It's interesting that something becomes so ingrained and "classic" was once a radical design with an uncertain future. I, for one, would never purchase a bespoke guitar that was exactly the same as a well-known model, I'd just buy the well-known model! Your guitars don't erase the existence of classics, and many "classics" were looked down on in their original day (hello, Jazzmaster!). The reason I want one of your guitars is because I feel a certain resonance with your guitar ideas, your attention to detail, and knowing that you're listening to me, and only me, to try and find my "voice." So I say innovate away. Go nuts. The people who don't like it are not the people who would purchase a guitar from you, anyway. One day, I will own one of your guitars, and I have a feeling anyone who sees me with it is not going to punch me for desecrating the mighty Telecaster! I mean, Leo Fender did that very thing with G&L, right?
Wow what a great comment, I agree completely and yes you understand exactly how I like to work with people and what I put into my guitars. I look forward to the day we have a long chat and nerd-out over your dream guitar my friend!😀👍
When a craftsman like you takes on the challenge of builingd a tele, the results are always a treat to see and hear. Yup, do innovate the classics to make them better to play with the same sound you love.
I don’t think Fender should mess too much with any of their classic designs but for the bespoke builders, they absolutely should. Putting your own stamp on a classic design is cool with me.
Nice work Gio! I think if the big guitar companies continued to innovate and refine their standards to keep up with the times, there wouldn’t be some many people like us out there making great guitar designs better.
Truly a beautiful work of art. I think whatever you're passionate about is the way to go. There's no point in doing the same exact thing, or just the opposite. Your perspective sounds perfect to me too. At the end of the day everything is based on something else. You just choose how much you add or change to find your way of doing it personal.
I love variations on the tele theme. My first guitar build (should it ever get finished) is exactly that. Your builds, and the current series with Todd have been so informative that I feel more confident that I have enough information to help me produce a unique and beautiful instrument.
Really like your approach to making a fine instrument - in my humble opinion you're keeping what makes the Tele a classic and tweeking the design more towards comfort and aesthetics than efficiency for manufacturing - keep being creative! - Cheers from Canada
Beautiful guitar Gio, the finish is stunning, as usual. I truly believe taking the basics that you love, and being creative to tweak, change, swap, whatever, is what truly makes guitar building so inspiring. To think you can take a classic, and then make some changes to customize is perfectly acceptable. It's why I bought the Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH. A Tele with LP/SG like features. I love your designs and creativity on your guitars, and loving Todd's current build of the Ultimate Tele. And especially looking forward to the LP builds from you both!
Thanks my friend, I couldn’t agree more, and I’m really looking forward to getting the next vid with Todd out too, we’re having a great time on these!👍
That's another beautiful guitar. And my answer to your question is a resounding YES! Of course, we should mess with the classics and try to make them better. Cos, as you pointed out, they were designed to be economical.
That's a beautiful looking guitar Geo! When you spoke of being able to take all of the time you needed to build it, I imagined someone looking over the shoulder of Stradivarius and telling him to "hurry up with that violin"! LOL True craftsmanship requires time and attention to detail! Beautiful work my friend!!
Nice looking guitar, and I agree with the philosophy. Improve the details to eliminate the flaws induced by cost cutting and working to a set price. I do exactly the same with my amp dessigns. It's not the cheapest way to go, but you do get outstanding results!
This guitar is lovely. The rich chocolate colored flamed walnut looks great the white binding really pops and the fret work look great. Much better head stock design that either a tele or strat design in my opinion. A modified timeless classic design that is better than the original.
Stunning guitar style and finish as always. Love the look of your fret ends, would love to see how you get the hemispherical ends done in a short vid. Would really like to try that on my next build ,probably at the start of spring. Thanks for sharing so much expertise. Looking forward to your next adventure. Respect.
I'm a believer in the concept of evolution in design. There are things about Telecasters I dislike. The headstock for me makes the neck look like like a stick with a tumour, it always has - and the headstock design being so stick like always made the Tele itself look shovel-esque to my mind. I do like the simplicity of the build, and there's a certain elegance to that - but I also really like your approach of modernising the body so while its your unique design, its still reminiscent of a Tele - and then continuing the refinements to the neck and the headstock. A friend at work was interested in a high end Tele, but I've been pointing him and coaxing him your way instead. For the money you charge vs a high end Tele, I know where I would be spending my hard earned cash on a one of a kind instrument.
Thanks Owen, yes poke him with a stick or push him very hard in my direction!😂😂 I agree and for long time I didn’t pick up a Tele because of the way it looked but once I did I loved the sound and I think that’s what originally inspired me to make different versions. Thanks once again and I’m looking forward to see the rosewood build progress!👍
As always, fascinating content my friend! If I can provide my $0.012 cents worth...Innovation only comes from recognizing and honoring the past while innovating it for the future. How many LP variations are out there, yet, nobody ever throws shade at ESP, Schecter, or others. They have taken a classic single cut design and revamped it for their brand. If people want a Fender, buy a Fender. If you want a Gibson with their known issues, get a Gibson. If you want an instrument that feels and sounds classic but feels better than the original, buy a custom. To me, it's the difference between a Rolls Royce and a Ford, meaning, quality, or quantity.
Thanks Eric, I always look forward to your thoughts my friend! I agree and I’m biased but I think you always get the quality or quantity decision at some level and I guess people choose the things that are important to them!👍
As you mentioned, originally these guitars were built to a cost. From what I've read Leo Fender was notoriously cost orientated, therefore we must expect there to be compromises in the design and build, which means there has to be room for improvement, right? Well that opens a can of worms, who is to say that any compromises in the design and build didn't, inadvertently, produce a better instrument? As a builder I guess that conundrum is the fun part. Improving one element, may affect another element, one way or another, if however we don't try these things we'll never know. Anyway, as always a stunning guitar!
Yes I think so too, I think independent guitar building is a game of incremental improvements to the areas which you have the freedom to make them, but as you say understanding what you’re changing is very important. Thanks for the kind comment and support my friend!👍
The Tele as always been my favorite guitar as well. I think it looks great just the way it is. And it is a bomber instrument. Don't get me wrong though there are a lot of beautiful well playing guitars out there. My thing as a custom builder at first was to never copy another guitar. I'd say "fender is doing a great job building tele's or Strat's. Gibson's doing a great job at LPs and SGs". So I'll build my own things. Well try selling a one off guitar that nobody recognizes the shape or the brand. My first copy was an LP that was a commission. The one right here left of the comment. I think the guitars you are building are absolutely beautiful! And the "inspired by" idea is brilliant.
Thanks Dane, and yes you’re right, trying to sell a one off that nobody can pick off a shop wall and play is difficult. I also started selling by getting requests for Teles and then figured if I can take the unknown element away by retaining the sound then I’m more likely to sell them and it’s working. The designs seem to be going down well so I’m hopeful this is a way to generate interest. Thanks for the continued support my friend!👍
Yes, is the answer! And you do it perfectly. I think you and I are very much aligned in many ways when it comes to guitars. The aesthetic is just as important to all those little things you do (and the hardware you add) to transform its feel and you balance the aesthetic beautifully. It’s very interesting the legacy of Leo Fender. Very few things are designed so well right off the bat that it’s almost impossible to improve upon that basic recipe. In fact, the only other example I can think of (and bear with me here) is Thomas Crapper inventor of the ballcock, u bend and improved upon Gilpins siphonic flush. Materials, manufacturing processes and fashions change my change, but it’s still fundamentally the same.
😂😂This is why I look forward to your comments! 😂😂 and I agree, it was a great design right off the bat, that’s why I love to use that recipe. Thanks my friend, it means a lot coming from a GGBO podium member! 😉
Can you ''mess" with a classic design? Of course you can, especially if it's to make it better!, Both you and Todd are taking Telecasters to a much higher standard as they are out of Fender, even if the principle remains as you said "a low bridge, two single coils, a flat neck, etc." I love your (and Todd's) guitars, they look and I'm sure they play fantastic. I wish I had the same level of craftmanship you both have. I build guitars, but do not sell them... I just play them! 🙂
Thank you my friend, I appreciate the support and compliment! It’s great that you build for yourself too, that’s what I intended initially but I can’t afford a collection of 100 guitars and can’t stop building!😂
Woooow Gio, Man I've never seen a telecaster as elegant as yours. This craft manship is really stunning! Even the headstock is more elegant as the original. Can't wait to hear it sound. Beautiful, love it!
Another beautiful guitar Gio, on "messing" with a classic isn't the strat just a messed with Tele? And i maybe wrong but Gibson Les Paul's look a lot like a messed with Tele 🤷, so to me it's perfectly fine to be as creative and mess with as much as anyone wants to, who knows when a new classic we be born 👍
This is like the beautiful sister of the humble tele, another amazing build Gio! I remember twenty odd years ago when i made the black guard in my profile pic, i gave it a belly carve and forearm contour, the guys on TDPRI said its nice, but its not a tele anymore is it? 😂😂
I really think every classic style guitar needs to be looked at at this point. There are so many great changes from tools, to finishes, to hardware and electronics since the early days. These can only get better. Provided these experiments are done by competent builds like you and Todd who rationalize and think through ideas then master implementation. Not by knuckleheads like me or others who are like.. "Hold my sammach I'm gonna try this" for the hype or views or just shear stupidity. 🤣 You have absolutely made a guitar "Upgrade" worthy of the original and possibly should be the new bar to which true builders should aspire.
Hi Bill! I really appreciate your thoughts my friend and I agree, I believe we can sympathetically upgrade so many classic designs and make them into something fresh with incremental improvements along the way. I think you undervalue your abilities however because I think passion and dedication will always produce something better than just tooling capability!😀👍
Just discovered your channel with the semi-hollow telecaster videos, and your guitars are not only beautiful to look at but also sound gorgeous. If you have any tips on replicating that style please share! I'm looking to build a unique piece for myself. I've got good experience wood working but have never attempted a guitar before. Thanks!
Well if you’re an experienced woodworker then you have a good head start, I made furniture before getting into luthiery. For me to make a design feel classic there are a few things, rounding the rear end, not using too much of a thin waist and making the lines from the top flow into the lower horn are important as well as making the proportions look in balance. I always use those rules whether I’m designing a single cut, double or offset shape!😀👍
Not sure I'm the best person to comment on sticking to tradition... 😂 But if you can build on traditional designs to make something better, then that can only be a good thing my friend 😀
I think that we should mess with the classic designs, especially small builders. The old adagio "fuck around and find out" is very true and messing around, changing details is the way. I mean, it doesn't need to be extreme, but do thing like tou mention like focus on the materials, tweaking the shape and working on the frets in way that big name cannot do - beacuse it's unprofitable- it's the way to go. You are giving your personal spin in way that other cannot do. Also, an industries standard means that the instrument is good of everyone but prefect for none, and I think that the work of small luthiers is the opposite: tailor the guitar or bass around one player.
You may be surprised, they’re not cheap but I do try to make all these guitars at a non eye-watering price. I’m not in this to get rich and I originally started selling my builds because I love making them but I cant have a collection of 100 guitars in my house!😂
I love a Tele sound, but I hate the ergonomics (of all single-cut guitars, really, but especially the Tele). If I want to play one that's comfortable for me then it's going to have to be of my own design with features that Tele-worshippers are bound to find deeply offensive--that's not a reason to do it, mind you, it's just a perk. :D
At the end of the day just because something is a "classic" doesn't mean it's the best it can be. With regard to the original Tele, Fender made dozens of decisions purely for cost reasons. There are always things that could be improved if 1 has the skill, and desire to do so. And you most certainly have those in abundance.
I guess its like those blokes who do resto-mods on old cars. Take a run down old muscle car, give it a custom paint job, injest steroids into tge motor and put modern, quality running gear and electronics in it. At the end of the day, you've got the timeless classic design that performs much better than the original. There's always the tossers who jump up and down and whine about how it should have been made original, but they're always going to be around to complain...and make idiots of themselves... The same with guitars, I reckon, if you have the ability to improve on an old classic, then why not!!
Thanks and yes, that’s exactly how I think of it too, take an original recipe you love and then make it special and unique. Thanks for the kind comment and support my friend!👍
Absolutely mess with the design. Your not labeling the guitar as an original Fender, it’s a „Tornelli“. If it sounds and feels like a Telecaster, then, for me at least, it is a Telecaster.
Mess with it all you want! Why slavishly copy someone else's design? The world has enough Teles, Strats and Paul's, done by the original manufacturers, let alone all the boring clones! What you've done isn't that at all, and that's a good thing!
It's interesting that something becomes so ingrained and "classic" was once a radical design with an uncertain future. I, for one, would never purchase a bespoke guitar that was exactly the same as a well-known model, I'd just buy the well-known model! Your guitars don't erase the existence of classics, and many "classics" were looked down on in their original day (hello, Jazzmaster!). The reason I want one of your guitars is because I feel a certain resonance with your guitar ideas, your attention to detail, and knowing that you're listening to me, and only me, to try and find my "voice."
So I say innovate away. Go nuts. The people who don't like it are not the people who would purchase a guitar from you, anyway. One day, I will own one of your guitars, and I have a feeling anyone who sees me with it is not going to punch me for desecrating the mighty Telecaster! I mean, Leo Fender did that very thing with G&L, right?
Wow what a great comment, I agree completely and yes you understand exactly how I like to work with people and what I put into my guitars. I look forward to the day we have a long chat and nerd-out over your dream guitar my friend!😀👍
When a craftsman like you takes on the challenge of builingd a tele, the results are always a treat to see and hear. Yup, do innovate the classics to make them better to play with the same sound you love.
Thanks Cal, I really appreciate that my friend!👍
I don’t think Fender should mess too much with any of their classic designs but for the bespoke builders, they absolutely should. Putting your own stamp on a classic design is cool with me.
Thanks Doug, I agree, Fender are tied to the original in a way that independent builders aren’t!👍
Nice work Gio! I think if the big guitar companies continued to innovate and refine their standards to keep up with the times, there wouldn’t be some many people like us out there making great guitar designs better.
Thanks Dave, that’s a good point!👍
Just found your channel. You deserve a million more subscribers! The way you explain the finishes and designs and not hiding anything is amazing.
Wow thanks for taking the time to leave such a kind comment, I really appreciate it!👍
Truly a beautiful work of art. I think whatever you're passionate about is the way to go. There's no point in doing the same exact thing, or just the opposite. Your perspective sounds perfect to me too. At the end of the day everything is based on something else. You just choose how much you add or change to find your way of doing it personal.
Thanks for taking the time to leave such a kind comment. I completely agree with following your passion and doing it in your own way!👍
I love variations on the tele theme. My first guitar build (should it ever get finished) is exactly that. Your builds, and the current series with Todd have been so informative that I feel more confident that I have enough information to help me produce a unique and beautiful instrument.
Thanks once again Tim! I’d love to see some pics of your build when it’s done 👍
Thanks. I’ll drop you an email when I’m done 👍🏻
Really like your approach to making a fine instrument - in my humble opinion you're keeping what makes the Tele a classic and tweeking the design more towards comfort and aesthetics than efficiency for manufacturing - keep being creative! - Cheers from Canada
Thanks once again Dan and cheers from Italy!
A gorgeous axe my man! Nothing like traditional with your own special touch. Beautiful
Thanks for the kind comment my friend, I really appreciate it!👍
Beautiful guitar Gio, the finish is stunning, as usual. I truly believe taking the basics that you love, and being creative to tweak, change, swap, whatever, is what truly makes guitar building so inspiring. To think you can take a classic, and then make some changes to customize is perfectly acceptable. It's why I bought the Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH. A Tele with LP/SG like features. I love your designs and creativity on your guitars, and loving Todd's current build of the Ultimate Tele. And especially looking forward to the LP builds from you both!
Thanks my friend, I couldn’t agree more, and I’m really looking forward to getting the next vid with Todd out too, we’re having a great time on these!👍
That's another beautiful guitar. And my answer to your question is a resounding YES! Of course, we should mess with the classics and try to make them better. Cos, as you pointed out, they were designed to be economical.
Thanks Bart, I agree, I think all innovation has come from someone that took an existing product and tried to do something new or fix issues!👍
That's a beautiful looking guitar Geo!
When you spoke of being able to take all of the time you needed to build it,
I imagined someone looking over the shoulder of Stradivarius and telling him to "hurry up with that violin"! LOL
True craftsmanship requires time and attention to detail!
Beautiful work my friend!!
Thanks once again my friend and I agree that craftsmanship requires time, sometimes there are just no shortcuts! 😀👍
Nice looking guitar, and I agree with the philosophy. Improve the details to eliminate the flaws induced by cost cutting and working to a set price. I do exactly the same with my amp dessigns. It's not the cheapest way to go, but you do get outstanding results!
Exactly! And I’d imagine it’s works exactly the same for amps!👍
I love the double binding. I really like the sharper, Venician type cut away. an F hole that is not is quite nice. Awesome job.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind comment!👍
This guitar is lovely. The rich chocolate colored flamed walnut looks great the white binding really pops and the fret work look great. Much better head stock design that either a tele or strat design in my opinion. A modified timeless classic design that is better than the original.
You’re always very kind my friend, I appreciate the comments!👍
Always a joy to watch your video's Geo. No matter what you do, it is always an improvement in some shape or form. 👍🎸👍🎸👍🎸
You’re always very kind Mike, it is much appreciated!👍
A fantastic reimagining of a telecaster!
Thanks for the kind comment, I really appreciate it!👍
Stunning guitar style and finish as always. Love the look of your fret ends, would love to see how you get the hemispherical ends done in a short vid. Would really like to try that on my next build ,probably at the start of spring.
Thanks for sharing so much expertise. Looking forward to your next adventure. Respect.
Thanks Paul, that’s a good idea for a tutorial, I think I’ll do that, perhaps others will be interested too, who knows?😀👍
Thanks Paul, that’s a good idea for a tutorial, I think I’ll do that, perhaps others will be interested too, who knows?😀👍
I'm a believer in the concept of evolution in design. There are things about Telecasters I dislike. The headstock for me makes the neck look like like a stick with a tumour, it always has - and the headstock design being so stick like always made the Tele itself look shovel-esque to my mind. I do like the simplicity of the build, and there's a certain elegance to that - but I also really like your approach of modernising the body so while its your unique design, its still reminiscent of a Tele - and then continuing the refinements to the neck and the headstock.
A friend at work was interested in a high end Tele, but I've been pointing him and coaxing him your way instead. For the money you charge vs a high end Tele, I know where I would be spending my hard earned cash on a one of a kind instrument.
Thanks Owen, yes poke him with a stick or push him very hard in my direction!😂😂 I agree and for long time I didn’t pick up a Tele because of the way it looked but once I did I loved the sound and I think that’s what originally inspired me to make different versions. Thanks once again and I’m looking forward to see the rosewood build progress!👍
Yes, we definitely should mess with them. Take what you like, change what you don't
As always, fascinating content my friend! If I can provide my $0.012 cents worth...Innovation only comes from recognizing and honoring the past while innovating it for the future. How many LP variations are out there, yet, nobody ever throws shade at ESP, Schecter, or others. They have taken a classic single cut design and revamped it for their brand. If people want a Fender, buy a Fender. If you want a Gibson with their known issues, get a Gibson. If you want an instrument that feels and sounds classic but feels better than the original, buy a custom. To me, it's the difference between a Rolls Royce and a Ford, meaning, quality, or quantity.
Thanks Eric, I always look forward to your thoughts my friend! I agree and I’m biased but I think you always get the quality or quantity decision at some level and I guess people choose the things that are important to them!👍
Great series! Awesome looking guitar!
As you mentioned, originally these guitars were built to a cost.
From what I've read Leo Fender was notoriously cost orientated, therefore we must expect there to be compromises in the design and build, which means there has to be room for improvement, right?
Well that opens a can of worms, who is to say that any compromises in the design and build didn't, inadvertently, produce a better instrument?
As a builder I guess that conundrum is the fun part. Improving one element, may affect another element, one way or another, if however we don't try these things we'll never know.
Anyway, as always a stunning guitar!
Yes I think so too, I think independent guitar building is a game of incremental improvements to the areas which you have the freedom to make them, but as you say understanding what you’re changing is very important. Thanks for the kind comment and support my friend!👍
Really beautiful shape and the detail is amazing! Nice work Geo!
Thanks once again Pete, I really enjoyed this one!👍
Really like all your guitars! Your wood choices and finish skills are fantastic!
Thank you Bill, I appreciate it!👍
Well said, Gio and your attention to detail is exquisite. Love your version of the "Tele."
The Tele as always been my favorite guitar as well. I think it looks great just the way it is. And it is a bomber instrument. Don't get me wrong though there are a lot of beautiful well playing guitars out there. My thing as a custom builder at first was to never copy another guitar. I'd say "fender is doing a great job building tele's or Strat's. Gibson's doing a great job at LPs and SGs". So I'll build my own things. Well try selling a one off guitar that nobody recognizes the shape or the brand. My first copy was an LP that was a commission. The one right here left of the comment. I think the guitars you are building are absolutely beautiful! And the "inspired by" idea is brilliant.
Thanks Dane, and yes you’re right, trying to sell a one off that nobody can pick off a shop wall and play is difficult. I also started selling by getting requests for Teles and then figured if I can take the unknown element away by retaining the sound then I’m more likely to sell them and it’s working. The designs seem to be going down well so I’m hopeful this is a way to generate interest. Thanks for the continued support my friend!👍
What a killer guitar my friend and a great video! This may be your best yet?✌️&💙
Thank you my friend, that means a lot coming from you! 👍
Terrific final result Gio
Thanks Graham, I appreciate it buddy!👍
Yes, is the answer! And you do it perfectly. I think you and I are very much aligned in many ways when it comes to guitars. The aesthetic is just as important to all those little things you do (and the hardware you add) to transform its feel and you balance the aesthetic beautifully. It’s very interesting the legacy of Leo Fender. Very few things are designed so well right off the bat that it’s almost impossible to improve upon that basic recipe. In fact, the only other example I can think of (and bear with me here) is Thomas Crapper inventor of the ballcock, u bend and improved upon Gilpins siphonic flush. Materials, manufacturing processes and fashions change my change, but it’s still fundamentally the same.
… I bet out of all the responses you thought you might get, toilets didn’t feature that highly 😂
😂😂This is why I look forward to your comments! 😂😂 and I agree, it was a great design right off the bat, that’s why I love to use that recipe. Thanks my friend, it means a lot coming from a GGBO podium member! 😉
@@fatpotanga I dont think any of us did brother! 🤣
@@borgonianevolution 😂
@@TornelliGuitars my pleasure 😂 I have massive case of imposter syndrome.
Can you ''mess" with a classic design? Of course you can, especially if it's to make it better!, Both you and Todd are taking Telecasters to a much higher standard as they are out of Fender, even if the principle remains as you said "a low bridge, two single coils, a flat neck, etc."
I love your (and Todd's) guitars, they look and I'm sure they play fantastic. I wish I had the same level of craftmanship you both have. I build guitars, but do not sell them... I just play them! 🙂
Thank you my friend, I appreciate the support and compliment! It’s great that you build for yourself too, that’s what I intended initially but I can’t afford a collection of 100 guitars and can’t stop building!😂
Woooow Gio, Man I've never seen a telecaster as elegant as yours. This craft manship is really stunning! Even the headstock is more elegant as the original. Can't wait to hear it sound. Beautiful, love it!
Thanks Jan, that’s very kind of you to say, I’m definitely going to build another one of these designs, maybe for myself! 😂
well said...keep "messin'"
Thanks for the support!😀👍
Another beautiful guitar Gio, on "messing" with a classic isn't the strat just a messed with Tele? And i maybe wrong but Gibson Les Paul's look a lot like a messed with Tele 🤷, so to me it's perfectly fine to be as creative and mess with as much as anyone wants to, who knows when a new classic we be born 👍
I agree completely! Thanks once again my friend 👍
This is like the beautiful sister of the humble tele, another amazing build Gio! I remember twenty odd years ago when i made the black guard in my profile pic, i gave it a belly carve and forearm contour, the guys on TDPRI said its nice, but its not a tele anymore is it? 😂😂
Thanks once again Mick! Yes I can imagine that kind of comment coming up pretty quick!😂
I really think every classic style guitar needs to be looked at at this point. There are so many great changes from tools, to finishes, to hardware and electronics since the early days. These can only get better. Provided these experiments are done by competent builds like you and Todd who rationalize and think through ideas then master implementation. Not by knuckleheads like me or others who are like.. "Hold my sammach I'm gonna try this" for the hype or views or just shear stupidity. 🤣
You have absolutely made a guitar "Upgrade" worthy of the original and possibly should be the new bar to which true builders should aspire.
Hi Bill! I really appreciate your thoughts my friend and I agree, I believe we can sympathetically upgrade so many classic designs and make them into something fresh with incremental improvements along the way. I think you undervalue your abilities however because I think passion and dedication will always produce something better than just tooling capability!😀👍
Just discovered your channel with the semi-hollow telecaster videos, and your guitars are not only beautiful to look at but also sound gorgeous. If you have any tips on replicating that style please share! I'm looking to build a unique piece for myself. I've got good experience wood working but have never attempted a guitar before. Thanks!
Well if you’re an experienced woodworker then you have a good head start, I made furniture before getting into luthiery. For me to make a design feel classic there are a few things, rounding the rear end, not using too much of a thin waist and making the lines from the top flow into the lower horn are important as well as making the proportions look in balance. I always use those rules whether I’m designing a single cut, double or offset shape!😀👍
Not sure I'm the best person to comment on sticking to tradition... 😂
But if you can build on traditional designs to make something better, then that can only be a good thing my friend 😀
Thanks buddy, I’m definitely not at your level of innovation that’s for sure!😂 looking forward to seeing your latest build progress my friend 👍
I think that we should mess with the classic designs, especially small builders. The old adagio "fuck around and find out" is very true and messing around, changing details is the way. I mean, it doesn't need to be extreme, but do thing like tou mention like focus on the materials, tweaking the shape and working on the frets in way that big name cannot do - beacuse it's unprofitable- it's the way to go. You are giving your personal spin in way that other cannot do. Also, an industries standard means that the instrument is good of everyone but prefect for none, and I think that the work of small luthiers is the opposite: tailor the guitar or bass around one player.
That’s a great way to say it Lars, tailor the guitar to the player, I totally agree. We definitely have some advantages over the big companies!👍
Beautiful guitar !!
❤️ it
Once again thank you my friend!👍
I'd love one. Probably out of my income range.
You may be surprised, they’re not cheap but I do try to make all these guitars at a non eye-watering price. I’m not in this to get rich and I originally started selling my builds because I love making them but I cant have a collection of 100 guitars in my house!😂
I love a Tele sound, but I hate the ergonomics (of all single-cut guitars, really, but especially the Tele). If I want to play one that's comfortable for me then it's going to have to be of my own design with features that Tele-worshippers are bound to find deeply offensive--that's not a reason to do it, mind you, it's just a perk. :D
Yes that’s one of the biggest advantages to being a builder I think, making all those changes that make something right for you 👍
At the end of the day just because something is a "classic" doesn't mean it's the best it can be. With regard to the original Tele, Fender made dozens of decisions purely for cost reasons. There are always things that could be improved if 1 has the skill, and desire to do so. And you most certainly have those in abundance.
Thanks my friend, that’s very kind! And I agree, making improvements where we can is part of the fun of being a builder!👍
Should most people mess with a classic design? Nope. Should you? Absolutely!
😂 great comment, thank you my friend!👍
I guess its like those blokes who do resto-mods on old cars. Take a run down old muscle car, give it a custom paint job, injest steroids into tge motor and put modern, quality running gear and electronics in it. At the end of the day, you've got the timeless classic design that performs much better than the original. There's always the tossers who jump up and down and whine about how it should have been made original, but they're always going to be around to complain...and make idiots of themselves...
The same with guitars, I reckon, if you have the ability to improve on an old classic, then why not!!
Thanks and yes, that’s exactly how I think of it too, take an original recipe you love and then make it special and unique. Thanks for the kind comment and support my friend!👍
The builder has a right to change anything he wants. I have the right to not like it.
Next question, please.
Absolutely mess with the design. Your not labeling the guitar as an original Fender, it’s a „Tornelli“.
If it sounds and feels like a Telecaster, then, for me at least, it is a Telecaster.
Thanks Mike, I agree completely!😀👍
Mess with it all you want! Why slavishly copy someone else's design? The world has enough Teles, Strats and Paul's, done by the original manufacturers, let alone all the boring clones! What you've done isn't that at all, and that's a good thing!
Thanks for the kind comment and support, I really appreciate it!👍
Yes please, keep messing with the classics! There's nothing wrong with people making carbon copies, but really nothing to be gained by that, either!
Well said my friend!👍