i figured this guitar was beyond restoration to original, so i decided to take the hot rod mod approach. in working on it, i found the quality to be quite good, in comparison to later 60s MIJs guitars. the wood is great, the craftsmanship is decent, and the electronics are fantastic. the pickups have an ohm rating equivalent to a strat single coil. the selector switches are a tank. im used to these things being very flimsy, touchy and usually need lots of work. this one is very well made.
these are pictures of the almost finished neck. still needs a bone nut and maybe a little more buffing here and there. my son got at it and put a little gouge around the 5-6th fret. (i may just leave that). im also making a badge for it, but i put a transparent waterslide on there too. so when the badge falls off in the future, whomever has it will know what it is. or was. the back of the neck was left au natural, which is how i like em. (well, a little hand rub poly to keep it clean with a natural feel) now, im just waiting for my friend to sand blast the aluminum pickguards and it will be ready for assembly. i cant wait.
