Burl Tele

[martintaylor]

This is a new build. Coolabah burl with resin body, Rock Maple neck, Rosewood Fretboard, Golden Age pickups, Burl skunk stripe (which is purely decorative as I have a 2 way truss rod in there) and Nitro finish.

[56nortondomy]

Very unusual Martin, looks great. Is that an epoxy resin you've used?
Wayne

[martintaylor]

Thanks Wayne,

Is that an epoxy resin you've used?

It's a casting resin from www.BoatCraftNSW.com This one is a 2:1 mix and doesn't heat up over 80°. I bought it at the Working with Wood show this year. It's easy to use.

[GregL]

Hi Martin,

Wow! Looks great! Very nice!

Some questions if you don't mind:
- you must have an entire body mold - was the molding process very difficult?
- is the whole thing very heavy? I looks a bit heavy with all that epoxy (not that I mind a bit heavy!)
- what's happening just north of the nut? Just curious - maybe the fingerboard extends past the nut?
- what pickups did you use? (ie what does it sound like? If it sounds as good as it looks, it must sound good!)

Thanks,
GregL.

[martintaylor]

- you must have an entire body mold - was the molding process very difficult?
- is the whole thing very heavy? I looks a bit heavy with all that epoxy (not that I mind a bit heavy!)
- what's happening just north of the nut? Just curious - maybe the fingerboard extends past the nut?
- what pickups did you use? (ie what does it sound like? If it sounds as good as it looks, it must sound good!)

Hi Greg,

Once I had cut the sections of burl I made a box shape to do the resin bit.


This is after the resin has been poured in


After it was set (took about 3 days to harden) I then planned and cut it out just like it was a normal body blank


Yes, it is heavy (about 12-13 lbs so about as heavy as the heaviest Les Pauls). The resin isn't that heavy though, it is the burl that has all the weight.

Yes, the fingerboard extends past the nut which is standard for a Fender style neck but I may have made the extension a little linger than it should be. I made a veneer of the burl for the headstock and wanted it to fit the curve and then have the fretboard go over that. It all worked but if I do a veneered headstock again on this type of neck I'll need to pay more attention to the position of everything.

I used Golden Age pickups form Stewmac. We have used these on many builds and I love them. I think they have exactly the right sound for a Tele. I'll attempt to get it recorded in the coming week. A couple of my students are much more competent players than I am.

[GregL]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for answering all my questions!
Obviously the epoxy sands/shines up well!

Thanks,
GregL.

[colburge]

That looks awesome, love your work.

Col

[agp244]

Stunning a beautiful guitar