What do you think of this?

Freewheeler · May 3rd, 2006, 06:51 AM

This is an early 70s Tele with all kinds of crap installed on it. Do you think it would be easy to restore it? The trem seems to be a top mounted kind with maybe 4 screws, no Strat routes. I could get it quite cheap, the seller obviously doesn't have a clue what's hiding under that hideous monster, an early 70s TELE! It's on auction at a local Finnish auction site.

televiking · May 3rd, 2006, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freewheeler

This is an early 70s Tele with all kinds of crap installed on it. Do you think it would be easy to restore it? The trem seems to be a top mounted kind with maybe 4 screws, no Strat routes. I could get it quite cheap, the seller obviously doesn't have a clue what's hiding under that hideous monster, an early 70s TELE! It's on auction at a local Finnish auction site.

Käy katsomassa sitä jos mahdollista. Mut periaateessa jos siihen ei oo kaiverrettu tremololle mitään kamalaa holea, niin en ymmärrä miksi siitä ei saisi pienellä vaivalla loistavaa soitinta.
Televiking

Freewheeler · May 3rd, 2006, 07:29 AM

Odottelen ensiksi luvattuja lisäkuvia...

LOTF · May 3rd, 2006, 08:20 AM

It's gonna bear the scars of that nasty tremolo, even if it wasn't routed for it. And replacing the locking nut might take some professional work.

But as long as you don't mind the battle scars (and it is early '70s so some, at least, are to be expected), it probably can be restored to being a really nice sounding Tele.

And that's a really pretty colored body!

Pete Galati · May 3rd, 2006, 08:24 AM

I kind of wonder what's under that sheetmetal.

Is that a Kahler style cam tremolo that's on it? If it is, then quite a bit of wood had to be removed to install that.

And what's that up on the headstock, just past the nut? Is that some sort of string lock?

It's not a guitar I'd want to deal with. But '70s Fenders don't interest me very much so that sort of skews my opinion. I kind of think Fender is building better guitars these days anyhow.

If it has some sort of collector value, would that be completely destroyed by having had it be completely buggered up like that, and then repaired?

Pete

Freewheeler · May 3rd, 2006, 08:34 AM

That's probably a top mounted tremolo with no routing underneath. And yes that's a string lock up the headstock. So there will be only maybe six holes to fill, refinish the body (put new pickguard and bridge too) to make it a player again!

Tom S · May 3rd, 2006, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freewheeler

That's probably a top mounted tremolo with no routing underneath.

I'd be very surprised if that were true. Do you have any other photos, especially of the back? Also, have you confirmed that it is indeed a 70's Fender body? It's really hard to make any definitive judgements based on that one photo.

JohnnyAtomic · May 3rd, 2006, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freewheeler

That's probably a top mounted tremolo with no routing underneath. And yes that's a string lock up the headstock. So there will be only maybe six holes to fill, refinish the body (put new pickguard and bridge too) to make it a player again!

That DEFINITELY looks like a Kahler to me, and Kahlers require significant routing. The only one I know of that didn't require routing was the Washburn WonderBar, and it doesn't look like that.

Plus no vintage tele I know of had a body made of wood that looked like that, I would doubt the body is an old Fender. So I looks like all you got is an old neck (and without looking at that, it may not be what it appears) and even then It has had a locking nut installed (which seriously effects it's value).

Johnny Atomic

Freewheeler · May 3rd, 2006, 10:50 AM

Sure looks like a Washburn Wonderbar to me, look at the pic...

Anyhow I'm still waiting for more info and pics from the seller.

Tom S · May 3rd, 2006, 12:25 PM

I don't think so. It looks a lot more like this this to me:

Kahler retro-fit. It definitely requires routing.

Freewheeler · May 3rd, 2006, 12:27 PM

I don't have any experience on this Kahler stuff. I'll wait till I see some more detailed pics. Thanks.

Tom S · May 3rd, 2006, 12:45 PM

Well, fwiw, they were nice trems, but a little too sensitive to my liking. But you're thinking of ditching it anyway, so that doesn't matter. While there is likely a rout underneath (I can pretty much guarantee it), at least it's not straight through the body, so it wouldn't be too difficult to fill the hole with a wood patch, and so on, then follow with opaque paint. Of course, it's still a bit difficult to say at this point whether it would be worth it, and you'd have to confirm the authenticity of that body and neck first anyway.

Good luck with it!

Freewheeler · May 4th, 2006, 08:51 AM

http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele1.jpg
http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele2.jpg
http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele3.jpg
http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele4.jpg
http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele5.jpg
http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele6.jpg
http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele7.jpg

Sorry, no decent pics of the body yet. Klusons on that neck! The neck seems to be in a pretty good shape. Front pup may not be original, definitely not the bridge one. I might bid some euros for the neck only...

Freewheeler · May 4th, 2006, 09:09 AM

winny pooh · May 4th, 2006, 10:56 AM

What is really want to know is what twisted shredder freak did this to a tele! I would beat him with my shoes and break his fingers.

Dacious · May 4th, 2006, 11:34 AM

It's not likely a 70's MIA Fender I think. Could be MIJ, though. Should have Schaller octagonal-head F-tuners or the diagonal mounting holes which the Kluson-type do not cover, and appears to not have 'The Notch' although serial puts it around 1971 so it should.

The rear of the headstock shape looks wrong to me, too. More like a 50's-type MIJ Squire.

Freewheeler · May 4th, 2006, 11:45 AM

According to the seller this monster was put together years before 1985 when he bought it. The headstock looks just like a '71 or '72 to me, front and back. The tuners are a mystery, I don't see any holes the stock ones left... The Kahlers came around late 70's. Also the bridge pup looks correct though someone has put a screw through the centre hole! Who has assembled this masterpiece anyway? Hope he's reading this thread :D

Tom S · May 4th, 2006, 11:55 AM

Well, it's still hard to say much about this thing, especially without shots of the neck heel and pocket, or the electronics. Plus, I'm not the best person to ask, as I'm not an expert on these issues by any means. But these photos do raise some questions in my mind, and I hope some more knowledgeable folks can chime in.

I would imagine that most, if not all, of the mods were done at the same time, and I would guess that happened in the late 70's or early 80's. The body itself looks to me to be varnished, maybe stained too. I think the cracks in the finish are consistent with type of finish.

The uneven string holes are curious. I do not know if that was still common on a 70's tele. At first, I wondered why the ferrules were missing (why bother?), but it looks as though there was probably some sort of cover made for them (evidenced by the two scew holes on both sides). So at least three possibilities come to mind:
1. It's appropriate to a 70's Fender body (the serial number on the neckplate seems to indicate a year between ~1971 - 1974).
2. It's an earlier body.
3. It's a homemade body.

I don't know if it's just tha angle of the photos, but there is something that just doesn't look exactly right about that headstock. I may just be imagining that though.

The gouged line in the butt of the body seems almost too straight to have been accidental, but it doesn't seem to be a joint, as there is a single piece of wood underneath. So it's hard to say what that was about. Also, it's possible that the jack plate was added because too much wood was missing from the jack hole to use a standard cup. But again, it's impossible to know with just the photos. A lot of people put these things on teles back then because they were tired of dealing with the ever-loosening jack cup.

So again, I can't be much help, but others here should have so better opinions.

May 3rd, 2006, 06:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
Freewheeler Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland Age: 46 Posts: 821 39 Photos	What do you think of this? This is an early 70s Tele with all kinds of crap installed on it. Do you think it would be easy to restore it? The trem seems to be a top mounted kind with maybe 4 screws, no Strat routes. I could get it quite cheap, the seller obviously doesn't have a clue what's hiding under that hideous monster, an early 70s TELE! It's on auction at a local Finnish auction site.

May 3rd, 2006, 07:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
Freewheeler Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland Age: 46 Posts: 821 39 Photos	Sorry, in Finnish: Odottelen ensiksi luvattuja lisäkuvia...

May 3rd, 2006, 08:20 AM	#4 (permalink)
LOTF Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Tempe, AZ Age: 53 Posts: 229	It's gonna bear the scars of that nasty tremolo, even if it wasn't routed for it. And replacing the locking nut might take some professional work. But as long as you don't mind the battle scars (and it is early '70s so some, at least, are to be expected), it probably can be restored to being a really nice sounding Tele. And that's a really pretty colored body! __________________ Regards, LOTF TELES: 2008 '52 Vintage Hot Rod 2007 '72 Thinline reissue 1985 Squier (MIJ)

May 3rd, 2006, 08:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
Freewheeler Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland Age: 46 Posts: 821 39 Photos	Pete That's probably a top mounted tremolo with no routing underneath. And yes that's a string lock up the headstock. So there will be only maybe six holes to fill, refinish the body (put new pickguard and bridge too) to make it a player again!

May 3rd, 2006, 10:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
Freewheeler Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland Age: 46 Posts: 821 39 Photos	Washburn? Sure looks like a Washburn Wonderbar to me, look at the pic... Anyhow I'm still waiting for more info and pics from the seller.

May 3rd, 2006, 08:24 AM	#5 (permalink)
Pete Galati R.I.P. Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 8,104 2 Photos	I kind of wonder what's under that sheetmetal. Is that a Kahler style cam tremolo that's on it? If it is, then quite a bit of wood had to be removed to install that. And what's that up on the headstock, just past the nut? Is that some sort of string lock? It's not a guitar I'd want to deal with. But '70s Fenders don't interest me very much so that sort of skews my opinion. I kind of think Fender is building better guitars these days anyhow. If it has some sort of collector value, would that be completely destroyed by having had it be completely buggered up like that, and then repaired? Pete

May 3rd, 2006, 12:25 PM	#10 (permalink)
Tom S Friend of Leo's Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,211 49 Photos	I don't think so. It looks a lot more like this this to me: Kahler retro-fit. It definitely requires routing.

May 3rd, 2006, 12:27 PM	#11 (permalink)
Freewheeler Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland Age: 46 Posts: 821 39 Photos	You're right I don't have any experience on this Kahler stuff. I'll wait till I see some more detailed pics. Thanks.

May 3rd, 2006, 12:45 PM	#12 (permalink)
Tom S Friend of Leo's Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,211 49 Photos	Well, fwiw, they were nice trems, but a little too sensitive to my liking. But you're thinking of ditching it anyway, so that doesn't matter. While there is likely a rout underneath (I can pretty much guarantee it), at least it's not straight through the body, so it wouldn't be too difficult to fill the hole with a wood patch, and so on, then follow with opaque paint. Of course, it's still a bit difficult to say at this point whether it would be worth it, and you'd have to confirm the authenticity of that body and neck first anyway. Good luck with it!

May 4th, 2006, 08:51 AM	#13 (permalink)
Freewheeler Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland Age: 46 Posts: 821 39 Photos	More pics, what a mess! http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele1.jpg http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele2.jpg http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele3.jpg http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele4.jpg http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele5.jpg http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele6.jpg http://www.propellihattu.fi/whattele/tele7.jpg Sorry, no decent pics of the body yet. Klusons on that neck! The neck seems to be in a pretty good shape. Front pup may not be original, definitely not the bridge one. I might bid some euros for the neck only...

May 4th, 2006, 09:09 AM	#14 (permalink)
Freewheeler Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland Age: 46 Posts: 821 39 Photos	Oops, here's the neck pup and neck butt pic:

May 4th, 2006, 10:56 AM	#15 (permalink)
winny pooh Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South London Posts: 1,612 7 Photos	What is really want to know is what twisted shredder freak did this to a tele! I would beat him with my shoes and break his fingers. __________________ my afro ambient side project: http://www.myspace.com/theswyambusessions

May 4th, 2006, 11:34 AM	#16 (permalink)
Dacious Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Godzone Posts: 2,612 35 Photos	It's not likely a 70's MIA Fender I think. Could be MIJ, though. Should have Schaller octagonal-head F-tuners or the diagonal mounting holes which the Kluson-type do not cover, and appears to not have 'The Notch' although serial puts it around 1971 so it should. The rear of the headstock shape looks wrong to me, too. More like a 50's-type MIJ Squire. __________________ My other Telecaster is a Thinline The Tele Bible, Ch 1, v 10 Love thy Telecaster, covet not thy neighbour's Strat!

May 4th, 2006, 11:45 AM	#17 (permalink)
Freewheeler Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland Age: 46 Posts: 821 39 Photos	Can't be MIJ According to the seller this monster was put together years before 1985 when he bought it. The headstock looks just like a '71 or '72 to me, front and back. The tuners are a mystery, I don't see any holes the stock ones left... The Kahlers came around late 70's. Also the bridge pup looks correct though someone has put a screw through the centre hole! Who has assembled this masterpiece anyway? Hope he's reading this thread :D

May 4th, 2006, 11:55 AM	#18 (permalink)
Tom S Friend of Leo's Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,211 49 Photos	Well, it's still hard to say much about this thing, especially without shots of the neck heel and pocket, or the electronics. Plus, I'm not the best person to ask, as I'm not an expert on these issues by any means. But these photos do raise some questions in my mind, and I hope some more knowledgeable folks can chime in. I would imagine that most, if not all, of the mods were done at the same time, and I would guess that happened in the late 70's or early 80's. The body itself looks to me to be varnished, maybe stained too. I think the cracks in the finish are consistent with type of finish. The uneven string holes are curious. I do not know if that was still common on a 70's tele. At first, I wondered why the ferrules were missing (why bother?), but it looks as though there was probably some sort of cover made for them (evidenced by the two scew holes on both sides). So at least three possibilities come to mind: 1. It's appropriate to a 70's Fender body (the serial number on the neckplate seems to indicate a year between ~1971 - 1974). 2. It's an earlier body. 3. It's a homemade body. I don't know if it's just tha angle of the photos, but there is something that just doesn't look exactly right about that headstock. I may just be imagining that though. The gouged line in the butt of the body seems almost too straight to have been accidental, but it doesn't seem to be a joint, as there is a single piece of wood underneath. So it's hard to say what that was about. Also, it's possible that the jack plate was added because too much wood was missing from the jack hole to use a standard cup. But again, it's impossible to know with just the photos. A lot of people put these things on teles back then because they were tired of dealing with the ever-loosening jack cup. So again, I can't be much help, but others here should have so better opinions.