This Nashville Telecaster inspired guitar body is made from a Mahogany side table (probably English Mahogany), pieces of scavenged wood from various places, a slice of Exmoor Spruce and a bit of Oak from a 1940s dining table, all assembled, constructed and shaped by hand in a rat infested shed in North Devon.
Unloaded body weight = 2kg (weight without neck, pickups, bridge etc.)
This Barnwood Nashville style body is routed to take a standard neck pickup, single coil middle pickup and standard Telecaster bridge pickup. A handmade body that has dents and scratches in places – finished in beeswax, giving it a warm colour.
Body made from salvaged timber
Body routed to take a standard Tele neck and bridge pickup and a middle single coil pickup
Three way switch
Neck Pickup – Vintage warm tone
Middle single coil pickup. This gives an extra tone boost and acts as a second bridge pickup, cleaner and clearer
Tortoiseshell scratchplate
Black Telecaster bridge pickup – vintage tone
22-fret maple neck (reclaimed from a new guitar) New 10mm Machine Heads Nut Width: 1.656 In. (42 mm) Scale Length: 25.5″
Reused and reshaped, these discarded bits of timber gems have been given a new life. This timber has been upcycled, repurposed and recycled.
This 1970s inspired body was made in the UK in March 2023 from salvaged timber and a piece of 1950s parquet flooring.
The design of the body is based on Japanese Tulip Guitars from the 1960s / 70s which were marketed by Kay Guitars. This full size body is routed in a HSH configuration and is designed to take a modified Stratocaster scratchplate, see photos to view modification. Originally this guitar was fitted with a bridge and clam shell string retainer taken from a Jedson 1970s guitar.
This body has a slightly road worn / relic look to it, with a few dents and bumps. This is a fantastic base for a DIY, 1970s type project.
The scratchplate, jack plug and pickups are included in the sale.
If you are looking for a unique and eco-friendly electric guitar, you might want to check out our Rat Bait Guitars, we are a UK-based company that makes hand built guitars from recycled materials.
This 1970s inspired body is fully loaded and was made in the UK from parts of a damaged Stratocaster, a barn door (even a couple of nails still left in) and salvaged roofing timber. This body has a slightly road worn look to it, with a few dents or bumps. Finished with a transparent oil finish. This is a fantastic base for a DIY, 1970s relic type project and comes complete with a Rat Bait neck plate.
This body takes a standard Stratocaster Scratchplate. There is a scratchplate fitted free with this item, fully functional but, depending on your preference, you might want to fit a HSS on instead.
The guitars we sell are made using a combination of new and reclaimed parts. Our guitars are never perfect, but they are great value – each guitar is a custom-built instrument. The guitar salvaged parts we sell are all tested to make sure they are fit for purpose.
We have a selection of new and used guitar bodies in stock, prices starting from £25.00 upwards. We have Telecaster and Stratocaster type bodies, some already painted and some in raw wood.
Occasionally we have 1960s / 1970s Japanese bodies in store, for example: a 1960s Teisco ET-200 Tulip Guitar Body.
The bodies we make are made from recycled wood gathered from various sources – old furniture, fence posts, salvaged timber from roof constructions, flooring etc. All constructed and shaped in our rat-infested shed in North Devon.
Reused and reshaped, these discarded bits of timber gems have been given a new life. The timber we use is upcycled, repurposed and recycled. Each guitar we make is custom built, each one is unique and one of a kind.
We use parts from the 1970s right up to the 2020s, mixed together to give the experience of ‘heritage’, our aim is to produce guitars that are very playable and sound better than the average homogenised guitars that are out there.
They won’t be shiny and shimmering – they will look rugged, with a few battle scars but they will compliment any serious guitar collection.
When you think of a guitar’s history you immediately think of who has owned it. A guitar has its own history, when and where was it made, who made it, what wood is it made of and what modifications has it gone through.
The guitar body illustrated here is an example of the history of materials? The wood used in this one is a collection of salvaged wood, parts are from a fence post, an offcut from a new roof, a piece of a shed and the most interesting bit is the carved centre section which comes from a handbuilt guitar. This original guitar section is in fact a salvaged part of a guitar that had been attacked by woodworm…
The body blank has been treated with woodworm solution and cut out into a retro 1960s / 70s shape which based on a Teisco / Kay guitar body, shapewise it is a little out of the ordinary and has old-world charm.
The bridge humbucker is from a 1980s guitar and manufactured by Sam Sung, these are great little pickups. The neck single pole pickup is a generic ceramic one from the early 2000s. The rough layout of the body shows a standard Telecaster control panel.
The finished guitar will look similar to the one below, fitted with a retro chrome clam shell tailpiece and bridge. This guitar’s history has now been added to and will continue to give service for several years to come, it has also been saved, preventing useful materials from ending up in landfills or incinerators.
Salvaged guitars are an eco-friendly option for musicians who want to play music while reducing their environmental impact. They are also unique, affordable, and often have a distinctive sound and character.
The guitars we sell are made using a combination of new and reclaimed parts. Our guitars are never
perfect, but they are great value – each guitar is a custom-built instrument. The guitar salvaged parts we sell are all tested to make sure they are fit for purpose.
We have a selection of new and used guitar bodies in stock, prices starting from £25.00 upwards. We
have Telecaster and Stratocaster type bodies, some already painted and some in raw wood.
Occasionally we have 1960s / 1970s Japanese bodies in store, for example: a 1960s Teisco ET-200 Tulip Guitar Body.
The bodies we make are made from recycled wood gathered from various sources – old furniture, fence
posts, salvaged timber from roof constructions, flooring etc. All constructed and shaped in our rat-infested shed in North Devon.
Reused and reshaped, these discarded bits of timber gems have been given a new life. The timber we
use is upcycled, repurposed and recycled. Each guitar we make is custom built, each one is unique and one of a kind.
We use parts from the 1970s right up to the 2020s, mixed together to give
the experience of ‘heritage’, our aim is to produce guitars that are very playable and sound better than the average homogenised guitars that are out there.
They won’t be shiny and shimmering – they will look rugged, with a few battle scars but they will compliment any serious guitar collection.
This guitar body is made from salvaged timber, pieces of wood that were scavenged from a dilapidated greenhouse, some beech from a table and a piece from an old defunct chest of draws, all assembled, constructed and shaped in our rat infested shed in North Devon.
This guitar has a five way switch and is wired up like a Stratocaster. The neck is from a new guitar and the scratch plate and control panel are reclaimed from older guitars. Fixing crews on scratchplate and control plate are from a 1970s guitar – natural road worn, rusty and very cool.
Reused and reshaped, these discarded bits of timber gems have been given a new life. This means that the timber we use is now upcycled, repurposed and recycled.
Body made from salvaged timber Approx. Thickness: 40.5mm (not light weight)
Five way switch
Chrome Neck Pickup High Quality Vintage Tone
Middle single coil pickup
Salvaged black scratchplate
Black Telecaster bridge pickup Vintage Tone
22-fret rosewood type and maple neck New 10mm Machine Heads Nut Width: 1.656 In. (42 mm) Scale Length: 25.5″
New waterproof gig bag
Fender’s Nashville Tele is a varriation on their timeless model the Telecaster.
The Fender Nashville Telecaster was upgraded in 1998 with a three-pickup configuration similar to the Stratocaster layout. The neck and bridge pickups were replaced with the hotter Delta Tone pickup system and the new middle pickup was the same “Texas Special” overwound single-coil pickup used in the Stevie Ray Vaughan model Stratocaste
Please remember – Non-UK clients must contact us before purchasing products. Shipping must be added for international shoppers. If you are from a non-UK country your order will not be dispatched unless you contact us before purchase. All UK shipping is free of charge.
Why not visit our online store and build yourself your own guitar?
‘Rat Bait Guitars is a company based in Devon, UK, that makes hand-built guitars, they also sell guitar parts, both new and used, that are tested for quality and functionality. They have an online shop where you can browse their products and order them via PayPal. They offer free UK shipping and international shipping on request.’
Rat Bait Guitars are different from other guitars in several ways. They are made from recycled materials, discarded, broken, damaged guitars, wood gathered from various sources, such as old furniture, fence posts, roof constructions, flooring, and more. These discarded bits of timber and defunct guitars are reused and reshaped into guitars that have a unique character and history. The materials are upcycled, repurposed, and recycled, reducing waste and saving resources.
Rat Bait Guitars are custom built, which means that each guitar is one of a kind and not repeatable.
