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For a while now I've been wanting to scratch my tele itch. Specifically, a vintage style 60s tele in olympic white with rosewood fingerboard, mint green pickguard, etc. There's a few models that would be prefect, but just don't come up for sale all that often (Fender Classic Series 60s Tele, Fender MIJ TL62 in vintage white, etc). The American Pro is also similar, but pricey.
Considering building one, but keen to get some of your collective wisdom first. What are the pitfalls?

There's very few actual 'mods' that I'd want to make to a standard telecaster, other than 4-way switching and maybe an angled control plate like this: https://ruttersguitars.com/angled-selec ... trol-plate or this: https://rockrabbitguitars.com/shop/angl ... rol-plate/

So I'm thinking a decent neck, bridge, pickups and electronics are most important. The body doesn't have to be anything special, as long as it's the right colour and shape. Am I wrong? Keen on a pre-finished body too, don't fancy trying to paint one.

I've found a seller on Reverb that does AllParts necks with a vintage nitro tint that seem reasonable: https://reverb.com/shop/usas-gear-locker

Keen on slightly hotter pickups, so My Glyn's Cruel Mistress set look like they'd be perfect, and seem to get good reviews on the forum.

Most other parts I'll either get from StewMac or GuitarParts.co.nz, or potentially from people here if they're selling stuff.

So, hit me with your tips. Or advise me against it. I'm open to either option at this point.

I went down this route recently. Was initially looking for parts from the big makers. Exchange rates are ok but shipping is a killer. Decided to get a forumite to build a body and neck from mostly native timber. Haven't got the final product (or bill!) yet, but from what I have heard his work is excellent and price very reasonable. Also allows more customisation. I'm happy spraying nitro, but I think there's a few forumites who could do it if you're not keen.

TLDR: consider buying local.

I’m in exactly the same boat right down to the 60’s specs in Olympic White.

My first thought was MJT. The cost to get a full package minus electronics from them looked to be around the same price as a second hand MIA. At first this made me think there was ultimately no point so keep an eye on TM but the difference is that you’d have pretty much exactly what you want in terms of specs (minus the pups).

Would be interested in getting a ball park figure from Rob for the local option.

Anyway, I’m still on the fence (and currently broke at any rate) but nevertheless I will follow this thread with interest!

I have some opinions..............

Bridge: Wilkinson. They're improbably cheap and excellent.

I have an Allparts neck. They tend to have small frets but otherwise are great.

I think the quality of the body wood is really important. That's where most of your resonance comes from. No point in a beautiful looking dead as a dead thing.

Get the best electrical/ metal bits you can find. This is not the place for budget cuts.

You won't regret the results!

As above, you need a resonant body for a good Tele. Difficult to assess this remotely, but the best surrogate is probably cost

I like the look of the one above. I have a white relic Tele (MJT body), and an Allparts relic neck...but it is not rosewood. I think that is a good combination. And decent quality. The MJT bodies & finishes can be a bit mixed in terms of quality, I find, but probably worth a punt. It is not cheap to put together a decent partsacaster. And you will not get your money back if you decide to sell. So buying a ready-made guitar is not a stupid option.

I’ve built 4 warmoths because I wanted big neck and big frets.

Some thoughts:

- As mentioned, good wood is critical. Nothing worse than slapping it all together and it’s dead as s*#t.

- Likewise hardware and pickups - you may have to go through a bunch of different options to get what you want.

- Paint can be tricky - especially more involved finishes. Giving someone a picture is one thing, getting the guitar back with that exact finish is another.

- You’ll probably need to budget a couple hundie for fret level and setup.

- The end result may not be perfect. Especially if you’re new and make mistakes putting it together (tuners perfectly aligned, anyone?). Then again, it might be a home run.

Of my 4 warmoths:

- two were fantastic out of the gate - but still went through at least 2 variations to tweak.

- One is still a dog.

- One had good bones but went through ~10 bridge humbucker changes before I put in a shitty old JB I had floating around - now it’s my best sounding gat.

I built a bass with a neck from that seller. They're pretty good value, I think. The finish is really nice and the fret levelling/polishing is a real plus.

Thewilltopowerrock wrote: ↑Tue Sep 14, 2021 5:24 pm
Would be interested in getting a ball park figure from Rob for the local option.

I'll let the guys quote for themselves, but it was less to get them to make an unpainted body than it was to import, by a significant margin.

Cheers for the insights.

Yeah I'd also be keen to hear from local builders who could do a basic tele body finished in nitro. I can't imagine I'd save much doing it myself, buying individual cans and such, plus risk ending up with a crap finish.

Miza wrote: ↑Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:17 pm Cheers for the insights.

Yeah I'd also be keen to hear from local builders who could do a basic tele body finished in nitro. I can't imagine I'd save much doing it myself, buying individual cans and such, plus risk ending up with a crap finish.

I tried it once with a strat body and ended up with a crap finish. Think it was because I rushed the sanding.

I have done two nitro finishes. The first was pretty crap. The second was much better. In most areas it's close to perfect. The cutaways and edges are a bit average though.

Ok, so I've ordered the neck and all the hardware (minus p/us).

Still trying to find a body though.

Longshot, but if anyone has an Olympic White tele body for sale, let me know!

Well, that didn't take long to arrive. Still hunting for a body. Bidding on a MJT on Ebay currently.

Is the neck a relic job to match the (potential) MJT?

Starfire wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:15 pm Is the neck a relic job to match the (potential) MJT?

Nope. Do you think it look noticeably mismatched?