Building my own electro acoustic Telecaster Style Prototype
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.พ. 2020
- This is a short commented slideshow that shows the main steps of biulding my own elektro acoustic hybrid guitar inspired by the Acoustasonic Telecaster by Fender. Instead of using sound shaping electronics, I just installed the real thing: 2 magnetic Telecaster pickups and an acoustic pickup system with a bridge piezo combined with a transducer. Combined with a Brian May switching, I now have 26 different sound combinations.
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This is the finest piece of art I've had the fortune of seeing. Tone demo is exquisite as well.
Wow thank you so much!
Such a pleasure to watch. Have started my own version based on and inspired by this. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Thanks for sharing.
Recently I built two acoustasonic stratocasters. I call the second one mk 2 just because of how much you learn building the first one. These are a joy to play. Bracing has always been the big question for me and I think I got it right the second time around. Seeing luthiers like you on the internet inspired me to start building my own guitars. Thank you for the inspiration and I’ll have to use some of your tricks on the third time around
Ruhe, I've got to say congratulations! I've fallen in love with the beauty of this guitar prototype. The soundhole positioning idea, the original telecaster pickups configuration preserving, the guitar coloring design, everything made it looks dazzlingly beautiful! Again, congratulations!
Thanks for posting Michael, I think the guitar’s great.
Looks way better than fender's. Congrats!
This is way better than the fender by far! I have played at guitar center and it sounded dull and weak.. what you have here is a masterpiece!! I have made a few guitars already. This will be my next build for myself!! Just amazing!!
Great video and nice work!
Thank you for the very informative video , I always love Tele take care 👍♥️
Great job! thanks for sharing
Woooo...a classical guitarist luthier who is a master of guitar building.and makes a telecoustic.awesome💓
BEAUTIFUL
The alternative soundhole positioning has got me thinking of an archtop Tele.
WHAT.
Good job! It looks very nice 👌
I. am seeing some awesome interpretations of Fenders new Dual sport offering and so far the clones are pretty slick.
This is a great improvement to the fender one.
Really liked what you did with this guitar build. I would probably do something around the sound hole with a little decoration, but that’s just me personally. Really great job. Well done 👍
Hi, yes thats true, one could do some fine woodwork and inlays around the hole, but this was a prototype and I was only out for the best sound design and not the optical appearance.
Ive seen a few videos of Telecoustic builds, and this is the first one that has braced the top. Also, a Bass VI version of this concept would be super interesting
I come from classic guitar making, so concert guitars were my starting point. I can't even think of a non-braced top ;-) With braces, I can have a top that's approx. 2,8 mm thick and it resonates very nice. What do you mean with a Bass VI version? (I am german so I may not get all english shortenings ;-) )
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Look into the Fender Bass VI. It is a 30 inch scale (im not sure what that is in metric), 6 string bass that is tuned and played like a normal guitar, but one octave lower.
Or a baritone version.
Nice work.
Nice job her Doctor and very good explanations, thank you, kind regards.
Very nice guitar! Congrats!
very nice build !
This is cool!
Very, very nice.
I see you did it the "old school" method!.. Very good! I am planning one soon..
Bravo, Michael! Your sound palette is much more interesting than the fender version of this concept! The fact that you added bracing to the sound board puts you dear to my heart as I see you as a man who clearly sees into the future! Tell me, please if you had any trouble with feed back resonance while playing at higher volumes as Fender has an internal baffle or cone around their sound hole which they say prevents this but really doesn't! How stable is the neck connection, as you cut the internal cavity very close to the body neck connection! Would a slight taper from the neck to the body internally perhaps give you a higher level of sustain!? Please keep up the excellent work and do give us more!
Thank you so much! Regarding feed back I had not problems yet, but I only played it in high volume in my workshop. I had some small issues with the acoustic PUs, but thats the reason, why I choose a wiring with the option to invert phases. So as soon as there was feed back coming up (only from the acoustic PUs in my testing) I just changes phase and off it was. BUT I have not tested it yet on a stage with 1000nds of watt power ;-)
And reagrding stability of the construction, I have emptied the body but left the back with approx. 7 mm thickness and the side is approx. 10 mm thick. All in all this makes a very stable construction and no hassle with neck stability - my classical ones have 2,4 mm sides and back ;-)
Sustain is good and (ask Michael) the playability is incredibly smooth and the guitar is according to him very responsive and dynamic.
Excellent.... if this is not a building secret (which I would understand...) How thick is the spruce table??
Amazing !!!
This is great! I’ve listened to the sound clips and it sounds great too! Thanks for sharing and I feel inspired to give it a go myself... I’m sure it won’t come out anywhere near as good as yours...
Never say so, just give it a try! No fears, no restrictions! Its just wood ;-)
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Absolutely!
Would love to see you try another shape
amazing!!!!
If you encapsulated the pickups it should perform better than the original since your sound hole isn't directly under the strings. Whatever you do to keep the body sound waves from interrupting the string waves will increase sustain and annotation. Great job. Nice axe.
Awesome!!
I can't wait for the sound demos, this looks very promising...
I am already recording....!
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Have you got around recording them? I'm eagerly waiting since then :) If you're not planning on sharing, just let me know, so I give up waiting and get back to my business, and not check my youtube notifications like crazy :)
@@RobertRoth A friend of mine is currently taking videos with my guitar. In the meantime, check this site www.ruhe-gitarren.de/e-gitarren/ for some sound samples! So you don't have to be THAT desperate ;-)
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Danke schön, und alles gute :) Ich will eine ähnliche Gitarre bauen versuchen, Ihre Ergebnisse sind vielversprechend!
@@RobertRoth Here is the electric demo: th-cam.com/video/xWSVDfGxYnk/w-d-xo.html
Good guitar ..succes
I would buy one of these!
Feel free! I sell them ;-)
@@MichaelRuhe1706 where do you sell them, I checked your website but didn't see any listings. I am curious to see how your price compares to the $2000 USD that Fender is asking for their version (and I think yours is better). www.ruhe-gitarren.de/
Hi, Michael.
Thanks for sharing with us your awesome build!
What kind of piezo and transducer was used? Can you post a link?
Una hermosa guitarra , saludos desde Montevideo , Uruguay.
tolle Arbeit!
Du! Ein bisschen mehr Ruhe, bitte!
Hello Michael, thanks for your truly inspiring building. Did you use any preamplifier or buffer to match impedance of piezo to magnetic pickups? Thanks!
Really amazing. How thick is the top? 1/4inch thick?
How did you mix the piezo and magnetic pick up to solve for impedance difference?
I enjoy this kind of craftsmanship! Would be nice if you were my guitar construction teacher. :-)
I plan to create an online course for guitar making! The concept is already on its way....
hi michael! nice work modifying the tele kit. something similar will be my next build. how thick did the top end up being after you planed it?
I did not measure as I follow my feeling and how it sounds when I tap it, but it was around 3mm which is rather thick for my way of building, but it sounds nice.
Thanks for sharing this Michael. Inspiring! I am working on an electro acoustic with a spruce top using a 69' Telecaster template with 2 f-holes and completely routing out the inside. Do you think a traditional "ash-tray" shaped bridge constructed out of rosewood or ebony but with metal saddles is worth the attempt , or would it compromise the soundboard vibration? My other question was about the Brian May wiring. I can follow a diagram, but would appreciate if you're willing to share more about what pots and switches you used and where you sourced them. Thanks again!
Hi, hmmm its hard to say, how the bridge construction would affect the vibration without exact details. My thoughts on F holes on such a small (meaning not really wide) guitar are, that I would not build them, as they would force me to have a real thick and strong top to avoid the entire bridge breaking in the top because of the string pressure. And that would kill the ability to nicely resonance and would lead to a "sound like a watering can" guitar.
A thin top without F holes and the soundhole where I put it does this job the best.... Keep in mind, that you additionally to the F holes will have to cut out parts for the pickups...
Regarding the wiring, I have answered it all in another comment. As its not so many, may I ask you to browse for this?
Kind regards from Munich!
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Thanks for taking the time to respond! (I found the wiring comments.) I might try an f-hole experiment on some B grade spruce, be creative with the bracing and see what happens.
Hello. How did you ground it, can you explain it a little bit more please? And can you give pictures of what kind of switches do you use. I did everything, and got now big noise, when I turn on any of switches. Can't find why is that so.
Nice job !
I have a few questions.
How to get string earth ？（sorry I don't know what say in English)
Use stereo plug ？
How thick is the top board?
Hi! I use a copper foil that I glued unde the bridge where the ballends of the stings are. This foil is grounded. And no, no stereo plug, I would do this with an effect pedal if needed and the top thickness is my business secret ;-) - and even if I told you, I never make them in th same thickness as wood always is different. I have that feeling in my hands, when a top is ready and I can not "give" you this feeling.
Have you a vdo in which you played this guitar?
That looks (and sounds) great . How did you balance the outputs of the magnetics with the transducer? Are all of them going into a built-in preamp?
I have the same question.
I also want to know
Hi! Good question, because it caused me a lot of thinking before I built it. As this is a prototype and a test, I just wired everything straigt to the switches and tone and vol potis and checked the result. And I had to change nothing, it just works like this! I used three switches (on on on) and wired them according to this diagram here www.guitar-letter.de/Knowledge/Schaltungen/DieSchaltungderRedSpecial.htm - but with the two piezos in parallel instead fo the third magnetic PU.
With this wiring, I have more than 26 options. In the next one that I build just now, I will use only two switches and add the acoustic PUs by a blend poti. So one has a finer set up for using the acoustic PUs because they really push in ;-) I also tested the piezos on another guitar with a preamp and the result was not good - it turned out to be to much of a signal.
My concerns - and maybe the reason for your questions - was that the piezos would be to weak, but the opposite is true: compared to the single coils, they are slightly to strong ;-)
Did that answer your question? Feel free to ask more if you want! Cheers!
Michael Ruhe Thanks, yes that helps. I didn’t notice that you had 2 piezos, I thought you had just an under saddle strip? Where is the second?
I assume having two in parallel is boosting signal to match the magnetic pickups better.
This is very helpful as I’ve been contemplating a similar build for myself. Like yourself, the electronics has taken a lot of thought for me.
Hi! One piezo is a normal one under the bridge bone and the other one is a disc-size piezo that is glued under the top about 3 cm behind the upper (bass-side) end of the bridge. Both are wired in parallel. I tried about 10 positions for the top-piezo and it was amazing how different the positions sound (good and very bad ;-) )
Love it 👍👍 what gauge of
strings did you use?
I use Earnie Balls Slinky .10
Hello Michael how did you wire up the piezo
Lovely build and very inspiring! Thank you for your effort and for putting this online to share! I am researching to build a acoustasonic myself and this was the most helpful! Question, as you said about the soundhole location, I am also interested in adding a neck pickup in addition to the bridge, in a bit more detail why wouldnt the soundhole be possible in the middle under the strings? Danke!
Ah yes I see, totally agree
Nice job,im a carpinter,i affraid to mess up,how does it sound?whats the value of it,hmmm love to know,thx
Hi! Very nice guitar....Congratulations! Can you upload a video where we can hear the sound of some pickup combinations, please? (Included raw acoustic sound!) Regards!
I found it!!! Only the raw acoustic sound is missing!
Anyway ...it sounds gorgeous!
th-cam.com/video/xWSVDfGxYnk/w-d-xo.html
Hi Michael, i have watched this build and the sound samples several times, i am in the slow process of building something similar (very slow i might add), but in the mean time i am building an oil can guitar using the same pickup and switch diagram but i would like to have an independent volume for Piezo pickup but how do i wire this up. My intentions is to use 2x st type pickups 1 Piezo + disc 2volume, 1tone 3 x on/on/on switches with the wiring as described in the simple RS wiring diagram if it is possible, if so how do you wire the 2nd volume just for the piezo pickup. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Great build by the way.
Hi! Wiring a volume poti instead of a switch is very easy: The ground goes to the ground - always. The hot wire from the pu goes to the middle pin of the volume and continues from the left pin to the hot output wire. Doing so, the signal gets either directly from the middle pin (which is the slider in the poti) to the output (left) pin or when you turn it to lower volumes, it passes a bit of the resistance and gets muted more and more until it finally is null.
You just need to take care, that you chose the right output pin - when you discover, that you would have to turn the volume to the wrong direction, just take the opposite output pin.
You will find masses of diagrams on the web that explain this.
Good luck with your build!
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Thank you for your prompt reply and the information was informative but I still want to incorporate the piezo pickups with the existing 3 on, on, on pickup switches with the added volume just for the piezo if that is possible. I will take another look on the internet and see if can find some sort of wiring diagram. One again thank you.
How does it sound totally unplugged? Also, what are your thoughts on stringing using a tailpiece? I mean somewhat like an arch top trapeze tailpiece
Hi! I think that using a tailpiece is a good option but only for a specific sound - gipsy and jazz I would call it. If you use a tailpiece, the string tension is taken up by the body and only the string pressure on the bridge stimulates the top. If you fix the strings on the bridge (no matter if pins or holes), tension and pressure both stimulate the top leading to a much higher impact and different sound.
I forgott to record its unplugged sound, but will do wo with the next one!
@@MichaelRuhe1706 thanks. do you think it would have a less bright sound? that is what I was envisioning to experiment with, for more of a jazz feel. like a homemade hollow on the cheap :)
@@andreabee2306 Usually, tailpieces lead to less projection of the sound and a more "shy" sound. Everything is there, basses, middle treble but not with the power and strength of the other system. What you can do is to start with a tailpiece and a movable bridge - don't paint the top, try it on the raw guitar first, the tailpiece can be fixed at the end pin. If you do not like the result, you can still remove the tailpiece and glue a normal bridge on the right position and try this. If you like it, paint the top, if you don't remove the bridge and go back to the tailpiece. Its utmost important, that you use original hide glue (Titebond e.g.) for the bridge joint, because you can just warm it up to approx. 70° C for short time and then easily remove it. I glue everything on all tops only with hide, because it allows later repairs and provides the best sounding joints.
What would happen if you were to leave a block underneath the bridge when you were routing? As in, the piece left actually supports the bridge instead of the bracing?
Try it. Emulate it in simulator software and listen to the resonance that is slightly different, before you buy your wood. Some designers put a lot of thought in the resonance quality. And this man is not a beginner. So, good luck trying your strange idea. I can advise you to search more video's on resonance properties of guitars. What I've learned, is that each detail counts. What strings you choose, and everything that touches the strings, you can hear it. And how the body is build, you can hear it. So your strange idea can be heard. If you like the effect, depends on what you want to hear. The experts can predict what you are spoiling, when you fix the bridge that way. This body is hollow for a reason. If you want a semi-hollow body, you will get a different guitar. Please build one, play it, and post a video, I'm curious how your guitar will be.
And don't blame me. It was your idea.
Hi, if you leave or put a block under the bridge and glue the top on it, it stops the top from resonating and this is what may not happen. The bracings are used throughout acoustical instruments, so all picked instruments such as violins, cellos, basses, guitars, mandolines and so on, they all have braces under their tops - for hundreeds of years already. To use braces is a great way to design the sound of an instrument, its volume, its attack, its sustain, ... so I won't miss braces.
How does the switch for the piezo pickups work? Is it just and off? I understand other two switches reverse phase but I didn’t think that applied to acoustic pickups.
Its the same as for the magnetic PUs, so it has on / off / on with phase reverse as positions. Thus one can add all signals or put them in parallel.
@@MichaelRuhe1706 ok so it switches between series and parallel. How significant is the sound difference between the two settings?
What type of strings have you used?
Ernie Balls green
this is brilliant, best tone ive heard from different types of hybrids like this. I didnt see the piezo or transducer going in, did i miss it? Is there a preamp for the acoustic system?
@michael ruhe and is it wired as stereo output? Everyone tells me they cant wire it all together as one without a preamp. I desperately wanna make one of these with a kit build here in australia. Awesome!
He said in the video, there's a transducer. Ask him details.
I suggest you check his website for an emailaddress. Chances are, he might read your questions after weeks.
Hi! I used the wiring system of Brian May's Red Special and instead of the third magnetic pu, I used a bridge piezo and a "glued to the top" piezo and wired them in parallel - as one - to the switching of the other two magnetic pu's. BM has two switches for each pu, one is on/off and the other is a phase switch. But as today there are switches that can do all in one, I used them. And no preamp as I do not like the sound changes that most preamps cause. I did not know before I tried, but the piezos are as loud as the magnetic ones and if you have alle of them on its almost to much - so you have to go down on the tone and volumne knob a bit. But it works just great!
I made a Tele from old white pine that is incredibly resonate. Almost as loud as an acoustic when it's unplugged. It's all pine, neck and body which I think increases the resonance. I still have some of the board (it was a 12 foot long 2×18 barn joist) that I may do something like yours. Maybe a bass?
Hi Dooley, sure go for it! Would be interesting to see and hear! Drop me a note if you start, I will watch!
Is that ok for the electric guitar sound, without ground on strings?
I think will come out noise without ground wiring on guitar strings for electric pickups.
There is ground on the strings by a copper foil that is glued inside below the bridge, where the ball ends of the strings are ;-)
So no noise
@@MichaelRuhe1706 thank you verymuch for the answer, i will build one guitar like what you have builded. And sorry for my english.
Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙏 for the inspiration 👍
Greathings from Bali
Backstage Music Bali
Auto subscribe yr chanel
So you used a piezio under saddle and a stick on transducer under the top? Very nice job!
Jep thats exactly what I did. I wired the two piezos in parallel so that their signals are added to each other, so I reached an almost to high gain output. I prefer to use the tone poti to take away some of that high output. I was surprised as I had no hassle at all to level the thre PUs and no need for a internal preamp and so on.... just simple, just as i like it.
Can you pls more specify what hardware you used and how you wired it? Maybe a link to a wiring diagram. I inted similar but skip the bridge pick up and maybe go for a slightly thicker body for better accoustic characteristics
Unbelievable what you can do with a 50€ kit and a few good ideas. What kind of electrical components did you use?
Hi Peer, I tried these ones: www.thomann.de/de/fender_yosemite_tele_pickupset.htm
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Thanx & Dankeschön! LGP
Are you going to make anymore and will any be available for purchase?
Jep thats my plan! I can more or less convert or build any electric guitar shape to such a hybrid / electro-acoustic, as long as the shape allows a soundhole and a big enough "surface" for a nice spruce top. So good models are telecasters, stratocaster and any similar ones with bolt on necks. I plan to offer them around 1500,- to 1800,- EUR.
Thank you for this Michael I am in the process of building one and I really like the sound hole positioning I hope you don't mind if I copy that idea? I'm looking forward to hearing this! 😀
No prob, just go on and let me know the result!
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Thank you I will
Would like to see dimensions of placement of the pick up and bridge. Great build, would lie to try one myself.
Hi the bridge is a standard acoustic bridge, nothing special and the PUs are exactly placed where they are on a normal Telecaster.
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Thanks. I will try to look up a dimensional drawing for a Telecaster
I see you used a dimensional drawing. Is there a website I can locate these types of drawings or plans?
@@evertw4736here you´ll find what you are looking for: www.electricherald.com/fender-telecaster-templates/
Michael, thanks for the inspiration. It is good to see when someone with a professional background realizes such a project. Due to the status of a prototype, the execution remains understandable even for a neewbie like me. Thanks for that. I've been thinking about an acoustic Telecaster for a while, the combination of pick-ups really overwhelmed me. It's cool that the transducer and piezo simply work together and get by without any preamplifier. You are talking about a standard acoustic bridge. What kind of model is that? where do you get this? Thank you again for sharing this project with us.
Hi Mario, you can get those bridges all over. In Europe its Dictum that provide the best quality www.dictum.com/de/gitarrenstege-jpj or Madinter www.madinter.com/en/accessories/bridge-tailpiece-tremolo/puentes/comprarpor/acoustic_guitar.html and in the US I am sure you get them at Steward www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/all-hardware-and-parts-by-instrument/acoustic-guitar-parts/?facet=%7chardware%3abrdgsaddle
But most fun is to cut them yourself, its not difficult but you need a router for the bone nut and a bridge pin hole reamer and those 2 cost several hundreds...
@@MichaelRuhe1706 Hi Michael, thanx for your fast reply. As I´m also from Germany I´ll go for Dictum.
What does it weigh ??
That’s a lot nicer than the Fender thing. More Godin.
michael. what was the diameter of the soundhole?
Hi Rick, ist 62 mm in diameter
Where do I purchase this type of guitar??
You can order one at my Workshop www.ruhe-gitarren.de/en/contact and I will build it for you individually. Price is 1600 EUR plus 100 EUR for a case plus delivery.
Hi,what piezo preamp you use on this project? Thanks
Hi! None, I just added the saddle piezo plus the transducer (that is glued under the top) by parallel wiring and put them on the selection switch. No active components, just pure sound ;-)
@@MichaelRuhe1706 nice option, thanks
@@MichaelRuhe1706 it is no good sound with only the piezo pickup under saddle? Thanks
@@MichaelRuhe1706 thanks for the answer. You use 1 transducer under the top ore 3 of them? Wich position you install them undef the top? Best regards
Hi, I did not like the sound of only one piezo under the saddle and I wanted to have the option to use the top for percussion, tapping. The transducer also adds more resl woody sound and thats why I used one. It is glued behind the upper / bass end of the bridge but I tried about 15 positions and they all were interesting. So my tip is to use a non permanent glue like fixogum because then you can try more positions.
Where can I get me one of these?
On my website, go to contact and drop me a note! www.ruhe-gitarren.de Would be a pleasure to build you one!!!
I had an Acoustasonic Jazzmaster and all I could wish was for it to have a neck pickup. Sounds like a glorified banjo when strummed, but for leads worked well
I think you can call sticks for framing "ribs" like the bones around your lungs...
You are only being reasonable here all the way, but I'm thinking you had something but blew it, a little.
That sound-hole is more than a styling cue or chamber, and you have to admit, for any acoustic instrument,
balance is essential, and if you are feeding back you need even resonance. It really looks good, why I looked.
Hi John, I am not sure if I got your comment right and so I hope, my answer makes sense to you: Speaking about balance you are absolutely right! My idea of balance was optically, to put the soundhole in the upper bout as a counterweight to the cut-out on the other side. And technically, the top is separated by one main beam (do you say so in english?) that is placed vertically (in a 90 degrees angle to the strings) just a litte below the neck PU. "Behind" this beam, where the bridge sits, the entire top can resonate and is braced so that all frequencies develop. And on the "other" side of this beam, there is the soundhole, the neck connection with the neck PU and the cut-out. So this entire area is "knocked out" from producing the sound by my bracing system - as simple as it may seem, there are a lot of thoughts behind.
@@MichaelRuhe1706 this is a brilliant process. Thank you , we'll thought out to compensate for the possible balanced sound disparity
Was würde sowas kosten, wenn ich es kaufen wollte?
Hallo! Je nach Ausstattung zwischen 1600 und 1800 EUR - ohne Koffer (ca. 100,- extra). Gerne weitere Infos über www.ruhe-gitarren.de/kontakt
Thickness of top??
around 2,6 mm behind the bridge to 2,8 mm on the edges
How much?
This particular prototype is for sale @1200 EUR incl. Case.
@@MichaelRuhe1706 do you deliver world wide?
@@levijhonseravein4053 Yes sure! Just a matter of time and delivery costs. Those expenditures go on top, but I take can arrange this.
It's a bit like adding a couple pickups to an acoustic guitar, only this takes way longer and probably doesn't resonate nearly as much acoustically.
Yes and no, it was not my intention to make it sound like an acoustic, because if you want an acoustic sound, just take a dreadnought or a grand auditorium and have fun! I wanted something new and special, something to discover and explore and this is what I achieved.
@@MichaelRuhe1706 You do know that Fender makes these...?
wouldnt adding electric pickups to an acoustic guitar in this way feedback like crazy?
@@timhallas4275 except this sounds way better
Hey I subbed I did the same thing I was kind of copying the acoustasonic Stratocaster but I made mine with skateboards and I routed out the skateboard it's on my channel if you want to check that was good content thanks for sharing it man good video
Your. Interpunction. Sucks. It. Must. Be. The. Skateboard. Thing. Good. Wine. You. Need. More. Good. Wine. You. Still. Reply.
Man, you ask for it.
Осталось её услышать только
А где звук ?
Zaten akustik gövde yapmışsın, piezzo ya ne gerek var? Boş kablo ve kötü ses . Biz bir iki kablo daha nasıl eksiltiriz diye düşünüyoruz kullandığımız gitarlara .