64 music master question

[pineder]

Picked up a 64 locally for a couple hundred. It's been refinished so I'm thinking about adding a second pickup.

Best option to source a new guard or route the existing? Working on pics now.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54276127@ ... ed-public/

[mgeek]

May as well get a new one, it won't cost much and you won't be making holes in an unmolested og Musicmaster plate. Nice buy btw, those are cool! Used to have a '56, and I never really missed a bridge pickup, you aren't really missing anything tonewise that can't be sorted by amp controls, the only thing you lose is not being able to flick between sounds

[rumfoord]

Ooh, I really like it.

Another idea might be to mount one of these flat goldfoil pickups:

https://reverb.com/item/459294-lowrider ... _BwE&pla=1

[Pacafeliz]

Gosh that's a cute one!
Refinish, if anything. Don't butcher it more, I'd say...

[Tree's]

Getting it for a couple hundred doesn't mean it's a cheap guitar , means you got a nice deal on a valuable one , refinish don't hurt it much.
Wouldn't be a good idea to cut on a 50 year old vintage pickguard , if you have to have a second pickup , could just get a duo sonic pickguard off the bay , reissue ones can be had for cheap as 20 bucks , original ones under 100 .
There should be a pencil date on the heel of the neck , the guitar would have to be a '63 at latest since a '64 would actually be a music master 2 , when they changed to an offset body.

[Ursa Minor]

Great find! A good refin and you're all set.

[mgeek]

There should be a pencil date on the heel of the neck , the guitar would have to be a '63 at latest since a '64 would actually be a music master 2 , when they changed to an offset body.

aah yes, but not on the first of January There are '64s of both types, the changeover happened some time during that year.

[MechaBulletBill]

Ooh, I really like it.

Another idea might be to mount one of these flat goldfoil pickups:

https://reverb.com/item/459294-lowrider ... _BwE&pla=1

Anybody tried these? I'm really interested in the idea of sticking one on an acoustic.

[pineder]

Jan 64 based on pot codes and neck stamp.

Doubt I'll get it refinished, as it matches my Costello JM. If anything, I may wet sand to get rid of some of the orange peel then buff back to a shine.

The duo sonic guard is very tempting!

[biro]

200 hundred bucks is a steal!
congrats for a great deal on an even greater guitar!

[pineder]

So what kind of case should I be looking for? Vintage mustang?

[MechaBulletBill]

So what kind of case should I be looking for? Vintage mustang?

Given that it's a refin, if you're gonna be gigging it I'd get a modern case. Old ones, if they haven't fallen to bits already, aren't going to withstand much abuse and aren't gonna offer much protection. [IMO/YMMV/etc.]

[Tree's]

A gold guard would look real clean , seems like there would be some of those available from the classic vibe 50's Duo sonics.

[pineder]

I'm looking at duo sonic pickguards from the same era. A squire gold guard would be awesome if the holes would align.

No rush on this change at all.

Pulled the guard last night to tweek the truss rod. Original color was red, can't tell if it was fiesta or dakota. I might tackle a body refinish over the spring/summer with nitro products.

[mgeek]

I'm looking at duo sonic pickguards from the same era. A squire gold guard would be awesome if the holes would align.

No rush on this change at all.

Pulled the guard last night to tweek the truss rod. Original color was red, can't tell if it was fiesta or dakota. I might tackle a body refinish over the spring/summer with nitro products.

Deffo? With the paint stick etc? Cool!

Might be worth a bit of a nerdy dig around- there were some transparent red finishes over mahogany bodies on these around this time, but I have a feeling I've seen one or two that were apparently original with the same finish over alder.

*edit* here we go: http://www.maindragmusic.com/blog/just- ... sicmaster/