When I bought my CIJ 52 a few years back, I was blown away by the stunning good looks, fit & finish, and wonderful playability of the guitar. It came fitted with OV pups as standard, but there was just
something that didn't quite grab me, so I popped her back in her case and she's hardly seen the light of day over the last couple of years.
A few weeks ago, I was digging through all my cases looking for one of my Epi Sheratons to loan to a friend, and suddenly "rediscovered" her....
I immediately ordered a nice set of brass Glendale compensated saddles, two new CTS 250k pots to replace the tiny little stock pots, and a CRL selector switch to replace that awful plastic Japanese one. Obviously, two new domed knobs were needed, so they were ordered too.
A couple of days ago I got around to fitting all the new goodies. I restrung here, set her up, and
WOW! What a difference! The Glendales have given me just about perfect intonation, and she now plays and sounds like a good 52 should!
I'm finding it hard to put her down right now, and I'm kicking myself for not doing these simple upgrades a long time ago. It's just like I've bought a new Tele, but without all the grief that Mrs. Fatman would have heaped upon me if I had!.....
I guess the moral of the story is.... if you've got a Tele that doesn't quite "talk" to you, try a few simple mods/upgrades before you give up on her!