See my avatar.
My g/f built it, I wanted something that "might" have been made, but I never saw one.
B16 was installed by a guy who is a master...it never goes out of tune, never gives me a bit of trouble...and that's in 3 years of constant jamming/gigging.

The B16 looks great on your Tele, I'd love one just like it. It must be quite difficult to install correctly as there's little scope for intonation adjustment once its' on the guitar.

It's a beauty LOUD. Some larger pics will be appreciated!

The B16 looks great on your Tele, I'd love one just like it. It must be quite difficult to install correctly as there's little scope for intonation adjustment once its' on the guitar.

I had the same worries, that's why I chopped the B16 and made my own mini version of B16. The tele bridge will be the Rutters half ashtray with strings-thru on the back...

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll92/IPLAYLOUDGUITARS/HoneyPro.jpg

Yes, you need a guy who REALLY knows them well to install it.
One problem is that not all new bodies you find fit them! Over ther years, as replacement body specs "wavered", they would work. This is a USACG body and it was too long! Tony actually cut the unit and lengthened it (he also a Biker and knows Aluminum) a touch...they have to line-up exact to the route so the bridge will be in the right spot. He also does NOT like the fact it needs a shim, so he planed the base down a smidge. A lot of work, but neccessary here. The bridge is still higher than a regular Tele, and throws many guys off when they play it. You then have to worry about the break angle...it's a fine line keeping enough pressure on the bridge so the strings don't slide around on it.
Because of the Aluminum Bridge, it doesn't have a true Tele sound. It's much thinner, more like a Ric. It's an amazing guitar for Rhythm because of this...Tom Petty would use this one all night for sure! It riiiiiinnnnngs. The capacitor in the front position gives it a nice muffled but cutting sound. I use it alot.

Stock Bridge height:

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll92/IPLAYLOUDGUITARS/DSC00362.jpg

B16 Bridge height:

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll92/IPLAYLOUDGUITARS/DSC00363.jpg

This is with a planed down Base. The strings are still rising from the body towards the bridge, where they are about parallel on the regular plate.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll92/IPLAYLOUDGUITARS/HoneyPro.jpg

that is a thing of beauty!

Excellent! Thanks LOUD!

the biggest problem with the B16 besides the bridge saddle compensated for a wound G, is the neck angle. You have to use a pretty good sized neck shim to make it work. In the 50's/60's the B16 kit actually included a large metal neck shim.

here's a pic of my B16 guitar

http://www.atomicguitars.com/leathertele1.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll92/IPLAYLOUDGUITARS/HoneyPro.jpg

that's sexy!!

Wow JohnnyAtomic, thatone looks damn good. Doesent that big Leather Pickguard stop the wood from resonate?
I had a leather Pickguard on my LSL T-Bone, but i removed it, because it made the guitar sounding more dull. But anyway it looks great.

Matt

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll92/IPLAYLOUDGUITARS/HoneyPro.jpg


Best Esquire i saw!!!!! Like the B16 on it.

Matt

Which one of us has the bridge on backwards?

I put it the way i did because in the 50's and 60's all G strings were wound, and that would make sense the way the bridge is compensated the way i have it installed.

Tony recontoured the bridge for an unwound G.
He added aluminum and filed it back to where it needed to be.

Tony recontoured the bridge for an unwound G.
He added aluminum and filed it back to where it needed to be.

who did this? Tony who?

that's badass

the biggest problem with the B16 besides the bridge saddle compensated for a wound G, is the neck angle. You have to use a pretty good sized neck shim to make it work. In the 50's/60's the B16 kit actually included a large metal neck shim.

here's a pic of my B16 guitar

http://www.atomicguitars.com/leathertele1.jpg

THAT IS FREAKIN UNREAL!!!! I love the Merl Travis arm - who did the leather work??

It's a beauty LOUD. Some larger pics will be appreciated!



I had the same worries, that's why I chopped the B16 and made my own mini version of B16. The tele bridge will be the Rutters half ashtray with strings-thru on the back...

That looks brilliant - like a mini b6! - wouldn't mind that on one of my tele's!

who did this? Tony who?

that's badass

I'll betcha it's someone named Tony that owns a heli- arc welder. :)

Glad to see you posted this thread after my initial ask on your newbie thread IPL. This Esquire of yours is certainly one of the best I've ever seen. I first fell in love with the idea of a Tele with a Bigsby watching the guitarist in Stone Temple Pilots on the Vaseline music video back in the early 90s. I couldn't bear installing one on my 52 reissue, and eventually sold that to install some french doors for the wife! That led me through ten years of gas before I found my Gretsch in 2008. Now you've got me gassing for a custom Tele with B16! "She who must be obeyed" will not be well-pleased.:D
I'm curious about the sound of the "Neck" position you have wired off the single pickup, though. What chance some sound samples at some point?:)
You'll notice how much love for teles there is on this forum.

The capacitor in the front position gives it a nice muffled but cutting sound. I use it alot.

What cap did you use? Is that a Duncan Esquire wiring?

"Tony" works along with my g/f on builds. He has worked on guitars for 30+ years and is Biker...so yes, he knows how to make things AND make them work right. If he needs a part, he just MAKES it. Growing up, he rode his Bicycle to Jimmy D'Aquisto's shop and watched and learned...still uses his some of Jim's benches and old tools.

Cap? I don't know. It's the Eldred Wiring plan. Tony and his partner at the shop wired it up using Mike's schematic.

"Sound Samples"?? I don't have any that I know of. I'll look on YT, there might be something. It's a clean sound for sure. The front position is cool...like rolling your wah pedal back just a touch...it gets "throaty", but powerful.

[QUOTE=IPLAYLOUD;296804Cap? I don't know. It's the Eldred Wiring plan. Tony and his partner at the shop wired it up using Mike's schematic.[/QUOTE]

Tkanks LOUD, I found an old thread about the 'cocked wah' on tdpri, Mike Eldred wrote a few lines there too...

THAT IS FREAKIN UNREAL!!!! I love the Merl Travis arm - who did the leather work??

thanks, i did the leatherwork, i put thumbscrews from a 80's ovation floyd rose clone in the travis arm to allow me to move it out of the way to fit in a case. Body is pine from Brian Poe. I built this several years ago, and have never heard it without the leather, it was built this way from the beginning.

Johnny

Tkanks LOUD, I found an old thread about the 'cocked wah' on tdpri, Mike Eldred wrote a few lines there too...

in one of my homebrew tele/esquires i wired it using a tiny radioshack transformer hooked up as an inductor to make one position of the switch a mid range control, worked great.

in one of my homebrew tele/esquires i wired it using a tiny radioshack transformer hooked up as an inductor to make one position of the switch a mid range control, worked great.

Johnny, will you be so kind and show us the wiring?

I'm curious as well, the Eldrid wiring mod doesn't use an inductor no?

Johnny, will you be so kind and show us the wiring?

i think this is the part i used

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103994

I don't have that guitar anymore so i can't take a pic.