"F"-style Bigsby on my American Deluxe Tele

I am thinking of putting a bigsby on my american deluxe tele. However, I wasn't' sure the bigsby bridge plate would cover the mounting holes from my current bridge. But I have been doing some photoshoping, and it looks like this would actually work. Great!

My 2007/2010 Fender American Deluxe Telecaster

Mission (almost) completed.

Finally, my Fender American Deluxe Partscaster is finished. But there is one thing missing, my Lindy Fralin Blues Special pickups. I have been waiting for two weeks now, and they still haven't arrived. So I put in my Dimarzio Twang Kings for a while. And they sound good! I love the neck, the body and everything tonally.

For those who does not know, I bought the whole guitar in parts from ebay and a local guitar store. Everything is genuine fender except the pickguard, control plate and the pickups. This Am dlx is a little different, with a Am dlx Ash neck (2009) to an Am Dlx body. The Ash neck is a little thicker. They say it's based on '52 U shape, but I would say it's more of a C shape (not modern C), which suits me perfect. I also went for a 4 way switch instead of the original S-1 switch. I can get all the sounds I want with the 4 way switch anyway.

I will upload some more images soon.

I have found a neck!

Finally, after weeks of reseach and looking, I have finally found a neck. An American Deluxe Ash Telecaster neck. Maple, with black perloid inlays, compound radius (9.5" - 14") and medium jumbo frets. And the difference between an ordinary deluxe neck is that this Ash version has an U shape instead of a modern C. And apparently this U shape isn't near as thick as the old '52 neck, that it is based on. Which suits me very well. I think the modern C necks are way too thin, and the Baja / 50s necks too thick. I am very excited to see this beauty. Hopefully arriving next week.

I also bought a pair of Fender / Schaller locking tuners just like the original specs.

Now, I just have to wait for all my parts to arrive. Then I just have to put them all together and fire it up!

The hunt for the killer neck

I still haven't found a neck for my am. deluxe body. I missed out a few on ebay, so I am still looking for the perfect one. Here is what I look for:

Radius: I prefer 9.5". I don't like that you need to have higher action with 7.25". And larger than 9.5" feels funny.

Frets: I prefer medium jumbo. Taller feels slippery, and I don't like that the notes can go sharp if you push too hard.

Maple or rosewood: Rosewood for the looks. And I am also looking for a less bright sound.

Neck shape: Preferably a soft "v". But they are not easy to find, with the specs above. I also like the 60s "c" shape, because they are a bit thicker than modern "c".

American Deluxe Telecaster update

So I finally recieved the american deluxe body. Right on time. Fist I was a little disappointed about how the wood grain turned out. It has this funny curve under the bridge. But it was there on the images on ebay. I just didn't look very careful. But it's ok. I think you won't notice it so much when I put the bridge on.

Today I received another ebay item from the states, the custom neck plate. Looks good. I have also ordered the original 6 saddle bridge from a guy in California.

The pickguard and control plate I bought here in Stockholm. The pickguard is a WD, and the control plate is Gotoh. The original pickguard is "aged white pearl", but I thought it looked better with a normal white one.

I have also ordered a wiring kit from Allparts, that hopefully will turn up before the weekend. So very soon I will have my deluxe finished except for one thing, the neck. I just can't decide which one I want. I like how the chunkier ones fills my hand, but the thinner feels a little faster...