LPB Jazzmaster '63 restoration
Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 2:29 pm
Hi,
My latest "project" is now finished. I came across a refinished LPB 1963 Jazzmaster earlier this year that I couldn't resist. I found it through Reverb and there were quite a few mods but the price was fair. Most obvious is of course the "hippie" butterfly on the head. As they told me the original owner had done that way back, probably in the late sixties or so. Some other mods are the extra switch between the volume and tone knobs (not year correct either), a radio switch in the rythm position and also changed the bridge pickup to a 69-70's strat pickup.
Some pictures (taken by the Reverb seller) from how it used to look:
When I got it delivered only the rythm position worked on one of the pickups. The other pickup was dead on arrival.
So, my goal was to restore it as much as possible and try to find year correct parts where needed. As with my Jaguar I left it to Ad Lib Guitars (Hans is world class!) in Stockholm for a refinish and help with getting rid of the (what I guess) kill switch and so on.
He did some work on tracing the production year more closely. Serial number points at '63 but pots and the neck pickup are stamped late '61. Neck is a slab! The neck had been refinished earlier with some lacquer and the neck stamp had been polished off so there was no help there.
He could find traces that pointed at Olympic White as the original color. That would also explain that the pick guard had been changed (probably a '64-65 guard on it now). Original hardcase as used until '62, I believe (the pictures on the finished guitar below is taken in a newer case).
Concerning color decision I had a hard time choosing. Love a pale Fiesta but I decided on going with a Lake Placid Blue with a tint to the yellowed/greenish and some relicing. J Mascis greenish LPB Jaguar in the "Out There" video was once the guitar that got me into offsets in the first place.
After a couple of months of long waiting a got this (mind it's nearly impossible getting a color correct picture of LPB...):
I'm looking for a time correct bridge pickup but put a Antiquity in meanwhile. eBay action prices are killing me...!
I'm really happy with the result and it plays and sounds like a dream. Great sustain. Rather different in sound from my Oly '66, I must say. Thanks for reading.
My latest "project" is now finished. I came across a refinished LPB 1963 Jazzmaster earlier this year that I couldn't resist. I found it through Reverb and there were quite a few mods but the price was fair. Most obvious is of course the "hippie" butterfly on the head. As they told me the original owner had done that way back, probably in the late sixties or so. Some other mods are the extra switch between the volume and tone knobs (not year correct either), a radio switch in the rythm position and also changed the bridge pickup to a 69-70's strat pickup.
Some pictures (taken by the Reverb seller) from how it used to look:
When I got it delivered only the rythm position worked on one of the pickups. The other pickup was dead on arrival.
So, my goal was to restore it as much as possible and try to find year correct parts where needed. As with my Jaguar I left it to Ad Lib Guitars (Hans is world class!) in Stockholm for a refinish and help with getting rid of the (what I guess) kill switch and so on.
He did some work on tracing the production year more closely. Serial number points at '63 but pots and the neck pickup are stamped late '61. Neck is a slab! The neck had been refinished earlier with some lacquer and the neck stamp had been polished off so there was no help there.
He could find traces that pointed at Olympic White as the original color. That would also explain that the pick guard had been changed (probably a '64-65 guard on it now). Original hardcase as used until '62, I believe (the pictures on the finished guitar below is taken in a newer case).
Concerning color decision I had a hard time choosing. Love a pale Fiesta but I decided on going with a Lake Placid Blue with a tint to the yellowed/greenish and some relicing. J Mascis greenish LPB Jaguar in the "Out There" video was once the guitar that got me into offsets in the first place.
After a couple of months of long waiting a got this (mind it's nearly impossible getting a color correct picture of LPB...):
I'm looking for a time correct bridge pickup but put a Antiquity in meanwhile. eBay action prices are killing me...!
I'm really happy with the result and it plays and sounds like a dream. Great sustain. Rather different in sound from my Oly '66, I must say. Thanks for reading.
