A few days behind schedule but I have now uploaded the pictures of the new batch of alder Stratocaster bodies from Hosco. You can find links to pictures of each body (including weights) here.
A few more Teles will be added tomorrow/Wednesday – I’m photographing them tonight.
That’s right! These were in the missing box from the Hosco shipment and showed up looking all sheepish yesterday. Both Stratocaster and Telecaster are available and you can find links to pictures (including weights) of each body here.
There’s some very nice grain patterns and some sub-4lb bodies as well. Check them out!
and with it a few out of stock lines are now replenished.
Relic tremolos GTC101 hardtail bridges Magnum Lock vintage style machine heads Titanium In-Tune Saddles
Also vintage spec Hosco maple necks arrived – both Strat and Tele.
As per usual TNT split the delivery so I’m still waiting for one box with some rather cool contents – with a little luck I will have an update on that tomorrow…
Well, one new one and a few new products being given the relic treatment.
New in are vintage spec Telecaster control plates. As Hosco stopped offering their plate for some reason I’ve had my supplier make these to Fender spec and 1.6mm thick. Just like the 2mm plates, these are the same length and width and have the same mount hole location as Fender plates. These will fit a bit better with thin vintage spec plates or “proper” bakelite plates.
Speaking of Hosco I have found a method of ageing the push-in jack cups I am happy with. You may have seen a teaser pic on Facebook or Instagram and they are now in the store.
As you can see, less is more is the name of the game with my ageing and that continues with the 50s style 1/4 inch steel saddles. Just taking a little shine off without rusting everything to buggery!
Finally I’ve added aged pickguard screws to the store. As with all ageing appearance will vary from batch to batch but I’m aiming for dulled down and not rusty.
Getting in early for this one!
Monday is another Bank Holiday in the UK so the usual holiday dispatch rules apply - orders received up to 1pm Friday will be dispatched as normal and orders received after that will dispatch Tuesday.
In order to receive your orders by Saturday make sure to order early and select an appropriate shipping service. All domestic neck orders as standard ship by Royal Mail Tracked 24, which while not a guaranteed timed service is in my experience very reliable. I would say unless you absolutely require guaranteed next day delivery there isn’t a benefit to upgrading to Parcelforce 24.
Fingers crossed I should have at least one hardware shipment coming in next week and a Gotoh/Hosco shipment the week after!
As mentioned yesterday I have implemented a new shipping option for international neck orders.
Courier rates for shipping to Europe can vary wildly from one country to another. Royal Mail however has set rates for all of Europe (plus 2 other world zones). The price difference between Royal Mail and courier rates is significant – between £4 and £10, depending on the destination country!
Here’s the rub – in case you don’t know, Royal Mail won’t carry anything longer than 610mm unless packed in a tube. Suitable tubes are expensive unless purchased in vary large quantities and take up a lot of space. However it appears that Royal Mail will accept a triangular box as a tube, which are stored flat packed and of which I have many as I use them for domestic neck shipments! The only downside being that unlike a rectangular box there is very little extra space for anything other than a single neck. I don’t see that being a problem as a lot of neck orders are for the neck and a few small bits of hardware. It may be that is works out cheaper for you to split your order in two and ship the neck Royal Mail tracked and hardware separately regular airmail – it’s certainly worth trying both ways.
I spent a good few hours writing the module and testing it this morning. Hopefully it works as intended and is shown as an option when the order is for a single neck and small hardware (no bridges/trems/bodies or pickguards). I also added it for USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Let me know if you find any issues, and enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Yes, yes it is. Monday is a Bank Holiday in England and Wales (celebrating our pagan origins) so I will not be dispatching orders now until Tuesday. Better have them here than sitting in a Royal Mail warehouse for an extra day (not to mention Royal Mail’s well documented first in, last out policy for mail backlogs).
Apologies for the lack of posts/updates recently – there hasn’t been much to tell. It’s really just been a lot of chasing up suppliers for updates on delayed deliveries, that sort of thing. I’ve been doing a bit of work on the website writing new shipping modules – you may have noticed Royal Mail tracked 24 as an option now. While not a guaranteed service I’d estimate that 99% of the orders I’ve dispatched with this service since I started using it just before Christmas arrive the next day. A benefit is the ability for customers to designate a “safe place” for the postie to leave their package if they are out/it is too big to fit through a letterbox, saving you a trip to the Sorting/Post Office to collect.
I hope I’ll be able to implement a new service for international neck orders over the weekend. I’ve spent a few hours on it today and hope to button it up and test it tonight/tomorrow. Basically it will be Royal Mail Tracked and a few pounds cheaper than UPS/Parcelforce to most locations in Europe (and a lot cheaper to some).
Enjoy the long weekend!
Here is a sneak peak at the next batch of nitro finished relic bodies coming my way, once again finished by SC Relics. Due in 4-5 weeks the plan is for light ageing, however if you want to reserve a body now you can specify a different level of ageing! I haven’t settled on the pricing but for all pre-sales I will keep the price the same as the first batch, £225.
Get in touch here to discuss deposit/level of ageing.
Teles first – Strats will be up later today.
2TS 5lb
3TS 4lb 10oz
Blonde 4lb 13oz
Butterscotch 4lb 11oz
Fiesta Red 4lb 7oz
The early Easter has caught me out a bit this year!
As usual I will be answering emails over the long weekend, but to account for Bank Holiday Post Office/Royal Mail closures, posting/dispatch times for Easter period are as follows:
Non courier orders received before noon Thursday 29th March will be dispatched the same day. (This includes necks with standard free shipping option) If you want your parts before Good Friday I would suggest placing orders by noon today Tuesday 27th for same day dispatch and selecting First Class.
All orders received after noon Thursday 29th March will be dispatched on Tuesday 3rd April when Royal Mail and The Post Office resume business.
I will dispatch courier orders (necks/bodies) up until 9a.m. Wednesday with UPS but please note they may not arrive before Good Friday (Orders should be received by 6pm the previous evening to be assured of dispatch Wednesday. I will still attempt to get orders received after 6pm ready but cannot guarantee I will be able to pack them in time for collection Wednesday)
Parcelforce will not be collecting or delivering from Good Friday until Tuesday 3rd. For Parcelforce delivery before Good Friday orders must be placed before noon Tuesday 27th if selecting 48hr service or noon Wednesday 28th if selecting 24hr service.
Order early to avoid disappointment!
