A while back I decided to build a new guitar, and it's finally ready. Obviously tele-inspired, but with a few quality of life changes I really enjoy, like locking jack, arm contour, and tilted control plate. Body is ash, neck maple and oak, and the plates are oak too. Tone is surprisingly mellow but still has a bite to it. Haven't fully adjusted it yet, but I'm satisfied already :)
I agree, the black paint works really well. I'm glad I didn't flatten the grain completely, so you can still see the wood pattern clearly when the lighting is right
A couple of months I would say. I stopped a lot to figure out how to do things right. Now I think I could do it in under a month. I also freehanded quite a few things, like neck profile, that I'd use jigs for if I was to build another one.