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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2021 6:04:03 GMT
I've got a few things that need some finishing, and it's time to start tying up some loose ends. I've avoided trying to finish off the wireless system in my Thinline because I wasn't sure how to deal with an electronic issue. I've come to the conclusion that it would simplify things greatly if I can get away with eliminating one of the switch functions that I originally planned to de-couple the wireless transmitter board when the guitar was recharging the wireless battery. I haven't got the knowledge that will assure me I won't damage something, and I'm not sure that anybody on this forum has enough expertise to advise me. I've ended up posing the question on TDPRI because I know there are some exceptional technical people there.
What I'd like to do is get down to two rocker switch functions....a master power on/off, and a mute on/off. If I can do without the third rocker switch that I'd planned as a de-coupling switch for charging, it'll become pretty straightforward to get it wired and finished. I discovered belatedly that the third switch ended up being right over a component on the wireless board that's too tall, so if I have to keep that third rocker switch, I'll need to relocate the circuit board. If I can get away with eliminating the switch, I'll turn it into a shallow, non-functional dummy switch to cover the hole.
I'm noticing a lot of guys in the forums are becoming enthusiastic about the Squier mini-Strats that are like a 3/4 size body with a 22.7" scale neck. It makes me think that my Thinline might be an attractive item to sell now. It's a 1965 Fender Musicmaster 22.5" scale vintage neck with Steinberger 40:1 gearless locking tuners, and it's mated to a Tele thinline body which will have a built-in Samson wireless transmitter, a switchable Villex passive mid-boost, a six saddle Custom Shop Parts bridge, Gretsch neck pickup/Reilander custom P-Rail bridge pickups, Greasebucket tone control system, and 7-way pickup switching. So, I'd like to get this finished so I can sell it.
This guitar's been mainly a case queen since I started building it in 2008, and since I moved into my new apartment in February, it's been a fixture on my guitar work-bench. Now that I'm no longer working, and temporarily on hiatus from playing, it's time to get back to finishing it.
In this picture, you can see the laser-etched neck plate, the DeLisle brass ferrule bar, and the extra Electrsocket that mounts the 2.5mm coaxial power jack where the battery charger connects
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2021 7:05:50 GMT
I've got an answer to my inquiry about the third switch, and it appears that I can eliminate it. I'm particularly pleased that the answer came from a guy who's now on TDPRI that was a friend of mine on FDP back when I was starting this project. He's the same guy who recommended to me to use the truss rod as the antenna.
Now that I have an answer on the switch, I'll probably make a start on this tomorrow.
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 2, 2021 7:54:19 GMT
Are you sure you'd actually want to sell that one? Talk about highly customized...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2021 14:17:47 GMT
Are you sure you'd actually want to sell that one? Talk about highly customized... Yeah, I've reached a point in life where I really only need one guitar to play. I've settled on my Strat as the keeper, so this one can go. I did try to make each of my guitars something special when I built them, but I'm not emotionally attached to them, so if somebody else can enjoy it, I'm happy. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 2, 2021 14:21:15 GMT
Are you sure you'd actually want to sell that one? Talk about highly customized... Yeah, I've reached a point in life where I really only need one guitar to play. I've settled on my Strat as the keeper, so this one can go. I did try to make each of my guitars something special when I built them, but I'm not emotionally attached to them, so if somebody else can enjoy it, I'm happy. Yeah I can understand that. You also probably don't have tons of space. How much are you going to ask for it? You certainly have a lot into it! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2021 17:59:56 GMT
I've got an answer to my inquiry about the third switch, and it appears that I can eliminate it. I'm particularly pleased that the answer came from a guy who's now on TDPRI that was a friend of mine on FDP back when I was starting this project. He's the same guy who recommended to me to use the truss rod as the antenna. Now that I have an answer on the switch, I'll probably make a start on this tomorrow. Was the solution a double pole, single throw switch, with one set of open, and one set of closed contacts in the normal position? I was thinking that would allow you to initiate the charging circuit and decouple the transmitter at the same time... I`m not an experienced builder, but as an electrician this is what i would do if this problem presented itself in a different situation . |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2021 19:02:56 GMT
I've got an answer to my inquiry about the third switch, and it appears that I can eliminate it. I'm particularly pleased that the answer came from a guy who's now on TDPRI that was a friend of mine on FDP back when I was starting this project. He's the same guy who recommended to me to use the truss rod as the antenna. Now that I have an answer on the switch, I'll probably make a start on this tomorrow. Was the solution a double pole, single throw switch, with one set of open, and one set of closed contacts in the normal position? I was thinking that would allow you to initiate the charging circuit and decouple the transmitter at the same time... I`m not an experienced builder, but as an electrician this is what i would do if this problem presented itself in a different situation . When I first started the build, I knew that whatever I did with switches would need to have a very shallow profile. The switching would need to be mounted into the face of the pickguard, and there'd be very limited depth underneath because the routed cavity would need to accomodate the transmitter circuit board and the lithium ion 9 volt battery. Also, with the switches projecting out the front of the guard, they'd need to be very flat so they wouldn't interfere with playing. The rocker switches satisfied both requirements. Also, lol, I had hordes of them in my parts drawers......One of the ironies of eBay is that when you're buying Chinese parts, you can buy a fifty-lot of switches for almost the same price as a single switch. I'd bought a large quantity earlier because I needed two for the on/off and mute functions when I mounted the switches into the pickguard of my Strat for it's wireless system. So, that's how I happened to have them available.
When I inquired on TDPRI, Peegoo said "It should not be a problem because the charger supplies voltage to the battery at a level near the battery's rated voltage. If the transmitter has an on/off switch, the off position disconnects the battery (and the charger) from the transmitter." So, I'm being told it shouldn't be an issue having a separate de-coupler when the charger's plugged into the guitar.
I've actually applied the solution you suggested, slimpicker, on my Duosonic. It has a switch like you're describing that allows charging for the lithium battery that powers the built-in overdrive pedal mounted under the pickguard, plus, it allows the guitar to be played as a passive unit if the battery were to die at an inconvenient time. That Duosonic is another unfinished project that I'll be moving on to after this Tele is completed.
I've tackled some pretty strange things since I started building, but I've made my share of mistakes....Some of them just inexperience, and others just not being able to foresee and visualize things until they were actually built. That's what happened with the third rocker switch on the Tele....I thought it would clear the circuit board underneath and didn't discover the clearance issue until it was too late.
In this picture, you can see how the rocker switch closest to the strings has popped up at one end and won't snap down because it hits something on the circuit board. Now that I know the third switch is not required, I'll cut the contacts off the back of it and it'll become just a dummy.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2021 19:46:16 GMT
Very cool... an amazingly complex and beautiful build.
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Post by zontar on Aug 2, 2021 23:21:05 GMT
If I liked playing a Tele shaped guitar (Sorry Tele fans, just don't find them comfortable to play--no matter what they sound like) I would think about making you an offer on that.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2021 1:24:03 GMT
So, just for fun, I sat and listed the parts that went into it, at the actual landed cost not including any shipping costs. Since most of the stuff was significantly cheaper almost 15 years ago, the prices would be a bargain today. I paid 1075.00. This including a lot of time shopping very carefully and buying used parts where they were available. Although I don't expect to recover anything for it, I'm pretty sure there's probably 80 hours labour involved in the build. I'm curious what other members think the fair market value of the guitar would be when I'm ready to sell it.
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 3, 2021 7:45:17 GMT
Really tough call on pricing this, Ken. As you know, partscasters are notoriously hard to price. I wish you could find someone you know to buy this who wouldn't simply buy it for the value of the individual parts. Is the body original Fender?
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Post by johnreardon on Aug 3, 2021 9:36:28 GMT
So, just for fun, I sat and listed the parts that went into it, at the actual landed cost not including any shipping costs. Since most of the stuff was significantly cheaper almost 15 years ago, the prices would be a bargain today. I paid 1075.00. This including a lot of time shopping very carefully and buying used parts where they were available. Although I don't expect to recover anything for it, I'm pretty sure there's probably 80 hours labour involved in the build. I'm curious what other members think the fair market value of the guitar would be when I'm ready to sell it.
Parts type guitars, based on any make, don't sell that well over here. There are quite a few on Gumtree, with prices ranging from £169 to around £300. That's approx $230 - $420.
Main thing to consider is none of them are selling, people certainly never recover money they have invested.
Another thing to consider with your guitar is that, as well made as it is, the aesthetics will not be to everyone's taste, so it may take time to sell it.
Good luck anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2021 11:57:18 GMT
So, just for fun, I sat and listed the parts that went into it, at the actual landed cost not including any shipping costs. Since most of the stuff was significantly cheaper almost 15 years ago, the prices would be a bargain today. I paid 1075.00. This including a lot of time shopping very carefully and buying used parts where they were available. Although I don't expect to recover anything for it, I'm pretty sure there's probably 80 hours labour involved in the build. I'm curious what other members think the fair market value of the guitar would be when I'm ready to sell it.
In my opinion it`s not your run of the mill "partscaster". I would ask whatever you think it`s worth, and wait for the buyer who appreciates the concept behind this build. I don`t get the guitar world when it comes to guitars built/assembled outside of factory production lines. How does a list of high quality parts and finish painstakingly assembled with love, turn out to be worth so much less than a production line guitar? Blows my mind. I have a T style here that cost me almost as much to build as it would be to purchase an American built Tele. I wonder if the guys at Fender spend over an hour sanding a slightly over sized neck to get that perfect tight fit in the pocket? Boutique pups anyone? How about a torrified flame maple one off neck? I think there are parts casters, and then there are high quality home builds. I don`t see this like I would a Squire assembled from 6 different guitars. Good luck with the sale Spellcaster. This guitar would make a nice edition for the collector who likes guitars with individual character. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 3, 2021 16:08:39 GMT
So, just for fun, I sat and listed the parts that went into it, at the actual landed cost not including any shipping costs. Since most of the stuff was significantly cheaper almost 15 years ago, the prices would be a bargain today. I paid 1075.00. This including a lot of time shopping very carefully and buying used parts where they were available. Although I don't expect to recover anything for it, I'm pretty sure there's probably 80 hours labour involved in the build. I'm curious what other members think the fair market value of the guitar would be when I'm ready to sell it.
In my opinion it`s not your run of the mill "partscaster". I would ask whatever you think it`s worth, and wait for the buyer who appreciates the concept behind this build. I don`t get the guitar world when it comes to guitars built/assembled outside of factory production lines. How does a list of high quality parts and finish painstakingly assembled with love, turn out to be worth so much less than a production line guitar? Blows my mind. I have a T style here that cost me almost as much to build as it would be to purchase an American built Tele. I wonder if the guys at Fender spend over an hour sanding a slightly over sized neck to get that perfect tight fit in the pocket? Boutique pups anyone? How about a torrified flame maple one off neck? I think there are parts casters, and then there are high quality home builds. I don`t see this like I would a Squire assembled from 6 different guitars. Good luck with the sale Spellcaster. This guitar would make a nice edition for the collector who likes guitars with individual character. Unfortunately it has really always been that way with partscasters. I wonder if this would be better on a trade, SC? |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2021 21:26:51 GMT
I didn't really expect that the guitar would bring a big return.....I've sold enough partscasters to know that I'd take a heavy hit. I'm really more interested in selling it for cash because the last thing I need is another amp or guitar, although if a proposed trade was going to give me a better return, I'd at least consider it.
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Post by infant on Aug 3, 2021 23:43:17 GMT
I’ve only sold one partscaster that I’ve built and I was surprised that I got $500 (I was asking $600). I think I had about $800 into it. It was a single bound flame maple telecaster in translucent cherry red with matching headstock and rosewood neck. No fancy hardware or pickups (Grover, Gotoh, Seymour Duncan’s) Now this was about 20-25 yrs ago.
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 4, 2021 5:44:28 GMT
I’ve only sold one partscaster that I’ve built and I was surprised that I got $500 (I was asking $600). I think I had about $800 into it. It was a single bound flame maple telecaster in translucent cherry red with matching headstock and rosewood neck. No fancy hardware or pickups (Grover, Gotoh, Seymour Duncan’s) Now this was about 20-25 yrs ago. $500-600 was the range dancing around in my head for Ken's Tele, but i hope I am wrong and he can get more for it |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2021 6:25:30 GMT
I'd be happy if I got 500.00 for it. At least I'd get almost half my parts cost back. I've taken a lot bigger bath on other partscasters....My Esquire partcaster, which had a genuine 59 neck on it, cost me over 1700.00 to build, and I had trouble getting 700.00 for it. That was when I decided I was done building guitars.
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 4, 2021 8:33:00 GMT
I'd be happy if I got 500.00 for it. At least I'd get almost half my parts cost back. I've taken a lot bigger bath on other partscasters....My Esquire partcaster, which had a genuine 59 neck on it, cost me over 1700.00 to build, and I had trouble getting 700.00 for it. That was when I decided I was done building guitars. Then I'd say ask $600 obo and see what comes in |
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Post by laristotle on Aug 4, 2021 10:58:42 GMT
It would depend on the build and what one has in it, hardware, pups etc. While spellcaster's Tele is unique, it's limited in that there are maybe not so many potential buyers that would be attracted to it. Years back, I made a trade for two incomplete partcasters that I repainted and added good pups to. I eventually flipped them both for a little bit more than I had into them. It comes down to timing though. If you can afford to hold onto it, do so until the market's in your favour. Warmaoth neck, MIM body. Pups; Bareknuckle 'Sinner' neck, Dimarzio 'Virtual Blues' mid, early Fender Gold Lace Sensor br.  Warmoth neck, Allparts body. SD Hotrails pups with push/pull pot for split coil on all 3 pups.  |
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Post by infant on Aug 4, 2021 12:16:09 GMT
Have you ever thought of selling it out as separate parts? Being an actual fender neck, you may be able to get some decent $ for it. Sell the body and pickups separately etc.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2021 0:26:02 GMT
Have you ever thought of selling it out as separate parts? Being an actual fender neck, you may be able to get some decent $ for it. Sell the body and pickups separately etc. I've never had much luck selling parts. The other issue is that Tele body is designed for a short scale neck now.....If I sell the neck, the body becomes useless because you can't put a regular neck on it and get it to intonate. I think this is destined to be sold as a body and neck combination. The Reilander P-Rail cost over 200.00 and the Steinberger tuners are over a hundred dollars to replace, but overall, I think it's best to just sell it as is. |
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Post by zontar on Aug 7, 2021 0:02:12 GMT
Have you ever thought of selling it out as separate parts? Being an actual fender neck, you may be able to get some decent $ for it. Sell the body and pickups separately etc. I've never had much luck selling parts. The other issue is that Tele body is designed for a short scale neck now.....If I sell the neck, the body becomes useless because you can't put a regular neck on it and get it to intonate. I think this is destined to be sold as a body and neck combination. The Reilander P-Rail cost over 200.00 and the Steinberger tuners are over a hundred dollars to replace, but overall, I think it's best to just sell it as is. That's a Reilander P-Rail? Cool. It might be worth it to put cheaper pickups in the Tele & sell the Pickups separately |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2021 2:21:36 GMT
I've never had much luck selling parts. The other issue is that Tele body is designed for a short scale neck now.....If I sell the neck, the body becomes useless because you can't put a regular neck on it and get it to intonate. I think this is destined to be sold as a body and neck combination. The Reilander P-Rail cost over 200.00 and the Steinberger tuners are over a hundred dollars to replace, but overall, I think it's best to just sell it as is. That's a Reilander P-Rail? Cool. It might be worth it to put cheaper pickups in the Tele & sell the Pickups separately Yeah, when Mike was a member on AxeTalk, one of his posts was about a custom wind he'd done, where he siamesed a P90 to a Strat rail. I was really interested in it, because the first bridge pickup I'd put in this Tele was one of those GFS Retrotron Liverpool pickups that's supposed to emulate a Filtertron. To be honest, that GFS Retrotron sounded like a really cheap nasty humbucker with nothing Gretschy about it. I talked to Mike and asked him if he could build me a P-Rail inside a Filtertron casing. He said yes, so I ordered a humbucker-sized German nickel-silver Filtertron casing from Rockinger Guitars and he built a P-Rail to fit in it. It wasn't cheap, but it made the Tele sound a lot better. Because it's effectively two pickups in one casing, I installed a Strat 5-way pickup switch that lets each of the three pickup (Filtertron/Strat rail/P90) play individually, plus the 2 and 4 positions let them operate in combinations. I added a toggle switch that adds the missing link Neck plus Bridge combination, or play all three pickups together.
The Reilander P-Rail.... |
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Post by zontar on Aug 7, 2021 7:23:37 GMT
That's a Reilander P-Rail? Cool. It might be worth it to put cheaper pickups in the Tele & sell the Pickups separately Yeah, when Mike was a member on AxeTalk, one of his posts was about a custom wind he'd done, where he siamesed a P90 to a Strat rail. I was really interested in it, because the first bridge pickup I'd put in this Tele was one of those GFS Retrotron Liverpool pickups that's supposed to emulate a Filtertron. To be honest, that GFS Retrotron sounded like a really cheap nasty humbucker with nothing Gretschy about it. I talked to Mike and asked him if he could build me a P-Rail inside a Filtertron casing. He said yes, so I ordered a humbucker-sized German nickel-silver Filtertron casing from Rockinger Guitars and he built a P-Rail to fit in it. It wasn't cheap, but it made the Tele sound a lot better. Because it's effectively two pickups in one casing, I installed a Strat 5-way pickup switch that lets each of the three pickup (Filtertron/Strat rail/P90) play individually, plus the 2 and 4 positions let them operate in combinations. I added a toggle switch that adds the missing link Neck plus Bridge combination, or play all three pickups together.
The Reilander P-Rail.... I guess I was thrown off by not seeing a rail--but two rows of pole pieces. Is there a rail under ones of those? As previously mentioned, I have a SD P-Rail--which has the visible rail. I though it was a cool idea the first time I heard of it--and when I saw a guitar with P-Rails I had to try it. And then put one in my LP copy. It's great versatility--I love the coils on their own and together. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 7, 2021 7:29:18 GMT
That's a Reilander P-Rail? Cool. It might be worth it to put cheaper pickups in the Tele & sell the Pickups separately Yeah, when Mike was a member on AxeTalk, one of his posts was about a custom wind he'd done, where he siamesed a P90 to a Strat rail. I was really interested in it, because the first bridge pickup I'd put in this Tele was one of those GFS Retrotron Liverpool pickups that's supposed to emulate a Filtertron. To be honest, that GFS Retrotron sounded like a really cheap nasty humbucker with nothing Gretschy about it. I talked to Mike and asked him if he could build me a P-Rail inside a Filtertron casing. He said yes, so I ordered a humbucker-sized German nickel-silver Filtertron casing from Rockinger Guitars and he built a P-Rail to fit in it. It wasn't cheap, but it made the Tele sound a lot better. Because it's effectively two pickups in one casing, I installed a Strat 5-way pickup switch that lets each of the three pickup (Filtertron/Strat rail/P90) play individually, plus the 2 and 4 positions let them operate in combinations. I added a toggle switch that adds the missing link Neck plus Bridge combination, or play all three pickups together.
The Reilander P-Rail.... The pickup Mike made for me was also designed to be a humbucker/ split coil combo with a push pull volume pot to switch into split coil Mode- Works great! I agree with Zontar, sell the pickup separately |
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