*ITS HERE!* 63 Franken-Tele

[JSett]

Finally spent some time working out the mental controls on this. 5 way is as expected, switch puts in/out of phase and the push-pull brings in the neck pickup regardless of 5 way selector...so you can have all 3 on at the same time if you want

[JSett]

Looks like the Vox's are coming this way too. Hopefully next Thursday.

Letting him sit and stew on a price seems to have done the trick

[jvin248]

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Do a post of this guitar over on TDPRI. It will be very popular there.

One thing to scrutinize, there is usually a partially 'flat' area in Fender bodies around the jack and I didn't see that in the pictures.
The TDPRI crew will recognize real/added pretty quickly. Possible it's an original neck with a new custom cut body (new back in the 70s) and further cut to fit the bender.

If you are replacing parts, I'd lift off the wiring harness and pickups in as much of one piece as possible. Then add your pickups, harness, etc. Bag 'n Tag those removed parts because they will be very important to future buyers.

I'd leave the B-bender in there and just block the neck strap pin from moving (wood or metal wedge/shims) and store any top surface actuator bits you remove all wrapped up in an envelope in the back cavity. That way it's all there if you change your mind later to try it out (or sell the guitar).

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[JSett]

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Do a post of this guitar over on TDPRI. It will be very popular there.

One thing to scrutinize, there is usually a partially 'flat' area in Fender bodies around the jack and I didn't see that in the pictures.
The TDPRI crew will recognize real/added pretty quickly. Possible it's an original neck with a new custom cut body (new back in the 70s) and further cut to fit the bender.

If you are replacing parts, I'd lift off the wiring harness and pickups in as much of one piece as possible. Then add your pickups, harness, etc. Bag 'n Tag those removed parts because they will be very important to future buyers.

I'd leave the B-bender in there and just block the neck strap pin from moving (wood or metal wedge/shims) and store any top surface actuator bits you remove all wrapped up in an envelope in the back cavity. That way it's all there if you change your mind later to try it out (or sell the guitar).

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I'm not sure I'm that bothered to join another forum just to post it. **EDIT: I had the time so thought 'why not'.

I already looked at the body around the jack output to see if there was the trademark flat section. It seems to be there but sanded back a bit and almost completely gone - I assume as part of the strip and refin and in order to fit the curved replacement. In fact, when I was googling it a result actually from the TDPRI had someone called 'KokoTele' stating that:

"The flat spot is a lot less prominent on some of the early bodies that were heavily sanded, and it often disappears on bodies that have been refinished."

...so I assumed my conclusion was correct. The guy I bought it from had known the previous owner since the early 70s and remembered the guitar pre-B Bender installation. Apparently he bought the guitar used in the early 70s and kept it since then. Couldn't remember how, when or why the neck got swapped though.

I'm not taking the B-Bender out, as I'm determined to learn a some chops with it and maybe integrate it into my playing. It's fun, albeit frustrating, but it's nice to have something new. As with all mods, I try to preserve original parts where possible. I'm only leaning towards the bridge pickup being swapped (leaving the other two where they are), then doing all the pots etc. That will just get dropped out as one whole piece.

[Pacafeliz]

Good God I can't stop looking and drooling.
This one is the new crackwhore.
They have to meet, someday. Then the world can/will end.

[JSett]

Good God I can't stop looking and drooling.
This one is the new crackwhore.
They have to meet, someday. Then the world can/will end.

There will only ever be one true crackwhore here. The original and the best

[cincinnatiharry]

So, a little history to go with this. It was bought in the late 60's and kept in the owners possession until his untimely death on Christmas Eve, aged 75. His friend (who had a lovely all-original '62 Tele I got to play) was entrusted by his widow to sell off the equipment. No one knows what happened to the original neck, or how it come to have a Broadcaster decal added. All the mods were done by the owner apart from the B-Bender conversion.

The B-bender was installed by a British session Banjo player and luthier called Keith Nelson. A bit of googling shows that Keith was a well regarded musician and worked on many guitars, including an SG gifted (in 4 pieces) from Pete Townsend to Albert Lee.

'Doctor' Noel Brown was gigging with the guitar until the week before he died. Here he is doing his stuff...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzJnSK8 ... acwvcamera

Very cool! You should download the video and save it to USB and put it in the guitar case.

I remember seeing a very similar guitar in the hands of British session guitarist Alan Parker (who did guitar on Donovan’s Hurdy Gurdy Man). I remember thinking “what neck is that!”. He also played on Gainsbough’s “ Histoire de Melody Nelson”.

The story you have, alone, makes the guitar worth much more (many times over) what you paid.

Good job!

[Jaguar018]

Guys. GUYS. Again with this "leave it as it is!!!" crap. You've got it all wrong. This guitar needs to be restored to original. Strip off all that extra stuff, plug all those holes with wood, refinish in some washed cream color, and easily the smartest idea: saw down that headstock into a tele shape.

[marqueemoon]

Nice bender work in that video. Very cool.

[infiniteposse]

Today was the Vox pickup day, right? I mean, the guitar's cool, but the Voxes are what have me super hot and bothered. I'm excited to see what you've got

[JSett]

Today was the Vox pickup day, right? I mean, the guitar's cool, but the Voxes are what have me super hot and bothered. I'm excited to see what you've got

I was supposed to be, yes. Not sure it's going ahead any more due to certain circumstances (other people sticking their nose in to the sell-off of his belongings). Bit of a bummer but it's not totally off the table. Yet.

[cincinnatiharry]

Well your guitar made this popular “hall of shame” Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca8RbV9Mko- ... =copy_link

[JSett]

Well your guitar made this popular “hall of shame” Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca8RbV9Mko- ... =copy_link

Hah!

I like the fact that most all the comments are people saying "nah, that thing is fucking rad". They're not wrong.

[Lost In Autumn]

Well your guitar made this popular “hall of shame” Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca8RbV9Mko- ... =copy_link

Hah!

I like the fact that most all the comments are people saying "nah, that thing is fucking rad". They're not wrong.

Not reading the comments is self care.

[Telliot]

Guys. GUYS. Again with this "leave it as it is!!!" crap. You've got it all wrong. This guitar needs to be restored to original. Strip off all that extra stuff, plug all those holes with wood, refinish in some washed cream color, and easily the smartest idea: saw down that headstock into a tele shape.