# La Baronne - Bari-Tele project



## Vostre Roy (Dec 21, 2011)

Sup folks. I've recently came with the idea to get myself a baritone guitar. But I also wanted to get a good old Telecaster, so instead of buying two different guitars, I've decided to build together a baritone Telecaster using different parts on the net, as I've got 0 skills in woodcraft or luthiery. I've got an hand on a cheap swamp-ash telecaster body (cost me 75$). It has some dents, but I believe that it'll do the job as it is my first guitar assembly. Also, if the project turns good, I'll just have to upgrade the body. I'll be using the Warmoth conversion neck (28 5/8" scale). Hardware will all be gold, while the body and headstock will be gloss black. Not sure if the pickguard will be black or brushed gold.

So here are the specs:

Body wood: Swamp Ash
Neck wood: Maple
Fingerboard wood: Ebony
Neck scale: 28 5/8"
Frets: GD6150 (Gold)
Tuners: Sperzel Locking
Pickups: Seymour Duncan STL-3(b) & STR-3(n)
Bridge: Gotoh Modern Bridge

Here is a little quick mockup made with the TCT Kisekae (http://www.yajimastringworks.com/tct/yswtct-kisekae-e.asp):






And here are the picture of the body that will be used:

















Thats it for now. I'll order some stuff right after christmas, this build should be done in about 2-3 months. More likely before that since patience ain't my biggest strenght.


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## anne (Dec 21, 2011)

Awesome.  Can't wait to see the results. My baritele neck from Warmoth turned out really great, though I did have to get the frets dressed and the tech had to shave some pickguard to get it to fit.


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## GuitaristOfHell (Dec 21, 2011)

this is going to look classy .


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## Vostre Roy (Dec 22, 2011)

anne said:


> Awesome.  Can't wait to see the results. My baritele neck from Warmoth turned out really great, though I did have to get the frets dressed and the tech had to shave some pickguard to get it to fit.



Yeah I saw your build as well, fueled my GAS attack a little more



GuitaristOfHell said:


> this is going to look classy .


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 22, 2011)

That mockup alone makes me like teles... Now I want one for myself!


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## MaxOfMetal (Dec 22, 2011)

Holy cow! Take those pics down to a size that's manageable, like less than half that. 

I'm pushing 20 - 25 Mb/s and that was still a pain.


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## Vostre Roy (Dec 22, 2011)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Holy cow! Take those pics down to a size that's manageable, like less than half that.
> 
> I'm pushing 20 - 25 Mb/s and that was still a pain.



Lol right, I've bought myself a digital camera 2 weeks ago, first one I ever bought so I'm still a newb when it comes to upload those pictures, didn't thought that they'd be so huge lol.

Next time, I'll compress them after the upload


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## Vostre Roy (Jan 10, 2012)

Little update

I went forward and ordered my pickups and bridge. I went with the STL-3/STR-3 set from Seymour Duncan.

Link for the pickups: Quarter Pound® for Tele (lead & rhythm) STL-3 and STR-3 - Seymour Duncan High Output

I also went to my local music shop and placed an order for the bridge. If they can get it, I'll go with the Vintage 3 saddles bride with a gold plated bridgeplate. If they can't get it, I'll go with the Gotoh modern bridge on my Stewmac order.

Link for the bridge: Fender Gold Telecaster Bridge | Allparts.com

Finally, put an order on a bariton string set from Ernie Balls.

Link for the strings: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/juststrings_2190_742787070


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## GTailly (Jan 10, 2012)

The internet at work won't let me see the pictures... -.-'
I will check it out later on tonight though.


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## metalvince333 (Jan 10, 2012)

Vostre Roy said:


> Lol right, I've bought myself a digital camera 2 weeks ago, first one I ever bought so I'm still a newb when it comes to upload those pictures, didn't thought that they'd be so huge lol.
> 
> Next time, I'll compress them after the upload



You can do it with paint also if you want to keep it simple!


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## Vostre Roy (Jan 10, 2012)

metalvince333 said:


> You can do it with paint also if you want to keep it simple!



Actually, when you upload via Imageshack.us, they offer you to reduce the picture to "forum size". Done it for my Hellraiser NGD but forgot to do it here lol

I'll try to think about it and re-upload them once I get back to my place.

Cheers for the interest, can't stop to think about this baby being done


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## GTailly (Jan 10, 2012)

Damn man. Looks freakin' neat.


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## Vostre Roy (Jan 19, 2012)

Little update and a question!

I'll put my order at Warmoth tomorrow! I'll also put my order at Stewmac for the hardware. I'll also know tomorrow when my bridge will arrive, as I've ordered it at a local shop.

Now the question. At first, I wanted to do the 4 switch mod, wich would had given me the opportunity to go with this setup:

Neck/Parallel/Bridge/Serie

Problem is that neither Warmoth or Stewmac can have those switch, and I don't want to order it somewhere else since the shipping cost would be as much as the switch itself lol. So I did some research and found this mod instead, using a 5 way Stratocaster switch:

http://www.guitar-mod.com/wiring/5way_tele.gif

It would give me the "Out of phase serie" option, wich I find nice (more option is a good thing), but I have no idea what thats mean. Anyone can tell me?


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## celticelk (Jan 19, 2012)

Vostre Roy said:


> It would give me the "Out of phase serie" option, wich I find nice (more option is a good thing), but I have no idea what thats mean. Anyone can tell me?



Having 2 pickups out of phase is what gives Stratocasters that distinctive 2nd and 4th position sound: it's a funky thin/hollow sound. You should be able to find plenty of examples on YouTube.


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## Vostre Roy (Jan 19, 2012)

celticelk said:


> Having 2 pickups out of phase is what gives Stratocasters that distinctive 2nd and 4th position sound: it's a funky thin/hollow sound. You should be able to find plenty of examples on YouTube.



Allright, I've got a HSH guitar so I understand it more now. I'll check some videos tomorrow as I can't get on Youtube at work... Thanks for the quick reply mate!


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 15, 2012)

***Update***

Received a couple of parts from Stewmac:
-Pickguard
-250k push/pull pot
-Screws
-Neck pickup cover

Now waiting for my stuff from Warmoth to arrive, just checked and its shipped! Should receive it by friday or beginning of next week. Sweeeeeeeet


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## Necromagnon (Feb 15, 2012)

I really hate Fender's, but the combination gloss black/gold hardware is very classy!

The body was already finished or you did it yourself?

For the parallel out of phase pickup, it's a very great combination. It has a sound close to single coil, without hum, and a little warmer sound (for my ears).
I don't find the video but there's one on youtube with a guy wiring a DM X2N in parallel... It sounds like an awesome P90! 

For the switch, did you try your local electronics shops? There might be some usefull stuff.


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 15, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> I really hate Fender's, but the combination gloss black/gold hardware is very classy!


 
Well thanks, I really love that combination



Necromagnon said:


> The body was already finished or you did it yourself?


 
Bought the body as-is, for 75$. The paintjob is not really good, easy to have marks and dents in it. I'll either repaint it totally or just re-polish it correctly



Necromagnon said:


> For the parallel out of phase pickup, it's a very great combination. It has a sound close to single coil, without hum, and a little warmer sound (for my ears).
> I don't find the video but there's one on youtube with a guy wiring a DM X2N in parallel... It sounds like an awesome P90!
> 
> For the switch, did you try your local electronics shops? There might be some usefull stuff.


 
Yeah, gotta forget this option, as I forgot to order my superswitch on Stewmac (yeah, stupid mistake... lol). I decided to wire a 3 way selector, plus a push/pull pots for the serie/parallel options. Should do the trick

Cheers!

Edit: As for the local shops, they suck. Period. We have absolutely no choice here (Circuit City aka RadioShack are the only one that offers electronic parts....)


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## Necromagnon (Feb 15, 2012)

I don't know why but it's always hard to find good electronics stuff on local shops. It's the same in this side of the ocean. :/
Always have to buy on internet. -_-

For paint, it seems to do be really nice seen from here. You'd be careful before started to sand the body, as finishing is (for my point of view and many other french amateur luthier) the most horrible and hard part of the building process... If I could, I would left all my builds unfinished... -_-


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 15, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> I don't know why but it's always hard to find good electronics stuff on local shops. It's the same in this side of the ocean. :/
> Always have to buy on internet. -_-


 
Yeah well, I live in the middle of fucking nowhere, so I'm used to have limited access to guitars, hardware, electronics, etc. Gotta deal with it I think lol



Necromagnon said:


> For paint, it seems to do be really nice seen from here. You'd be careful before started to sand the body, as finishing is (for my point of view and many other french amateur luthier) the most horrible and hard part of the building process... If I could, I would left all my builds unfinished... -_-


 
The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning toward not sanding it, I don't have a good place to do the paint either, so I'll probably leave it like that, and maybe ask a professional to re-finish it in the future

Cheers!


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## Necromagnon (Feb 15, 2012)

An hint for help in finishing (well, it works generally in france, so I think it could work anywhere): ask to car painters or shapers (surf board builders), they have materials, supplies, and as a guitar is a very small surface compared to what they generally do, they sometimes do the job for cheap.
But it doesn't work eveyrtime, unfortunately... :/


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 15, 2012)

Its a really good idea in fact, but there isn't much car painter in my town either (like I said, middle of fucking nowhere lol). But I'll check that for sure, thanks for the tip man!


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## Necromagnon (Feb 15, 2012)

Vostre Roy said:


> Its a really good idea in fact, but there isn't much car painter in my town either (like I said, middle of fucking nowhere lol). But I'll check that for sure, thanks for the tip man!


You're hellcome!

In terms of quantities, generally, to paint a guitar, we only need a yoghurt pot, and for varnish, approximately ten times this. So, when you compare it to the size of professional paint can... It's not soooooo expensive. 
The only problem is the place to do it (dust, dust, DUST!!!), and all the hardware (good brushes or spray gun), what car painters generally have. Hope you'll find something! 

Another question, will you make the small gold edging around the pickguard?


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 15, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> You're hellcome!
> 
> In terms of quantities, generally, to paint a guitar, we only need a yoghurt pot, and for varnish, approximately ten times this. So, when you compare it to the size of professional paint can... It's not soooooo expensive.
> The only problem is the place to do it (dust, dust, DUST!!!), and all the hardware (good brushes or spray gun), what car painters generally have. Hope you'll find something!



I have some stuff from Stewmac that could do the trick for the vernishing part, but I'd be more confident to let a profesionnal handle this lol



Necromagnon said:


> Another question, will you make the small gold edging around the pickguard?



I really wish I could find one, searched everywhere on the net, haven't found anything that could fit...


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## Necromagnon (Feb 16, 2012)

Could you find a thin plate of brass, glue the actual pickguard on it and then shape the brass plate?
Or maybe with thin gold paper found in art shop?


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 16, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> Could you find a thin plate of brass, glue the actual pickguard on it and then shape the brass plate?
> Or maybe with thin gold paper found in art shop?


 
The thin gold sheet is actually a good idea, I might try to do it one day. For now, I'll stay with what I have, but I might want to upgrade it sooner or later.


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## themike (Feb 16, 2012)

3M makes a gold pin striping tape that is used for automotive applications. It's flexible for curves, uses addhesive so its removable if needed and lastly it's about 6 bucks a roll. Any auto parts store should carry it or something like it


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 16, 2012)

I'd look for that, thanks!

Both of you earned well deserved positive rep for your help!


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## themike (Feb 16, 2012)

No problem man - the stuff looks good and with a couple sprays of clearcoat should be exactly what you need. The reflective gold one should match your hardware well.


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 16, 2012)

Thats pretty nice, I'll check in my town if I can find that. I know a body shop, but dunno what they sell

That would be nice to have that strips, just a little extra to add some bling


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## themike (Feb 16, 2012)

Vostre Roy said:


> Thats pretty nice, I'll check in my town if I can find that. I know a body shop, but dunno what they sell
> 
> That would be nice to have that strips, just a little extra to add some bling




Yeah it would be perfect for the gold border on the pickguard. I dont think you need to go through a body shop though, just an auto part store would be fine. I dont know what you have up in Canada but in the US we have places like Autozone, Pep Boys, Aid Auto etc. You can also just order it online.


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 17, 2012)

****Update****

And its a good one 

Warmoth's order has arrived, so lets start with the bling bling pictures!

Da box






The knife to open da box





Its gold! GOLD! AHAHAHAHAH GOLD!










Maple neck, ebony fret board, medium gold frets. Me gusta.





My Fender bridge vs my Warmoth bridge. Guess wich one will be used...





Painting the headstock, as it was planned on my mock-up





Installed the bridge and both pickups, no wiring done, just to see the result





The control panel features a Schaller 3 position switch, 2 250k pots with one that is push/pull for the "pickups in serie" option





Close picture of the bridge





And thats it for now. Expect more during the weekend. Can't wait to have that thing done!

Cheers!
- Y.V.Roy


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## ejendres (Feb 17, 2012)

Lookin' awesome


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 22, 2012)

****Update****

Not a good one. I cracked the headstock while putting the tuner's ferule at the 6th string. Clean crack, parallel to the strings, that goes through the center of the tuner's hole. I'll post picture later. As for now, I've glued it back and its being clamped. Hopefully, I'll find a way to cover the crack, probably will put a gold liner on it, the same that I,ll use for the pickguard

Pictures to come later or tomorrow


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## synrgy (Feb 22, 2012)

th3m1ke said:


> Yeah it would be perfect for the gold border on the pickguard. I dont think you need to go through a body shop though, just an auto part store would be fine. I dont know what you have up in Canada but in the US we have places like Autozone, Pep Boys, Aid Auto etc. You can also just order it online.



I'm only loosely familiar with what Canucks have access to, but I might humbly suggest Canadian Tire. Seems to be the most comparable thing they have to our auto parts and/or hardware chains, or at least from my limited experience of hanging around various parts of Ontario.

I can't find it among the 128 3M products on their website, but I'd be willing to be they'd order it for you if they don't have it in stock.

Find Automotive Tools to Sports Gear to Kitchen & Bath Products | Canadian Tire


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## Necromagnon (Feb 22, 2012)

Vostre Roy said:


> ****Update****
> 
> Not a good one. I cracked the headstock while putting the tuner's ferule at the 6th string. Clean crack, parallel to the strings, that goes through the center of the tuner's hole. I'll post picture later. As for now, I've glued it back and its being clamped. Hopefully, I'll find a way to cover the crack, probably will put a gold liner on it, the same that I,ll use for the pickguard
> 
> Pictures to come later or tomorrow


If I can make a suggestion, I'd place a veneer on the back of the headstock. It'll look nice, and it will add a lot of strength to the headstock and help maintaining the crack closed. I know this problem, I had the same on the headstock of my 5 string bass... :/
And for the future, you'd prefer have a slightly bigger hole (for the tuner!), the tuner is hold in position by the screws (ferule + back screw)
There's about 0,5mm margin between hole and ferule, I guess.


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## Vostre Roy (Feb 22, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> If I can make a suggestion, I'd place a veneer on the back of the headstock. It'll look nice, and it will add a lot of strength to the headstock and help maintaining the crack closed. I know this problem, I had the same on the headstock of my 5 string bass... :/
> And for the future, you'd prefer have a slightly bigger hole (for the tuner!), the tuner is hold in position by the screws (ferule + back screw)
> There's about 0,5mm margin between hole and ferule, I guess.


 
Thanks for the suggestion as always!

I'll try with the glue only at first (since I've already done it). There shouldn't be too much tension as half of the hole was still in the main part of the headstock, plus the tuner need two screws to fix and both will be on either side of the crack.

If I ever build another Warmoth, it will have modern-screwed ferules and tuners lol


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## Necromagnon (Feb 22, 2012)

The glue works fine normally. The veneer is like seatbelt + strap. 
But with a more classy look.


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## ejendres (Feb 25, 2012)

Dude, that blows about the headstock.

You're plan should fix it though. Just paint the whole thing black instead of just the top.


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## Vostre Roy (Apr 11, 2012)

***UPDATE***

The neck as been sent to a local luthier (who was out of town until last friday). He will sand the headstock, repaint it, coat it, remove the two broken tuner screws for 40$. I'll have it back probably next week, so I'll be able to finish it soon.

I wish I didn,t screwed it that much, but its a first project, I had to learn stuff by myself and most of the time, you learn the hard way lol


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## Ironbird (Apr 12, 2012)

Lookin' great, bro! Can't wait to see it done.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Apr 12, 2012)

Sexy as hell, man.


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## Levi79 (Apr 12, 2012)

I love me some Tele action. This should end up cool.


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## Necromagnon (Apr 13, 2012)

pics! pics! pics!


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## Vostre Roy (Apr 13, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> pics! pics! pics!


 
Lol I'll take more pictures during the assembly process. For now, I'll post the pictures of my two screw-ups 

So, the first one, the infamous crack on the head. The luthier will make sure that it won't be visible after he'll be done with it, so I'm happy







And one of the two broken tuner screws. Yes, I should have pre-drilled the hole. Why I didn't did it? I was unaware that it was the process to do... Also, I found that thread AFTER my screw up: WARNING : Careful with screws supplied with Gotoh Vintage Style tuners !!!
Had I found it before, this guitar would proably be done by now lol...






Expect more pics next week.
Cheers!


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## Vostre Roy (Apr 23, 2012)

What about a little update?

I should get my neck back tomorrow. Thing will go fast after that as the guitar is pretty much ready to get the neck bolted and stringed. So, in preparation for tomorrow, I decided to apply the idea I've been given here by th3m1ke, here is what I done tonight:

A wild loaded pickguard appears!






Vostre Roy uses Burnt Gold pin-stripes






Its very, very effective! Pickguard has evolved into Sexy Pickguard!






So, here she is, one step further into completion.
Expect more pictures tomorrow. This thing will come alive soon.

Cheers!

- Y.V.Roy
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/members/th3m1ke.html


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## bob123 (Apr 23, 2012)

I LOVE that pinstriped pick guard! What a great idea.... should seal it up


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## Nag (Apr 23, 2012)

dat pickguard is sexy indeed


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## Vostre Roy (Apr 25, 2012)

***Update!***

So I finally got my neck back yesterday. Been near two months since I did the screwups, so I was excited to say the least when I had it back in my hands. So, here is some pictures of the neck alone, then installed on the body and strung. I have to wait until I will put on the pickguard and neck pickup for a simple reason: Truss rod access is not on the headstock, but at the neck pocket. I can access it through the neck pickup cavity, but still, vintage flat headstock sucks for that lol.

Anyway, pictures time!






The headstock at the spot where there was a crack before. Un-noticeable on the top of the headstock, barely noticeable in the back.











And there she is, getting straightened. Warmoth necks are shipped with tension released in the trussrod, so it had a pretty bad banana shape. I'll take my time to get it straight, don't want to harm the truss rod (enough damage done by myself right now lol)
















I'll continue some more tonight. Got a ground issue that I gotta fix in her and in my fretless. Wiring will always be my black beast (being colorblind just ain't helping my cause either lol). Anyway, the project will be completed soon 

Cheers!

- Y.V.Roy


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## Nag (Apr 25, 2012)

mucho win ! finish that build !


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## BlackMastodon (Apr 25, 2012)

You could probably drill a small hole/slot in the fretboard after the 24th fret (that little bit of overhang on the fretboard) to allow for truss rod adjustments. Looks great though! And that's coming from someone who normally hates teles.


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## Vostre Roy (Apr 27, 2012)

She's completed, picture of the final product here:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...96008-ngd-la-baronne-baritone-telecaster.html

Here are some pictures of the wiring. Those will be the last I'll post here.

They were taken before I wired the neck pickup:


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## Doombringerblake (May 9, 2012)

love that tele, not a fan of the pickup choices but i do love that tele.


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