What My Builders Are Up To: Lefty Mahogany Tele!
This one has been awhile coming, but was well worth waiting for. The body is African mahogany, and was originally destined to get an Allparts Strat neck. Long story short: AJ, the builder, also has an American Strat. He decided he wanted to have his new Tele set up for slide playing, while the Strat would become his guitar for other styles. He felt the Strat would benefit more from a neck with fresh frets. It’s a good move, and both necks fit their respective bodies with no problems.
As you can see, the bridge is a six-saddle Gotoh, and the pickups are Fender’s Pure Vintage ’64 set, which I had not heard before. They sound great on this guitar! We opted to flip the plate, in order to improve access to the selector switch; otherwise the control setup is standard.
The body, as usual, is from Clearfork Designs, and is stunning. AJ did one of the best arm- and belly-cut jobs I’ve seen yet, with beautiful lines and execution. It’s a favorite way to modify a Tele body, and he really got it right. He applied a Tru-Oil finish, also with great results.
I may sound like I’m just cheerleading when I write these posts, but I’m really proud of the work all of these builders have done. And it’s interesting to see that in many cases they really bond with these guitars. I know I have, and the whole process of getting your hands on all the parts as you work through the steps is very satisfying. Plus, you have a cool instrument when you’re done. Another beautiful job here, Thanks, AJ!