at home that came out around
    the time of "There and back". It has an interview with Beck, and
    shows him holding a Tele with humbuckers. The pickups are mounted
    straight and the bridge is a shorty that doesn't surround the pickup.
    If you would like to check it out, let me no, and I will bring the
    magazine into work. Another great guitarist that used to use custom
    Tele's was Jeff (Skunk) Baxter of Steely Dan, and Doobie Bros fame.
    
    Mark Jacques
    
    

    In the early 70's, Fender made some tele's with humbuckers. They were
    the tele deluxe model. it has a tele body, two straight mount
    humbuckers, short bridge, and a strat neck. I have one. It doesn't have
    that traditional tele sound though (sounds like a Gibson to me), but I
    want to rewire it with a single/double coil switch. That should give me
    the best of both worlds.
    
    pcv

    I have a tele thinline semi hollow body with humbuckers.
    It's very bright sounding on the front pickup and very deep/warm
    on the neck pickup...the hollow body adds a great deal of tone and
    sustain to it...
    
    I'd like to have a custom hollow body neck through body tele made
    someday...with active EMG's on single coil and one humbucker...
    
    oh well...
    
    dave

	The September 1990 Popular Mechanics magazine has a shop project
	on building an electric guitar (that is based on a Telecaster).
	It's an excellent primer, but assumes that you know enough about
	wood-working to pull it off. It has good diagrams and I'd bet that
	a number of people build guitars using these plans as a start
	point. You might want to buy the issue just for this information.

							Jens

	After reading Alan Starr's 'report' on his day in the studio, I
	figured someone out there in Guitar Noterland might be interested
	in my experiences building an electric guitar from purchased
	components.  Actually, this text covers primarily the finishing
	process and materials used.  In fact it feels like I should be
        entering this in the woodworking notes file, but since guitar
        building is such a specialty, here it is.

	I am not an accomplished woodworker, I'm only reasonably competent
	with hand tools, and have had minimal experience with wood finishing.
	Nevertheless, so far, I've achieved what I would consider to be
	professional results with this guitar project.  Note that I am
	not done yet, so I will provide updates as I progress.

	I've been wanting to do this for awhile (see base note) and some
        recent birthday money inspired me to tackle the project.

	Specifications:

	Body:		Ash, Telecaster-shaped, semi-hollow; quilted maple
			top with f-hole; rear-routed control cavity.

	Neck:		Maple with rosewood fretboard; 22-fret, 25-1/2"
			scale; dot inlay; double-expanding truss rod;
			#6105 fretwire; compound radius.

	Nut:		Bone.

	Bridge:		Solid steel Telecaster-style, chrome (strings through
			to back of body).

	Saddles:	Stainless steel.

	Tuning	 
	Machines:	Schaller mini in-line.

	Pickups:	Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, bridge position
			Gibson '59 Humbucker, neck position

	Controls:	One volume (500k Ohm - thanks db), one tone, three-way
			pickup selector switch

	Total cost for components $480.60 (does not include the Tuners, since
	I've had them kicking around for several years, but they go for $29.00,
	also does not include pots or switch, because I haven't purchased them
	yet, nor does it include the case).

	So, it's not inexpensive to do this, but I have had more fun with this
	project than I have had in a long time.

	Everything came from Warmoth except the pickups which were purchased
	at MacDuff's (used) in Shrewsbury.

	Finishing supplies (too numerous to mention) cost $86.50 from a myriad
	of sources -- some very hard to find.


	Now for the finishing process...

	This finishing process was taken from Dan Erlewine's column in Guitar
	Player, issues September, October, and November, 1986.

	The body and neck really came 'ready to spray', but I went over them
	with 220- and 320-grit silicon carbide paper just to make sure.
	Flat surfaces were 'block sanded' and curved surfaces were done by
	hand.  Good ol' Dan said not to mess with electric tools until you've
	become proficient doing it by hand (so this is a 'hand job' ;^)

	The finish is based on one that John Suhr uses.

	Wipe one coat of Watco Danish Oil onto the maple top.  This brings out
	the figured grain and protects the maple from the messy wood filler
	(next step).
                            
	Fill the grain of the ash (ash, mahogany, walnut, and rosewood are
	open-pored woods and must be filled prior to finishing).  I used a
	Pratt and Lambert natural paste wood filler colored with some Tints-
	All Burnt Umber to darken it a bit.  I screwed this step up the first
	time (let it dry too long) and spent several panic-stricken hours
	undoing it, so listen-up if you're planning on doing this...

	Thin the filler with Naptha (everything is this note should be done
	in well-ventilated areas with OSHA-approved masks for organic vapors)
	until it is the consistency of a thick cream.  'Paint' it uniformly
	onto the wood and wait for a haze to form -- 15 minutes typical, I'd
	say maximum, but humid conditions may require longer drying times...
	just be careful.

	o  When the haze forms, remove the excess from the surface with burlap
	or cheesecloth by rubbing across the grain.  You don't want to pull
	the filler out of the pores, so do only the back, or one side at a
	time.  Tape off areas not receiving the filler.  Let dry three days.
	Sand with 320 paper.

	o  Seal the whole body with one wipe-coat of Watco.  Wipe one coat onto
	the neck too.  Let both dry for one day and then spray one thin coat of
	clear lacquer (nitrocellulose-only) over the body, top, and neck.
	This melds the Watco with the lacquer.  Dry one day and finish the
	'sealing' with clear lacquer mixed 1:1 with thinner.  The sealing does
	just that, it seals the wood for the finish coats; sealing also levels
	the surface.  For lacquer I used a Pratt and Lambert nitrocellulose.

	For a spray kit (since I don't own a gun and compressor), I used a
	Pre-Val unit available with refillable aerosol cartridges (environ-
	mentally safe propellants!).  The unit is about $3.49 and the refills
	are $2.99 each.

	o  Mask off top with newspaper and stripers tape (auto body supply shop
	item).  Mask off fingerboard too.

	o  Spray back and sides with Wolf transparent red and brown shading
	lacquers mixed three parts red to one part brown and thinned 1:1 with
	thinner.  Spray two or three coats to suit.  Let dry one or two days.

	o  Mask off back and sides.  Spray top and neck with Wolf tranparent
	Golden yellow adding a little brown to suit.  Mix in one-fourth clear
	lacquer and thin the mixture 1:1.  Spray no more than two or three
	coats for the right color.  Let dry one or two days.
	Note:  Always wait three hours in between coats of lacquer and never
	spray more than three coats per day.  Why?  Because Dan Erlewine says
	so.

	The Wolf Transparent Shading Lacquers result in a PRS-type finish,
	colored, but letting the wood grain show through.  One quart is the
	minimum purchase quantity.  This guitar used about one ounce of each.
	If you want to buy a small quantity and live near Worcester, get in
	touch and I'll sell you some at cost, $11.59 per quart from the manu-
	facturer.

	o  Shoot clear lacquer, yup thinned 1:1, over the body and neck, sand
	after three coats, and then as needed every coat after that.  Ten
	coats minimum with the Pre-Val unit.  I'm at this step right now, I've
	got two coats on.  Sand with 400-grit if you want, I don't plan on any
	sanding until the end.  Dan says it's optional.

	o  Let finish dry one month before wet-sanding with 1000, 1200, and
	1500-grit wet paper.

	o  Rub out with Meguiar's #4, then #7.


	Since I'm not done yet, you might want to wait until I report on the
	final quality of the finish before you start this type of project, but
	I am really happy with the results to date.  The Wolf finishes are
	truly professional looking,  the golden top looks absolutely p*sser
	with the red back and sides.  The only thing that would have made it
	better is a bound body and neck.

	Do your taping very carefully.  I have two tiny spots where the red
	lacquer wicked up under the vinyl stripers tape onto the maple top.

	Assemble all parts before you start the finish job.

	I just hope to heck this thing plays as nice as it's gonna look.
	In the end, that is the scary part.  If it sounds like sh*t, I'm
	gonna smash it onstage at my next gig then go on an extended binge.


	joe.

    Great detail, Joe, made for interesting reading.
    
    I have one question for you though.  In the last paragraph you
    mentioned assembling all parts before starting the finish job.  I
    presume you mean do a trial assembly to make sure they fit, right?  And
    then you take them back apart before spraying any finish on 'em?
    
    Otherwise your neck and body would not be finished all over and the
    finish would be all down in the neck/body joint making it a real pain
    to disassemble later.  Seems like that'd be a problem.
    
    Greg

    re: .21
    
    Greg, you're correct.  Two reasons for assembling prior to finishing:
    
    1.  Make sure everything fits;
    
    2.  Insure all screw holes, string ferrule holes, etc. are drilled and
    properly sized prior to putting the finish on.  Drilling or enlarging
    holes after the finish is on can cause chipping and/or damage to the
    finish (e.g. oops, the drill slipped, yow!).
    
    Once you're sure everything is cool, you take it all apart so you can
    spray the body and neck separately.
    
    joe.

    Thanks Joe, makes sense!
    
    Greg

    	I'm having a bad day. In an attempt to move this note to a 
    suitable topic, I inadvertantly added it to note 23. Don't ask 
    how I did it. Guess I typed 23 in stead of .23 
    
    
	I just bought a body and some parts for a bass. They were 
    listed in the Want Advertiser and I was able to get them for a
    steal. The deal included the following:

	Body - According to the guy I bought this from, it is from a 
	"Grenier" bass that someone snapped the neck off of. It is
	shaped like a Precision bass, but routed for P/J pickups and	
	the control cavity is rear-routed so no pickgaurd is used with 
	this. This body is made of 9 pieces of wood laminated together. 
	The center is made of three pieces of maple separated by 2 thin 
	rosewood spacers. There are 2 wider rosewood spacers separating 
	the center "stripe" from the 2 outer body sections which appear
	to be made of walnut. The contrast between the light and dark
	woods gives it a striking but natural look. It is finished with
	a satiny lacquer. There's a few small dings in the finish, but 
	I'm probably going to use it as-is rather than refinish it. I
	buffed out the lacquer and it now has a nice subtle gloss to it.

	Tuners - The deal included a set of black chrome Schaller tuners.

	Pickups - The deal included 3 pickups, including a set of Ibanez
	P/J style active pickups. The third pickup is a Seymour Duncan
	"active-eq"  J-style pickup. The SD pickup has three "DIP" switches
 	which allow you to change the tone. 

	Controls - The body has 5 holes drilled through the control 
	cavity and has a gibson-style selector switch, 3 pots, and a 
    	jack. It also has a black plastic cavity cover-plate.


    Plans - I plan to use the body and some of the parts to build a 
    fretless bass. I am not planning to use any of the pickups supplied.
    Look for them in the "for sale" note. I plan to buy some vintage-
    style passive pickups for it. I'm not sure how I'm going to wire
    it up. The original owner planned to have one volume and a tone
    for each pickup. I may add a jack to the side of the body and use
    the original jack-hole for another pot, thus providing a switch, 2 
    vols, and 2 tones, and a side-mounted jack plate like a Tele or LP.
   
	I'll be shopping around for a fretless Jazz-bass style neck,
    2 pickups, and a bridge. I'll also need a neck bolt-plate and four
    screws. I measured the screw spacing on my Jazz bass, and found the
    holes are drilled on a 2" by 1.5" format. The holes in this body are
    drilled on a 2" by 1.25" format, so I may have to fill the original
    holes with dowel and redrill.

	Once I finish this bass, I'll probably get a hardshell case for 
    it. Should be a fun and easy project. Anyone have any suggestions ? 
    I'm all ears !!  If anyone knows of a fretless JB neck that is 
    available at a reasonable price, please send mail.

	Mark

	Update on Bass project:

	I have abandoned the idea of building a fretless bass and bought
    a "WD" P-bass neck (maple w/rosewood fingerboard). I also bought a
    "Badass" bridge (black chrome) and a neck attachment plate w/screws.

	Once I got the neck home, I realized that the Schaller tuners I
    had were not going to fit the full size Fender-style headstock. I ended 
    up trading the Schallers into my local music store for a set of "Elephant 
    Ears". They also took the active pickups I had in trade towards a set 
    of Seymour Duncan 1/4 pound P/J pickups. 

	The only thing I need to finish this project is a set of pickups
    covers, and a set of strings. The neck looks really nice with this
    body. It came with a satin finish on it, and I will probably use it
    as-is for now. 

	I'm not sure exactly how I want to wire these pickups. Precision
    bass pickups have two separate coils which are normally wired out of
    phase with each other so hum is eliminated. Jazz Bass pickups are also
    wired out of phase with each other so hum cancels when both pickups are
    full on. If I wire the P pickup and J pickup together, the J pickup will
    be in phase with one coil of the p pickup and out of phase with the 
    other. Does anyone have any suggestions for wiring this up ? How are P/J 
    pickups usually wired ?  I am definately going to wire the controls up 
    so that I have 2 volumes, and one tone. This will allow me to blend the 
    pickups like a regular Jazz Bass.

	Joe said something earlier that I definately can agree with. There
    is really no money to be saved by building your own guitar. For what I
    have invested in this bass, I could have bought a new one. The only 
    real advantage to building your own is the ability to build it exactly
    the way you want with the components you want. 


	Mark