On a lazy late winter afternoon recently I was sitting on the sofa in the sunlight, half dozing and half noodling on this guitar (which is a perfect couch electric), and I realized that it was an accidental guitar. As opposed to a purely intentional guitar.
I’ve built up several project electrics, and sure, they were just partscasters at heart, but up until now they all had a more or less specific end goal in sight, unlike this assemblage of totally random, mostly Telecaster type parts. It began with a great deal on a high quality Tele style barncaster body and a tubful of various components built up over the years (I can’t resist a good deal!). Here’s a rundown of those unintentional parts:
- ToneBomb knotty pine body. Made in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 2 piece knotty pine, seam down the middle but not bookmatched. This was one of a limited run of knotty pine bodies they made a couple of years ago, luckily I was allowed my choice from a very few available. Totally vintage early ‘50s spec in all dimensions except the large neck pickup rout, and wonderfully lightweight. It came to me presanded to 150 weight, and I had a happy few days outdoors in early summer weather doing finish sanding. First with 250 grit, then a couple passes at 400 (with a water coat in between to raise the grain) before I gave it three double coats of Watco oil based varnish.
- Fender Classic Player ‘50s series Stratocaster neck, made in Mexico in 2022. Over a short period I bought five various Tele necks, and I’ll cut this story short to say they each had flaws or been misrepresented by the sellers, or both. One day I took the neck off my Strat project guitar, put it on the ToneBomb body, and that’s where it stayed. Fender calls it a “soft V” profile, and yeah I guess it is, I wouldn’t know for sure what that means, but I like the shape. My very first real guitar, a 1947 Martin D18, had a similar feel neck - the guy I bought that Martin from, a pro player in L.A., had sanded its original V-shape neck down a slight bit - and it’s been a favorite profile for me ever since. Until recently most Yamaha acoustics have had that shape neck profile; this Fender neck and the one on my 2005 Yam parlor are very close.
- Gotoh vintage type tuning machines. Nickel plated steel, with “butterbean” Waverly style buttons. Japan
- Fender vintage style round string guide, nickel plated steel. USA
- Gotoh nickel plated steel neck plate. Japan
- Fender nickel plated steel strap pegs. USA
- Gotoh Les Paul style output jack plate. Curved nickel plated brass or nickel. Japan
- Switchcraft output jack, new old stock, unknown date, possibly 1970s. USA
- Gotoh control plate, nickel plated brass or nickel. Yeah it’s reverse mounted, a favorite trick since I was a kid. Japan
- Gotoh bridge plate, nickel plated brass. Cutaway sides for comfort; cutaway rear for possible use with a Bigsby tailpiece. Japan
- Fender saddles. Solid steel. No intonation compensation, but my “secret” adjustment has worked since I was a teenager, which is: keep messing with the string length until chords sound okay, and you’re done. Hey, most acoustic guitars have no adjustments possible, and we all make do somehow, so why not Teles? Also, most of the Telecasters I borrowed when I started doing country bar gigs had these same type steel barrel saddles, and it’s a great sound. USA
- Fender vintage-type rear body string ferrules, nickel plated steel. USA
- Gotoh “Gibson Speed” style volume control knob. Japan
- Gotoh “dome” Tele style tone control knob, heavy knurled nickel plated brass. Japan
- CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply) 250k audio taper potentiometers; one w/ splined split shaft, one w/ a solid shaft. Both new. Mexico
- Oak Grigsby 3-way blade switch. NOS (New Old Stock) 1960s, spring loaded. USA
- DakaWare switch knob, NOS 1950s, maroon barrel style. Chicago, USA. A gift from friend David.
- Mighty Mite neck pickup; Gibson single coil “P-90” style. Made in Korea mid 1990s, Alnico magnet, 8.5k.
- Philadelphia Luthier Supply P-90 cover, unplated solid nickel. USA.
- MojoTone bridge pickup. “Broadcaster” model, flat top magnets, coil string-wrapped and wax potted, made in Georgia, USA, 9.6k.
- WD pickguard, thick one ply, 5 screw. USA
- Wherever possible, all screws are nickel plated flat blade type, not phillips. Various makes; Fender, Philly Luthier etc. USA
- Right now the strings are a GHS Gilmour set, gauges .010, .012, .016, .028, .038, .048. Next string change I’ll go back to my old fave Hybrid Slinky set: .009, .011, .016, .026, .036, .046. A very minor difference, but the slightly lighter set has a bit better couch noodle-ability.
I’ve built up several project electrics, and sure, they were just partscasters at heart, but up until now they all had a more or less specific end goal in sight, unlike this assemblage of totally random, mostly Telecaster type parts. It began with a great deal on a high quality Tele style barncaster body and a tubful of various components built up over the years (I can’t resist a good deal!). Here’s a rundown of those unintentional parts:
- ToneBomb knotty pine body. Made in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 2 piece knotty pine, seam down the middle but not bookmatched. This was one of a limited run of knotty pine bodies they made a couple of years ago, luckily I was allowed my choice from a very few available. Totally vintage early ‘50s spec in all dimensions except the large neck pickup rout, and wonderfully lightweight. It came to me presanded to 150 weight, and I had a happy few days outdoors in early summer weather doing finish sanding. First with 250 grit, then a couple passes at 400 (with a water coat in between to raise the grain) before I gave it three double coats of Watco oil based varnish.
- Fender Classic Player ‘50s series Stratocaster neck, made in Mexico in 2022. Over a short period I bought five various Tele necks, and I’ll cut this story short to say they each had flaws or been misrepresented by the sellers, or both. One day I took the neck off my Strat project guitar, put it on the ToneBomb body, and that’s where it stayed. Fender calls it a “soft V” profile, and yeah I guess it is, I wouldn’t know for sure what that means, but I like the shape. My very first real guitar, a 1947 Martin D18, had a similar feel neck - the guy I bought that Martin from, a pro player in L.A., had sanded its original V-shape neck down a slight bit - and it’s been a favorite profile for me ever since. Until recently most Yamaha acoustics have had that shape neck profile; this Fender neck and the one on my 2005 Yam parlor are very close.
- Gotoh vintage type tuning machines. Nickel plated steel, with “butterbean” Waverly style buttons. Japan
- Fender vintage style round string guide, nickel plated steel. USA
- Gotoh nickel plated steel neck plate. Japan
- Fender nickel plated steel strap pegs. USA
- Gotoh Les Paul style output jack plate. Curved nickel plated brass or nickel. Japan
- Switchcraft output jack, new old stock, unknown date, possibly 1970s. USA
- Gotoh control plate, nickel plated brass or nickel. Yeah it’s reverse mounted, a favorite trick since I was a kid. Japan
- Gotoh bridge plate, nickel plated brass. Cutaway sides for comfort; cutaway rear for possible use with a Bigsby tailpiece. Japan
- Fender saddles. Solid steel. No intonation compensation, but my “secret” adjustment has worked since I was a teenager, which is: keep messing with the string length until chords sound okay, and you’re done. Hey, most acoustic guitars have no adjustments possible, and we all make do somehow, so why not Teles? Also, most of the Telecasters I borrowed when I started doing country bar gigs had these same type steel barrel saddles, and it’s a great sound. USA
- Fender vintage-type rear body string ferrules, nickel plated steel. USA
- Gotoh “Gibson Speed” style volume control knob. Japan
- Gotoh “dome” Tele style tone control knob, heavy knurled nickel plated brass. Japan
- CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply) 250k audio taper potentiometers; one w/ splined split shaft, one w/ a solid shaft. Both new. Mexico
- Oak Grigsby 3-way blade switch. NOS (New Old Stock) 1960s, spring loaded. USA
- DakaWare switch knob, NOS 1950s, maroon barrel style. Chicago, USA. A gift from friend David.
- Mighty Mite neck pickup; Gibson single coil “P-90” style. Made in Korea mid 1990s, Alnico magnet, 8.5k.
- Philadelphia Luthier Supply P-90 cover, unplated solid nickel. USA.
- MojoTone bridge pickup. “Broadcaster” model, flat top magnets, coil string-wrapped and wax potted, made in Georgia, USA, 9.6k.
- WD pickguard, thick one ply, 5 screw. USA
- Wherever possible, all screws are nickel plated flat blade type, not phillips. Various makes; Fender, Philly Luthier etc. USA
- Right now the strings are a GHS Gilmour set, gauges .010, .012, .016, .028, .038, .048. Next string change I’ll go back to my old fave Hybrid Slinky set: .009, .011, .016, .026, .036, .046. A very minor difference, but the slightly lighter set has a bit better couch noodle-ability.
The photo at the top of this post was taken with a 2016 iPhone SE (Special Edition). This model phone was a lot more popular in Asia than it was here in the states; prominently featured in one of my favorite movies, Shinkai Makoto's "your name." (Kimi no Na wa).