Guitar Building: Bigsby Tele With Humbuckers, Part 3
This beautiful neck came from USA Custom Guitars. Last December (2016), I needed a neck for this guitar and Allparts was out of stock on the model I wanted. On the internet I found the USACG site (I visit from time to time), and followed the pages to some information about a neck sale they were running. I was able to get this flame maple neck with the fretboard width and radius I wanted, with my choice of fret size, neck carve, and other features. Wow! With the sale pricing, the neck was only a few bucks more than the Allparts neck I would have chosen, and the options I could pick made it an amazing deal.
They were buried in orders and it took a few weeks to get it, but it was well worth waiting for. Very pretty wood and great workmanship! It needed only a little sanding to be ready for finishing. They had already rolled the fretboard edges, and I went a little further with that. The fret ends were beautifully rounded and didn’t need any further attention. The peghead’s shape is a slight departure from the classic Tele profile, but I like it and am happy with it as it came. Four coats of Tru-Oil and some 0000 steel wool later, the neck was ready for tuners and a nut, and the wood grain looked great, as you can see.
One option I chose was to get the truss rod adjustment on the peghead, instead of the heel. That’s a huge convenience! I’m good at getting the adjustment done the old school way, but it’s always a bit of a guessing game. This neck straightened with only a bit of adjustment. I’m anxious to see how it behaves under tension. The neck heel fits perfectly on the body. It always blows my mind a bit when I see a neck and body from different makers go together so well. So far, I’m really impressed with USACG’s work.