• From: Nottingham, UK
  • Registered: 2006-08-08
  • Posts: 690

Topic: Build Your Own Telecaster

Been looking into telecaster kits, everyone swears the SAGA one is as good as teles costing twice as much but the hard work appears to be;

1) Painting the body, several coats of nitrocellulose needed, lots of sanding inbetween. Two ways of avoiding this occured to me first the punk look, purposely make the paint job sloppy and cheap and second sanding back the primer clearcoat and just staining or maybe even just oiling. Is there any reason why guitars have paint coats, does it stop wood problems?

2) Cutting the headstock to the Fender wave, which is copyright hence the neck comes as a square paddle shape. My solution; simply cut a straight line and round the end, but is that just dullsville and horrid?

Tele bodie's can be bought pre-painted but they cost twice as much as the full Saga kit. Perhaps the Johnny Cash route is the way to go 'one part at a time, the body was a '68, the neck was '59'..

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'
  • From: Pico Rivera, Calif. U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2006-10-26
  • Posts: 785

Re: Build Your Own Telecaster

The Saga kit is a basswood body and the grain will not pop with stain. You'd have to sand through all the sealer that is on it. The reason for painting is usually a three or four piece joined body. That and some persons prefer paint to natural dyed grain and it takes alot of work to stain and color coat your clear.  You would also want to upgrade the tuners, pickups and electronics. The saga kits come with bottom of the barrel electronics and hardware. I have a saga strat that I built, thats how I got started building by that one first for experience so I speak from experience. You can go to luithiers international supply they have tele kits in swamp ash or alder like the real american teles & strats. You still have to upgrade the electronics & tuners. They will put a kit together with grover tuners, paint or dye for around $ 300.00 american and their USA made bodies & necks.  As for the tele headstock the Fender patent is if you are selling tele replica's as new fenders (putting fender decals on and trying to sell).  Let me know if I can be of any help.

Bootlegger.

  • From: Tennessee
  • Registered: 2007-08-04
  • Posts: 436

Re: Build Your Own Telecaster

You can find some kits here..
http://www.grizzly.com/products/searchr … ubmit.y=11

  • From: Anchorage
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 82

Re: Build Your Own Telecaster

I built 3 saga kits . . . a strat, a les paul, and a tele.  The tele was first and I made the mistake of trying to paint it myself.  The les paul was next . . . then the strat.  I used gunstock oil finishes for both and they turned out really nice.  Latter . . . I stripped the tele and finished it natural also.  I found the quality of everything to be pretty good except for the cheep pickups.  The Saga tele does not have "string thru body" which I think is a large part of the tele sound.  I've since sold them all, but have decided that if I do another . . . I'll buy one of the more expensive tele kits with string thru body and a 50's style bridge.  Also . . . I would buy some fender tele pickups instead of using any "no name" pickups that usually comes with the kit.

  • Registered: 2007-01-29
  • Posts: 533

Re: Build Your Own Telecaster

I've been bitten by the build it yourself bug too! I think what I'm going to do is see if I can scrounge a body and maybe a neck at the Arlington Texas guitar show this weekend. Then as Cytania suggested...piece at a time...ebay, pawnshops, shows...where ever. I'm thinking along the lines of a Strat or Telecaster...

Middleaged Redneck sorta guy who refuses to grow up...passion for music, especially Southern Rock but like bout everything cept Gangsta/Hip Hop. Collect guitars, mandolins, and love to ride Harleys.
  • From: Pico Rivera, Calif. U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2006-10-26
  • Posts: 785

Re: Build Your Own Telecaster

jaygordon75 wrote:

I've been bitten by the build it yourself bug too! I think what I'm going to do is see if I can scrounge a body and maybe a neck at the Arlington Texas guitar show this weekend. Then as Cytania suggested...piece at a time...ebay, pawnshops, shows...where ever. I'm thinking along the lines of a Strat or Telecaster...

Jaygordon75,

What your going to find is original manufacture parts of guitars that have been taken apart and the vendors want big dollars for them.  The show travels throught out the US and I have been to it in southern California.  You'll pay more than if you searched out parts onthe internet and becareful of evilbay.

Bootlegger.