I've eventually managed to get this JM back together
![Cool 8)](./images/smilies/cool.gif)
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I decided to keep the frets and just tidy them up a bit - I thought they were too scrappy and wide to be the originals, but was persuaded that they possibly were, and apart from a few uneven ends there's nothing wrong with them.
Pushing the bridge cups in with a hot soldering iron - I had to do the last mm with my drill press, but this made sure the finish didn't crack as they went in:
I'd masked off the only body marking, and put a stealth layer of shielding paint under the finish in the cavities to supplement the brass when it goes together:
I added a cable-tie to the collet, held on with a dab of superglue to future-proof it as much as possible without fuss:
Shielding back in. I had to use two soledring irons at once to heat the joints enough - not the neatest soldering in the world, unfortunately, but it works:
I decided I had to widen the holes in the guard just enough for it to sit back down properly.:
The original rhythm bracket had been cut to accept a larger replacement pot; I managed to replace it with a vintage original:
Pickup markings: LM 12-30-65 - anyone know who LM was?
I replaced the jack back to the correct type, but drew the line at trying to source a vintage one:
New rhythm bracket in place:
The pickups were a nightmare to get back in. Had to solder them in to the body, then squeeze the covers in from above, and then jam the pickups up into them from the underneath at an angle to push everything outwards as they went in. I was determined to do it without trimming the guard if I could:
Hilda approves:
Sort of...
The repair has settled a bit since the refinish, and is just visible in the right light, as is the lower extra piece of the two-piece body, and the routing dowel in the back. A little frustrating, but inevitable, really, and standard for a vintage body. I didn't dare over-polish it for fear of going through the finish. Figured it was better left a little 'human' rather than having a super-perfect sheen that would jar with the vintage hardware:
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Oh...sounds and plays like an absolute dream. I've promised myself I won't fall in love with it - I only ever wanted it as a restoration project - but my god...