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So, I impulsively bought a Modern Player Telecaster back in October. It is firmly okay, with a pine body, a neck I dig, and a pretty excellent pickup arrangement (Tele neck, Strat middle, tapped humbucker bridge). Living with my father, I have access to a well-stocked workshop. Dealing with an Amish woodcutter, I have access to lovely pieces of Black Walnut and Cedar. Being a ne'erdowell, I have no money. What I want to do is cut a new one or two piece body from either Walnut or Cedar and mount my current neck and hardware on it.

The challenges:

1. I would rather avoid another plain Telecaster body.
2. I have zero money to replace the pickguard or hardware. This thing is getting the same pickups, bridge, and knobs. Either the pickguard is getting reused or I am going without.
3. I need a printable PDF to work from.

My ideas:

1. Reverse engineer the TC-90 body by flipping the lower cutaway on a normal Tele template.
2. Making a guardless Toronado. I assume I would have to move the bridge back three-quarters of an inch to accommodate the scale difference.
3. Making a Mustang with no guard. I assume I would have to move the bridge back three-quarters of an inch to accommodate the scale difference.
4. Make a Reverend shaped body. (This is what I would like the most, but I don't have access to a Reverend at the moment and I can't find a PDF online.)

I am open to other ideas. I just want to make something cool and a bit weird.

Isn't cedar a bit too soft to use as a solidbody wood?
My vote would go to the mustang body, with a natural finish! Black walnut is a beautiful wood.

Cedar is soft. If I used it, the idea would be for it to get dinged up in a hurry. This is my coffeehouse/bangaround guitar, so I don't mind it getting a bit relic'd.

BTW I can make a wood pickguard, so the pickguard issue is no longer an issue.

Natural cedar telestang

I like the wood pickguard idea..wood on wood with opposing grain would be cool. But, if you decide to reuse the current guard but want it to be different, I Highly highly recomend a product called envirotex lite. I know you have no money, but it'd dirt cheap..$10 at a hardware store. Find graphics you like...photos, magazine pages, whatever. glue them down, trim, cut out holes, apply envirotex, which is a self leveling epoxy. I've done two pickguards and a pedal..like in my avatar. PM if you want more details, and good luck! (I vote walnut)

toronado! and make a wood pickguard. CyaNitrate's opposing grain idea is best, i think, for the pickguard.

Pentametre wrote:Isn't cedar a bit too soft to use as a solidbody wood?

It's no sorter than basswood, which a lot of guitars are made out of, cedar sounds fantastic as a sold body, I'd definitely go string through body though if I was to use it

I picked out a lovely piece of Osage Orange, which is quite yellow actually, for the top. I'm using a Toronado body shape with a wooden pickguard of a different wood. It is on the backburner until I get my pedals made, though.

at least tease us a little more with pics of the raw wood?

Tomorrow, I shall.