Telecaster days 7 - Telecasters and Telecaster styled guitars
The Friday Tele guitar.
The Friday guitar is made by Moon Guitars in Japan (a very respected Japanese manufacturer ), and is a great marriage between the Telecaster and Les Paul Special. P-90 pickups and a mix between the Special and the Telecaster controls. All in a nice mahogany Tele styled body with crene binding. To me it looks mighty nice, and I would not mind trying out one of them.
Telecaster days 6 - Telecasters and Telecaster styled guitars
Time for the Thursday guitar. It's a spectacular Telecaster made by James Trussart. I really like the faded / industrial / rusty design and look, and they play just great.
Telecaster days 5 - Telecasters and Telecaster styled guitars
Wednesday Telecaster. An all Rosewood Telecaster guitar from Fender Japan. I guess that it's quite heawy. George Harrison used to play a Fender Rosewood Telecaster.
Telecaster days - Telecasters and Telecaster styled guitars
Telecaster guitars or Telecaster styled guitar has always been a one of my favourite guitars, or as my old grandma always used to say "you always look great with a Tele on stage". I have always enjoyed building Telecasters, but there are also a lot of different / great looking Tele styled guitars from other builders out there, and during the upcoming 10 days I will feature a new Telecaster each day from various builders, and from guitars that I have found on the net. Hope that you like them as much as I do.
Almost all guitarist has probably used one of his picks.
Stig Landstrom, the inventor and patent holder of the sharkfin guitar pick passed away on September 2 - 2007, 85 years old. He worked at the Levin Guitar Factory in Gothenburg from the late 40:s, where he also helped to develop the solidbody Levin electric guitar. He had his own workshop called Ateljé Guitar. His first picks was called Gits (his initial name backwords). Levins Goya guitars was sold in the US by Hershman Music in NY.
Stig Landstrom trying out a Levin Kentucky guitar.
Things are moving forward with the building of my cigar box guitar. Since the last time, I have been filing the slot for the nut. A have also made a test to see how the tunes fit.
Next in line was the drilling of holes for the string bushings at the back and at the top.
Finally it was time for the shellac finish on the neck, and I really like the amber finish of shellac.
I found this guitar artwork site when I was checking Friend requests on MySpace. The artwork is amazing, and has been done by Pamelina. She has painted more then 2000 guitars, and has made artwork on guitars for Fender Custom Shop, Ibanez and a lot of other guitar makers. To check out more of her awesome artwork and skill (and maybe have a guitar custom painted), click here to go to her site.
My progress with the building of a Cigar Box Guitar...
The next step in my cigar box guitar build is to cut out the ends of the cigar box for the neck to pass through. I was careful so I got a very tight fit.
The next step was to rout out the top of the neck for the lid, so you got a flat top when you close the lid over the neck.
Neck and box test fitted together. Before I glue them together I will reinforce the inside of the box to add support and strength to the construction, and also cut out the lid for soundholes and for a pickup.
Here are some more images and info on my cigar box guitar build.
First I thinned down the head for the tuners to fit, and to get a good angle on the strings over the top nut.
The next step was to take down the width of the neck and shape the head, to make it slimmer and better looking. Then I followed up with glueing a Wenge fretboard in 1,5 mm veener to the whole top (part of it will be routed away to make place for the cigar box lid).
I finished the neck off with holes for the tuners and rounding off the back of the neck.
Comments and views on the building is appreciated.
It's time for me to build a cigar box guitar, after reading about them on the Cigar Box Guitars website. There's something special with cigar box guitars, as they have a great history and are great fun to play. One factor for the current CBGR (Cigar Box Guitar Revolution) can be attributed to many musicians desire for a more primal/rootsy sound. Blues guitarists, in particular, have picked up the cigar box guitar in an attempt to play Delta Blues in its purest form. Cigar box guitars got a voice and tone of their own, and played with a slide they have a great whining blues sound that you just can not get from another guitars. One of the best things with cigar box guitars are that they are easy and cheap to build, and there are no set rules about their looks, specs etc., so you are free to use your own imagination and resources. They’re also small, portable, almost indestructable, weird looking, and they really attract a lot of attention and interest.
I got a couple of cigar boxes, some pine wood in the sixe of 1"x2"x3ft (25 x 50 x 900 mm) and some tuners and other hardware, that I will turn into two cigar box guitars. Updates of my progress will follow.
Anders Lewen from Knockout Greg A the Blue Weather plays some nice soft blues with a T-Bone Walker influence. Does anyone know what guitar he's playing on?
According to FingerWeights you get the following benefits.
"Used by Professional and Amateur musicians, FingerWeights increase speed, dexterity, endurance, and control for all players – all instruments. Designed specifically for musicians, the slip-on model fits comfortably on any size finger and is worn during practice and pre-performance warm-up. FingerWeights target the extensor and flexor muscles, the tiny muscles that open and close the fingers. The extensors (speed muscles) determine how quickly the musician can move from one key or string to the next. The flexors close the fingers and are essential for purity of tone.
The Musician is a unique form of athlete. Whether driven by string or wind, FingerWeights are guaranteed to improve your playing."
My view is that feeling is more important than speed when playing. But if you can get them both - what's the heck (but only in privacy).
The Meloncaster - A sparkly, pink Tele story from TDPRI
A funny, true and amazing thread from tdpri.com on the creation of a one-off Telecaster. It's not my cup of tea when it come's to Telecasters, but one must admire his guts.
Fender Introduces the Jim Root Telecaster at Summer 07 NAMM
A truly modern Tele® guitar built for big sounds. As lead guitarist for Slipknot and Stone Sour, Jim Root is one of todays leading heavy guitarists.
This Tele was a labor of love for both artist and Fender, combining several unique features to give it an identity all its own. Special features include a mahogany body, EMG pickups, 22 Dunlop 6100 jumbo frets, black locking tuners and hardware, and a single volume knob. Available in a black finish with a maple neck and fingerboard with a white pickguard or in white with a maple neck, ebony fingerboard and a black pickgaurd. Includes black tweed hardshell case with red interior.
Model Name: Jim Root Telecaster® Model Number: 013-4444-(Color#) Series: Artist Series Colors: (706) Flat Black or (780) Flat White, (Polyurethane Finish) Body: Mahogany Neck: Maple, Modern “C” Shape, (Satin Polyurethane Finish) Fingerboard: Ebony on (780) Flat White, or Maple on (706) Flat Black, 9.5” Radius (241mm) No. of Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Frets Pickups: 1 EMG 60 (Neck); 1 EMG 81 (Bridge) Controls: Master Volume Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade. Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup Bridge: Black 6-Saddle Strings-Through-Body Hardtail Bridge Machine Heads: Black Fender®/Schaller® Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking Tuning Machines Hardware: Black Pickguard: 1-Ply White On: (706) Flat Black, 1-Ply Black On: (780) Flat White, Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm) Width at Nut: 1.650" (42 mm) Unique Features: Mahogany Body, Active EMG Pickups, Ebony or Maple Fingerboard, Black Hardware, Flat Finshes Strings: Fender Standard Tension ST250L, Nickel Plated Steel, Gauges: (.009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .042), Accessories: Black Tweed Case with Red Plush Interior Introduced: 7/2007
The legacy of Joe Strummer (1952-2002) continues to live on, grow louder and shake up the establishment with the release of the Joe Strummer Telecaster, modeled after the beat up and battle-hardened ’66 Tele® he wielded as leader of “the only band that matters”—seminal Brit punk commando unit the Clash.
Designed in cooperation with the Strummer estate, the guitar has a highly distressed “road-worn” treatment that duplicates the original’s worn-to-the-wood layers of gray auto primer and flat black spray paint. It also features a “Revolution Rock” engraved neckplate and a limited edition art customization kit that includes Strummer-inspired stencils, stickers and graphics by designer Shepard Fairey.
Cigar Box Guitar Revolution - Original, rootsy Delta Blues
What does Jimi Hendrix, Bo Diddley, Blind Willie Johnson, Lightnin Hopkins, Charlie Christian, Carl Perkins, George Benson, Albert King, Hound Dog Taylor, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Big Bill Broonzy and Fenton Robinson and a host of other bluesmen have in common?
Well, they all started out with cigar box guitars, and today we are seing a revival for these primitive instruments (the cigar box revolution). Not only does the cigar box guitar have a great history, but they are also great fun to play. One factor for the current revival can be attributed to many musicians desire for a more primal sound. Blues guitarists, in particular, have picked up the cigar box guitar in an attempt to play Delta Blues in its purest form. They are usually played with a slide and have a great whining blues sound that you just can not get from another guitars. They're also small, portable, almost indestructable, weird looking, and they really attract a lot of attention and interest.
One of the persons behind the cigar box revolution are Shane Speal, who has taken up the title "King of the Cigar Box Guitar" for himself. He is also the man behind the The National Cigar Box Guitar Museum, that contains over 70 instruments plus historical documents, photos, ephemera and plans from the Mid-1800's to today. Other important factors in the CBG revolution are the Cigar Box Forum (with over 2000 members - and rising), and the The Annual Cigar Box Guitar Extravaganza.
A cigar box guitar can be built for less then $10-20, and a great place for getting cigar boxes is eBay. If you don't want to build your own guitar, there are also cigar box guitars up for sale on eBay.
Instructions on how to build a CBG (cigar box guitar) - here >> Guitar plans, bands and resources - here >> Cigar Box Guitar Tunings - here >>
Finally two videos:
Lenny Purnell playing a Harley Davidson Cigar Box Guitar
As you might have noticed, I'm a great fan of the Fender Telecaster. And as my grandma always said "You always sounds and looks good with a Telecaster on stage". If you feel the same about the Telecaster as I do, there's a site that you need to visit as often as you can. And that is TDPRI.COM / Telecaster forum - The Worlds most popular Fender Telecaster Guitar Discussion Forum. Everything about the Telecaster is discussed there, and you will quickly make new Tele friends from all over the world - Take my word for it!
Telecaster / Telecaster clones / Inspired by Telecaster - 01
This is a Telecaster inspired guitar made by Fernandes for the Japanese market. It usually goes by the name of Fernandes Hotei. It has been made in many different versions, with routed or graphic fronts, tremelo or hard tail bridge, single coil or humbuckers etc.
The Hotei is quite popular in Japan, with prices ranging from around $220:00 for common models, and up to $1500:00 for limited edition models.
Below are a few images on some of the models that has been made.
This one is a limited edition Hotei in simulated concrete finish.
If you are planning to build or put together your own version of Nancy from part suppliers, one of the crucial parts are the pickups. There are a lot of makers today who wind custom pickups, and also make clones on the pickups in Nancy. Two of the most respected makers for Nancy clones are Don Mare and O C Duff, and their "Nancy" pickups get great reviews on various Telecaster forums from guitar players who try to recreate that amazing Roy Buchanan tone. Both the makers can age them for you, so they fit that reliced look of a well played keeper.
You will find Don Mare and his pickups >> here. You will find O C Duff and his pickups >> here.
If you want to read up on Roy Buchanan, his life and his music, I recommend the following article from Vintage Guitar - The life and times of Roy Buchanan - By Phil Carson.
I managed to find one image on Roy Buchanans 53 Telecaster Nancy on my hard drive, but I don't remember where I originally found it.
My favourite guitar have always been the Fender Telecaster. The timeless design together with the range of tones and it's versatility, makes it "numero uno" , or as my old grandmother used to say "you always sound and look good with a Telecaster on stage".
The Telecaster player to me is without doubt Roy Buchanan and his trusted battleax Nancy. Nancy is an aged butterscotch blonde finished ash body Telecaster and was made in 1953, the serial number is 2324. The guitar's body had the date "3/11/53" written in the neck cavity, while the end of the neck (where it meets the body) is dated "3/26/53". Other features include an a replacement bakelite switch tip.
Roy Buchanan was one of America's most soulful players of the electric guitar. Still today, he commands the respect of his fellow guitarists and a devoted army of fans. The Buchanan sound was totally unique, heartbreaking, searing solos, trademark shimmering tone, and a mixture of snarls, wails and squeals that mark him as a wizard of the guitar. He was a pioneer in the use of controlled harmonics, and although this technique has been used by rock's greatest guitarists, especially Jeff Beck, Robbie Robertson and Z.Z. Top's Billy Gibbons, all acknowledge Buchanan as the master.
Buchanan once told an interviewer that one day, someone with a battered old Telecaster® under his arm walked past the barbershop where he worked by day. Buchanan recalled, "I walked out, right in the middle of a haircut, and I said, 'Where'd you get that guitar?'. I just told him, 'I want it'. I said, 'I'll get you the most beautiful guitar you've ever seen, and I'll trade you straight across.'" "I left work that day and went to a friend of mine with connections and said, 'I want a purple Telecaster.' He had it before the sun went down. We swapped guitars, man. That was it. It was like he knew it was my guitar, too."
Interestingly enough, Roy didn't have a case for his guitar and literally carried it under his arm from gig to gig. Legend has it that one night, he was attacked in New York City while walking to where he was staying. Onlookers reported seeing him use the guitar like an axe to club the would-be mugger! No doubt this accounts for some of the hard life this guitar endured.
Roy's musical career took him from underground club gigs in the sixties and seventies to national television, gold record sales and worldwide tours in the eighties with the likes of Lonnie Mack, the Allman Brothers and many other blues/rock guitar icons. Buchanan died in Virginia in 1988. He was 48 years old.
Earlier, Don Mare (who makes great Telecaster pickups a la Nancy) had a very nice gallery with over 100 images on Roy Buchanans Nancy Telecaster, but it is no longer avaliable. I hope he will put it back up again ASAP, as it is really missed.
I've been away for a couple of days, so I missed a couple of days of Telecaster styled guitars. But here they are again.
