Re: Swapping pickups on Robert Quine's Telecaster?

Maggieo · Post by **Maggieo** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 9:20 am

OK, so I was lucky enough to get one of Robert Quine's old Telecasters, an MIJ 50's RI with Rio Grande pickups:

The guitar is wonderful- great neck, just the right weight, gorgeous...but I don't much care for the Rio Grande pickups. I'd kind of like to put some Lollar Vintage Tele pickups in, but I'm not sure it'd be right to molest a guitar that was made the way it is by Robert Quine.

So, what to do?

dug · Post by **dug** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:02 am

Maggieo wrote: OK, so I was lucky enough to get one of Robert Quine's old Telecasters, an MIJ 50's RI with Rio Grande pickups:

The guitar is wonderful- great neck, just the right weight, gorgeous...but I don't much care for the Rio Grande pickups. I'd kind of like to put some Lollar Vintage Tele pickups in, but I'm not sure it'd be right to molest a guitar that was made the way it is by Robert Quine.

So, what to do?

I'd leave it. You can always pimp out some of your other teles.

Angel221 · Post by **Angel221** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:03 am

One Part of me sez's keep it the way it is in his memory. The other side sez's why did he sell it? Was he not happy with the sound ,weight, feel .
In the end it's up to you . What ever you do just make sure it makes you happy.

d-rock · Post by **d-rock** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:08 am

I wouldn't touch it. If you do, what was the point of buying it in the first place? There are plenty of tele's out there to swap pickups in.

You could sell it and buy a sunburst tele, put Lollars in and probably still come out on top.

d-rock · Post by **d-rock** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:17 am

Angel221 wrote: why did he sell it? Was he not happy with the sound ,weight, feel .

I believe they were sold posthumously

Maggieo · Post by **Maggieo** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:25 am

d-rock wrote:
Angel221 wrote: why did he sell it? Was he not happy with the sound ,weight, feel .
I believe they were sold posthumously

Yep.

del · Post by **del** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:44 am

WHA!!??

Please pass on the whole story of how you ended up with this guitar. It's a fantastic link to rock and roll history!
With that in mind, I'd keep it as is - its a collectible memento - and mod a different tele to suit your playing.

~del

Maggieo · Post by **Maggieo** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:01 am

After Robert Quine died, Rick Kelly of Carmine Street Guitars was tasked with the job of selling off his gear collection. I saw an ad for it in Vintage Guitar, called Kelly and asked what was left. By the time I called, it was the MIJ and an MIM Nashville Tele, along with three Jazz Basses. The MIJ was $650, and I love MIJ Teles, so I bought it!

Quine had an enormous collection of guitars; over three hundred, IIRC.

del · Post by **del** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:06 am

Maggieo wrote: After Robert Quine died, Rick Kelly of Carmine Street Guitars was tasked with the job of selling off his gear collection. I saw an ad for it in Vintage Guitar, called Kelly and asked what was left. By the time I called, it was the MIJ and an MIM Nashville Tele, along with three Jazz Basses. The MIJ was $650, and I love MIJ Teles, so I bought it!

Quine had an enormous collection of guitars; over three hundred, IIRC.

NEAT! Do you know of a list of everything that was sold? I'm just interested to know what Quine's collection was like. He was primarily a strat user, right?
cool cool cool!

Angel221 · Post by **Angel221** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:09 am

Oh sorry, i didn't know the story of how the guitar came into your possesion.
Then i would change them and keep the Rio Grande for a later swap out if you decide to sell.
I have a feeling you won't, just because it belonged to Quine.

Maggieo · Post by **Maggieo** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:26 am

del wrote: NEAT! Do you know of a list of everything that was sold? I'm just interested to know what Quine's collection was like. He was primarily a strat user, right?
cool cool cool!

There used to be a list at Rick Kelly's website, but it seems to be gone, now that he's sold it all off.

Quine used Strats mostly, up until the mid 90's when he switched over to using Telecasters exclusively. He had a shitload of '52RIs! I wish I'd nabbed one of them, but I hear they went fast. Most of them had Duncan Antiquities loaded into them.

From the gear page at robertquine.com:

In 1996 Quine switched to the Fender Telecaster. "In the late '90s, Chris Cush of [New York City's] Mojo Guitars rewired a lot of Telecasters for me," Quine notes. My favorite right now is a Fender '52 reissue, with Seymour Duncan Antiquities pickups and a four-way switch. Rick Kelly of Carmine Street Guitars has been building some amazing Telecasters lately, and that's probably what I'll get next."

Maggieo · Post by **Maggieo** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:27 am

Angel221 wrote: Oh sorry, i didn't know the story of how the guitar came into your possesion.
Then i would change them and keep the Rio Grande for a later swap out if you decide to sell.
I have a feeling you won't, just because it belonged to Quine.

I would have to really be hurting to sell it. Like, "sell or die" hurting.

del · Post by **del** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:27 am

here is a list of the guitars and amps, but his pedal collection isn't included. rats.
http://www.carminestreetguitars.com/pdf ... nvoice.pdf

I love it when a stellar player like Quine has a collection filled with accessible instruments: standard and reissue fender strats and teles, a few casinos, peavey and fender amps, etc. Very nice.

Maggieo · Post by **Maggieo** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:28 am

$1599 gets you one of his Casinos.

aen · Post by **aen** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:35 am

ZOMG! 300 guitars?