I usually throw the crap away is what I say when someone asks me what I do with all of the gold-colored hardware I pull off of guitars. I hate gold hardware on a guitar. It is about as appealing to me as a car with gold colored trim. If this is your thing – I do not fault you – God knows – to each his own.

About six months ago I decided to do something a little different. As I pulled it off of guitars, I started keeping all of it in a box and when I had enough, I was going to order a gold-colored body and install everything. Thus, creating an abomination of tackiness.

Finding a gold colored tele body proved more difficult and costly than I had originally anticipated. I did not want to spend very much.

The first body I ordered never showed up and the company I purchased from sort of went out of business and reopened as another company. I finally got my refund for my purchase but no body. I finally ordered a body from Germany from Hermann’s Guitars. It was at the top end of my budget @ $165 – but once I start something good luck with getting me to stop.

A few weeks later the body arrived, and I started to assemble the guitar. I was sick as a dog and took things really slow. I even took a few naps during the process.

I the whole time had a song playing in my head. The O’Jays – For the Love of Money. You know the song – with a deep funky bass line with the chorus repeatedly singing Money, Money, Money…M-o-n-e-y in the background.

I liked to do theme builds. This one for me is just fun and silly. Everything was gold plated (fake). Including the:

Neck Pickup cover
Bridge plate
Saddles and screws
Anodized pickguard and screws
Neck plate and screws
Output jack, cup, and nut
Strap pegs and screws
Tuners and string tree
Even the String ferrules

I was impressed and pleased with my thoroughness of tackiness.

What is funny is the more I finished the guitar I kind of found myself liking it. It is I guess one of those things where if you do it and do so much of it that it crosses a threshold of being a shitty look to being kind of kitschy ass the definition says – appreciated in an ironic way.

I installed the electronics and pickups off of a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster and the neck off of one as well.

The last thing I have to say about this lovable abomination is I am totally amazed how well the damn pickups sound on this guitar. You would know it that something made by me to be scorned – has a nice voice.