[font=trebuchet ms]At some future time I hope to build a custom Tele myself, so I hope to tap both of you for info when I need it. I'm still trying to figure out what to do about Warmoth's refusal to work with cocobolo fretboards.

For now, since I'm sure you're about to deploy single-coil pickups, I would strongly advise paying a visit to Guitar Nuts and spending some quality time going through their modifications, starting with "Quieting The Beast" in the Wiring & Shielding section. This shows a very good way to apply shielding techniques and ground isolation to not only reduce hum, but also greatly lessen the possibility of getting yourself killed by bad electrical wiring or amplifier failure. I routinely apply these mods to my guitars. I believe in them. Take a look at my Profile - I have some experience in matters of shielding.[/font]