76 Tele Deluxe with Paint Cracks-Refinish with Original Paint?

[guitarfox]

I recently "reacquired" my 1976 Telecaster Deluxe "black beauty" (black body and pickguard) from my former college roommate, who bought the Tele from me in 1979 in exchange for a week in Daytona Beach (I guess my priorities were a bit different back then!). He only played the guitar once or twice, so it resided in the original hard case for virtually all of the past 30 years. Unfortunately, the paint developed numerous horizontal cracks on both the front and rear of the body, most likely from temperature changes (I think he kept it in his unheated garage on a shelf). The rest of the guitar is in great shape-there are a few small dings I put in it when we traveled up and down the East Coast together, a small bit of surface rust on the chrome parts and pickup bodies, but the neck is still straight, there is negligible wear on the frets and all the electronics work like it did when I first owned it.

I know, based on other threads in this and similar forums, that it is usually not advised to refinish a vintage guitar (I guess this qualifies-not sure) if the objective is to maximize the collectible value, but those paint cracks really bug me, and I would like to restore the original paint to its former glory. I'm not all that concerned about getting top dollar for the guitar-I have already decided that I will keep it in the family and pass it on to my son, who is a fellow music enthusiast (but plays keyboards rather than the guitar). Because of that, I'd like to get some advice on how to refinish the guitar, including repainting with the same type of paint used originally. Any comments or tips are greatly appreciated.

[Gris]

Those cracks are called 'checking' and are considered a normal part of the vintage vibe. Some people even pay $ to have that done to their axe. I wouldnt touch that guitar if it plays well.

[chuckocaster]

from what you've posted it's seems like you've already talked yourself into refinishing it. this will lower the value, but it's YOUR guitar, you have to be happy with it.

as for the paint, if you really want durable then you want poly.

like the grisman stated, some people pay top dollar to make their guitars look old. i really like the look of a used instrument, dings, checks, missing paint. love it, that patina to me screams "i have a storied past", but that's me.

best of luck with your project.

[phantomman]

Put me in the corner with Mark and Chuck. Aside from playability issues I wouldn't touch a damn thing on that guitar. YMMV of course.

[guitarfox]

Thanks much for the feedback-your points about the battle scars made me realize that those dings are history markers from the past (I'm also a big Dan Brown fan), and painting them over would be like throwing away an old photograph or burying an heirloom in the backyard. I guess I could spend the money on a new shiny Tele instead-then I would have the best of both worlds.

I also need to decide which amp to get for the Tele-the Super Twin I used with it was stolen long ago, and since I haven't had any electric guitar since then I have no amp. Even if I still had it, I need something a bit smaller for practice and so I don't alienate my wife and neighbors while I relearn the ropes with the Tele. I'm sure researching that will keep me busy for awhile.

If I can figure out how to post photos of the Tele, I will put some up in case anyone is curious as to what it looks like. Thanks again for the feedback.

[NeoFauve]

I'd tend to leave the finish be.

Sounds like a cool guitar. Those pickups are fairly sought after.

I look forward to seeing some phtots.

Wouldn't a '76 Tele have a poly finish?

[melody]

Wouldn't a '76 Tele have a poly finish?

Should have..

[melody]

Yes We need pic's...

[Mesotech]

I'd leave it "as is". Nice new shiny guitars are great, and trying to keep a guitar looking new is also a good thing. However, that being said, when "I" see a pristine example of an old guitar with no visible signs of wear, I find myself wondering "why". If a guitar of that age doesn't have any wear, it most likely wasn't a good enough example to get played much to begin with. I am more attracted to guitars that show the playing time on them, not abuse but actual wear from being played.

I had a 76 Strat for a while, and even though it was a thick poly finish, I still got checking of the finish. That was back when I lived in New Hampshire, and would transport my guitar in and out of the cold weather often. Oddly, my Strat checked, but neither of my Les Pauls did, and they were all exposed to the same elements equally.

[guitarfox]

Here's a try at some photos I took before I shipped it to myself from Ohio to SoCal:

http://gallery.me.com/100037

[Gris]

Dont ever even think about swapping those PUs out. The wide-range bucker is my fave PU ever. They sound great with the midsize BF fender amps - bandmaster, Lux, Super. One of those and a Rat pedal and you can get a LOT of sounds...

[guitarfox]

Don't worry-I love the sound of the dual humbuckers and they will remain on the guitar. Frankly, unless something breaks, I don't plan to do anything at all to the electronics of the Tele-the pots and switches are nice and quiet, so all I have to do now is relearn how to play it. My hands aren't as flexible as they were when I was 21, but I have so much more "wisdom" behind them now.

I'm off to the local Martin dealer to get some warranty work done-my D35 developed a "pickguard" crack that needs attention, and the frets have a few too many wear divots and need to be dressed. I also plan to evaluate an update for my Barcus Berry Hot Dots, which were the only option when I had them installed back in 1976.

[DanD]

Put me in the corner with Mark and Chuck. Aside from playability issues I wouldn't touch a damn thing on that guitar. YMMV of course.

+1

I had a Walnut '73 just like that one. Those pups are special

As far as a practice amp goes, I guess it really comes down to how much you want to spend.

Personally I'd shoot for a semi-vintage Sliverface Champ or Princeton.

Either can be had at very decent prices, for a point to point amp, and they are from the same era as the Tele.

Great score getting her back!

[guitarfox]

Now that the Martin is in good hands (got a LR Baggs iMix to replace the Hot Dot, plus a partial refret and the pickguard crack fix), it's time to head to the local Guitar Center with my Tele and try out a few of their amps. In addition to the reissues (Deluxe, Pro Jr, Blues Jr, Princeton) and the Super Champ XD, which I have heard a lot of good things about (for a sub-$300 amp), they had a nice Pro Reverb silverface for $650-maybe I will check that one out as well.

[Gris]

pro Rev for $650? jump it!

[guitarfox]

The Pro Reverb looks to be original except for the output tubes (6L6?) which are Groove Tube brand (I am familiar with them from my tune phono preamp). It is the 70 watt version-apparently they originally came out at 40 watts and increased to 70 watts later in their run. Ampwares says Fender switched to a black face in 1980, so this one is probably 1978 or 1979-right in the same year span as my Tele. The speakers are Fender labeled with blue lettering, some minor wear and rips on the Tolex cover (mainly at the corners), but other than that, it looks pretty nice-the chassis is very clean, with very minor rusting. It's been there for a few days, so I might go back and offer them $550 and see if they will take it-eBay shows recent sale prices from $450 to $800 depending on vintage and condition. The Pro was by far the best sounding with their Tele Deluxe reissue (I forgot to take my own, so I used their new one), but I also liked the Blues Jr and the Pro Jr, as well as the much cheaper Super Champ XD. I think I'll eat dinner and ponder it-if it's still there when I return, then it was my destiny to get this amp. If not, I'll probably get the Super Champ until I decide which of the more expensive models I want.

[phantomman]

The mid/late '70s Pro Reverb amps bear little resemblance to the original Fender AB165 design. Aside from the overbloated output claim of 70 watts RMS the rectifier consists of solid-state diodes instead of the traditional GZ34/5U4 vacuum tube. Thus, they lack the "saggy warmth" of their black-face bretheren. That said, they can still be made to sound pretty good with some tweaking by someone familiar with the ultra-linear architecture (especially with a decent pedal or two out in front). A cost of $550 would be within the bounds of sanity.

[blewgrass]

Nice guitar. Think of refinishing that guitar like spray painting a Van Gough.