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john
Statistics: Posted by johnnyb — Tue Aug 16, 2011 5:37 pm
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Statistics: Posted by Michael Ambrose — Tue Aug 16, 2011 12:12 pm
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Statistics: Posted by Spud1950 — Tue Aug 16, 2011 12:31 am
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Anyhoo... Unfortunately, I didn't snap any before pics... just got too excited with the build.
I soaked the original pots and rotary switch in de-ox for a good while... routed the headstock for new Grovers... (because, well, I love Klusons, but I want this to be a SOLID player.)
LOTS of buffing and polishing... could still use some more... every time I do some sort of cleaning, rubbing, grinding, or drilling on this piece, no matter what part, that old aroma of nicotine wafts up. Its seriously uncanny... This guit was definitely owned by a chain-smoker! haha...
Sadly, the pickguards have some rust that just won't come up... but eh, I'll chalk it up to soul!
And the headstock... definitely going to root around for some cooler buttons for the Grovers... ugh, so big and bulky... so clunky looking...
Statistics: Posted by Michael Ambrose — Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:09 pm
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Like your mother, I get worried when you don't check in. Good to hear from you and I hope all is well. I look forward to pics of your latest project.
Statistics: Posted by VintAxe — Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:40 pm
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Statistics: Posted by Spud1950 — Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:26 pm
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Pics forthcoming, I swear!
My band Les Trois Chaud was tracking over the weekend... well, we STARTED tracking back in December... which was when I first eyed up this poor little fella sitting in a dank corner of the studio... rusting away, covered in dust, coated in sweat and grime and nicotine... Six months laster, nearing the completion of our record, the studio owner sold her to me!
I'd never had much interest in these before, too mundane for me... I was always more into Kay's more "colorful" models... the 1413L, the demons and the kessels... but I just couldn't pass this little guy up.
At first I figured it was just a Value Leader... first cousin to the Stratotone... the secondary brass-colored pickguard didn't even register in my mind until I started the tear-down and took a moment to identify some parts!
It could very well be a placebo effect, or the fact that I haven't handled a low-end Chicago piece in a good while... But I've got to say, the Style Leader, for a few dollars more, is a markedly better guitar than a Value Leader or a Stratotone. The finish is clearly heavier, the construction seemingly more solid, two pickups each of different height and impedance...
Here's the odd thing... no date stamps on the pups! First time I've ever come across this... but then again, first time I've ever torn down a Style Leader. Regardless, if I go by the catalogs, the Style Leader was introduced in 1960 but did not appear in the 1962 catalog and beyond... so I think I've got a close enough idea of its age.
Also... The tuners were cheap-o MIJ three-on-a-strip pieces... But with no extra holes or repair/replace marks? Was Kay using crappy MIJ tuners as early as '60/'61? Do the holes line up THAT closely?
BTW, the tuners are totally wasted... contemplating replacements... may just go Bezdez chrome 3+3s.
The teardown went quite smoothly... ran some degreaser and such over the top and back, scrubbed the hell out of it and did some light buffing... man oh man, it literally changed color with all of the grime removed. My fresh white shop cloth was definitely a dark brown afterward hahaha!
Anyhoo... I'm just super excited, and even without pictures I had to post haha... she's already torn down, pots are soaking in de-ox, I was just too excited to remember to take "before" pics... such a bad habit of mine... but I'll post some "work in progress" pics shortly...
Good to be back, fellas!
-Mike
Statistics: Posted by Michael Ambrose — Sun Aug 07, 2011 11:34 pm
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