Toledo (Univox UC-2)

[anubi]

...and I appreciate your two cents. You make some good points, all of which I've been pondering at length. I've been torn about not wanting to desecrate an antique vs. making a decent player out of a guitar just isn't living up to it's potential. I've aired my thoughts and concerns out on internet forums and all but the bottom line is: There's just no serious collector value here.

I never thought of it from a collector's point of view, I just said that it may look odd with a new finish, unless you manage to relic it a bit...

Not to mention, this thing isn't a great player. The bone nut is chipped, the tone pot is frozen in place, the pickguard is curled a tad, and the selector switch gets knocked out of the neck position whenever I strum (poor placement, IMO) To be worth anything to a player, it must play and some things need to be changed in order to achieve that.

that's an entirely different matter... fix it!

what I just don't get is the problem with the selector switch position...
you're not the first one complaining about it, but sincerely it has never been a problem to me, but I guess it mostly depend on how and where you're used to strum... I always us the neck pickup and I never hit the switch by mistake... and it's not like I don't strum hard... I guess a solution may be to reverse the selector, so the switch will be in the "bridge position" and it won't be a problem anymore... unless you want to use the bridge pickup of course...

while we're at it, I think the bridge position sound it's way too trebly and thin; maybe an humbucker and different electronic would have been better, but this is a "surf guitar" after all, and it's useful to have guitars that play different than the others, otherwise there would be no point in owning more than one...

Otherwise, I'm just looking at it and it doesn't look too hot.

unless you think that because of the sunburst finish, I really have to disagree... the guitar's shape is fantastic and very ergonomic... but keep in mind that I also like a lot the look of the jag-stang (I would buy one for a reasonable price) , so...

[vr6pilot]

Oh no. You misunderstand me. I absolutely love the shape and ergos of the UC-2. It looks like poo due to the sunburst finish and the banged-up condition of it. If I didn't like the shape, I wouldn't bother messing with or putting any money in it. Meanwhile, surgery has begun. As with anything, some will approve; some will not. Here's a link to my rebuild 'blog' and a pic of its current status.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=26633

[Maukio]

Great job so far, I can't wait to see the finished product. I have the bass version of this guitar and I love the shape of the body and headstock!

[vr6pilot]

Pots and switch installed. Working on getting some more of the hardware stuff set in.
Got a chrome surround plate for the output jack and a custom wammy bar.
Half the shielding tape is in place. Going well and looking great!

[vr6pilot]

Decided to move my guitar build over to this forum (OSG). You can find it in the Vintage Restorations section.

[blackjackdavey]

A buddy of mine bought one of these a couple years ago for $100 and I never knew what it was until now. Super cool. The neck pickup's dead on it, but the bridge pickup sounds downright vicious

[anubi]

[anubi]

[anubi]

[anubi]

spot the difference(s)

[WonderCouncil]

spot the difference(s)

Bridge cover and selector switch are gone? Looks whiter as well but I'm guessing that's just the lighting.

Kind of late to the party but I've always dug the UC-2. Great shape and I think the "floating" output jack pretty darn cool. What's the scale length on these things and what's the body made up of? I'm slowly working my way through the thread at the moment. I'll have to try and find the project thread on it. May just have to keep my eyes peeled for one.

[anubi]

spot the difference(s)

Bridge cover and selector switch are gone? Looks whiter as well but I'm guessing that's just the lighting.

Kind of late to the party but I've always dug the UC-2. Great shape and I think the "floating" output jack pretty darn cool. What's the scale length on these things and what's the body made up of? I'm slowly working my way through the thread at the moment. I'll have to try and find the project thread on it. May just have to keep my eyes peeled for one.

yesss!!!

the meaning of these posts is to show my UC-2 finally in its original state!
she was missing the vibrato arm and the original Volume knob!

last picture shows how I play it, i.e. without the bridge cover (so I can play the "off bridge" part of the strings) and the pickup selector tip (it's in my way when I play, and it can fall and get lost forever!)

unfortunately can't answer your questions... I can try to measure the scale lenght but I'm not used to non-metric system

[WonderCouncil]

Very cool. It is a great looking guitar. Always thought the little headstock detail was really neat, the kind of...german carve it has.

I had forgotten about those, apparently Tempo, ones with the Strat-esque horns. Pictured on page 2. I think I like the UC-2 body style just a smidgen more though.

Definitely would appreciate any measurement you can manage. I'm not well versed in Metric but shouldn't be a problem to convert on Google or what ever. Scale length and nut width would be awesome. Just curious how it would compare to a typical Fender short scale. By and large my preferred scale/feel.

[anubi]

nut width is 38 mm and scale length is 629 mm...

[WonderCouncil]

nut width is 38 mm and scale length is 629 mm...

Thanks! So like 1.5" nut a 24.75" scale, good to know. Still going to keep my eyes out for one, not that I have the money for it now but if it's a good enough deal...who's to say.