(My desktop computer is having problems, so I can’t post pics tonight. Soon though!)
Well I got home from work and had a look "under the hood". I discovered some interesting things.
Neck is original, date is 10-58.
I believe everything to be 1958 except the potentiometers and switch and switch-tip, and screw holding the front strap pin, and pickguard.
Pickups are original, as are the bridge,jack,neckplate. The number of holes on the pickguard leads me to think it may be from a ‘59, or maybe late ‘58(kinda wishful thinking on the pickguard, but possible)
The body does have a maple top over one-piece ash, nicely aged binding on top only. Nice subtle curly maple grain thru the red transparent, very honey colored, finish. I could not find an obvious date under the bridge pickup as there is some finish covering the bottom of the cavity. After some thorough investigation of the cavities, I discovered some small nail holes; the sizes and locations are consistent with and indicative of a '58 - '64 tele, according to:
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fenderc.html
One nail hole in the neck cavity, and one in the wall of the control cavity! There were none in the maple top, as the other 2 must be hidden beneath the maple cap.
The neck route "notch" on the bass side, (also see:
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html#specs ) indicates a 1950 to 1972 body. This along with the info the seller gave me, leads me to believe that the body is original 58 (probably was a blond because of the ash), and at some point (pre-72) early on, a maple top was added and the guitar was refinished in the transparent red, sorta honey-ish color it is now. I have no reason to doubt him.
The case although old, is non-original, made in Canada. Very road worn with lots of sticker's from it's travels.
The seller's name is Dick "Red" Sweeney. He got his nickname at an early age in grade school, due to his hair color. Red is 73 years old; he’ll be 74 next month. Born in Springfield Massachusetts, he began playing guitar when he got out of the service in his early 20’s. He began his love affair with Country Music and guitars. His first guitar was a Hohner. He later played a Kay. He has also played a Show Bud Steel guitar.
He lived in Austin Texas for about 4 years. While in Texas, he would frequent the Armadillo club, where he saw many artists and bands including Roy Buchanan, who would come to the Armadillo 2 or 3 times a year. Asleep At the Wheel was a weekend band at the time.
Red has played in many groups over the years, and has backed up many musicians and opened for the likes of Liz Anderson, Wanda Jackson, Dave Dudley (6 Days on the Road), and the legendary Roy Cuff. While on tour in Europe, Red would play 6 nights a week!
In 1972, Red went to Resurrection Guitars in Austin, and there were about 9 or 10 Telecasters hanging in line on a wall. Red had them set up a Fender Twin, and played the same Merle Haggard riff on each one, with the amp settings unchanged. Hands down, the red 1958 sounded the best of them all, and just felt right to him. Red had 3 kids at the time, so he put a down payment on the guitar and over the next 4 months, finished paying off the guitar. The guitar listed by Resurrection guitars as a 1958 Telecaster was $700.
Over the next 30 or so years, Red took the tele with him all over Texas, the southwest US, Europe, Canada, and the northeastern US. People who came to hear him sing and play called him the “Big Man with the Little Red Guitar” . Many enjoyed his singing accompanied by his signature sound, a 1958 Telecaster. Through out the years, Red has had the tele refretted a couple of times and the controls fixed (replaced).
A couple of times, Red ran on some hard luck and came real close to selling his Tele, but his wife Jean refused to let him do it! (What an awesome wife!) She knew how attached he was to his guitar and he was still playing gigs at the time.
Recently, Red and Jean decided to let “his baby” go. Red said he didn’t want to leave his wife with having to sell his guitar alone when he passed on.
Red told me all of this info last night, when I went to buy the guitar. Red gave me a cassette tape with him singing some country classics and a signed pic of the Red ‘58 Telecaster.
Red told me he will miss his guitar dearly, but it means so much to him and he is very grateful to know someone who loves to play and will play the tele, is getting it. He is a humble man, great musician, and friend. I told him that anytime he wants to play it or borrow it, to just give me a call. He is more than welcome.