Help Needed on Original '63 Tele Custom Circuit

[Robbie Collins]

I sold an original sunburst '63 Tele Custom last week to a guy in NYC. I explained beforehand that it had the original circuit where Leo Fender shunted off treble with a .1 cap so the player could double on bass (or so I've heard). 

The buyer took it to a NYC shop on 30th or 31st Street whose tech suggested rewiring it to the later spec.  This will devalue the guitar so I'm trying to help him find a minimally invasive way of restoring the treble on the neck pickup.

I've attached an image of the pre and post 66 circuits. Wouldn't a jumper around the .1mfd cap solve the problem?

[Thomas James]

I am not sure if that would work well? If it were mine, I would consider de-soldering the pickups and drop the whole wire harness intact and replace with the desired harness. That way it could be replaced in the future. Some super vintage-o-files look for original solder joints. So either way he would messing with that.

[Paul Verticchio]

Hi Robbie.

I'm in Tom's camp. Any "mod" should be performed with all new hardware and passive components.

As a note, I'm familiar with this paradox. Players want vintage instruments but without all the 'no longer applicable' oddball tweaks of the originals. This is going to be a growing issue and, IMO, we should steer clear from giving valuation/devaluation advice and simply perform the work desired. Valuation questions should be referred to trusted vintage dealers.

When posed with this situation, I tell folks that THEY must decide if they want a stock vintage/collectible instrument OR a working musician's instrument modified to their spec's. It's definitely understandable as the quirks of Tele's and Strat's gave birth to the whole 'world of circuit/hardware mod's'.

As an alternative to modified collectible instruments, I recommend building a guitar with the desired spec's from aftermarket parts. Taking a note from almost every pro player out there: "Leave the vintage stuff at home and take out a guitar you won't lose sleep over if it's stolen or destroyed". Lord knows there are PLENTY of inexpensive yet serviceable Tele style guitars available that can fit the bill.

The originality of solder joints only seem to come into play with investment grade or museum quality pieces. If the guitar is not in near mint condition, this is not a future issue.

Also, your obligation regarding the guitar's value ended upon completion of the sale transaction.  You have no moral, ethical or legal obligation to worry about the guitar's value. That's the owner's decision exclusively. What I'm saying is 'Don't let him draw you into his decision making responsibilities'. You completed your obligation when he bought the stock instrument.

I hope some of this helps. :)

[Robbie Collins]

Thanks, Paul and Tom. I think it's a great idea to do a drop in replacement if he wants to bring it up to modern specs.  One of the pots was replaced with another '63 Stackpole so the solder joints have been touched. I suppose moving the pickup wires to a new control plate wouldn't be much of an issue.

You're right, Paul, that my obligation in terms of maintaining value ended with the sale, but nevertheless I am compelled to advise novice vintage owners who insist on modding that they will devalue the guitar. This is why I was hoping a couple of alligator clips and a piece of wire could be used to bypass the cap and make the mod completely reversible.

Thanks for the advice, guys!

[Paul Verticchio]

Robbie,

My personal approach to these situations has shifted dramatically over the past few years. I no longer consider myself a vocal conservator of a guitar's value when it comes to mod's. I simply state the fact that the guitar's value will be affected. If they want to know 'how', I refer them to vintage guitar dealers. The dealers are the only ones with their fingers on the market's pulse.

This shift was prompted by my experiences with a few of just the type of newbie vintage guys you describe. THEY have to decide what the final outcome would be. My 'former' customer's concerns and desired mod's turned them into customers from hell. Why? They had no idea of what the market bears and the results of those mod's. Their ignorance, after my original appraisal that any mod's will "change the value" of the instrument, was of their own doing.  Also, may of them are only bedroom rockstars and believe all the hack drivel spewed so freely on other guitar forums.

As a digression: I made it a point to peruse the most popular guitar forums last week and the amount of bad information on them is appalling. Most are truly replacing facts with opinions and those opinions are mostly WRONG. Those forums make our jobs a LOT more difficult as we have to 'undo' layers of misinformation to end up on a level playing field with the customer.

I've also chosen to remain on the repair side of the bench. Being a repairman is a full time job and researching repair techniques (as you do often in the middle of your projects) takes as much or more time than the actual work we perform.

Being an expert vintage instrument dealer that can offer a definitive opinion regarding the effects of mod's on value is a WHOLLY DIFFERENT profession with completely different skill sets and knowledge base.  Most of the most talented tech's/builders I associate with share this outlook, having experienced trying to be both and failing (in business) and ultimately deciding on one or the other. They were all 'successful' in their chosen roles after they made their decision.

There are only two practical reasons someone buys a stock vintage instrument: Collectivity/Value (at which point the guitar goes into it's case only to be seen when displayed for snob appeal or when offered for sale) and the desire to get some 'great wood' to transform into a working instrument. As I said, most serious collector/players leave the vintage stuff at home and gig with repro's or less expensive alternatives.  Only the tragically uneducated players take $15K+ instruments (such as a '63 Tele Custom) to gigs. To prove my point, I point to the growing 'Relic'd guitar" market. I freely admit that I don't understand THAT market at all.

Again, I offer this info as a cautionary tale based upon almost 40 years of guitar repair & customer interaction. . Ultimately, the decision is between you and your customer and our opinions are factually worthless.

Best of luck to an agreeable resolution :)

[Paul Verticchio]

Robbie,

I neglected to add the following bold faced text in my message and missed the edit cutoff time.

"Being a repairman is a full time job and researching repair techniques (as you do often in the middle of your projects....and that's exactly what we're here for)..."

Without that, it sounds critical. With the extra text, it sounds more like the compliment that I wished to express. You're a valued member and a great example of how & why the forum works. Keep up the great posts, man :)

[Len Biglin]

Also if you place a shunt across the capacitor , it will kill the signal completely in the bass position

The cap needs to be lifted from the back of pot , and the connections on the 3way changed to give a middle / both and a neck only position .

[Robbie Collins]

Thanks, Len. I will suggest he keeps it original and offer to make him a replacement control plate.