Please NOTE: I am holding out for a hard-core Tele player to sell this F1 to. This guitar demands it. I had 7 different people offering to by this guitar in the first 6 weeks after its completion. I turned them all down because they were not true Tele players or were not good players to start with. Just a reminder, this is not your neighborhood guitar boutique here. They only want your money and don't care who the fuck you are. While I want your knowledge, talent and dedication. You have to give me back what I put into creating these guitars. If you know any serious Tele players, send them my way, this F1 is ready to ship.

 

Alex, Just noticed on ebay that I could get a Fender custom shop 52 Tele relic for the exact same price I paid for the Z2T. Hahahaha, what a joke.
Obviously, no comparison - if anybody complains about the price of a Zach tell 'em to go get one of these........... Artificially aged and all...... Looks like the bridge pup and hardware is pre-corroded. How's that for a cool touch?? I guess they popped them into a salt spray tank or humidity chamber for a few days/hours - we used to use those at work to predict the effects of weather on auto parts. Hey, can you make me a 02 Zach reissue with wear marks on the fretboard and dings + belt buckle rash on the body to make it look broken in?? Hahahaha...................(pictured) This one's only $8.5K       
Mark Miller (owner of 060806 and 300607)

 

This F1 was not in the plans, nor was it ordered by anyone. It was specifically made to try out my new building template that I had designed for the F1. The best way to tell was to build an actually guitar. Everything fits and lines up well. I designed the new template to eliminate the excess bridge saddle screw threads that you see on all Telecasters. Those long protruding threads really bug me but I guess it didn't bug Jeff Beck, unless he was too shy to speak up. If you look at his old guitar pictured above, you will notice that what he was really looking for was an F1.

This latest F1 has several pieces of hardware that I had redesigned at great trouble and expense because what is traditional and what is available bugged the hell out of me. It may not matter to you but it matters to me, and that is what matters. This hardware is found on all Zachary F1s. The bridge plate walls were cut down in order to make unimpeded playing possible. The historically correct solid-brass knobs, which are way too heavy, have been exactly duplicated and made of featherweight aluminum, I love them. The traditional Telecaster control plate, which has always bugged me for its insane knob spacing (what were they thinking?). My new control plate has a much more logical spacing, which gives you more space between the switch and the knob and brings the volume and tone knobs closer together to each other, without that useless and awkward space between them. I have also wired and placed this one in reverse, in order to place the volume knob right under your picking hand.
Next, I literally could not find a proper neck pickup plate. The aftermarket stuff available is badly spaced with screw holes that are off center and are also made of some heavy material. I redesigned my plate from scratch and also had them made of featherweight aluminum. I even attacked the strap buttons and had them made out of aluminum. People who manufacture these parts think I am a pain in the ass and somewhat disturbed to even bother about such things. Since nobody else has ever complained, I must be the one insane. They can't understand what the hell the difference is. These are things which make me and Zachary guitars different. There are many sick ignorant bastards out there who got all their education from the guitar magazines and Asian manufacturer marketing ads.

So there you have it. I keep whatever is historically right and throw out whatever is wrong. None of this custom hardware is available for sale. I would hate to have this stuff fall into the hands of a tinkerer and being placed on a mutant PRS-Explorer-BC Rich mutation with a super quilted top and a locking tremolo. Ouch!

At first I thought this body wood was Walnut but its actually much softer and lighter then any Walnut I have ever seen. So I have no idea what it is. I realized that much of the wood I have, I forget what it is. This body is incredibly light and soft. I am sure it will get dinged up easily. However, I like light guitars, this one is only 6.3 lb. Lighter than any Telecaster you will ever find. The neck is incredibly fast with the low action and ZOG 9 strings. The guitar sounds very acoustic, as expected. The pickups are just wonderful, very well balanced, yet very different from each other with overwound vintage Tele pup specifications. I wire my F1s differently. When using both pickups together, you get this throaty hollow tone, similar to a Wah pedal stopped half way. Its quite addictive. An F1 is a very versatile guitar and can be used as an "only" guitar for almost every type of playing. The neck pickup is dark and mellow, great for jazz, both pickups together is funky and the bridge pickup is bright and biting. Here you have it all in one guitar.