"The Bastard" – the little tele that could (maybe!)

The first time I saw the Fender Custom Shop "La Cabronita Especial" I fell in love. With it's looks, with it's sound, all of it.

But for $5000....hrm....nope!

So I found Marc Rutter (Rutters Guitars) on tdpri.com selling custom sugar pine bodies. I had him make me up one based on the blank I chose with routing for Filtertrons, tele style, rear control rout, chopped bridge mount, forearm contour and a belly relief (like a strat). It's gorgeous and only cost $90!

Plus he threw in the rear plate and the "la cab" style pickguard!

After telling him about how much I love his full cold rolled steel bridges, but wished he had a three barrel chopped one...HE MADE ME ONE!

So this along with all the other parts, the total cost is falling between $750-900:
2002 Fender '69 thinline neck, birdseye maple

Fender S-1 Style volume knob switching between two different tone circuits
one Gibson style 3 way chrome switch
two gretsch filtertron pickups
an electrosocket jack cup
a bunch of wiring, caps, etc.
some schaller strap lock buttons

I hope to have this:

or this:

I'm partial to daphne blue. 

So that's it! I'm just waiting on having three days to paint before the weather turns too cold. I started this in March 2010, had parts by June 2010, had to wait until the summer heat and humidity ended to paint, then got busy at home....now it's a race to get it done before winter hits....or it will be spring. :(

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