Guitars :: DDT
I wanted a "dark" sounding Tele Thinline. Twin humbuckers and a mahogany body. The only way I was going to get one was to make my own!
DDT - the Dragondreams Thinline clone
When the mahogany arrived, I still wasn't sure what I was going to make with it. Then I got to play my old Mazetti Thinline that I'd sold a while ago.
Decision made! I couldn't buy the old guitar back, so I was going to make one. This time, I wanted twin humbuckers. And the notion that mahogany was a "dark" tonewood suited the sound I had in my head for this one.
The neck for this one is a secondhand Dr Frets Tele neck. Very flat radius, and has all the makings of a very fast neck.
I picked it up fairly cheap off the 'bay, but it has been on a couple of different guitars. And whoever fitted it wasn't too clever with where they positioned the neck screws...
As you can see, there are rather a lot of extra holes, two of which have run together and are a little too close to the edge of the heel for my liking.
SO the first job is to tidy up these holes. I measured them at 4mm, and the only handy bits of dowel I had were 5mm. Rather than sanding down the dowel, it was much easier to drill out the holes to 5mm. This has the added benefit of cleaning up the taper left by the original screws so the dowel wouldn't have to be forced too tightly into the holes with the risk of splitting the heel!
Quick advert for the glue I use in all my guitar work! ;)
The dowels are "gently" hammered into place after a light smearing of glue. You'll also notice that the workbench has sprouted an old towel to protect the frets from any damage.
Job done. Just got to put it to one side and let the glue harden overnight.
Next job. Out with the razor saw and trim the dowels flat.
I used the neck plate as the drilling guide for the screw holes. the plate was held in place with a small strip of double-sided adhesive tape.
Same trick again to make sure the pilot holes lined up properly.
The dangers of a change of plan! I was originally intending to fit an Iron Gear Steel twin bridge pickup. This is a stacked humbucker that sits in the same shaped hole as a standard Tele pup. At the last minute, and after I'd routed for the Steel twin, I decided that i wanted an iron Gear Steam Hammer in there instead. So... it all gets marked out and re-routed.
Once the bridge was in place, I used it as the drilling guide for the through-body string holes.
It's starting to look a bit like a guitar now!
Peewee keeping a close eye on progress...
Idiot boy here routed out the cavity in the body without leaving enough depth in the wood behind the face of the guitar to let the contol plate screws have something to bite into! The clamps here are holding a couple of scraps of walnut in place while the glue sets...
But while the glue sets is a good time to mark out for the jack plate.
I know what it says on the specs. But I always like to measure it myself just to make sure before hitting the body with a damn great big drill bit of the wrong size.
Job nearly done. Hole drilled without taking any heart-rending chunks out of the guitar body.
The jack plate is a snug fit, but it's standing proud. And, to be honest, while it would work, it looks a bit naff sticking out like that.
Enter the "secret weapon". This old grindstone is the perfect shape and size for tapering the hole.
And it only takes a few moments.
That's how I want it to look!
The blue stain is a water-based dye.
The finish is a traditional French polish - which I won't be attempting again in a hurry. Looks great, but it takes a damn sight longer than an oil and wax finish!
The electrics are an Iron Gear Steam Hammer in the bridge, and a Jailhouse Rail in the neck. The pup ring for the neck is from Stew Mac. I'm still trying to find a UK supplier for these.
Both pups are four-conductor, so the volume pot is also a push/pull switch. Pulled out, both pups are working as single coils.
And here it is finished - apart from I need to scrape the binding round the f-hole to get rid of the build-up of stain and shellac.
What does it sound like?