I wanted to create a thread for these guitars so I could share the progress with you.
The concept was to blend a Tele with a Les Paul - truly getting the best of both worlds.
The design ended up being a rear route configuration with a Stratocaster-style hardtail bridge and twin humbucker pickups.
My original thought was to use a 3 piece "sandwich" body of swamp ash with mahogany caps. This would be routed to accept a "tongue and groove" mahogany neck without a heel.
The original pencil sketches went to WMI and they produced the first prototype - with a Tele-style headstock, well before I completed our own original custom headstock.
Its really an interesting guitar to play. The fat (1" no taper) 50's style neck reminds me of the very old Fender's and 50's era Gibson's that I've played growing up.
The 24.75" scale is immediately evident the minute you strum a chord and it imparts a very unique character to the guitar.
Now, armed with our own headstock design on paper, we reached out to some USA builders to do the work for us under contract.
The woodwork and finish will be contracted out, due to the complexity of the neck-through design and EPA regulations on painting. Then, I will fit the guitars out, copper shield and wire them up here in my little shop.
I will post some photos as the project progresses...
The concept was to blend a Tele with a Les Paul - truly getting the best of both worlds.
The design ended up being a rear route configuration with a Stratocaster-style hardtail bridge and twin humbucker pickups.
My original thought was to use a 3 piece "sandwich" body of swamp ash with mahogany caps. This would be routed to accept a "tongue and groove" mahogany neck without a heel.
The original pencil sketches went to WMI and they produced the first prototype - with a Tele-style headstock, well before I completed our own original custom headstock.
Its really an interesting guitar to play. The fat (1" no taper) 50's style neck reminds me of the very old Fender's and 50's era Gibson's that I've played growing up.
The 24.75" scale is immediately evident the minute you strum a chord and it imparts a very unique character to the guitar.
Now, armed with our own headstock design on paper, we reached out to some USA builders to do the work for us under contract.
The woodwork and finish will be contracted out, due to the complexity of the neck-through design and EPA regulations on painting. Then, I will fit the guitars out, copper shield and wire them up here in my little shop.
I will post some photos as the project progresses...
