I just became the owner of a 1951 Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent. I am very torn about how to relate to this guitar. I am a player, and the player in me says, get some new pots, investigate getting the pickups remounted (they're slightly off line from the strings) and other things I would do with any non-vintage guitar to get the best sound and playability from it. Not that it's not great sounding and very playable -- it is, or I wouldn't have gotten it.
The erstwhile collector in me says, no don't touch a thing, anything you change diminishes its value. I should say it's already not a 100% authentic -- someone refinished it probably around 1960 -- but it certainly is mainly vintage and the refinish is so old that it's vintage itself.
Are there do's and don'ts here? Like, it's OK to mount a strap button on the back but it's not OK to put humbuckers in it? What are the things that collectors really don't want to see?
Any advice would be welcome.