Deke Leonard Bullseye telecaster Replica

[Newyorkmanfan]

Hi there! At the moment for a summer project, I am building a replica of Deke Leonard's Bullseye Telecaster that was originally a Fender custom telecaster. I bought most of the parts and have bought a DIY kit telecaster to start the project. (gonna have to buy a new neck since it appears dekes guitar was maple) Since I'm gonna cut the holes into the body I was wondering about how Deke cut the holes and what paints he used to paint the body. I know there was a period where he didn't have any paint stripes in the early 70s and he had a late 60s Stratocaster neck on it but put on a new telecaster neck or had the old neck refretted. Also, photos of deke and the guitar from the front and the back would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! 

[George Jones]

Lots of photo's around of the front of the Telecaster, but nothing of the back.  Ive not seen the guitar since the awful evening it was stolen.

I've borrowed the SG several times from Mary and can tell you that it is not painted on the back

[Jules]

I've had a look through the Archive to see what could be found. Results were disappointing I'm afraid. A couple of images of Deke playing it, which of course obscure the top cut-out and, as George says above, nothing of the back. Most of the pictures show the Tele with a Strat neck, during the period when the original was being re-fretted.

For now, the front cover of Iceberg is about the best I could suggest.

Cutting the holes out would probably have been a drill it and join up the drill holes exercise. Deke never struck me as a man who might be handy with a router.

[Jules]

Here's a picture of Deke with a pre-surgery Tele. Blonde with a maple slab neck (the guitar that is, not Deke ). No guarantee that this is actually Deke's guitar, it might just be one he picked up to drool over.

[Jules]

Then here's an alternative of the post-surgery Tele, with temporary rosewood Strat neck.

Somewhere I think I might have a post-surgery, pre-decoration photo. I'll put it up if I find it.

[Jules]

Here's one with Clive playing the transitional Tele. Interestingly with a Rosewood fretboard rather than maple.

[Jules]

Then here's one from a tour of Germany. It's a low-quality image, but about the clearest full-frontal one I've found. Rosewood fretboard again.

[Newyorkmanfan]

Thanks for the images Jules. I never saw the photo with Deke in the 60s. I wonder if that tele was mick green's since Deke mentioned about Mick giving him the inspiration to get a tele and in the Twang Dynasty he says that Mick's tele was blonde with a maple neck and it wouldn't have been deke's telecaster since his was a custom in sunburst with a rosewood neck and body binding. I know he said he got electrocuted with the telecaster and the strings melted into the frets during the Corncrackers and got a strat neck to replace it but in some photos in early Man he still had a tele neck on it. Wonder if the strat neck replacement happened with man? Seemed like Deke had problems with memory although I didn't expect much from him since he didnt seem like a guitar nut. 

[Nick Nation]

Nice photos Jules!

[Newyorkmanfan]

Really cool! I've never seen the ones with the young Deke and Clive playing Deke's Telecaster.

[George Jones]

Deke's Telecaster was a 1960 Telecaster Custom, originally sunburst with cream binding

[Iowerth Pritchard]

Deke's Telecaster was a 1960 Telecaster Custom, originally sunburst with cream binding

Is it the guitar Deke is seen playing at 5:17 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRsZWO1Sdu4 ?

[Newyorkmanfan]

That's right I remember that Deke mentioned in his books that it was a sunburst custom telecaster with binding. My main telecaster is very similar to that but it is a parts guitar. And yes the guitar in the video is the custom telecaster before the holes and paint job. I have one question though George, Deke mentioned he replaced the neck in the Corncrackers in 1967 when he got electrocuted. It was a strat neck but some of the photos in early man 1969-1970 showed deke with the guitar with the original telecaster neck but during the 1971 period, he had a strat neck on it. Was Deke wrong with the strat neck replacement George?

[Mark Davies]

The photo on the inside of the Iceberg LP / Cd booklet always looked like a Strat neck to me.

[Newyorkmanfan]

That was the strat neck that Deke had on. He had it from 1970? 71? to around 1974. Then he had a tele neck(either original or replacement) put back on.