My next Tele:

[Cogs]

Here's the ash body for my Tele-style guitar. I bought this wood at Crosscut Hardwoods in Seattle last summer, joined the two pieces, routed out the edges & cavities, & I'm just now getting around to working on it again. It will have an Allparts maple neck that's been laying around here for YEARS.
I'm asking for opinions on the finish.

Because I like the grain pattern on this particular body, I don't really want to give it a solid color finish & besides, the weather here in the NW prevents me from spraying lacquer right now. I don't have any experience w/pore-filler. I recall some of you have used stains, hand-rubbed finishes, & oil finishes with some degree of success & satisfaction. Any advice or opinions?

[grito]

I'm a sucker for see through red. I'm sure you could tint some stain.

[rideough]

One word for ya.......blonde

[Steve]

OOO!

Nice wood!

It would be a shame to cover it up.

I'd say natural or antiqued but see-through.

I wouldn't even use sanding sealer. Just spray on some Deft and let it sink in (satin kind of).

I wouldn't use a pickguard on that one. The more wood the better!
It's beautimous.

[LightninBoy]

Vintage white blonde - you putting a maple or r/w fingerbrd neck on it?

[Tele-Bob]

If you can get your hands on a Butterscotch Blonde Tele, bring it to Home Depot and have them use their color analyzer on it. Then have them whip up a very thinned out pint of stain for you that matches the color. (use a test stick for the stain) I have found a 25% stain to thinnner ratio works very well.

Do not use any sealer on the body.

Rub the stain in and let it dry.

Then use tung oil to seal it.

Apply several light coats of tung oil (5 or more....)

Keep applying tung oil until the texture of the wood grain is almost filled. If you stop there, you will have a very authenic looking "Aged Buterscotch Blonde" finish looks like it has sunken into the wood over the years the way some finishes do.

It's impossible to screw up the application of tung oil and it makes a great finish.

[chaz498]

Fuuny you should ask! I want to build a USA CG Tele this year and want to do the same as I love the look of a beautifully grained piece of wood. I am thinking about Tung Oil, but I have read that dirt can stick to it and get rubbed into the finish - is this true? Also, I've read that Tung Oil will darken the wood a fair bit so is it really necessary to stain the wood first (T-B you seem clued up on this)? My preference would be, a little bit darker than natural but not at all brownish (and not Butterscotch either). Perhaps "antiqued" as below is the right description? There's a couple of threads about Tung Oil on the USA CG forum BTW.

[chaz498]

The above would be my suggestion, but I have also seen some georgeous see thru reds which would look great with that grain. A burst could work too but it would obscure the nice grain at the edges.

[BLUELOU]

Originally posted by 71818
Here's the ash body for my Tele-style guitar. I bought this wood at Crosscut Hardwoods in Seattle last summer, joined the two pieces, routed out the edges & cavities, & I'm just now getting around to working on it again. It will have an Allparts maple neck that's been laying around here for YEARS.
I'm asking for opinions on the finish.

Because I like the grain pattern on this particular body, I don't really want to give it a solid color finish & besides, the weather here in the NW prevents me from spraying lacquer right now. I don't have any experience w/pore-filler. I recall some of you have used stains, hand-rubbed finishes, & oil finishes with some degree of success & satisfaction. Any advice or opinions?

NICE BODY 71818 YOURE A GREAT WOODWORKER
/HOW DO YOU FIT A DRILL IN THE PUP HOLES TO DRILL THRU TO THE BOTTOM POTS CAVITY ?
I NEVER MADE A TELE YOURE LOOKS UN REAL I'D CLEARCOOAT IT AMBERISH TINNT ACRYLIC ENAMEL AND 3 /4 COATS OF AMBER TINTED CLEAR LACQUR THEN JUST LET IT DRY AND BUFF OUT YOUR TELE BODY LOOKS UNREAL NICE GRAINS

I LIKE ACRYLIC ENAMEL IT DRIES FAST BUT I'D TRY A ACRYLIC RESINOUS LOOKIN VINTAGE TINTED CLEAR ENAMEL COATS
ROB IT LOOKS MARVELOUS
GODBLESS
SINCERELY
BLUELOU

[Old Tele man]

A long (12") shank drill bit is started into the body in the neck pocket and is drilled through the neck pickup cavity and over to the vol/tone control cavity.

For the bridge pickup lead, a separate hole is drilled from the bridge cavity over (and slightly down) into the vol/tone control cavity.

[Cogs]

Originally posted by Old Tele man
A long (12") shank drill bit is started into the body in the neck pocket and is drilled through the neck pickup cavity and over to the vol/tone control cavity.

For the bridge pickup lead, a separate hole is drilled from the bridge cavity over (and slightly down) into the vol/tone control cavity.

Yup

LightninBoy- it'll be maple. It's starting to warm up around here, so, who knows... I might shoot it see through blonde if I don't have any trouble w/the pore-filler part.

[BLUELOU]

71818 -- HEY MAN IM DROOLIN THA WOOD GRAIN IS PURTY NICE WOODWORKIN

OLD TELE MAN

THANKS FOR THE DRILL PICKUP AND BRIDGE HOLES I WAS NOSEY ALL THESE YEARS I NEVER BUILT UP A TELE OR HAND MADE A BODY FOR ONE



71818 YOU MUST HAVE A NICE GOOD SIZE WOOD PLANER

LOOKS BEAUTIFUL
GODBLESS
SINCERELY
BLUELOU

[Cogs]

My planer is just big enough to fit a Strat/Tele sized body- I think it's about 13 1/2", maybe?

[Williams]

Suggestion for the finish:

Light amber with no sealer hand rubbed in...
You can also use a clear pickguard so you can see the grain and still have a guard too:tw59

-Kevin