Snakehead Tele, refinished

paulnb57 · December 2022

Long, cold, dark days demand a project and chatting to someone a few days ago who told me he had a Snakehead Tele that he put together from a kit, didn't get to see it, but it sowed the seed of an idea.
Kits no longer seem to be available and parts are a bit scarce, so the Googling began

A body made from a recycled Meranti door turned up on EBay, I made an offer and scored it, it a little rough around the edges, but nothing a bit of sanding wont fix, however the neck pocket is the right size and the pickup rout is in the right place to get the bridge in the correct position..there are a few pin holes on the lower front which Ill fill, but they will be hidden by the scratchplate..

Body arrived today, so I attached a few strips of masking tape and marked out the position of the bridge plate

and aged plate installed

paulnb57 · December 2022

Neck is currently an Allparts Tele jobby, however Bill @Corvus is making me a Snakehead neck.
I going to give it slightly modern twist, so there will be a Lil59 humbucker pickup Volume Tone and Eldred wiring on a mini switch, between the pots.
Im also going to design my own take on the scratchplate and control plate…

paulnb57 · December 2022

A hour faffing this morning and the control plate is mocked up, might have to use mini pots as room is really restricted…it could probably do with being a quarter inch shorter at each end too..

paulnb57 · December 2022

This evening while the 2nd Mrs B was watching Arse Gravy on the tellybox, I did a bit more to this joker, 3rd time lucky on the control plate, Ive moved the pots as far apart as I can and if the dimensions of the actual switch that in the mail are correct, it will just fit, it’s tighter that an tight thing from Tight Town, but I think it will work….

Nail holes left over from when the body was someones front door have also been plugged

A bit more sanding and its close to getting a guide coat of primer, to see how bad my sanding is!….

In case anyone out there is actually looking at this drivel heres a photo.

Control plate is screwed down with aged screws (yes I have lost one for the bridge) so I need to age some more….

PeteC · December 2022

Like it ! Proper workhorse in the making. Looking forward to the test of the updates - and especially the Corvus neck.

Corvus · December 2022

An update on Paul's snakey neck here, it's looking neck-ish, the frets are just freshly in but ends not done. That's next, then thinning the head and doing the transition curve. Then carving the neck itself.
Obviously more 'inspired by' than any sort of direct copy, with rosewood board and small shell dots, 12" radius etc.

The rosewood (Reid Timber) is nicely coloured already and straight-grained, the maple is nicely straight-grained too.

With other work plus the start of a *&~:{>ing cold, that's probably it for Xmas - might get more done but can't be sure -

Image: https://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/snakehead-1.jpg

Image: https://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/snakehead-2.jpg

paulnb57 · December 2022

Corvus said:

An update on Paul's snakey neck here, it's looking neck-ish, the frets are just freshly in but ends not done. That's next, then thinning the head and doing the transition curve. Then carving the neck itself.
Obviously more 'inspired by' than any sort of direct copy, with rosewood board and small shell dots, 12" radius etc.

The rosewood (Reid Timber) is nicely coloured already and straight-grained, the maple is nicely straight-grained too.

With other work plus the start of a *&~:{>ing cold, that's probably it for Xmas - might get more done but can't be sure -

Looks great Bill

TTony · December 2022

I’d never come across “Snakehead” Teles before, so now I am more knowledgeable than I was yesterday!

You certainly get these things churned out …. How many this year??

paulnb57 · December 2022

TTony said:

I’d never come across “Snakehead” Teles before, so now I am more knowledgeable than I was yesterday!

You certainly get these things churned out …. How many this year??

There was only ever one “proper” Snakehead, that Leo hawked around musicians etc trying to sell his idea of a mass produceable guitar, as far as I can gather the second had the more familiar Tele headstock.

Fender Custom Shop produced a few and of course others have made their own interpretations…

I really cant remember how many Ive done this year, in the background Ive modded several to different pickup combinations etc
Corvus Tele to Eldered wired Esquire
StraTele build including changing the neck pickup so it now has two Tele neck pickup's at neck and middle
Strat Player Plus to H/S
Challenge entry, that has stalled waiting for the body
Swapped out a few pickups here and there

Its an addiction, sometimes I even play them!

TTony · December 2022

paulnb57 said:

Its an addiction, sometimes I even play them!

I find that I’m *either* playing *or* building. All spare time disappears on one or the other. Never enough time for both.

paulnb57 · December 2022

Body primed at sundown yesterday, sanded flat today, if its dry tomorrow it might just get a top coat.
Tuners have arrived so they might get a bit of ageing

paulnb57 · December 2022

Lots of progress,

My mini on/on/on switch posted on Dec 9 arrived Xmas Eve and a delivery from 6 String Supplies, gave me pots and caps, so I was able to finally assemble and solder up the control plate, what a fiddle that was with such limited space, good news is, it worked first time! Eldred wired Lil59….

Body in primer was final sanded and I quite liked the look of it, so I gave the whole body a coat of Tru Oil, to give just a bit of sheen, It achieved the look Im going for..

It would have been rude not to bolt it all together, so I did! Neck is a spare Allparts Tele thats gathering dust and will do until the Snakehead is ready.

The mini switch is a bit of a pain as the controls are so close together its easy to catch it when using a pot, so as luck would have it the pots are the same spacing as a Strat, so I think I will get one of those Gilmour switch brackets from Northwest guitars and have just the tip of the switch protruding through the control plate…

Not sure about the scratchplate

Anyroadup, photos

Teyeplayer · December 2022

Looking good that, a cool project.

photek · December 2022

That looks great

paulnb57 · December 2022

Thanks @Teyeplayer and @photek
Ive ordered a switch plate and had a measure, my pots are currently too far apart (10mm) so Ill have to make another control plate and turn the pots 180 degrees so the solder tabs face each end, It might work, its bloody tight, bit gutted as I made a pretty good job of the first attempt….

Edit
Wont work, the bracket offsets the switch from the pots centreline. no room at the Inn, bugger!

CountryDave · December 2022

Looks fantastic.

axisus · December 2022

Good work, but I couldn't be doing with that control panel, either looks or functionality. Each to their own as they say!

paulnb57 · December 2022

axisus said:

Good work, but I couldn't be doing with that control panel, either looks or functionality. Each to their own as they say!

I know, but its how the prototype was, its ok in use, but as we all know it changed for production Teles

paulnb57 · December 2022

Huge thanks to @Paul_C who donated an Ashtray cover to the cause….

Ill need to age it….

Paul_C · December 2022

Nice.

Corvus · January 2023

^^ looks great with the ashtray on.

The neck's now done and packed for post now. We're going for original style with no bushes; 1/4" tuners are a nice push-fit and we can always counterbore it later if ever needed -

Image: https://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/snakehead-front.jpg

Image: https://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/snakehead-back.jpg

paulnb57 · January 2023

Corvus said:

^^ looks great with the ashtray on.

The neck's now done and packed for post now. We're going for original style with no bushes; 1/4" tuners are a nice push-fit and we can always counterbore it later if ever needed -

Fabulous! Thanks Bill

paulnb57 · January 2023

Neck arrived yesterday tea time, so later it got assembled
Nice packaging from Bill @Corvus no bubble wrap, wrapped in Jute and in a thick cardboard tube, very nice! And MrsB is going to sew something from it!….
Neck quality is superb, everything I hoped for, nice fat but no too fat profile, sublime fretwork, if I wanted a custom build thats where I would go.

Fitted the tuners and then marked and drilled the neck to body screw holes, stung it up and the nut is pretty much perfect, gave it a rough set up, no buzzes no fretwork needed, fabulous. Its being left to stand for a day or two to settle, then it will be set up proper.

TheMarlin · January 2023

I had a Snakehead build a while back. Stupidly sold it. Was an absolutely fabulous guitar!

photek · January 2023

Brilliant! Pop a demo up once it’s all settled in

lovestrat74 · January 2023

Looks great Paul! I know where to go for a quality bespoke neck now

Teyeplayer · January 2023

I only have to look at the curve of that neck to know it’s perfect. Looks a very comfortable handful. Great work both @paulnb57 and Bill @Corvus.

Corvus · January 2023

Excellent, looks good that Paul, and glad it went in there without fuss

And cheers @Teyeplayer

TTony · January 2023

That’s all looking good to me.

If space is too tight for the mini toggle, could you use a couple of push/push or push/pull pots instead?

Or, could you use a couple of rocker switches, maybe on the top edge of the bridge plate?

paulnb57 · January 2023

TTony said:

That’s all looking good to me.

If space is too tight for the mini toggle, could you use a couple of push/push or push/pull pots instead?

Or, could you use a couple of rocker switches, maybe on the top edge of the bridge plate?

Some good ideas Tony, I think Im going to sack the Eldred wiring (I have another Tele with it) and replace the tone with a pull pot to coil tap and remake the control plate

The more I look at it the more I dislike the paint colour, its a bit dull and boring, so I can see it all coming apart again for some colour….

andy_k · January 2023

A relicced Bone white, with a bakelite pickguard would do that some justice.
Also, a split coil with some sort of exaggerated tone cap works well, I did it to one of my Jeff Beck style Esquires. ( actually I did a single vol pot, with a pull to activate wah tone, on a full size humbucker, but you have the coil split option on your vol knob )
I like it.

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Snakehead Tele, refinished

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