OffsetGuitars.com

I just asked my pal for close up photos. His 1st year must be a custom or something, the wealthy collector supposedly only keeps all original guitars. Man I'd love to see his vast guitar room...

So here's the 1958 natural. It's not mine so I can't pop the neck or pickguard off, but he took some photos for me. The headstock decal is worn very strangely to me, like someone sanded it partly off.

In fact, after just seeing that decal, it would not surprise me if this was not a factory custom job, but rather someone who sanded off the entire finish and then sealed it? I don't know much about these things. I have never seen this guitar in person.

StevenO wrote: ↑

Sat May 04, 2019 10:13 am

It does look like it has a little bit of a weird shape to it... Interesting guitar!

How's it play/sound?

It'll arrive at my brother's place in the next days... I won't be able to play it/pick it up until my next trip to Mexico... i guess in about a year!

EDIT - Double post.

13 hole pickguard, white switch tip & a non-Pat Pend tailpiece.

If you ask me, that's not a '58. Or, if it is, it's had parts replaced (which would be highly unlikely).

PorkyPrimeCut wrote: ↑

Sat May 11, 2019 11:59 pm

13 hole pickguard, white switch tip & a non-Pat Pend tailpiece.

If you ask me, that's not a '58. Or, if it is, it's had parts replaced (which would be highly unlikely).

Great info! Some horrible part of me really wants this not to be a real one. Gosh, I'm a total douche. But I'm gonna tell him the pickguard thing!

Can you please elaborate on the "non-pat pend" tailpiece?

Man, now I really want to borrow it and pull of the neck and PG...

Tell him he needs to take off the bridge cover or put on a shirt. Does he work out?

HAHA I saw that. Naw he's a burly British dude. It's his 9 year old daughter's guitar, and she doesn't know how to play and is not taking lessons. It just sits there until she strums a few notes.

She made up a kid song on a ukulele and that's what charmed the guitar collector dude.

DeathJag wrote: ↑

Sun May 12, 2019 6:57 am

Can you please elaborate on the "non-pat pend" tailpiece?

Sure, while Fender were waiting for the tailpiece design to be patented the early ones were stamped with "Pat. Pend" (for Patent Pending).

Here's my '59...



I forget exactly when the Patent Number appears - '61 - '62 perhaps - someone else will be able to chime in.

As to the pickguard, throughout '58 the guards were anodised, gold guards with 9 screw holes. There was a couple of transitionary periods between '58 & '59 where the guards changed to nitrocellulose, firstly having 11 screw holes (see below) & finally 13 (like his).



If he can be bothered removing the pickguard & finds an extra screw hole close to the volume knob that might indicate that the body is a '58. Also the route that accomodates the pots in that area would have straight sides. This changed to a wavier route during the same transitionary period.

This is a '61 body...


This is a '58...

I hate to say it, but I actually think that might be a reissue tailpiece. Aren't the tremlock buttons on the vintage ones a bit more rounded off on the corners? Maybe not, though!

I think it's a refin, personally.

PorkyPrimeCut wrote: ↑

Sun May 12, 2019 9:01 am

Oh wow man! Thank you so much. I feel SO MUCH BETTER knowing he wasn’t gifted an all-original ‘58 JM. Hahha! But seriously, thanks for letting me hijack for this and the incredible info!!

Maybe, just maybe he will let me come over and open it up. Especially now that we know it’s nothing close to an original ‘58!

It kind of sucks being so rough on someone's guitar that didn't even ask for our opinion

Edit: oh, ha, exactly (I posted before I saw DeathJag's reply.)

But yeah, I can't think of a way for those chips to come out of the tuner holes unless someone redrilled for different tuners at some point. It could have been the process of sanding those smooth that led to the decal partially coming off. Also, is there another possible explanation for the circular wear that's just slightly larger than the radius of the tuner bushings? Does it look like the string tree might have been in a different spot for part of this guitar's life?

MC3 wrote: ↑

Wed May 08, 2019 2:04 pm

I've been thinking about doing this to SQ JMJM. I think I have enough tru oil left over from a neck refin i did. This thread is definitely helping that cause

Heads up that it will be mismatching pieces of wood under that poly.

Trout wrote: ↑

Sun May 12, 2019 10:04 am

MC3 wrote: ↑

Wed May 08, 2019 2:04 pm

I've been thinking about doing this to SQ JMJM. I think I have enough tru oil left over from a neck refin i did. This thread is definitely helping that cause

Heads up that it will be mismatching pieces of wood under that poly.

I'm aware this is a real possibility. I am not anal about matching wood, and sometimes I think it actually looks cool. But if its so off or just bad lookin, I'll paint it fiesta red or something

StevenO wrote: ↑

Sun May 12, 2019 9:20 am

I hate to say it, but I actually think that might be a reissue tailpiece. Aren't the tremlock buttons on the vintage ones a bit more rounded off on the corners? Maybe not, though!

I think it's a refin, personally.

I thought the same thing. It seems very shiny, not dull like the vintage units I'm familiar with.
I should already know this but weren't the early metal parts all nickel plated, not chrome?