Baritone Telemaster Build - Fucking Finally

[neonblack]

So everyone's been making guitars and its making me jelly as fuck. Along with Skully and his various builds.

So here's the deal. I started on Bass. Got a Bass VI, and realized I could handle 6 strings. Started writing more guitar type parts. Tuned my VI up to baritone and everything was right with the world.

Except the Bass VI is a little too heavy and the neck is just a little too long for me. I was originally looking to get a blacktop baritone telecaster but then I found this jazzmaster baritone neck on EBay. Didn't win the auction for the neck but it got me excited for the idea of building.

I like the Jazzmaster body but I wanted a hardtail. I figured since I was looking for a tele, I'd meet in the middle: Telemaster.

So here's what I'm thinking:

-Saylor Guitars alder Telemaster body. I'll be ordering this on the 1st when I get paid. Thinking of staining it really dark reddish brown. Oxblood maybe.
-DC Kunkle T style baritone neck. Inspired by Skully's tele VI, I'm going to see if I can get it without fret markers on the neck. I want to so something to the headstock. I don't know that the stain for the body will work the same on the headstock. Might just leave it alone. Not sure about tuners yet. Haven't looked into it just yet. Not sure about a nut either. Any ideas?
-P90 neck pickup maybe? I want something fat and punchy and round. I use the neck for my cleans usually and I want huge cleans. SD Antiquity P90s maybe. Or I might just put an Alumitone single in it, but I've heard they don't play well with other pickups? Not sure which way I'll go, but I'll have to decide before I order the body.
-Tele style bridge and bridge pickup. I'm thinking Quarter Pounders. I want grind and twang but still want some mass and oomph.
-For the wiring, I don't want anything super complicated. I read about a 4 way switch for series/parallel but I can't remember where. Also maybe a push/pull to take the tone circuit out. 1 vol, 1 tone.
-Warmoth Jazzcaster Pickguard in black.
I'm sure there are a hundred things I'm not thinking of yet, but I totally anticipate this taking 3-4 months to get done, so I'll cross those bridges when I get there.

In the meantime, if anyone has parts they're looking to get rid of, hit me up. Tuners, strap locks, other hardware, pickups...

I'll keep this updated and post pics when I have, you know, ANYTHING to take a pic of. Which should be in a week or two.

[Swordfishtrombone]

That would be the 4 way switch thing that you're talking about. Can't help with the push/pull for removing the tone knob tho. I don't get along with tone knobs, so I dunno how that would work.

[Chankgeez]

[neonblack]

Thanks Swordfish! I want to wire it where the neck pickup is the 4 position and the series/parallel options are 2 and 3. I like being able to get back to the neck pickup without really thinking about it

Also, snagged an Alumitone for the neck so I'm definitely routing for single coils. That gives me plenty of other options if I don't like the alumitones

[Swordfishtrombone]

Yeah, that's one of the reasons why I've never tried to wire up a guitar with a 4 way switch like that. Regardless of what I do, I'd end up being frustrated cus I'd either have to constantly remember that the neck pickup isn't where I'm used to it being, or I'd have to be careful to make sure I get the middle position that I want when switching. I don't mind having complexity in switching, but I want it to still be simple/intuitive for me to use. I'd probably end up wanting to go with an on/off switch to control something like series/parallel instead.

[neonblack]

Yeah, that sounds like a better idea if its possible. Have an on/off switch and the middle position would be either series or parallel depending on the switch position. I'll have to look into it.

It's not totally necessary, but I've read there's a little volume boost that pushes your dirt a little harder. That seems like a pretty handy feature.

I've considered omitting the tone circuit, but I do love the way fuzz sounds with the tone rolled off, so I'm gonna keep it. I do want to have a way to bypass it though. Maybe just a switch, because I don't think they make push/pull pots that are smooth shaft, and I really wanna get smooth ones so I can put some gnarly knobs on there. Old industrial shit.

[Swordfishtrombone]

Yeah, I'm thinking of doing that with my Jaguar once other pickup gets here and I get it wired up. Try to put in an on/off for series/parallel for some extra beef. I dunno tho, cus I'm already planning to route the guitar and stick a pickup in the middle position with an on/off controlling it. Gonna be melting the wax off of the middle pickup so it can be microphonic too, so I dunno if I'll really need that anyway

Maybe you can do what they did on Broadcasters/Esquires and have a capacitor in one of the switch positions to get you the same thing? It would be more limiting, but it would allow you to do what you're talking about with the tone down with fuzz.

[skullservant]

Saylor will make you whatever you want if you ask him and bill you outside of eBay, so if you wanted a straight up hard tail jazzy 9/10 he would do it for you. You will have to spend a decent amount of time finishing the guitar. In all out of all the bodies I've bought from him I would say I spent at least a good week on and off sanding, contouring, staining and oiling/polying each body.

I think in all for the DC Kunkle neck that I got for that Bass VI, for the holes to be drilled, reverse headstock, fretjob and no fret dots it came to like $220 or something like that, probably cheaper. It was way affordable. Wait time was about 3 weeks. And the fret job and holes drilled for mounting are worth the money if it is your first project.

I would be careful between the warmoth pickguard and the telemaster body as it may not fit exactly 100%. Granted you will be drilling your own pickup holes.

I have mixed and matched Alumitones/regular pickups in my Jazz Bass. I would say if you can go the route of 2 Alumitones or two regular pickups to do it because they do kind of sound weirdly different and if you try to do any sort of blending of the pickups (middle position, or if you do two volume controls) the non-Alumitone will always dominate because of the resistance difference and construction of the pickups

[neonblack]

I'm wondering if I can fit an Alumitone in a tele bridge.

I originally thought about going the mjt route with the body but its like twice the price for them to finish it. I'm looking forward to the hands on part of finishing it. I do want it really dark though.

Is there a reason I should go with the hardtail jazzmaster over a Telemaster?

[skullservant]

Only real difference is the control plate route for the telemaster. In retrospect I found that I always liked Jazzmaster pickguards over telecaster guards + the long bar control plate

Oh also more opportunities for bridge pickups/not stuck with a telecaster pickup in the bridge. Although they do make those tele bridge plates for humbuckers

[neonblack]

Hmmm. What if I got an Alumitone for the neck and a super hot single coil for the bridge?

It might be a bad reason, but the tele bridge is more aesthetically pleasing to me.

[CyaNitrate]

Two things.

When I got my Bare Knuckle Flat 50 set, I wired it 4 way. Series all the way toward the headstock, then neck, parallel, and bridge. I highly recommend it. I don't find it difficult to navigate, but I also play a standard strat, so ymmv.

Second, this will give you tele look and tone, and leave you free to pick any pickup configuration, depending on the route. http://www.guitarfetish.com/Cutaway-Wil ... _1805.html
I have the same bridge, but the traditional non cutaway version, and like it a lot.

[Bon Hoga]

I have a DC Kunkle baritone and Bass VI. The truss rod in the VI has snapped for no apparent reason and cannot be repaired. The rod in the bari rattles like crazy, I'm gonna have to drill out one of the fret markers and put a drop of silicone on it.

Go with Alumitones, when you tune down a fifth you need all the clarity you can get.

[neonblack]

I have a DC Kunkle baritone and Bass VI. The truss rod in the VI has snapped for no apparent reason and cannot be repaired. The rod in the bari rattles like crazy, I'm gonna have to drill out one of the fret markers and put a drop of silicone on it.

Uh oh, this isn't very encouraging.

[DRodriguez]

If you do go through with it, I have a spare tele bridge I can send you.