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This project details the construction of a custom Telecaster Bass Guitar featuring a solid ash body, a comfortable 32-inch medium scale neck, and active electronics with stacked tone controls. The goal is to create a unique instrument that blends classic aesthetics with modern playability and sound.
The foundation of any great instrument is the wood. For this telecaster bass guitar, a beautiful piece of ash was selected for the body. Ash is known for its resonant qualities, providing a balanced tone with good sustain, making it a superb choice for a bass guitar. As you can see, the grain is quite attractive, promising a visually stunning finish.
When comparing this build to a standard Telecaster guitar body, the most noticeable difference is the extended tongue designed to accommodate the longer bass neck. Furthermore, the internal routing is completely different to house the bass guitar electronics and pickups. Unlike a Stratocaster body, the routing of a Telecaster body is less forgiving, offering limited options for repurposing existing cavities. Therefore, for this telecaster bass guitar project, building the body from scratch is the most practical approach. While the front of the body will maintain the iconic Telecaster slab look, a modern contour will be added to the back to enhance player comfort.
Here you can see the initial layout of the control and pickup cavities. At this stage, no wood has been routed yet. Interestingly, the pickup placement closely mirrors that of a Rickenbacker bass. This strategic positioning suggests that the finished telecaster bass guitar should produce a tone with strong Rickenbacker-esque characteristics. However, the inclusion of a humbucker pickup in the bridge position is intended to add some extra depth and potentially a bit of “mud” to the lower frequencies, offering a contrast to the brighter lipstick neck pickup. The humbucker is salvaged from a Jaguar guitar, while the neck pickup is a chrome lipstick style, specifically chosen to retain a visual connection to the classic Telecaster aesthetic.
Originally, a standard Telecaster bass bridge was sourced for this project. However, it turned out to be too wide for the custom neck that was built. As a solution, an affordable Bronco bridge was substituted. This bridge also simplifies the construction process by eliminating the need for string-through body drilling.
It’s worth noting that when the planning and parts collection for this telecaster bass guitar began, a similar instrument didn’t exist in the market. Since then, Squier has released a 32-inch scale Telecaster bass that shares striking similarities. The challenge now is to ensure that this custom build surpasses the Squier model in terms of quality, sound, and overall craftsmanship.
Stay tuned for part 2, where we will delve deeper into the neck construction, electronics installation, and finishing stages of this exciting telecaster bass guitar project.
