NGD - This Time, It's Twangy!

[slowhand84]

Your local neighborhood custom guitar addict coming atcha on this lovely Friday with another fun grab one-off courtesy of GC Used...and this time, its tele-licious! Literally just arrived so I still need to restring (these feel like 12s!) and oil the fretboard, but looks like a LOT of axe for the $399 I paid.

Couldn't find much info online and looks like the luthier (Jeffrey Musical Instruments) may be inactive, but from what I found these seem to be handbuilt from scratch and not just assembled from parts. Specs include a two piece beautifully grained thick ash body with an open pore finish and a wild flame maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. Tuners don't seem to be branded but tuning is very stable, and I haven't pulled the pickup to see what it is but it sounds great.

Some decent pics here and I'm off to restring and spend the rest of today putting it through its paces.

[ILuvTeles]

Purdy! Congrats!

[mickey]

Ok, Luther, now you can play "I walk the line"
(That is the same design guitar that Luther Perkins played on Johnny Cash's early records. Fender Esquire)

[slowhand84]

Ok, Luther, now you can play "I walk the line"
(That is the same design guitar that Luther Perkins played on Johnny Cash's early records. Fender Esquire)

Yeps! I’ll admit this isn’t a guitar I would normally gravitate to, but I am really enjoying it. Super resonant and way more versatile with the tone knob than I’d expect a single pickup tele to be!

[mickey]

Ok, Luther, now you can play "I walk the line"
(That is the same design guitar that Luther Perkins played on Johnny Cash's early records. Fender Esquire)

Yeps! I’ll admit this isn’t a guitar I would normally gravitate to, but I am really enjoying it. Super resonant and way more versatile with the tone knob than I’d expect a single pickup tele to be!

er, uh, a "single pickup Tele" is an Esquire.

[slowhand84]

Ok, Luther, now you can play "I walk the line"
(That is the same design guitar that Luther Perkins played on Johnny Cash's early records. Fender Esquire)

Yeps! I’ll admit this isn’t a guitar I would normally gravitate to, but I am really enjoying it. Super resonant and way more versatile with the tone knob than I’d expect a single pickup tele to be!

er, uh, a "single pickup Tele" is an Esquire.

Yes I know, I wasn't negating your point that this is basically a custom built Esquire . Just saying I am surprised at the variety of tones possible with just the single pickup.

[toomanycats]

Another great grab. There's some serious wood porn going in with all that flame and grain. Such a primitive and raw take on a classic design.

But I've just gotta say, I could not live with that headstock. What in the world was the builder thinking? It looks like a filleted fish. But it's nothing a scroll saw can't fix.

[slowhand84]

Another great grab. There's some serious wood porn going in with all that flame and grain. Such a primitive and raw take on a classic design.

But I've just gotta say, I could not live with that headstock. What in the world was the builder thinking? It looks like a filleted fish. But it's nothing a scroll saw can't fix.

I guess it’s lucky that only I have to live with it . I have quite a few unusual headstocks in the stable so it doesn’t really bother me, but as you said it’s something I could easily reshape if I wanted to down the line.

[toomanycats]

Another great grab. There's some serious wood porn going in with all that flame and grain. Such a primitive and raw take on a classic design.

But I've just gotta say, I could not live with that headstock. What in the world was the builder thinking? It looks like a filleted fish. But it's nothing a scroll saw can't fix.

I guess it’s lucky that only I have to live with it . I have quite a few unusual headstocks in the stable so it doesn’t really bother me, but as you said it’s something I could easily reshape if I wanted to down the line.

To play Devils advocate, I have a copy of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Guitar, and when you look at the many photos of exotic brands and headstocks through the decades it helps to push one out of that comfortable box of only accepting familiar shapes. Some really weird looking stuff has been made over the years.

The headstock on your guitar actually reminds me of some of the 60s Japanese designs. A perfect example is this one from a project I've had on the back burner for a long time, which is a completely disassembled and mangled 60s MIJ guitar.

[pdcorlis]

And the headstock doubles as a bottle opener Kidding…

Great looking Esquire - love that neck!

[slowhand84]

And the headstock doubles as a bottle opener Kidding…

Great looking Esquire - love that neck!

I knew it wasn’t just cosmetic!

[slowhand84]

Another great grab. There's some serious wood porn going in with all that flame and grain. Such a primitive and raw take on a classic design.

But I've just gotta say, I could not live with that headstock. What in the world was the builder thinking? It looks like a filleted fish. But it's nothing a scroll saw can't fix.

I guess it’s lucky that only I have to live with it . I have quite a few unusual headstocks in the stable so it doesn’t really bother me, but as you said it’s something I could easily reshape if I wanted to down the line.

To play Devils advocate, I have a copy of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Guitar, and when you look at the many photos of exotic brands and headstocks through the decades it helps to push one out of that comfortable box of only accepting familiar shapes. Some really weird looking stuff has been made over the years.

The headstock on your guitar actually reminds me of some of the 60s Japanese designs. A perfect example is this one from a project I've had on the back burner for a long time, which is a completely disassembled and mangled 60s MIJ guitar.


2C2506A8-C4C4-45F2-802F-6464717569BB.jpeg

For sure, I have no issue with a unique headstock. More fun than the typical tele shape already been done to death by 100 brands.

[golem]

I was going to say I thought in your last post you said you weren't a fan of T styles.

[redman]

Nice grab I've been thinking about moding a Tele style again Rondo has some very inexpensive Hadeans that would make a pretty good mod platform but, it's a solid Basswood body so I'm not sure about it. Have you ever had one of those @slowhand84 ?

[slowhand84]

I was going to say I thought in your last post you said you weren't a fan of T styles.

I did….typically not a big fan of teles, but I don’t hate ‘em. In the case of what is probably a $1,500 to $2,000 USA handbuilt guitar for $399 I’m willing to make an exception.
Glad I did too, this thing is absolutely ridiculous .

[slowhand84]

Nice grab I've been thinking about moding a Tele style again Rondo has some very inexpensive Hadeans that would make a pretty good mod platform but, it's a solid Basswood body so I'm not sure about it. Have you ever had one of those @slowhand84 ?

Never had a Hadean, but I still have an older SX Furrian (ash body, bound neck). Really killer tele I grabbed for like $68 and outfitted with a set of Bareknuckle tele pups I grabbed for $100. Grand total was under $170 and it’s a freakin killer guitar.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with basswood though…it’s used on many $3,000+ guitars (Ibanez Vai sig, Suhr Modern, etc).

[redman]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with basswood though…it’s used on many $3,000+ guitars (Ibanez Vai sig, Suhr Modern, etc).

I don't have a problem with Basswood as such heck if Jeff Beck has his custom strat made out of it I can't thiink of a better endorsement for it. I just don't know about Hadean guitars I have a SX Strat I turned into a monster with a couple of hundred bucks I think we should start a Moded SX thread because I bet we're not the only ones to mod an SX.

[redman]

@slowhand84 sorry I forgot to address my like or dislike T style guitars. Good memory I don't particularly like Teles or Strats in fact I've never been a fan of any Fender style guitars but I'm old, retired live alone and I'm board so I buy and mod inexpensive guitars with good bones and rebuild them into awesome inexpensive guitars and sell them. I love to mod guitars and it gives me something to do and I seem to always sell them and get my money back sometimes with a profit. The guitars I mod may not be my cup of tea but I do usually mod popular styles so they sale rather quickly.
Before Covid hit I had a good little business doing setups/repairs and selling moded guitars I'm back at it now but at a much slower than before.

[redman]

Sorry @golem and @slowhand84 I must have gotten the post mixed up anyway you now have my take on S and T style guitars.

[Forecaster]

I really like the head-stock. The little bump looks like a flag on a note on a staff kinda-ish. It's just the right proportion.

[slowhand84]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with basswood though…it’s used on many $3,000+ guitars (Ibanez Vai sig, Suhr Modern, etc).

I don't have a problem with Basswood as such heck if Jeff Beck has his custom strat made out of it I can't thiink of a better endorsement for it. I just don't know about Hadean guitars I have a SX Strat I turned into a monster with a couple of hundred bucks I think we should start a Moded SX thread because I bet we're not the only ones to mod an SX.

Oh yeah, back before AGF got dismantled there were dozens of people with modded SX guitars. Neck swaps, scotchbriting, all sorts of stuff.

I really like the head-stock. The little bump looks like a flag on a note on a staff kinda-ish. It's just the right proportion.

It does work with the guitar for sure. Its awesome that this thing is so great as is and doesn't need any kind of mods at all. I used to think I didn't like teles much but now I am thinking its more that I've never had a nice high end one...this is a really inspiring instrument and the neck is insane.