Skyrocketing gas prices and V-8 powered behemoths everywhere;
an unpopular president trying to bolster flagging support for a
war in villages with names no one can pronounce; volatile housing
prices in an ever-correcting market; high food and energy prices
coupled with the looming threat of runaway inflation hamstringing
consumer confidence – it’s the seventies all over again.
For anyone old enough to recall the ‘Me’ Decade, snorting cocaine
with a South American supermodel while passionately discussing
Kandinsky with Tom Wolfe at the local disco was strictly for the rich
and famous. For most Americans, the reality was seeing if you
could choke down Hamburger Helper one more night a week to
save enough to take the kids to Magic Mountain.
It was also a time of more FUD than one could have thought
possible in the pre-internet era. Stories abounded of oil
companies sponsoring the assassinations of shadowy cabbies
who had figured out how to milk 100 mpg from modified
Checker cabs. A similar rumor told of a water-powered
engine bought and buried by one of the big three automakers.
Suddenly, people everywhere were trying everything
from mystery tablets in their gas tanks to chinchilla farms, all in
vain attempts to save a buck.
It was with a similar mixture of fiscal fear
and trepidation that I began my own
potential boondoggle, intended to save
a few bucks while ending up with a new
guitar when all was said and done. The
idea was simple: build a guitar that could
make a burgeoning cork-sniffer happy
while keeping the checkbook and significant
other appeased – happy on all three
counts would be too lofty a goal.
For me, the magic number was $1000; an
amount I could begrudgingly eat if the
guitar ended up being a dud, yet hopefully
enough to procure some good bits.
A few minutes of forethought and some
honest assessment of my woodworking
skills limited my choices to Fender-inspired,
bolt-on designs; being a Tele fan
helped narrow those choices further. To
stack the deck, I chose to build an Esquire
in order to save a few bucks on a neck
pickup that might be used for nicer woods
or better components.
Indecision Time
A few minutes spent surfing sites such as
Warmoth, USACG and Musikraft made it
apparent that I would be foregoing any
flame, birdseye or quarter-sawn options.
A rattle can finish was also in my future
– pre-finished necks and bodies would eat
up the budget before getting started. This
led to another concern: choosing which
company to source the neck and body.
In an effort to make things as fair and
unbiased as possible, emails were sent out
and the first to respond would be chosen
– slow servers, overzealous spam filters
and vacations be damned.
Scott from Musikraft was the first to
respond, so that
was sorted. Well,
not really. I had to
figure out if I was
going to remain true
to any particular era
– blackguard, midfifties
whiteguard or
a Buck-approved,
maple cap-era plank.
The choices were
limitless. I toyed with
the idea of making
an affordable, black pickguard on a whiteguard
Jeff Beck clone, but homemade
body contours surpassed my comfort
level while Musikraft’s option exceeded
my budget. I decided to look for inspiration
elsewhere.
I tried searching for components and
found myself quickly overwhelmed.
Throughout this process, I had relied on
forums such as
TDPRI.com,
thegearpage.net and the
forums at ReRanch. Again,
being honest about my skill level, comfort
level and the amount of time that I could
dedicate to this project, the rave reviews
and kudos from various forum members
led me to Callaham’s Vintage Guitars and
Parts. Perusing
their site offered
turnkey solutions
as well as
ideas for just
how strictly I
would need to
adhere to the
idea of remaining
“vintage.”
For instance,
their all-inclusive
“Vintage T
model Esquire
Hardware Kit”
had an option for slotted screws. As a nod
to modern functionality, it also featured
a screw-in jack cup (yeah!), compensated
brass saddles and a Gatton-esque cutaway
on the bottom lip of the bridge plate, all
for $387.75 plus $12 shipping. Did I mention
the Callaham kit includes everything,
including a pre-wired control plate? If you
have a nice electronics store around and
can source good pots or caps, either locally,
online or via eBay, this is an area where
time spent scrounging can equal big savings
while still allowing for top-notch hardware
from makers like Callaham, Glendale
or Joe Barden.
With my Callaham order helping me to
pick a theme of “vintage blackguard with
the occasional modern concession,” I
quickly realized that I had spent nearly
40 percent of my budget and still didn’t
have any wood – not at all dissimilar from
my limited experiences at strip clubs.
Heading back to Musikraft’s site to pore
over options and a few frantic phone calls
to Scott helped get my order together:
a ‘51-‘67 Tele Style body with oversized
neck pocket and router hump to lend
it some vintage authenticity. The only
other option I chose was a two-piece
body, bringing the cost to $204. For the
neck, I made a few modern concessions,
notably a fingerboard radius 9 1/2” and
6105 frets. Otherwise, the specs were all
vintage, right down to the business end
of the trussrod being on the body side.
I chose the “Fat C” profile to facilitate
easy switching between this guitar and my
beloved Nocaster as well as heavily rolled edges. Price for the neck:
$210. Add in $14.99 for shipping and the
tally is $428.99, bringing the grand total
to $828.74, leaving $171.26 for a pickup
and finishing supplies.
Money, It’s a Crime
I had already decided to use Guitar
ReRanch for finishing duties, if for no
other reason than to support their excellent
tutorials and forums, which also cover
using more commonly found finishing
supplies, not just their own. I realize there
are more economical solutions, but this
was my first crack at spraying a finish.
Plus, I live in a pretty sparsely populated
area – it isn’t like I can just pop down to
the shop to pick up Blonde nitrocellulose
lacquer whenever I run out. After ordering
a can of Butterscotch Blonde lacquer,
a can of Fender Neck Amber, two cans of
clear nitrocellulose, two cans of Sand and
Sealer, a can of oil-based grain filler and a
“Fine Grades Sand Paper Pack,” I anxiously
awaited for the various shipments to
arrive. The damage amounted to $101.10,
putting the total at $929.84.
Now I was sweating – my budget was
dwindling and I hadn’t decided on a specific
pickup. When considering a Jeff Beck
vibe, I had looked at Don Mare’s Yardboy-
1, a Harmonic Design ‘54 Special or a
Fralin, ranging in price from $80-$125.
Since I had changed directions slightly, a
blackguard-era pickup design was more in
order, so I sent a quick email to Tim Mills
from Bare Knuckle pickups and scored
a Flat ‘50 bridge pickup. Its £65 price
seemed reasonable until I remembered
current exchange rates. In greenbacks, the
pickup ended up costing $126 plus shipping.
I had yet to turn a screw or spackle
on any grain filler and I was already over
budget. Still, I could try to stay close.
Grand total after pickups:
$1075.84. I hoped
the incidentals would
stay to a minimum.
Monica from Callaham
won the “most expedient
shipper” award,
beating everyone by a
wide margin, though
to be fair, Scott from
Musikraft made no
bones about needing
to manufacture my neck
and body and I had
no desire to rush him.
Opening the box reaffirmed
that Callaham was the right choice;
all of the parts were carefully packaged
and marked. Pulling the pre-wired control
plate assembly from the box, I was particularly
impressed; all of the soldering
was spot-on and every bit of hardware
exuded a very high level of quality – the
Bakelite pickguard even had the circular
spray mark underneath.
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Musikraft kept the anticipation high with in-progress pictures of my body and neck
|
The next highly anticipated package to
arrive was from Bare Knuckle pickups,
with some added goodies thrown in,
namely a set of Rotosounds. Once freed
from the foam inserts, my jaw pretty
much dropped from the level of craft and
workmanship Tim places in his pickups.
In fact, I grabbed the Callaham bridge
and screwed in the Flat ‘50 pickup just
for grins; the resulting combination had
the same substantial feel as a really nice
watch. A box from ReRanch showed up on
one of many of this spring’s stormy days,
but everything was well packed and survived
the hour or so in the rain. Plus, there
would be plenty of drying time while waiting
for the neck and body to arrive.
Finally, after being taunted by Scott’s intermittent
pictorial updates of my guitar’s
progress, a package arrived from Musikraft.
Of course, the first thing I did after opening
the box was gently place the parts on
the unfinished body to get a sense of how
it would eventually look. I spent the rest of
the evening poring over the tutorials on
ReRanch.com, reading through “ReRanch
101,” “Solid Colors, Metallic and Blonde”
and “Fender Neck Refinishing” repeatedly,
hoping some of it would stick.
I started off the following day by applying
grain filler. Luckily, I had recently visited
the Hamer workshop and had the good
fortune of watching this exact process
performed by someone who knows what
they’re doing. The trick is knowing when
the filler has flashed so the excess can be
wiped off without being pulled from the
grain. I started by mixing the filler with
an errant chopstick, then applied the goo
with my fingers. Once it flashed, I wiped
across grain to remove the excess with
some cheesecloth I picked up at the local
hardware store. The next day the body
was dry enough to hit with some #220
sandpaper. As with the entire process,
good lighting is your friend, as is a jug of
mineral spirits – a good wipe-down before
sanding can make things easier. The light
revealed that I hadn’t done the greatest
job, so I slathered on another dollop
of grain filler and repeated the process.
Once I was happy with the results, it was
time to spray some sanding sealer.
Spray and Pray
Applying sanding sealer involves shooting
a coat, then after it dries to the touch
– ten minutes or so – shooting another
coat and letting it dry thoroughly overnight.
I set up an impromptu spray area
in my garage by hanging a repurposed coat hanger from a staircase.
The idea is to build the sanding
sealer up, then sand it the following
day with some #220 to
knock off all of the shiny spots,
then repeating the process.
According to ReRanch’s instructions,
after the second coat, you
again knock off all of the shinny
spots with #220, then bring
it up to #320, repeating the
process if there are any sandthroughs.
I sanded through on
the sides a couple of times,
adding a few extra days to this
process, too.
The Difference Between a Coat and a
Pass, According to ReRanch:
“Perhaps now would be a good time to
explain “coat” and “pass.” A pass is just
that – one spray pass. A coat is a number
of passes, from 1 to ?. In the technique
used to develop these pages, a coat is
typically three passes. Sometimes two will
sufficiently wet out a small area and sometimes
four will be used. Five approaches
foolhardiness. Six will almost always guarantee
a run.
“If you are using a gun that is adjustable,
a typical setting would be the fan set
wide enough to cover about half the area
to be sprayed and air pressure at 20 to
30 psi. Liquid feed is set to allow you to
wet the area by slowing down the gun’s
movement. The setting should lean more
to light. A wetter spray setting may force
you to move the gun faster to prevent
runs. Control the tool – do not let it control
you.” |
In the meantime, I started on the neck.
ReRanch suggests shooting the tint after the
sanding sealer has been applied. Musikraft
will ship bare necks, but they strongly suggest
purchasing their necks with “sealed
wood stabilizer.” I followed their advice
when ordering, then called Scott to see
what this finish would need. He let me know
that it was safe to start as if it was sanding
sealer and to just give the neck a quick wipe
with naptha before spraying the tint.
Shooting the tint proved to be one of
the bigger challenges of this project.
Comprised of a dye in solvent, additional
coats had a tendency to burn down and
cause previous coats to run when sprayed
too thickly. ReRanch recommends a light
coat of lacquer when you think the color
is close to “set” the tint and make sure
the shade is to your liking. I did several
things wrong with the neck during this
process; the first was starting an operation
as delicate as shooting tint before I
had done much more than spray sanding
sealer. Secondly, my work area didn’t have
the greatest lighting, making the detection
of subtle changes in shade – let alone
the depth of the pass – more of a challenge.
After a couple of spot repairs, the
neck was ready for clear. I decided to set
it aside and finish up once I was done with
the body since they shared a workspace
and I could use the added spraying and
sanding experience.
Returning my attention to the body, I
began spraying color. ReRanch suggests
allowing the grain to be obscured by 50
percent. Shooting a few light practice
coats on a scrap piece of wood showed
that at that level of opacity the body’s
beautiful grain would be too obscured for
my liking. I shot a couple of light coats
on the body until I achieved the color
I wanted – just a touch darker than my
Custom Shop Nocaster – while allowing
the handsome grain to show through. The
Butterscotch Blonde lacquer was deceptively
easy to apply; once dry, there were
just a few spots of uneven color which
were touched up easily enough.
The next step was spraying clear, which
happened to coincide with a nasty spill on
my motorcycle. The requisite crutches had
the potential to jeopardize the project –
how would they affect this important step?
The answer, in a word, was “positively.”
The crutches – along with the pain medication
– dictated that I take my time. The
result was a less rushed and more thorough
finish than if I had normal mobility.
I began spraying the clear per ReRanch’s
instructions: spray in a clean, well ventilated
area; learn the difference between
a coat and a pass (see page 133); keep
a tack rag handy; find the right distance
away from the wood to get the right coverage;
and follow the “rule of threes”: a
coat is typically three passes, wait at least
three hours between coats and shoot
three coats a day, using a tack cloth before
each coat. The final three pertains to the
minimum amount of days typically needed
to shoot a good finish. After drying overnight,
the body is then ready for sanding,
starting with #400, #600 then finally #800
before starting a new day of spraying.
I wish I could say everything went smoothly,
but that would be lying. Sand-throughs
were all too common; in fact I don’t recall
a day of not needing to touch up spots
where I sanded through the color coat.
While this typically added an extra day to
the process, fortunately, I had nothing but
time. There are a couple of touched-up
sand-throughs where the Blonde is more
opaque than I would have preferred, but
ultimately, they aren’t that noticeable.
To avoid running into the same problem,
make sure the lacquer is going on evenly,
block sand everything – Styrofoam makes
great sanding blocks for wet-sanding –
and make sure your sanding area is well-lit.
It makes the entire process much easier.
The next hiccup occurred when I ran out
of clear. Rather than be prudent and wait
for a second order to arrive, I sent my
wife down to the local hardware store to
pick up some Deft clear lacquer. While I
was initially concerned about switching
products midway through the project, it
seems to have worked out fine. Although
ReRanch offers up suggestions on how
many cans of “Sand and Sealer” and
“Nitrocellulose Clear Coat Aerosol” are
typically needed for both body and neck
finishing, my experience would indicate
halving their estimates for the sanding
sealer and doubling them for the clear,
although I might be better at sanding
through than most. The color estimates
seem spot on.
 |
 |
After the third day of
spraying, the last of the
rule of threes comes into
play; allowing at least three
days of drying after the
third and final coat before
finish sanding. Since we
were continuing to experience
an extremely wet
spring, I decided to let
the body dry for an entire
week before beginning
final sanding, turning my
attention back to the neck.
The clear coats went on easily if not a
bit thick. ReRanch suggests not worrying
about the frets, instead scraping
the lacquer off when the finish is dry. I
continued following the rule of threes,
and the only tip I have to offer is that a
9V battery worked wonders as a sanding
block between the frets (just make sure
the battery is drained) and an old Chap
Stick container handled the headstock
curves well. Did spraying and sanding the
neck go more smoothly than the body?
Hell no! Sand-throughs were again common
and going through the tint was de
rigueur. Touching up the tint wasn’t nearly
as forgiving as the Butterscotch Blonde had
been and it seemed eager to burn through
the surrounding lacquer and run at every
opportunity. Oddly, even though I sanded
out the majority of the neck without a block
– a huge no-no – the only spots I sanded
through were where a block was used.
In addition to extra days, the sand-throughs resulted in an uneven tint in some spots, but even that has a positive
spin – it looks more like a real-deal,
vintage neck than the fake-looking, toodark
tint on many of Fender’s Vintage
series guitars. Although darker than my
Nocaster, the project guitar’s neck looks
“right,” if maybe a skosh too yellow, but
that’s getting nit-picky. Finally, with both
enough tint and coats of clear, the neck
was hung up next to the body to dry.
Finish Line
The body’s week was up, so I began final
sanding. This part of the project involved
wet-sanding at each grade from #400
to #2000, then buffing the #2000 grit
scratches out with polishing compound.
This step went well until I was nearly
finished sanding. As finer grades are
used – #1000 and up – a shine begins to
develop and areas that weren’t sanded
well enough earlier become easier to see.
To take care of them, you typically back
down on the grit number until the sanding
scratches disappear, then work your way
back up. I was working my way back up
from #1200 on a spot on the back when
I inadvertently grabbed #600 and used
it instead of the desired #1500. Once I
realized my mistake, I went back over the
area with #800, and by the time I had gotten
back to #2000, I had a couple of small
sand-throughs. I decided to move ahead
and treat them as spot repairs later on.
Once the entire body was sanded out to
#2000, I took the body back out to the
garage and shot color on the repair areas,
letting it dry overnight. The next day, it
was treated to three coats of clear. My
attempt to keep the repair areas small
was reasonably successful. There was a
little overspray on the back which was
dealt with easily enough with some #1500
and #2000 after sanding out the spot
repairs. The repaired areas burnt down a
bit and are uneven on close inspection but
still look a thousand times better than the
sand-throughs they replaced.
Using an old t-shirt and white compound,
I was able to bring up a really
nice shine on the body. I was also able
to see more spots I missed sanding. I
tried using some red compound, but it
seemed to add more scratches than it
removed. A little apprehensive about
returning to sandpaper, I went back over
it with white compound and called it a
day. All in all, the body turned out much
better than I expected, although I question
the logic behind choosing a transparent
finish as a first attempt – next time it will be
Fiesta Red!
The neck hadn’t
been drying for
quite a week,
but it had been
longer than
three days
and the light
at the end of
the tunnel was
making me a
little impatient.
Fortunately,
sanding the
neck out was
relatively
uneventful.
The only stupid
thing I did was
use the nail file
from my Leatherman to scrape the lacquer
off of the frets and slipping, not once, but
twice, leaving nice gouges on the fingerboard
at the 13th and 20th frets, although
I doubt anyone would notice unless they
were pointed out. At this point the neck
still felt a little too tacky to begin assembly,
so I placed the neck and body back
up on hangers in the spare bathroom to
wait another week or so.
In the meantime, I had another dilemma;
should I just totally shine the budget and
use this as an excuse to pick up some nut
files and a bone blank or take it to my
local tech once assembled and kick down
the $75 for him to cut a nut? A quick look
through the latest Stewart-MacDonald
catalog indicated that it would be less
expensive – as well as less risky – to let
my tech tackle the job. So, not including
the additional lacquer from the local hardware
store, we’re now looking at $1150.84
before we’ve played a single note.
After allowing some extra drying time
for the neck and body, I started putting
the guitar together in earnest. Things
went together very easily – the string ferrules
went in with a satisfying resistance
that let me know they were exactly the
right size. I used a Fiskers hand drill for
all of the screw holes and took my sweet
time, keeping the freshly sprayed lacquer
happy. Still without a nut, I installed the
tuning machines on the neck and placed
the bridge using the pre-existing string
holes as my guide by sticking toothpicks
where the A and B strings would normally
pass through. I then bolted up the neck,
stuck a folded up piece of paper in the
nut slot and loosely strung up both E
strings, bringing them up to just enough
tension to be used to sight the alignment of the neck and bridge. Laying the pickguard
in place indicated that I was in the
ballpark, so I drilled the mounting holes
for the bridge. It should be noted that the
Callaham bridge has two additional screws
at the neck side of the bridge, intended
to keep microphonic feedback to a minimum
as well as transfer additional vibration
to the body.
Once the bridge was secured, I placed
the pickguard and control panel, moving
them around until things looked good
before drilling and screwing them down.
Honestly, I tried not to be too anal during
this process. I’ve seen plenty of old
Teles that weren’t too hung up about
being symmetrical, which is the same
rough-hewn vibe I wanted this one to
exude. Because the control plate came
pre-soldered, wiring the butterscotch
beastie up consisted of soldering a
couple of leads from the pickup and
the jack to the control plate assembly.
I would love to say at this point that I
strung it up and rocked harder than anyone
has rocked before, but the truth was
I still needed a nut. Luckily, my typically
overbooked tech had a few immediate
openings and I had my guitar back,
strung up and ready to go three days
and $75 later.
Feels Like the First Time
When I played it for the first time, the first
thing that struck me was how big the neck
felt. I had busted out the calipers on my
Nocaster when I ordered this thing, but
it seriously dwarfs my Nocaster neck and
feels nearly as big as a Mechanic neck I
had a decade or so ago. Fortunately, I
love the neck profile and this alone has
helped it become my current go-to guitar.
The sound of this particular combination
of swamp ash, maple, Callaham hardware
and the Bareknuckle Flat ’50 pickup has
amazing authenticity and depth, particularly
for such a “green” instrument.
That’s not to say that the wood wasn’t
properly seasoned or anything, just that
everything is still settling in – the truss
rod required more than the occasional
tweak for the first couple of weeks under
tension, as expected. The guitar feels
nice and light; not stupid light, but more
toward the medium side of things. The
sound is immediate and typical of a Teletype
guitar, but the noticeable tonal difference
when switching the tone control
in and out of the circuit is quite unexpected.
The traditional Esquire wiring
provides the pickup with preset capacitor
in position 1 for a bass-heavy, “jazz”
sound; the pickup with normal volume
and tone controls in position 2; and the
pickup with the tone circuit bypassed in
position 3.
As far as feel and quality, the only thing
in my estimation that doesn’t stand up to
high-end production instruments is the
finish. I can live with the missed sanding
scratches and other little gaffes that
remind me that I put it together, but
they will keep anyone from mistaking this
instrument as a Glendale or a DeTemple
creation, despite all of the gorgeous
wood and high-end Callaham hardware.
The finish is also a bit too shiny for my
tastes – particularly on the neck, which
I’m relatively certain is the direct result of
using the Deft. To give you an idea, the
guitar looks almost too high-end, not dull
enough, like a new Fender Vintage series
instrument. While many people would
count this as a plus, it makes the guitar
look more precious than I had intended.
On the plus side, that many sandthroughs
means I have a nice thin finish
and if the play wear of the past couple of
weeks is any indication, it should look nice
and worn-in in no time.
However, the biggest surprise has to be
how much I enjoy playing it and how
well it stacks up to my main-squeeze
Nocaster. With the caveat of still being
in the honeymoon phase, I’m continually
impressed with how nice this thing is
every time I pick it up. I wasn’t expecting
to like it so much, but then again,
why wouldn’t I? It has all of the features
I chose. Still, I really didn’t expect it to
hold its own as well as it has with the
other fine guitars in the house.
The question remains – was it worth it?
Let’s be honest and say the guitar cost
$1200 when all was said and done, giving
us an extra $50 for forgotten trips for
sandpaper, sealer glaze and scotch. For
that amount of money, you could pick up
a new American Deluxe or a used Vintage Series ‘52 Tele, but neither of these
choices allows you to spec the instrument
exactly as you wish, which is really the
whole point of doing something like this.
A potential downside is in the event that
you ever need to turn it; its limited resale
value is in the parts alone. Unless you are
the luckiest person in the world, you will
never recoup your investment – if you
constantly turn and burn gear on eBay, I
hear stamps are a good investment. There
is also the chance that you simply won’t
like the guitar once it’s finished, again presenting
you with a very expensive mistake,
no matter the budget.
But, if you’ve been into a specific type of
guitar for a while, long enough to know
which features you do and don’t like about
them, and you have a good idea of what
you would ask a custom maker to build for
you, building your own guitar makes perfect
sense. For instance, I love Teles, but
some days even I hate the vintage fretwire
on my Nocaster. Also, a homebrew like
this is also limited to Jazzmaster, Tele and
Strat fans – set-neck and neck-through
designs require a skill set light years
beyond spraying some lacquer and turning
a few screws, with the cost, as well as
the opportunity to brick the whole thing,
increasing correspondingly.
If I had been able to put this together
for under a grand as originally planned, I
really don’t think I would like it any more
or less than I do now. For me, the magic
number to truly affect how I feel about
the finished product is $500. If it cost me
$1500, I probably wouldn’t love it quite so
much – after all, that’s close to the price
of a Nash. If it were $500 total, I’d be
geeking out on all of the forums, telling
anyone who would listen what a killer deal
this was. As it stands, I don’t think I could
walk into any store and pick up a guitar
this nice for $1200 – that alone makes
the project worth it. The opportunity it
offered to acquire some new, practical
knowledge about something I love puts
the value over the top.
Now It’s Your Turn
Building your own axe can be daunting;
knowing where to start can be downright
paralyzing. To help you get started, we’ve
assembled a few sources that can narrow
down the choices and make sure your
first time results a guitar you’ll enjoy for a
long, long time.
|
Helpful Resources:
Telecaster Guitar Forum
This site features nuts and bolts discussions
of the Tele in addition to plenty of
information about component choices,
woods and finishes.
tdpri.com
The Gear Page
The definitive spot for any questions about pickups and parts, as well as plenty of information about amps and effects once the project is complete.
thegearpage.net
Guitar ReRanch
Active forums and useful tutorials will guide you to and through most any finish choice. Oh yeah, they sell some pretty cool stuff, too.
reranch.com
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Bodies, Necks & Hardware
At one time or another, nearly everyone
has offered parts and we’re bound to
leave someone out if we try to offer a
definitive list. Instead, we have limited
this list to those that are appropriate to
a vintage-inspired bolt-on project such
as ours. Also note that many companies
cross over; for instance, Joe Barden
Engineering, renowned for their pickups,
also makes bridgeplates and saddles.
ALLPARTS
allparts.com
Callaham Vintage Guitars & Parts
callahamguitars.com
Glendale Guitars
glendaleguitars.com
GuitarFetish
guitarfetish.com
Mighty Mite
mightymite.com
Musikraft
musikraft.com
Stewart-MacDonald
stewmac.com
USA Custom Guitars
usacustomguitars.com
Warmoth
warmoth.com
WD Music
wdmusic.com
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Pickups
Again, rather than offer an exhaustive list,
here are a few of the makers that offer
vintage-flavored Tele pickups.
Amalfitano Pickups
amalfitanopickups.com
Bare Knuckle Pickups
bareknucklepickups.co.uk
DiMarzio
dimarzio.com
Don Mare Pickups
buckcannon.com
Fender
fender.com
Harmonic Design
harmonicdesign.net
Joe Barden Engineering
joebarden.com
Kinman Pickups
kinman.com
Lindy Fralin Pickups
fralinpickups.com
Lollar Pickups
lollarguitars.com
Seymour Duncan
seymourduncan.com
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