Tele-Building Classes: Questions Answered
I’m very happy to say that the guitars we built in the first Tele course have attracted a good deal of interest. You have to take my word for it about the great sound, at least until I can get some clips up. But everyone can see they look beautiful. We’re not into doing this halfway!
So, from the mailbox:
Q: Can I bring my own neck and body from XYZ vendor?
A: Better check with me first and in many cases, I have to say no. Proper fit of the neck to the body is critical, and a mismatch can’t be easily fixed, if at all. With the AllParts necks and Clearfork’s bodies, that issue doesn’t even come up. If you were to order both the body and neck from the same vendor (Warmoth or USACG), then we’d probably be OK. Going that way is a lot more expensive, though.
Q: Will my guitar keep up with the commercially-made guitars I’ve bought before?
A: Absolutely, and the combination of the thin finish and carefully selected and assembled parts will give you a sound you can’t get from a guitar with a thicker finish. Choosing your own parts (I provide recommendations here) will mean you don’t need to mod it later, because you can get it right the first time. Of course, down the line you can swap out parts and pickups all you like.
Q: I’d like a sparkle/metalflake/bass boat finish with binding on everything! Can I get that?
A: Sorry, no can do. I recommend and offer a very thin finish, carefully applied and rubbed out, because it both sounds and looks great. If your body or neck comes with binding installed, we can work with that. But options like fancy custom finishes and the like are available from the $4,000-and-up builders. We’re all about getting a great guitar that you really helped to build for a total cost of $1,100 to maybe $1,400.
More to follow!