Telecaster Baritone Build thread

Rhiza

Inspired
**This Thread will update as my project goes along!**

Hi guys, I've always wanted a Telecaster, but since I can't find one that I like, I decided to build my own.
This is an experiment as well as my first DIY project.
All the parts will come from Allparts since my local dealer can get it for me. It's cheaper than ordering through the web.

Budget = proximately 1500 US Dollars

Body: Telecaster body with contour

Neck: Baritone Telecaster Neck

Pickups: Bare Knuckle Aftermath

Finish: Maybe a clear coat Nitro Cellulose or Oil finish. Depends on the price.

When my project is done, I'll upload couple of clips.
Love to hear fellow Fractal users share their own experience with DIY builds :)

**STATUS REPORT**

10th Dec - 2012 - All wooden parts have been ordered and should arrive in a couple of weeks.
Due to the fact that it’s christmas soon, most postal offices are fully booked atm, so there is a delay :/
 
Last edited:
John Rumley will build you a baritone tele for half that

Ah, I never heard about him. I'll check him out :)
I have to say that I'm not looking for a finished guitar, I want this to be my own project.
Let's say I bough a guitar, and I'm guessing he is in the US, it would cost at least a couple of 100 bucks to ship the guitar to my country, then there is 12.5 percent tax, then another 25 percent tax where the shipping is included. It would sum up probably to the same amount. So there is nothing really saved there.
Either way, my local guitar dealer also makes guitars himself, and he's built one of the best instruments I have ever seen/tried in my life. I if wanted a custom guitar, I would go to him.
This project is also to test the wood combinations and getting the fender twang tone as well.
But thanks for the name, I'll check him out.
 
Last edited:
I understand. I'm sure your build will be of better quality, anyway. I'm just playing devil's advocate a little. I went through the same thing, wanting a baritone tele, and found him to be the cheapest custom builder in the states. Very decent guitar, but not amazing. Horrible communication.
 
I've got an MJT tele body I picked up used on TGP a while back that I'm planning to do the same thing with. I've got a baritone neck used off of TGP as well. Still need some other parts. Not sure on pickups yet- I like what's in my older Custom Shop Nocaster, but I plan to give one of the small shop p/u builders a try.

Good luck with the build.
 
Spazi, interesting project! Thread sub'd. :)

Just curious: what made you decide to make your first Tele a baritone?
 
Spazi, interesting project! Thread sub'd. :)

Just curious: what made you decide to make your first Tele a baritone?

He may have seen the scene in "It Might Get Loud" where Jimmy Page pulls out his baritone Tele. Runs it through an old Marshall Plexi with some phaser on it. Sounds like GOD. It made me want one too. LOL
 
It took me 3 1/2 years, part time to build my 8 string baritone, purely to get the time to devote my full attention to it. It's been finished for a year, and I'm still thinking of staining instead of just spraying it the colour I did.

It's not a small undertaking by any stretch of the imagination! :)

Irish sycamore neck, ebony fretboard, bookmatched flamed maple top, mahogany back centre block and sycamore back wings. 24 jumbo frets, 27" scale, Seymour Duncan Blackouts set (direct mounted), Kahler tremolo, and the thing plays like a beast, as good as an early 1990s Jackson soloist thru-neck I bought back then. Widened superstrat shape, based on an LTD ESP, but widened by the equivalent of 2 extra strings. Thicker by about 1/2" than the ESP also, and this has resulted in an extremely bright guitar that I have to tame the highs on quite significantly.

I have read on forums that wood type doesn't affect tone too much and I can tell you that this is absolute pants. Not only does wood type affect the sound, but also the sustain. I've timed the audible length of a note at about 45 seconds (better than any other guitar I own). Also, body mass effects the frequency response.

The maple was sourced from a reputable luthier supplies, as was the ebony. The sycamore and mahogany was in my fathers storage shed for roughly 15 years, so moisture wasn't a worry.

I'd be happy to offer advice on specific things.
 

Attachments

  • P5170223.jpg
    P5170223.jpg
    229.3 KB · Views: 44
Spazi, interesting project! Thread sub'd. :)

Just curious: what made you decide to make your first Tele a baritone?

Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been extremly busy!
I love the tone of the tele, but I’m a baritone guy.
Fender actually makes a Tele, but it features an Alder Body. I’m not really into Alder.
I have a theory that a tele can bring the tuning of a baritone to life. It’s because (most) Fender teles uses a certain wood combination that really gives the guitar some bright life! Or as we call it, the ”twang”
Very often I find that in baritone guitars, the tuning can make the guitar sound muddy, so you have to compensate by throwing in special pickups, and certain amp settings. Whereas a tele, you can plug it in, and it sounds awesome right away.
So I thought, What if I combined the qualities of a tele with a baritone tuning. It’s my theory that it’s a good combo.

PS. I just found out that the new Ibanez Tosin Abasi signature features a Swamp Ash body!
Tosin said ”it lets the midrange and the openess of the guitar kinda speak" (what a coincidence eh?) I know my tele body is normal Ash. But since this is just a test guitar, it’s alright.
 
Last edited:
It took me 3 1/2 years, part time to build my 8 string baritone, purely to get the time to devote my full attention to it. It's been finished for a year, and I'm still thinking of staining instead of just spraying it the colour I did.

It's not a small undertaking by any stretch of the imagination! :)

Irish sycamore neck, ebony fretboard, bookmatched flamed maple top, mahogany back centre block and sycamore back wings. 24 jumbo frets, 27" scale, Seymour Duncan Blackouts set (direct mounted), Kahler tremolo, and the thing plays like a beast, as good as an early 1990s Jackson soloist thru-neck I bought back then. Widened superstrat shape, based on an LTD ESP, but widened by the equivalent of 2 extra strings. Thicker by about 1/2" than the ESP also, and this has resulted in an extremely bright guitar that I have to tame the highs on quite significantly.

I have read on forums that wood type doesn't affect tone too much and I can tell you that this is absolute pants. Not only does wood type affect the sound, but also the sustain. I've timed the audible length of a note at about 45 seconds (better than any other guitar I own). Also, body mass effects the frequency response.

The maple was sourced from a reputable luthier supplies, as was the ebony. The sycamore and mahogany was in my fathers storage shed for roughly 15 years, so moisture wasn't a worry.

I'd be happy to offer advice on specific things.

That looks AMAZING!
I have to absolutely agree that wood is the soul of the guitar. There is a reason why a Fender doesn’t sound like a Gibson.
Thanks for sharing this, a true beauty!
If my guitar project goes well. I might build a second tele that will feature a Swamp Ash Body and a maple only neck. Those parts will be bougth from warmoth.
 
Last edited:
Alright, due to some major problem with having things in stock almost all the parts have arrived!
Only thing missing is the pickups.
Will upload pictures soon!
 
Very cool man, however I must warn you !!

it's very addicting to build guitars, next time you are gonna make everything from scratch
and then baaaam ! woodworking psychosis :)

And you are gonna start gassing for woodworking powertools
and what not

at least that's what happened to me

LOL

:)
 
Love to hear fellow Fractal users share their own experience with DIY builds :)

i am building a heavy strat type guitar right now, i'll post detailed pics if anyone is interested...here's a sample...
 

Attachments

  • MetalStrat082.jpg
    MetalStrat082.jpg
    101.6 KB · Views: 12
  • MetalStrat085.jpg
    MetalStrat085.jpg
    105.3 KB · Views: 14
Very cool man, however I must warn you !!

it's very addicting to build guitars, next time you are gonna make everything from scratch
and then baaaam ! woodworking psychosis :)

And you are gonna start gassing for woodworking powertools
and what not

at least that's what happened to me

LOL

:)

Well lucky for me I'm gonna start my new job at a local guitar dealer who also specializes in custom builds, so he got all the tools ;)
I have a dream of building my own 8 string one day :)
 
Behlen have some nice finishing materials for instruments, they have water based and some in spray cans that would be ideal for your DIY job if you don't have all the gear.
 
And here it is 90% done
Oiled it with teak oil about 5 times, fitted a seymour duncan jazz at the neck and a vintage gibson dirty fingers at the bridge. Will change it to bare knuckle aftermath when they arrive.
Switchcraft toggle switch and one push/push volume pot for splitting to singe coils.
The strings are ghs baritone custom set, 0.14 to 0.70.
Tuned to drop G#
Will do a demo soon when I'm done with it.

View attachment 15759

View attachment 15760

View attachment 15761
 
Back
Top Bottom