Telecaster Custom Build

Ok, so every project ends with lessons learned.  If it doesn't, you aren't working hard enough or you have been doing it too long and need to move on to something else.  Me, on the other hand, I end most projects with plenty of lessons; though I try not to, I make mistakes!  And while not always sure that I will try again and benefit from the experience, there is no point in repeating what is avoidable.  I often try new things and move on to the next project, so mistakes are common along the way.  Here's how you can benefit from mine.

Soldering the pups was actually one of the most relatively easy aspects to this entire build.  There are good wiring diagrams online, but I really relied on my intuition and a good multimeter.  The switch was the hardest part, only in that there are 8 terminals coming from it while there are only three leads connected to it!  And I wanted to ensure that the forward position went to the neck pup and the rearward position went to the bridge pup.  I easily isolated which terminal did what.  After realizing that each pup connected to two terminals, it was easy to work out which ones would have the right pup active in what position - including both at the middle switch position.

The cautions expressed in countless YouTube videos are well founded here.   Careful prep and wearing gloves are certainly ‘musts’. You might also wonder, if you reviewed the post chronology, why so much time had passed between this and the previous blog post.  Mostly this was in order to allow the lacquer (clear coat) ample drying time - 2 weeks seemed like the expected duration, and I essentially adhered to this.  It was also given that I had little experience using dyes and preparing a surface for lacquer and polish.