A Strat, then a Thinline Tele

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[@boydbc]

I will never be sick of polishing, polishing, polishing.

[@random-guitar]

@@boydbc , I know, right?

[@joelonsdale]

That's because you're not the one doing it!

[@UmVtCg]

Sometimes the power is in repetition. Unit it stops being funny, then continue the actvity until it gets funny again.

[@kbjerke]

Thank goodness for a Ted video in these days of madness. I can relax for a few minutes now.

[@IrisGalaxis]

What happened?

[@dabanjo]

​@@IrisGalaxisRichard Simmons passed away 😢

[@pamartin]

Silly luthiure...thought he was teaching guitar repair when he winds up a therapist 😅 Yeah, you and me both (and I'm sure many others) came here for information, got some and more, and found a touch stone for a reality check. Sorry for the pressure, Ted, but we have come to look up to you for sensibility. And you just wanted to fix guitars🎸 Heavy weighs the crown... Keep on!

[@goodun2974]

​@@dabanjo, Kinky Friedman also passed ---- he was far more interesting than Richard Simmons but got far less press.

[@kbjerke]

@@goodun2974 Also, Dr. Ruth.

[@tommylitchfield3450]

Please carry on with Polishing, polishing, polishing. We all need the added stability in our lives. We fear change.

[@tetedur377]

It's very zen. Much like wax on;wax off.

[@goodun2974]

It isn't change we fear so much; we fear rust more, because rust never sleeps! Truthfully, we should fear oxygen because oxygen tries so hard to combine with *everything*, usually changing it for the worse!

[@goodun2974]

Filing..... filing.... filing..... 😉

[@dalgguitars]

"I am immediately, and intensely fond of this guitar." Easy to do with a Tele! Rock on.

[@goodun2974]

Tab Benoit's main guitar, pretty much his only guitar, is a battered Tele Thinline. That guitar got its relicing the old-fashioned way: by earning it! Tab is a high-energy player and gets a great tone from it.

[@stevenkarnisky411]

"Polishing, polishing, polishing" is a mantra, eliciting the "relaxation response".

[@random-guitar]

@@stevenkarnisky411 , exactly.

[@JxH]

2:40 Thank you for using the word "plethora"; it means a lot to me.

[@themasterofmachines]

Would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?

[@tetedur377]

Yeah, I remember when "cornucopia" was the word of the day. It's just awkward. Like, who put that word in there, anyway?

[@jazzbox1]

I also love hearing Mike Tyson said the word Plethora !

[@JxH]

@@tetedur377 Our host, Ted, is a gentleman and a scholar. His command of the Queen's English is legendary. For him, a word like 'plethora' is merely in the 2nd tier, within very easy reach.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

To paraphrase Benny Hill, Ted's vocabulary is quite -prelavent- -prelyavent- such a lot of it about.

[@markhammer060]

we also like you for not making sponsored content

[@timooehling9258]

100% but I think I want one of those stewmac fret leveling devices

[@DrustIV]

My thinline is the same colour, flat wound strings, neck pickup, straight into amp = heaven.

[@random-guitar]

I’ve just subscribed. I’ve been binge-watching through several videos. This is very quality content. I also very much enjoy the narration of the “hows and whys” that go into the various repairs.

[@pietbliksem]

While you were filing and sanding the nut I kept catching myself trying to blow the dust of the screen.

[@goodun2974]

I've done the same; I've even tried to blow the dust off of the screen when I rewatched one of my own KZbin videos! I don't know if that's better or worse than trying to blow off somebody else's dust......( I posted a video about using "scratch brushes" and abrasive erasers for cleaning contacts and terminals, switches and controls, cleaning circuit boards before soldering, and so on; whenever I see somebody struggle to solder a ground wire to the back of a potentiometer, I want to yell at them "why didn't you polish it with an eraser or scratch brush first?").

[@mightyluv]

Hah! I did it too.

[@grene1955]

Never stop with the Polishing, Polishing, Polishing!

[@random-guitar]

For sure. For Ted, I’m sure it gets monotonous to say. But, for us it is a soothing and relaxing refrain - like a part to a song.

[@208414]

That thin line tele is a real looker.

[@KBorham]

I’ve never seen a comment saying some was bored or sick of anything TW does, ever. It’s your rolling discussion a lot of us come for…. and lively vocabulary

[@rakentrail]

Ted, I've found when the slot is not so tight to hold that pre-made nut that the player just has to have, a tiny dot of clear silicone bottom center will hold the nut in and steady even under those SRV bends but come out easily when it needs to! Just had one in the shop that was slathered in CA glue when it was installed! What fun! LOL! Chiseling, chiseling, chiseling!

[@Simulera]

I have a 2010 American Std Strat in that very finish and an early thinline Tele. This video is weirdly “custom” for my particular guitar situation!

[@fritzb43]

The American Standard Co. supplied the mother-of-toilet seat pick guard.

[@stu-j]

Rip Joel...amazing guitar restoration luthier and will be missed by many!

[@moonboogien8908]

Whew, I was kind of scared at first when you said the strat was worked on by someone else but the client didn't like it.... I had a strat with the same exact year and specs leave my bench a week ago. But, I seriously doubt he could have sent it out to Canada from the states in a week.... or could he?😮 Then I saw the nut and my worries abated. Not my work💀

[@lewisgeyer1440]

Great photography and commentary, your efforts are informative and appreciated. Thank you and sorry for your loss.

[@zaraak323i]

That Tele is a peach! Btw, I do a tiny little repair work on the side, mostly for friends, and I"ve learned a great deal from your videos. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for everything I've learned from you. I really do appreciate it.

[@beenaplumber8379]

Wait till your friends start watching and learn it for themselves 😛

[@zaraak323i]

😁

[@CharleyHolland]

American Standard Fenders: well received. American Standard toilets: receive well.

[@johncorey2080]

never get tired of the polishing hell whats life for if not for a little humor

[@Steve-j7z]

Recently come across your channel and for anyone interested in repairing guitars back to life sympathetically its a godsend. Hopefully you realise thejoy you're bringing to all us frustrated luthier's showingcare and attention can sirt out any problems.

[@jameslandon9194]

You’re quite a classy dude Ted. Thank you for another great video.

[@noahMrkz]

For those looking, 1.3mm hex wrenches are often found in Traxxis RC car tool kits. Can get a set of them with 5-7 different sizes for sub $20 USD

[@dannoall8427]

Great info. A T-4 torx type driver is a close 1.27 mm as well. I find a small set of torx drivers very handy to have around.

[@goodun2974]

​@@dannoall8427, subbing a Torx for a hex (Allen) wrench will only be safe if the screws are easy to turn and not half-frozen or corroded; otherwise you end up with a badly stripped, chewed up screw that's hard to remove. Newbies and mechanically unskilled DIY guitar owners should proceed with caution, or better yet, buy the right tool. In my working career as an audio equipment repair tech, the type of badly stripped-out screw heads I'd encounter most frequently was invariably small hex-head screws.

[@rickmccl71]

@@dannoall8427 Very useful. I like a small multi-bit Torx® screwdriver, many useful sizes and so much easier to use than an Allen wrench.

[@RobMods]

You'll get a 1.25mm in a cheap mini metric set from the big box hardware in my part of the world. That's what I use.

[@mikemph7779]

Recently bought a 2014 American standard telecaster, really love it. I’ll probably still have it when I die.

[@matthewridgeway9250]

I love a maple fretboard on a Fender. And unusually, a Richlite fretboard on a Gibson is nice too. I wonder what a Fender would be like with Richlite? I love Telecasters over a Stratocaster, but maybe I just have not found one I like. I bought the cheapest Ibanez recently, a Strat style guitar, and I really like that one! Another Strat style guitar I have is a 1970 Guyatone LG-23R with an electronic rhythm machine built in. That guitar plays extremely well and sound mmm ok, but the cheesy rhythm machine just adds the right degree of weird to make it awesome. I have played a Squire over the years and really enjoy it. It belong to my niece, I don't think she knows how great that guitar is! Nuts are very hard to shape, and I am glad for this video. Thank you.

[@rippinstock]

I hadn’t realized I missed this one!!! What a treat.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

When Ted says "it's an impressive guitar" ...

[@twintech100]

Wow! That Thin line Tele looks mighty fine!

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

21:40 - The Batman theme played by a drunk person :) That tele is gorgeous!

[@danielmargolis3210]

I bought one of those Fret Kissers about a minute before StewMac lowered all of their prices drastically. Timing is everything.

[@sisyphushappyxvx]

"Looking keen and playing mean" is great. Next merch idea!

[@jamesmoore9596]

If your frets are a-rockin its time to come a-knockin'!

[@wyattsdad8561]

That’s a nice looking Strat. Sounds good too.

[@ironrupik]

That Tele over the Strat 9 days out of the week.

[@yobentley7274]

love the polishing, polishing, polishing...keep it up please.

[@goodun2974]

When he was leveling the nut he should have said "filing.... filing.... filing....."

[@relyt6308]

I have to talk about the extra long clip of you playing the guitar, thank you for your beautiful playing

[@david25876]

Wera makes very nice tools!

[@nicolen.9642]

RIP Joel. 😢 Luthier, be blessed!🕊

[@justinshultz120]

Rest easy, Joel 💙 you will be missed. And as always, thank you Ted for the awesome content 🙏🏼

[@guycalleddave]

Rip Joel

[@Henni63]

That Tele IS pretty!

[@jamesleaver1391]

All the little tips, like sanding the underside of the nut using the radius of the board... this is what I'm here for. Seems so obvious once you see it done. Great work, as always.

[@FrequencySummoner]

I'm a bit surprised that the bottom of the nut slot would be radiused. I guess it's possible with CNC, but why?

[@davidwood351]

I love the finish on that Strat.

[@goodun2974]

The neck looks kind of weird however: the fingerboard lacquer looks kind of rough, like an orange peel, frim certain angles, and the wood seems to have fine longitudinal cracks or splits with dirt in them. I prefer the Tele, although ideally I prefer a rosewood fingerboard.

[@YouTubeHandlesAreMoronic]

It's called Sienna Sunburst, and it looks especially nice with a rosewood board and tortoise guard.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@goodun2974 That's wood grain you're seeing. Dirt DOES get into wood grain--trees live in dirt.

[@sylvaind9086]

Whoa! I want that Tele!🤤

[@paulauksztulewicz4803]

Thank you Sir. Sorry your buddy has left the building way too soon. Sending good thoughts from hot Southern California.

[@JohnJarvis-d8n]

Great job on the strat nut

[@VinylOcelot]

"I don't like the idea of making sponsored content".. You're a real one, Ted. As much as I do like stew mac and other companies products, I'm happy to know we all are able to watch your genuine work unadulterated by sponsored content. .

[@dude36]

Thanks Ted and company for giving me sanity and community.

[@steveorion6185]

The Telecaster is a Sea Foam green ! nice !!!!

[@dannoall8427]

Yeah, Ted just probably just inadvertently sold 50 of them on his approval alone.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@dannoall8427 The American Original series has been discontinued. Try to find one.

[@rakentrail]

An American Standard Strat with a Mother-of- Toilet Seat pickguard!

[@FoulOwl2112]

I like the Seafoam Green too!

[@tigdogsbody]

Sir, sorry for your loss.

[@scott729]

Our supplier calls it "Patina Green"..... I call it vomit, lol. Actually it looks really good with black trim.

[@Prellium]

Seafoam Green Tele, nice.

[@mamutcat]

Excellent video!

[@Obscurity202]

Thank you Mr Ted

[@rhamp97]

Hi Ted, watch your show regularly. Thanks for doing it. I have this very strat. Same color and guards. Great guitar.

[@jamesonpace726]

You are what I'd be if I had known, before my 58th b'day, that guitars could be adjusted after the factory. D'Oh....

[@jeffthevideoguy23]

Ha! I'm watching this from an American Standard "love seat."

[@stealingtomorrowband]

LOL me 2 haha

[@beenaplumber8379]

TMI y'all!😝

[@kbjerke]

That Tele is really sweet.

[@alexcorona]

Sorry for your loss, RIP.

[@James-xf4pc]

You don't want the e string popping oat! 😂

[@michaelinglis567]

As someone who managed inventory and did deliverys for a plumbing supply company i can confirm American Standard is indeed a plumbing parts manufacturer. I never thought id hear someone else make that connection much less a Canadian lol.

[@ted9876]

I sit on one daily. Not the guitar though.

[@WutipongWongsakuldej]

I also sit on one every now and then.

[@sstace69]

I stand over one daily 😂

[@stevenkarnisky411]

Have to say I recognized the name connection immediately. Reminds me of the i pad and its connection to the feminine product!

[@davestahl572]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, Ted. Those are a nice pair of Fenders, especially that thin line tele. From it's sound, I can see why you liked it right off. Not much for green guitars, but that one I would take home.

[@AndrewAHayes]

I got to use one of those early '80s Stratocaster Elite models for a few weeks, I liked it, I thought it was the future but they never advanced on them and stopped selling them after a couple of years. You could get some nice tones out of those electronics, it was basically an EQ pedal on the guitar.

[@beenaplumber8379]

Was that the one with the push-button on/off pickup switches? I remember they did that for a short time in the early 80s. I was a teenager. I thought it was cool.

[@gregoaks4413]

enjoying , enjoying enjoying ! thx Ted !

[@bengordon2330]

Thank you.

[@mrclaus859]

Thanks for posting Ted

[@elamon51]

Thanks for having all of us over Ted. Until next time my friend. 😂

[@YouTubeHandlesAreMoronic]

Looks like Surf Green, to me. Fender's Sea Foam Green is typically darker, with a touch more blue.

[@thehowlingterror]

Ta very much for the video.

[@MarkK01]

I love these repair or reconditioning these Fenders. You do such great work. I am 55 years old and I am a lefty. I also live in Canada where things are crazy expensive. I was hurt in a work accident in 2016 that left me on permanent disability. I want to learn so bad to keep my head healthy as depression kicks in so easy. I am not a feel sorry for my life kind of dude, I am just being realistic. Finding a Lefty Fender or Squire strat in Canada is like pulling teeth. They are expensive and hard to find. Maybe someday my wife will let me tap into my $1500.00 monthly disability cheque. Awesome work you do. If I did play and did live in the USA you would be my go to made.

[@Lensman864]

I've long held a theory that the quality of Ted's playing when he demonstrates a guitar is directly related to his opinion of that guitar. He played the Mint-green Tele very well indeed! 😉

[@grindtoothmedia120]

This probably sounds strange, but I think there are objects that resonate very well with us as individuals. There are a handful of guitars that I've picked up over the years that just seem to sing in my hands and bring out the best in me, and others that are just an instrument, lifeless and bland. Odds are it's just chemicals in our brain, but there is something interesting in thinking it might be a bit more mystical. Another thing that I experienced this with was a skateboard I had when I was a teenager, like 35 years ago. For some reason, I felt like I could land every trick on that deck. A friend borrowed it for a few minutes, misjudged a concrete curb and sent the skateboard into a busy road, where a passing car snapped the tail off. To this very day, I feel the pain of that loss.

[@Lensman864]

​@@grindtoothmedia120 I recently bought replicas of my 1970s Alva decks. QED, yes.

[@darrinswanson]

You're not our stooge, Ted... you don't have to say "polishing, polishing, polishing" if you don't want. It was just a single glimmer of the humor you would sprinkle into your videos that made them shine.

[@SBanas]

You should think about the StewMac deal Ted. Nobody's here gonna call You any names for that, and You really deserve some bonus, for all the hard work You're putting into the guitars and the videos. You're the closest thing to a comfort TV we have 😉

[@TeleCaster66]

Raw Vintage brand Stratocaster springs are great.

[@araphelt]

Polishing, polishing, polishing is like "No soup for you" from Seinfeld or "How you doin?" from Friends. You'd think it was odd if it they didn't say those lines when they get to that scene in the show. Not everyone gets a catch phrase, but I'm sure everyone who has one also feels like it gets old. But there's a reason we still watch re-runs, because we as the audience love it.

[@monday6524]

I do enjoy these videos!

[@HayesTech]

I completely agree about accepting sponsorships or partnerships. I tell any company, wanting me to review a product, to send it to me with the only promise, on my part, will be to make a video on it. That way I can be completely honest about the item I'm reviewing.

[@garethsnaim8174]

This is more interesting than the euro final and I am in the UK. lol.

[@Lensman864]

ANYTHING is more interesting than damned football!

[@myoldmate]

Me too. Watching Ted perform his magic v grown-up children kicking a bag of wind around. No contest.

[@IngelaWeeks]

I was all set to watch the live broadcast of a concert at the Hotel de Ville but was overruled... Wish I had known then that this was up!

[@ian-c.01]

You are an outstanding craftsman Ted, your attention to detail is a real pleasure to see and not a bad guitarist either ! How often do you get to practice or perform these days ?

[@patrickniedermeyer2112]

Shit. I've been missing the Luthalong lately. Joel was a hip dude.

[@tymstewart]

Thanks for your nice videos. I like hearing and seeing you work and talk about guitars. ❤

[@mrwiggles837]

for the pre-slotted nut, could you not have continued sanding the bottom against the fretboard to get the string height lower? I would think that would take less time than deepening the slots and reshaping the top. though I'm probably missing some reason why that wouldn't work.

[@Zagura90]

Hey, thank you for documenting these. Not only are your videos informative, they're interesting. As a guitar player that doesn't get to play as much as I'd like to - I love learning about guitar repair from you. I've used several of your techniques and have repaired several friends guitars/basses. Nothing too crazy. Even when I can't play, I have your videos going on in the background sometimes. Thanks!

[@matthewbartolone7036]

Great Video Ted. Polishing , polishing etc. Is what it is but sanding the nut-slots, simply genius, . Thank You

[@jimhudson556]

I have watched several other repair folks and none are as interesting and educating as yours. Thank you

[@Satchmoeddie]

Sometimes it's a drag when your string slips off the thing, so let's not slip off. - James M. Hendrix.

[@slo5283]

i appreciate the recent closer, close-ups

[@Meddled]

I always find it odd that so many beginner guitars are Strat copies. They need a lot of adjustment to play their best, and it becomes a personal preference over time. The smallest trussrod tweak can make them feel stiff, sloppy, buzzy or make them 'quack' in positions two and four.

[@pamartin]

Even with your tiny bench test amp that Tele sounded reeeeaaalll good. Could almost taste it in all 3 positions!

[@gorgiasxx]

Yeah that's interesting, the strat sounded quite dull. Could probably use some better pickups.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@gorgiasxx It needs a Tweed amp.

[@RobMods]

12:00 I often fit tusq and other pre-slotted nut blanks. The trick is actually work the under side. I use an ibanez nut slot file (9 thou wide, 85mm long) and rest it in the slot at one end and the 2nd fret at the other. Then you can gauge by sight, how much to remove from the bottom. If it is a radius like this, then I use a radius gauge and pencil to mark the nut. (Be aware that the radius of the nut channel doesn't always match the fretboard!) Often you will need to remove more from one side than the other. With practise, you can get the slots down so they are only just too high and then only do minimal slot filing, and no reshaping of the top at all.

[@JxH]

Condolences.

[@drothberg3]

I got my first strat in the 1980s. It had a locking nut that operated on a lever. It also had lace sensor pickups, I believe. The finish was white pearly. Strange guitar, but it did work and sound good enough.

[@mightyluv]

That StewMac fret rocker/leveler tool is ingenious! It’s on my shopping list, I have a few high spots needing attention. Also: I felt a wave of relief when he wiped those pencil marks off of the Strat neck; seeing those there was bugging the hell out of me, I really don’t know why 😑.

[@steveharris1974]

Ahhh, my week is complete.

[@Metro_Gnome]

I have the exact same tele! Mine isn't a fender but it was free from a nice guitar company that shall remain nameless. I LOVE my surf green tele thinline more than any other guitar I have

[@sysop007]

Two recommendations I’ve learned while attempting to set up a new (old) bass. Get all the truss rod adjustments done BEFORE you file the nut. I almost bought another nut. 😂 and when adjusting the truss rod on a fender, small turns. I was overturning the truss rod and chasing the action I wanted. Sucks to have to pull the neck to make adjustments but 🤷🏻‍♂️.. Took a week of trail and error but I got it. 😂

[@lesliefranklin1870]

I believe the color on that one guitar is "seafoam green".