So I got the Silvertone amp in case 1448, and wouldn't you know it, another victim of home guitar repair, not 101, but more like 1.
Just minor things, like if you see dust, use an old set of cat claws or an ice pick to brush it away.
If you see a little tarnishing on the absolutely impossible to find/replace pickguard screws, use fine sandpaper, luckily they took the screws off first, but lost one, probably blew off the buffing wheel, and replaced it with something from Dad's miscellaneous drawer.
The two bridge adjustment screws were over the top of the bridge (kids, don't do drugs) so to raise the bridge up enough to get "a little action", glue some funky piece of plastic under the bridge.
And then make sure you dab the glue here and there to create odd dull spots in the finish.
Dunno how old this thing is but it's pre "skate key" tuners, so it's got reverse rotation Waverly "Butter Bean" tuners, will take some getting used to.
Really odd metal bridge saddle, can't even find a pic of another one. Early 60's "metal" mod, I'm guessing, but could it be original somehow, the bridge saddle (which was backwards, as well as intonation orientation) is pinned on to the base, what the h is it?
And the frets had been leveled here and there, ugh... fingerboard sanded (why?) but with the usual nasty razor wire fret ends.
So everything gets dropped to fool with the new baby.
A teeny baby, weighs 4lb 15oz, wow, under 5lb electric guitar.
The ampcase smells like a WWII bunker that hasn't been open since the end of the war, so that's nice, no Febreze this time.
The body issues polished up super with Meguiars Cleaner Wax.
I pulled the neck, which would not go back in, a little moist in the house. Dano sure knew how to do a tight neckpocket, Fender could have learned a lot from these guys.
Did the frets ends with my Swiss file made for this. Freehand with strong glasses, I turn the square edge of the frets oval next to the wood, a bit of an art form.
Followed by 1000 grit wet or dry, then 0000 steel wool outside. Then a polish with Fret Not, my Gorgomyte replacement therapy, comes pre cut, very nice.
Reassembled now but unstrung yet.
I'd plugged it in on arrival, shipped fully up to pitch with one string wrap per capstan. Healthy output, sweet tone.
Such a gorgeous little guitar.
Strings next after some other things that actually need to be done.
Getting it clean with ice pick, the claw marks are all over the edges of the bridge plate. Why? Get a load of the height screws on top of the plate...
Pine and Masonite construction, Tilt neck adjustment, 10 years ahead of Fender.
That weird bridge saddle, anyone seen one of these?
Fret ends, I've gotten good at these, the bottom edges are rolled.
One helluva Brazilian Rosewood slab! Poplar neck.