Delayed new Tele day!

This is a rarity for me- an actual Fender guitar (rather than a clone). It's a 2012 American Standard. I had sold a few things and was looking for a Telecaster and maybe a small Mesa amp. I found this rig locally last weekend at a very good price. The guitar was cheap because it had been routed for a humbucker and drilled for a humbucker bridge and the scars are visible. The amp was cheap as part of the package deal.

I replaced the Duncan Hot Rails bridge pickup with a Broadcaster pickup that I had on hand (it came with another project guitar) and the cut up pickguard with a Fender tortoise shell guard that I've been saving for the past 20+ years. It sounds and plays great- like a Tele should. It may get a Nashville setup with a Strat pickup in the middle. I'm not sure what I'll do about the holes by the bridge. I may just leave it as is.

The guitar came with a Fender red label molded case. Unfortunately, it appears that someone spilled beer in it. Maybe I'll try cleaning it with carpet or upholstery cleaner.

The amp cleaned up well, too. It doesn't need anything. I like these little Mesa amps because they work very well at very low volume levels. This one can be set much quieter or much louder than a Princeton Reverb (though it can never sound quite as good). It's a 25 watt (Mesa's claim) 1x10" amp about the size of a PR. They're good practice and jam session amps if you can get one cheap enough.

As I bought them-

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fd6daa79_b.jpg

As the Tele looks now-

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...22fa1009_b.jpg

I've got someone coming over to buy the Hot Rails pickup.

Congrats. Battle scars (hb route) are welcomed.

Nice acquisition! You could probably get the router holes plugged with some ash, and then stained to match the existing finish, but it would still be detectable upon close inspection. The cost may be more than the increase in value to the guitar (if any). Check out some of Ted Woodford's guitar repair videos. His YT channel is twoodfrd.

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Originally Posted by Michael Smith

Nice acquisition! You could probably get the router holes plugged with some ash, and then stained to match the existing finish, but it would still be detectable upon close inspection. The cost may be more than the increase in value to the guitar (if any). Check out some of Ted Woodford's guitar repair videos. His YT channel is twoodfrd.

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Thanks! Any repair would have to be something that I could do myself. When I get a guitar at a reduced price due to issues (this one was $400 minus the Duncan Hot Rails pickup that I sold for $40 last night- so $360 out of pocket for an American Standard Tele), I see it as a challenge to use whatever really good quality parts I already have on hand to make it into a really nice playing and sounding guitar.
I don't mind seeing the routing, but I do feel like it should be closed up.

One option would be to cut the bridge and install a set of Mojotone '59 Clone humbuckers from my parts drawer to make a Tele-Gib!

If it were mine, I would make a router template to cut a perfect rectangle, then fit a plug to fill up the hole, and route a new slot in the plug to accommodate the single coil. That would be the easy part. Color matching and applying finish is more of an "art" than the woodworking. But since you got it a such a good price, anything you do (or don't do) is probably fine.

I say love it as it is

It's a shame that someone routed a crude hole in an American Tele. My personality would compel me to try to "fix" it, but I would probably make it worse, lol.

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Originally Posted by Michael Smith

It's a shame that someone routed a crude hole in an American Tele. My personality would compel me to try to "fix" it, but I would probably make it worse, lol.

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I know, right! I would definitely risk making it worse! I'm a huge proponent of "First, do no harm" for my own stuff and, especially when I work on other people's gear. Fortunately, I have enough going on right now that I don't really have time to mess up this guitar!

wood chipper, pellet stove. keep you warm this wintah, yessha, it's gonna be a cold one :D

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Originally Posted by Don

I know, right! I would definitely risk making it worse! I'm a huge proponent of "First, do no harm" for my own stuff and, especially when I work on other people's gear. Fortunately, I have enough going on right now that I don't really have time to mess up this guitar!

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As Ted Woodford says: "If it ain't broke, don't break it", lol.