Refurb'ing a 67 Tele

I have had her since 1971. My brother bought it at a Lake Tahoe pawn shop for $125 with orig case. It had Grovers on it and a slide switch on the pickguard that ( I guess ) was an attempt to make an out-of-phase switching option. I removed it because it was the ultimate ice-pick. The bridge pickup died a few years back from internal rust so I had Jerry Amalfitano rewind it. EXCELLENT work and ridiculously low fee. My goal was to make it the best player rather than perfect retro stock. My tech is Steve Crisp who used to live in Austin and did extensive work on Fenders for Jr Brown, both Vaughns, Eric Johnson, and many other name players. He really got in there and replaced the bastard wiring job with NOS cloth wire, cleaned and reseated the neck pickup, mounted the Callaham bridge ( it had a six saddle Tele bridge from the 70s on it ), put on aged repro Klusons, removed a sticker from the lower bout and cleaned and compounded the goo off the face of the body as well as doing extensive fretboard cleaning. WOW, what a difference in playability, resonance, tone, looks, every-damn-thing! She's a real "stinger" and we're redoing our marriage vows. Run into my Kendrick amp with just a touch of Keeley compression is 7th Heaven!

Nice!

Looks great. Those 67 necks are sweet :mrgreen:

This one, is a winner.

Very nice. Sounds like you have a clear and insightful plan in progress.
What is the color? LPB, I suppose but it looks a bit light for that?

Pure heaven.

Very nice. Sounds like you have a clear and insightful plan in progress.
What is the color? LPB, I suppose but it looks a bit light for that?

Yes, LPB. Note the undercoat showing through on the upper bout where the sweaty arm rests. I have never seen another maple cap LPB '67 but I guess the guy from Stone Temple Pilots, Dean Di Leo, has one he prizes.

Pure heaven.

Yep! This is the guitar I did most of my serious learning on and I made a (meager) living with her back in the day. I have other guitars now but this one is my soul-mate and I know her like I know the back of my hand. We have traveled many a mile and spent several thousand hours together. I still think the Telecaster is a guitar unmatched but I am building an Esquire so stay tuned!

Nice!

Thank you. I posted it because I know all the folks here can appreciate a rare bird. I have been playing since I was 11 and I'm now 56 and more guitar-crazed than ever so I appreciate this forum where I can hook up with like-minded souls...

Looks great. Those 67 necks are sweet :mrgreen:

And the neck is as smooth as a baby's behind. I am so lucky to have her and even luckier to finally have a GREAT tech in Steve Crisp. What he doesn't know about Fenders ain't worth knowing. He built me a parts Strat that just kills:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18546007@N00/2304095508/in/set-72157602052093419/

We're about to build an Esquire and I can't wait. It's a double bound SB body and I've always loved that look. MusiKraft quartersawn neck with RW board, RS Guitarworks electronics with PIO cap, Callaham bridge, and Stephens Designs Broadcaster pickup. We're going to do the Eldred wiring scheme and use a .0022 PIO cap for the cocked wah tone and a Jensen. 047 for the middle position. Also going to try the Vintique type of neck bolts to wring more vibration transfer out of the neck/body connection.
I will post pics when we're done.

Looks great. Those 67 necks are sweet :mrgreen:

The neck is stamped OCT 66 so I always assumed that was the release year but when Jerry Amalfitano rewound the bridge PU he found a Sharpie date of 2-17-67. It has been an awesome adventure with nice little "huh!" moments like that. I'd love to see a pic of your 67!

This one, is a winner.
Thank you! I started learning around age 12 on my brother's blond '57 but he got tired of me breaking strings so he found this one for me. Among all the great things about Teles is the fact that it is such an honest and unforgiving guitar. You never see bulls**t players wielding Teles because there is nowhere to hide and whatever you play comes right out in front of God and everybody. It taught me to be clean and economical and to have a fluid and up-to-pitch vibrato when bending. No less an authority than Mike Bloomfield said he could always tell just by listening if a player had been a Tele man, regardless of what he might be playing now.
And yes, my brother still has his '57 with original case!

Nice to see an old guitar properly taken care of - and enjoyed so much! Also dig hearing how much was originally paid for it!!

I'll trade ya! JK!

The guitar, the story, the refurbish job...
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd50/Censport/Spockwin.jpg

Thanks! I can't think of any object that lasts longer or provides more enjoyment than an old Fender. There isn't any style of music a Tele doesn't cover and they are indestructible. I'm 56 but when I play her, I'm 16 again.
Tell me about yours!

oops, wrong place! Meant for Spock!

The guitar, the story, the refurbish job...
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd50/Censport/Spockwin.jpg


Nashville, home of the best pickers on Earth. Can you go and genuflect in front of Gruhn's for me?

I'll trade ya! JK!

Sorry, she's going in the casket with me :mrgreen: