KnightroExpress Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 Tonight I started working on an old Teisco KL4 (the shark fin!) for a friend. This guitar actually has a bit of an interesting story: it was found in a dumpster several years ago and has been sitting in my buddy's closet for years, never functional. Naturally, it's not in great shape. The frets are about a half millimeter away from being totally flat, the nut is all jacked up, and the wiring is total crap. I forgot to take pics before disassembly and rewiring, but hey, most of a thread is better than nothing, right?So this is pretty neat- 4 on/off switches for individual coil selection. Every other coil is RWRP for hum canceling when the right combo is selected. That all runs to a Varitone-ish rotary switch, then master volume/tone. I replaced about half of the wiring, both pots, and the jack.It works!Doweling the pickguard holes- they were all totally shot.And the body is done.Next up- refret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted September 27, 2015 Report Share Posted September 27, 2015 I love seeing old guitars rebuilt and playable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 Cool project! I can almost picture the band that was played in, back in the day.SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Time to get going on the refret. First, I pulled the nut. It's pretty crummy, as you can see.Some nice mahogany under there, though.Frets are practically nonexistant.Ew.Frets are all out, slots get scraped clean.It's hammer time!All NS frets are in, the zero fret is stainless.NS frets trimmed.The zero fret provided an opportunity to test my new nippers.I've literally trimmed a single fret and the edge is pretty jacked up. Can't wait to replace these.Filed flush and beveled.All done for tonight. Level, crown and polish will be tomorrow.Thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Great project I am enjoying seeing this come together. Must be one of the first guitars to have 4 and 2 tuners. Also like that enclosive neck pocket, stable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Super cool doesn't even get close to describing this bit of gear. How are the tuners internally? The shafts look pretty shot up and could do with some good time in an electrolysis bath. @ScottR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Thanks guys! The tuners work and feel solid enough, but they're definitely pretty gross and corroded. The owner is thinking about having me just put new ones on, but has otherwise asked me to leave as much....history (aka filth) on as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 I've literally trimmed a single fret and the edge is pretty jacked up. Can't wait to replace these.The pair I got from StewMac did exactly the same thing when I went to SS frets. RAD found some that held up to stainless that he mentioned in one of his old threads--you'll probably have to use the search function if you're interested enough to see what they were. I just use a dremel cutoff wheel.SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 I'm disappointed in these because they were specifically advertised as capable of dealing with stainless fretwire... if they were just regular nippers, I'd be annoyed but understanding. I have a replacement picked out, so no worries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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