How To Make A Telecaster Body... Fast As Lightning!
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- If you have been watching us for any amount of time you know that we do all kinds of crazy stuff but we also love the traditional stuff too. One of our most popular things is the classic Telecaster (We call ours the Daily Driver).
In this video we show y'all just how fast it is to make this classic design.
If you want to use the Beloved Pin Router you can come to a class and make your own... www.texastoast...
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Original score: Electric Boogie Dawgs
Artwork: Paul Shellooe
DISCLAIMER: Our videos are strictly for documentary, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Imitation or the use of any acts depicted in these videos is solely AT YOUR OWN RISK. All work with power tools should be carried out by trained users.
We (including UA-cam) will not be held liable for any injury to yourself or damage to your property resulting from attempting anything shown in any our videos.
We do not endorse any specific product and this video is not an attempt to sell you a good or service.
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I know this video is three years old but I just watched if for the first time. I'm jealous of your shop. It makes me feel like I'm still working with a stone chisel and a rock tied to a stick. Hang on. I am working with those. LOL. If I ever stop building guitars my wife will consider herself lucky to get the dining room table back. In the meantime she is amazingly supportive of all that I do. Thank Heaven for good women. Thank Heaven for Texas Toast Guitars. Texas Toast, the dish? I can take it or leave it. LOL. Seriously. But I love you guys. Thanks a million.
The swiveling handles on your templates is genius!
Thanks Zach, we had a few close calls with the shaper and those handles make life a little less sporty :)
@@TexasToastGuitars Hey Matt check it out, I'm working on a unique body style right now it's the Washburn Culprit and a Fender Telecaster blend it has pointy and round edges....I actually sketched out a rough drawing of the guitar body I have in mind and wow it's gonna be killer....the Culprit is a guitar that Washburn first made for Dimebag when he first left Dean Guitars here's the thing Washburn didn't to my knowledge make a hundred of those guitars they are rare very rare actually but, the body shape is unique I am going to basically take it's shape and televise it....so Telecaster body shaping is important and why I'm here.....there is a hook on the back of the Culprit that at all costs I'm keeping and this guitar I'm building "which I've named the Indigent because it's by itself ya know" I want this body to be larger in size as far as thickness I want the diameter to be around a inch or inch and a half larger but, not to big. I'm gonna use two pickups I considered one but, this build needs to be versatile for sure. Here is the kicker the neck is a Explorer neck but, I'm up for suggestions anyway if you have any advice for me Matt I'll always take your advice so let me know what you think......dude this body on paper is absolutely killer yeah I'm ripping off two guitars to make one new one but, I've gotta say I'm actually proud I have something that hasn't been done yet..... Guys this guitar looks sexy as hell on paper I'm not kidding. Get with me stay safe and take care fellas you inspire ol' Rocko' to do my thang here!!!
I just finished up my most recent Tele body today and this was a very refreshing video. While I don’t have a pin router or a very scary shaper, I did manage to produce a similar product. Even though I’m making my own bodies, I appreciate pros like you sharing videos like this. It gives amateurs hope that we are headed in the right direction and affirms that some things, you should just pay for 😉.
Thanks Ben, I hope that our videos inspire people to build stuff, you don't need a lot of fancy tools.
I love watching these videos of you and Chris turning large chunks of wood into smaller chunks of wood, when I should really be practising playing single cut guitars!
That pin router trick is kick ass! Definitely gonna try this out some day!
Cool man, glad you liked it
This dowel idea is fantastic! I just bought more double sided tape and am about to go out in the shop, but I'm leaving the tape alone. I dig it, man!
Like the dowel pin idea.
It works like a charm too
Next upgrade for the shop should be some dust collection - holy smokes that shaper is a beast!!!
We have lots of dust collection but the shaper and the pin routers are a pain to collect. So many different angles. It is actually easier to sweep it up after
@@TexasToastGuitars But it doesn't sweep up out of your lungs so easily.
This was definitely cool to watch!!
Thanks brotherman glad you enjoyed it
That's a nice router bit.
Save a couple of steps there: get a smaller shaper cutter to go in the horn area, revise the notch at the back of the neck pocket to fit the shaper cutter you use. Get rid of the slant wire slot, it stops owners from going pickguard-less and slows you down. Use an electrician's drill to go from the neck through both pickup cavities and cross from the bridge cavity to the control cavity or go from the neck pocket corner to the control cavity through the neck pickup and cross from the bridge . The neck pocket can keep the drill bit level to the plane so the bit doesn't go out the back of the body (bet you've done that before too).
We are willing to make anyone a custom body to their specs. Let me know when you are ready to get something going
Really cool, thanks for posting
Thanks man
Amazing machine you use to route the cavity. I’m a complete beginner. Can I do this with a conventional router and a template?
Yes you can
Swamp ash is a condition which commonly occurs during the summer season.
Gig butt, a related ailment, also occurs during warmer weather. It is generally most common among touring musicians.
Many thanks....
Thank you
After building the new booth I have had a few days of each
Always fun to see the process 😎🎸✅
Thanks Julian
Love you guys! Thanks for being Human.
Thanks Wendy, that is such a nice thing to say
Very cool Matt! Hopefully I get a chance to speak to you tomorrow man 🤙
Good stuff.
That Shaper looks Scary! I need one too!
It is a great tool that's for sure
Seen my dads friend lose all 5 fingers on a shaper. Not a joke that machine !
Ouch
Loved the "Build a Body Class" ... Thanks
Thanks brotherman, we had fun too
Thanks guys, fun vid to watch! Hope to get with y'all one day when I get a traveling jones on...
Me too Karl
Awesome video matt !!
Thanks Terry
I'm confused when you got to the pin router. The template was on the bottom of the guitar. So how did do the PU and control routes.
The router holes are underneath and the pin follows them, the pin is directly underneath the router bit.
The pin router is a marvelous tool. The template goes on the bottom of the piece (opposite the cutting surface) there is a pin on the table surface that has the same center an diameter as the cutting tool. The pin follows the contours of the template.
Makes total sense to me with guide pin on bottom.. Just make sure router bit is set at proper depth for all the pockets
Cool video.
Thanks for watching David, glad you liked it
I think it would be cool to come up with a design for a T style you could make out of scrap piano wood or desk tops without a ton of glue.
I'm sure it could be done... I don't have a problem with glue though
hi, thank you for the wisdom! how do you avoid tear-out with the shaper? is it a special kind of router bit or something else? or is the lumber so forgiving?
The shaper runs at a much lower speed and is considerably larger than most router bits. These two things are what help prevent tearout
Are all the internal holes made through the jack hole? You left that part out.
Fast as lightning, god dahm that's frightning😂cool vid, lookin forward I the new paint vids fellas
Thanks man, we are looking forward to the new area to paint in as well
Phil McKnight was the guy who turned me onto your channel. You make some cool guitars. Maybe I’ll save up for a Tele
Thanks James
Book matched swamp ash HH tele with recessed wrap around bridge, full contours and LP switch on upper horn. That's my next body.
Sounds Cool man let me know if we can help brotherman
Just curious, are you bookmatching it for aesthetic or for any other purpose?
@@DatBoi-mo9vc just for aesthetic reasons. The grain will be wire brushed then filled with dark filler.
Great video
You definitely have mad skills boss
Thanks so much my friend
No wonder your so good . look how fast you can do everything! Wow ●●●
I'm super fast brohterman
Awesome shaper.
It's a beast!
5:50 my cat
5:58 my cat getting thrown in the blender
You should be nice to your cat
Great video. I really enjoy how you make the video. I love your high spirit on making the guitar. I really want to get one of your guitar telecaster daily driver guitar. I just finish school and I’m looking for a new hobby to pick up. I have Stratocaster already. I want a telecaster because the range of the tune. Not a lot of people know about Texas toast. I can’t wait to rock your guitar soon.
Were ready when you are Andrew
Goodson Guitars gave you a shout out too on their channel!
Oh cool
if I understand correctly the routing allows one to use the Tele bridge with the integrated single coil? I
That is correct
Question i have really cool curly maple (yard stock) that i have saved for thirty years . I will probably use mohogany for tone wood but i am looking for a neck to do a neck thru design 24 fret if possible . Will probably use aqua fortis on the body its an old gun makers finish using nitric acid and does an incredible job of bringing the grain out
We can help you Steve
Hi there!. Im planing on building my first telecaster and wanted to know if you can share the template please?. I´d be really thankfull!. Great video btw.
Hi Jose, we do not sell templates
Lovely guitars. Shame they’re not in the UK.
We live in a global economy amigo, the world is a lot smaller these days
Texas Toast Guitars I enquired a while back and was no to UK postage.
How much do you charge to make a custom tele, and do you have a veteran discount. Am local to Texas, prob not gonna have huge budget but can work something out wanna spend less than a grand. Need one to howl and wail maybe some lipstick pickups hot rodded. Think SRVs Charley meets Princes Hohner Tele- Carl
Hi Carl, I don't like to discuss prices on the UA-cam page, could you please send me an email?
Here is a blog post I did about current pricing...
www.texastoastguitars.com/post/hey-matt-how-much-does-a-custom-guitar-cost
That pin router is awesome!
I love it!
Looks like a magic, I'd like to feel a fresh smell of wood👍
You and me both my friend
Question from Thailand..........What do you do with the dowels or holes left if you remove them? Using a pin router they would be on what becomes the back of the guitar, so are they flush-cut and sanded?
We fill the holes with 1/4 maple dowels
Things go so much easier with templates.
Matt, I noticed one dowel goes in the neck plate, the others up past the bridge. How are you hiding that hole in the back?
Hi Peter, I don't hide it.
I like that the bodies we make are made the old school way and I want to celebrate that. Some people will have an issue with that... of course, they aren't buying our guitars anyway
@@TexasToastGuitars Cool. In that case you should make it a prominent feature! Great video guys.
I never get tired of Pin Router Porn. Thanks for the tip to use dowels to align the templates... Connecting dots this is getting closer to my dream homemade fullerton single cut body with old aloha shirt fabric top. Thanks you guys are always cooler than folding sunglasses.
Thanks brotherman, I like to provide as much Pin Router action as I can :)
That shaper is a BEAST! A manly man's tool.
It's the best, you need one
@@TexasToastGuitars I TOTALLY need one! The wife says otherwise. And we all know who has the last word when it comes to such things.
Have you guys ever done a Tele style with a set neck?
We have indeed
Can you use the same heel pocket template as a bolt-on and just make it deeper?
Are a lot of shops using CNC routers to do this now day's?
Most of the larger production shops certainly are. We still really enjoy the old school tools and think they are sexy. We are carpenters and not really computer savvy
Very nice vid :)! Sub'ed, liked. Excellent advice on the dowels! I need a pin router now - just need to pursuade the Mrs and find a way to get it into my 10m2 basement shop :D
The pin router is a really great tool and they make life easy. Thanks for watching my friend
What's the overall thickness and is it the same as a USA tele
We usually make these 1.75
great job!!
Thanks so much my friend, very nice of you to say
@@TexasToastGuitars Thank you very much for answering. I am a Luthier from Spain. I am not as advanced as you, I am looking closely at your tools and advice. I loved the videos of putting fabrics on the guitar. I am acquiring new knowledge with you, you seem to me a very competent and above all original Luthier.
do you guys fill the index pin holes in the body?
Yes
Nicely done Matt - don't look much fun tho'
It is super fun brotherman
great...
Thanks for watching my friend
Great video. What happens to the registration dowels (holes) in the back?
We fill them with maple, I think it looks cool and reminds people that these aren't CNC guitars
Everyone loves to get Crackalackin!
So you freehand the neck rout and all the top routs? That's pretty brave in my book.
We do not freehand rout anything
the pin router follows the template on the bottom of the body......no freehand....you need to get the concept of how this tool works.
Pretty sure he’s using magic
Great work! I hope to be able to do what you do someday !
Do you think its worthwhile to start practicing and trying to build my first piece with only hand power tools ( jigsaw/ dremel/ drill)? Or should I wait and save for table saw, planer, pin router, etc? It seems so far out of reach without having the money and space for these huge table top tools...I'm trying hard to stay motivated and not lose hope.
Go for it Dan
There will be some issues you need to overcome with all tools. You just have to jump in and start putting in the work. I talk to people all the time with no tools or a shop full of them. You have to want this really bad. Tools only take you part of the way.
@@TexasToastGuitars thank you! I admire your dedication, and I'll be watching to keep the fire burning along the way!
How was he controlling where the pin router went when cutting the pup recesses? There was no bush guide on the router following the template. If purely by hand I don’t understand hoe he didn’t cut the template too.
I'm pretty sure there was a little locating pin sticking up into the template from underneath.
The pin router is a marvelous tool. The template goes on the bottom of the piece (opposite the cutting surface) there is a pin on the table surface that has the same center an diameter as the cutting tool. The pin follows the contours of the template.
Texas Toast Guitars thanks for explaining that 👍
When you guys get the body blanks do they come planed down or does that need to be done when you get them? Enjoy your videos always good content. And what's up with the les ply?
We usually give them a once over through the sander but I'm sure if you ask Dan he can get you sorted out.
Les Ply is sitting on the paint line. Once we get the new booth in you should see more
I'm working on a design of a Tele like body that will go with a Jackson neck I altered. I rounded off the pointy parts of the head to give the Jackson head a tele feel. Took me forever with hand tools and a cheap palm sander, lol. Interesting video. Love the dowel rod system! Thanks!!!
Sounds cool Mark
I like your guitar building.Do you have any original designs ?
Sure man, check out our website www.texastoastguitars.com
I don't get it. We're the pickup cavities and control cavities routed free hand?
No, my beloved pin router
What part of the globe are you guys located?
We are in Colorado USA
Wouldn't be easier to hire some beavers and woodchucks? Damn those machines were awesome! Great job!
Hiring the marmots is one thing, training them is yet another
@@TexasToastGuitars Carry on wayward son! Excellent stuff!
How do you plug the dowel holes?
We use 1/4 maple dowels
Hey, that thumbnail is my Pc background!!!
Thanks for letting us use it amigo :)
I would think OSHA would have something to say about safety of machine operator. No employees in shop?
Oh yeah
How the F do they run wire holes between neck pup and control cavity ?
We do it with the little chase but you can go from the neck pocket to the bridge and down
That's the part I wanted to see. 7 minutes I'll never get back.
@@kenq7948 I guess you we won't have that cure for the Corona Virus now
Hey Matt what size drill bit do you use between the routed cavities?
Hi Jeff, we use a 3/8 bit for that
So how big are swamp ash trees? Are they too small to get a one-piece blank? Does glueing bits together counteract drying distortion or maybe provide more symmetrical strength?
BTW, here in NZ we have a wood called "Swamp Kauri", also a softwood, but it is from prehistoric trees buried and preserved in peat up to 50,000 years ago. Still good, and there are guitar bodies made from it. Looks a bit gnarly though. Look up Langcaster dot com.
Dan has one piece body blanks that are really nice. I don't really know how large ash trees get?
I'm going to check out that lumber
Would the template become smaller over time?
The templates could change over time
Looks so cool, I could never have one... 😒😒
Why not?
Texas Toast Guitars 🤷🏻 i dont now!!
Hi, I really enjoy your channel….
I don’t know if you can advise me on this...
I’ve got a problem with neck pocket cracks appearing on my Eric Clapton signature Strat… (which I’ve owned from new since 1999). I’ve looked at a number of UA-cams on this subject and some people are saying that this is a common problem and just likely to be cracks in the paint work. More worryingly, I saw a video that was saying that it’s more likely to be cracks in the wood. What’s your take on this? Without stating the obvious until the neck is taken off I won’t really know
Just to add… A few years ago I did drop it, it landed on a hard floor headstock first, apart from a dent in the headstock there weren't any noticeable cracks then…. The cracks have only recently appeared and they are growing. The guitar still plays great and there’s no movement in the neck.
Cheers Stew, from the UK
Hi Stewart, I don't really know man. Sounds like it could be either one but without seeing it I couldn't know. Now... you say that you don't want me to talk about the neck being removed, but have you removed the neck?
@@TexasToastGuitarsMany thanks for replying, I've got a brilliant guitar tech I use - just need to take it to him. I've got some 28 guitars in my collection, this one is my go to and irreplaceable.... He also builds in the UK (Martyn Booth) Once again cheers matey....
@@TexasToastGuitars Many thanks for your reply, I need to get it to my guitar tech. He is also a guitar builder (Martyn Booth)....Cheers Stew
@@lacroix9407 Many thanks for the info...cheers for that.
Any chance you guys sell templates?
We can, send me an email and tell me what you are looking for
Just curious about something... In the video you refer to the body style as a Fullerton single cutaway. I presumed that was a legal dodge, not wanting to give the impression you were cloning trademarked Telecasters. Fair enough. But then the video title and thumbshot both mention the word Telecaster. So what’s the reason for the Fullerton talk?
I think it sounds cool
Oh. Never thought of that. Lol. Overthinking things I guess.
By putting dowel rods in for your template does that leave a dowel in the back of of the body ?
Yep, we appreciate the dowel pins in the body... If you look at old Fender guitars there are pins as well.
We like it and will keep doing it, kind of a throw back thing
if you place the dowels strategically ie in the location where you drill for the ferrules there is no need to have the dowel visible once the holes are drilled....both in the ferrule and neck screw locations.
@@guitarworks2546 You certainly could do that. I like the dowel holes, the early Fenders had them (they were smaller) but I subscribe to the philosophy of paint it red rather than hide it. I like to own the fact that we do what we do, how and why. Thanks for watching
pretty cool where are you located
Westminster Coloradp
how I love the smell of sanded wood in the morning
smells like victory !
You got that right
I wish you would have explained the pin router. This was more of a promo video with not much useable info.
Fullerton single cut, says, cease and disist 😂 👌
Nah, I have always called them that
@@TexasToastGuitars 😂😂😂😂😂👌
Mark Gordon Leo Fender was proud to have his designs so loved that others strived to recreate them.
Mark Gordon
It’s the Kalamazoo(now Nashville, of course) single cut that you have to worry about.
I think they love their products so much that they would rather people just by them as works of art to hang on the wall.
@@charlesbolton8471 ssssh I know 😂
i used to use my pin router for bodies. Then i bought a small cnc machine. much easier.
Cool dude,
Hey, you're doing that wrong. Just kidding; I love watching this stuff. Peace.
Thanks Joel
I'm still confused on how that pin router works.It looked like you were moving the body in perfect straight lines.
The pin router is a marvelous tool. The template goes on the bottom of the piece (opposite the cutting surface) there is a pin on the table surface that has the same center an diameter as the cutting tool. The pin follows the contours of the template.
You keep mentioning your bridge. I can't find them anywhere
I had those custom made for me. They are really sweet, unfortunately, they are not sold separately.
Actually, I'm going to have to stop offering them as a standard feature too, they are really cost prohibitive and once they are gone... they are gone forever
Get a cutting board. Put a neck on it. The edges will wear where needed.
That has probably been done a few times
Texas Toast Guitars, are used to think the Telecaster was the rudest plank of wood. It took a long time for me to come around to it. There’s still something a little caveman-ish about it but I think it’s amazing.
Nice stuff...
BUT DUDE.... I'm a craftsman and a musician... my hearing is beginning to go from loud music and power tools.
Wear hearing protectiom... please... you'll thank me when you're 70.
You have to live your best life Thomas
Gotta go with Thomas. Only in my 50s and shop machinery and site power tools have ruined my hearing. Sometimes it's the frequency and not decibels that F you up.
Cool vid.
But I still can't understand why anyone would still be routing that silly and unnecessary wire rout from the neck pickup. It's SO easy to drill from the neck pocket straight to the control cavity through the neck pickup rout.
Cutting that extra hole across the face of the guitar makes it impossible to leave off the (equally unnecessary [and ugly] ) pick guard.
What's the sense if having a great looking guitar body if you're just going to cover half of it with a tacky, $5 piece of plastic!!??
"but then you end up with ugly scratches in the finish under the strings"
so? it's a lot smaller than a huge sheet of plastic COVERING the finish - and those battle scars are well earned. / plus, if you're digging into the strings so far that you're hitting the finish below, methinks you might be wasting a lot of energy that could be redirected into better technique and faster picking skills.
Just a thought. :-D
I think you have to decide what is important to you and do that. It sounds like you are a guitar builder too (given some of the things that you said in your comment)… why would you care what I'm doing if you are already doing what you want yourself?
@@TexasToastGuitars
Hi. Not a builder. Though I have built a few guitars and bases for myself along with some heavy modifications.
Sorry if I seemed overly critical. No intention at all to troll anyone. I've only recently been interested in Tele's. When I discovered that the top-rout for the neck pickup wiring was how Fender originally did it, well, they always intended the pickguard to be there, I guess - so it didn't matter.
I've seen bodies available with the old style top-rout, and others that were drilled from the neck pocket to preserve the look of the face of the guitar. It just seems to make the most sense that way to offer the possibility of seeing more of the beauty of the instrument instead of a plastic cover. That's all. Have fun!!
PS: just looked over my original post. My intention was for my commentary to be more rhetorical than directed at any one in particular. As I noted, the vid is pretty cool. I liked the use of the template UNDER the body with the pin-router.
i apologize how much body three and of mine,thanks
I'm sorry, I don't understand
@@TexasToastGuitars sorry my paranoia io Sardinia italy my fender telecaster american special three part body,sorry mi paranoia
under 3lbs. weight?
No I think those pieces are weighed before glue up
When they do the next census they should ask how many guitars are in the household. I bet there are three guitars for every man woman and child in United States. Included the undocumented. By which I mean Chibsons. 😉👌🏻😌
HAHAHA good one
Delete any
Any what?
a "how to" video that warns you not to attempt to do what it tells you how to do. How novel!
Why don’t bags of dog food have dog toys at the bottom like cereal boxes do?