Building a guitar?

Okay, another guitar question. I've been wanting a telecaster for a while now, but given my current employment situation, and the fact that I hope to save most of what I earn for travel, I don't have a fortune to spend. I was considering buying a kit and building my own. Seems like it could be fun, and the guitar would definitely be my own.

I have no previous experience doing this kind of thing. Has anyone done it before? Is this something I should be able to do, or is it best left to the pros? Does anyone know of a good place (or website) to buy kits? What kind of quality are the guitars at the end of the process? Any info would be great. Thanks

Hey Jon. I'm not sure what level of guitar player you are or exactly what you have in mind, however I find it hard to believe one can build a guitar from components for less that what a Mexican made Fender tele goes for these days. As well, you could pick up a Squire (by Fender) fairly inexpensively as well.
If you want something decent to play around on and learn, I have a Squire Tom Delonge style Strat (single pickup) that I could sell you for literally a song on the pay-when-you-can plan. It's almost brand new and has a brand new Fender gig bag with it. I think I have played it 3 or 4 times.

You might want to check out this place:

http://www.stguitarworks.com/

There is also a guitar shop in Kemptville (of all places) that might be able to provide you with some info:

http://classaxe.ca/

I've got a buddy who's father built him a guitar about 15 years ago. He was a machinist at Labatt's and built everything from scratch. He got a template of a Telecaster and used white ash, machined all the knobs and plates, he did all the strapping too. He ordered the pickups from Fender but other than that it was all original. The unique thing about the guitar is that my buddy wanted a "B-Bender" but his dad couldn't figure out a way to intall the bender (that he made from scratch) without cutting out the back of the body of the guitar. He eventually just cut out a square, inserted the bender and then covered it with a piece of plexiglass. Whenever we would do a gig when we went on break my buddy would put his guitar on the stand with the back of the guitar facing the crowd so you could see the bender under the plexiglass. If I had a nickel for all the musicians who came up to the stage and stared at that thing I'd be rich. We used to watch guys stare from afar and then get up closer to the stage with their heads cocked and then finally they had to ask where he got it and what kind of guitar it was. It looks identical to a Tele. The guy has since built over 20 of these things for other picker's and friends and has even built a couple with both B and G benders in them. Only the first one has the plexiglass on it, he's since figured out how tho insert the bender without ripping out the back of the body of the guitar. He paints them any color and even has done a few with some Pearl Inlay. Ironically, my buddy's band has had a bit of success on the Country charts and he now has an endorsement deal with FENDER! He gets free amps and guitars any time he wants but despite that he still uses the original guitar that his dad built for him as his main guitar. He normally charges about $2000 for one with a bender in it and anywhere from $800-$1500 for one without a bender, depending on what other options you get. He retired in December so now he can spend a bit more time on his craft. I'm still working on exactly what options I want on mine so when I'm done figuring out what I want I'll give him a shout and he said it would take about 4-5 months to finish it for me. I was down to his house over the X-Mas holidays to visit my buddy and I tried a few that he has kicking around and they are identical to a Tele plus they sound great. Probably a lot more info than you needed but it gives you an idea of the amount of work involved and tools you would need. His garage is full of mills and lathes and all kinds of machining equipment. I'll try to post some pics if I can find some.
Jeff

Jonf,i would jump on Reids(1972 Apex)offer.You cant go wrong with that deal and its gona cost you some cash to build your own,unless this is a long term project and you are in no hurry.There are a lot of cheap parts out there but by the time you factor in the shipping,taxes etc..its gonna run way over the Squire.You can always swap pickups in these or other hardware without breaking the bank.
I wish you good luck if you do build one and let us see some pics. when its done.

If jonf doesn't take it, I may...

Need something to play love ballads to my new Itsy Bitsy Spider with :rolleyes

Thanks for the offer Reid, but I've already got a Les Paul. I'm just hoping to add a telecaster to the collection. I will definitely consider getting a Squier, but there's something that appeals to me about making my own (particularly the idea of a custom finish and headstock). I've found a few kits out there. They range in price anywhere from about 150 to a few hundred dollars. Some require more work than others (soldering, drilling, etc), and obviously the quality of the parts varies. I'm no pro, and will likely never use it other than in my own home, so i really don't need superb quality, but at the same time I want something that can do a decent job of imitating the tone on a telecaster. I'll have to look through some more reviews online and hopefully find something that will do a decent job. I can always upgrade parts in the future, too.

No problemo Jon! Wish I had a tele for you. I played golf with Foddz today and he is taking it. Sorry I did not see the posts before I left this morning or I would have brought it with me to the course.
Foddz, I just checked the collection and for your 90 bucks you get the guitar, strap, new Fender gig bag, a spare set of Ernie Ball strings and a DOD Hard Rock Distortion pedal :-). If you want, I can loan you a nice little 15 watt amp until you pick up one of your own.

At this point i'm fairly committed to the idea of building a kit anyway. I'll probably go with a Saga, as it comes pretty much ready to assemble. overall feedback is that, aside from low quality tuners and strings, the hardware actually does a good job of producing the telecaster sound. What seems to be hit and miss is the quality of the fit...some are ready to go (holes in the right spot, snug fit with neck and body) and some need a little tlc. As it's going to be my first build, I'm not going to spend the money on a higher quality kit, cuz I may end up screwing something up anyway. If it turns out well I can either upgrade later, or build a higher quality kit in future. I'm already looking forward to this project. Got a few sweet ideas for the headstock shape and 'label.' I'll be sure to post updates once i actually have the kit and start the work.

dude, I too wanted to dive into making my own guitar but after some looking into it i decided not too. there is a lot more to it than you think. everything must me lined up correctly, and its going to take you hours trying to adjust the action so that everything is level and even. I for one have very little patience and this idea was the nail on the coffin for me. that and the fact that the electronics most of these kits come with are horrible. so the guitar is going to sound horrible

what I do HIGHLY suggest is the new Squire Classic Vibe series! I just picked one up last night at Steves here in montreal. I head alot of buzz about this guitar so I had to buy one and bring it home to try. I am truly impressed, and that is for everyone else reading this as well. dare I say it feels as nice and sounds as nice as my american standard tele... well I just did. they are $399. I dont know how they make a $400 guitar sound and play like an american tele but they did a fantastic job with this guitar. check it out online. Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster. and the finish is top knotch!

You are going to be spending at least $200 for a kit, that may end up sounding like **** unless you put new electronics into it. so spend the extra $200 to get a wicked sounding guitar and save the agravation!

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Originally Posted by MusicMan

what I do HIGHLY suggest is the new Squire Classic Vibe series! I just picked one up last night at Steves here in montreal. I head alot of buzz about this guitar so I had to buy one and bring it home to try. I am truly impressed, and that is for everyone else reading this as well. dare I say it feels as nice and sounds as nice as my american standard tele... well I just did. they are $399. I dont know how they make a $400 guitar sound and play like an american tele but they did a fantastic job with this guitar. check it out online. Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster. and the finish is top knotch!

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Don't mean to steal the thread but I'm with Jarred on the Vibe. About 2 months ago I went to the local guitar shop looking for a Strat (yeah I know a Gibson guy with a Strat :bash ). The owner, who is a golf buddy, says " we're doing the blind fold test with 4 different Strat's". Blew me out of the water when I got done the elimination and the last one was a Squire Vibe. I had always thought of Squire's as cheap imitation Fenders. The other 3 were American Vintage '62, American Standard, and American Deluxe. The Vibe had the most balanced feel, smoothest neck, and stunning drive. For the price I almost bought two and I've had a hard time putting it down.
What really got me was when he showed me the price, laughed and told me I owed him some free golf rounds.