Good day, Hive.
I can finally share the project that I have been working on for some time.
The FerguSeavey Telebastard.
One fine day, I was able to play my roommate's Jim Root Telecaster. I had never really played an electric guitar before. I know this is crazy, since I have been playing the guitar for 20 years. I had always been a rhythm strumming acoustic guitar player to accompany myself as I sing. Playing the mandolin broke me out of the cage of chord strumming, and it really prepared me for the electric guitar.
On this particular day, my roommate plugged a guitar into an amp and handed it to me. Because of the mandolin, I instinctively started playing some jigs and reels. The sound coming from the amp changed something inside of me. I played a Les Paul and Burns guitar before he handed me the Telecaster. I kind of became possessed by that guitar.
I played for hours on end, unable to put it down. A whole new world opened up to me. I knew I needed an electric guitar. My roommate happened to have a Telecaster-style guitar body and he suggested that we build one.
Here is the body with the inspiration... the Jim Root Telecaster.
I have never even thought about building an electric guitar before, but as it turns out, it is really fun!
My recent woodworking skills came in handy, and I was happy to return to my table in the garage to do some sanding and carving. We needed extra room inside the guitar to fit the 9 volt battery that is necessary with EMG pickups. I was not afraid to use my carving knives to accomplish that.
We initially tried to paint it white, but the paint didn't come out, so I sanded it down and painted it again.
Then it was time to add a box full of parts!
I insisted on locking tuners, like the Jim Root Telecaster, which I have named Excalibur. Then I learned about self trimming, locking tuners and almost fainted. I got some for my guitar, and they are the coolest things on Earth.
There have been some issues, as the neck was warped from hanging on a peg in a guitar shop for years with nothing attached to it. There is some buzz in some of the frets, but string tension is slowly bending it back into shape.
I am making electric versions of some of my songs, and learning how to make the sounds that I have always heard in my head.
Here is the living room debut of the FerguSeavey Telebastard.
May this be the beginning of 1000 new songs!
Peace and long life, Hive.