Design
Although I was building Thinline Telecasters as a volunteer with Pi Guitars, this was my first custom build.
I spent quite a bit of time thinking about what I actually wanted. There were a few changes – particularly the decision to use a rear control cavity rather than the usual tele top plate. For this I bought the Crimson Universal Control Cavity template set.
I struggled to design a headstock that I liked, so decided to use the Music Man 4+2 – and then I found out how difficult it is to find “4+2” machine head sets! I used Axetec.co.uk and was very happy with their service.
Build
Using recycled wood is important to me, but using counter-top brings weight complications. The sycamore cap is also fairly heavy. I did chamber the back of the body, but still ended up with quite a heavy guitar (although sustain is amazing). With hindsight and experience, I could probably have been more brutal with the weight relief – I guess I was overly cautious when removing so much wood for the first time. I could have drilled a bit deeper, made a bigger belly varve and also removed material from the inside of the belly carve (As I later did on the Simon Nashville guitar).
Finished Guitar
The finished guitar has a huge range of tones and I am pleased with the decision to use a partial split as the default in Position 1 at the bridge (it’s a bit more Tele). Pulling the tone knob gives the full 16k humbucker in Position 1, making the guitar useful for heavier rock styles.
I used 6 way JST connectors for wiring the super-switch – this added some flexibility, but left me with a lot of wire to squeeze into the cavity.
