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Post subject: What to do with my Musicmaster II (long series of ????s)
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:56 am
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Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:32 pm
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For reference, if you're interested, are pics of my '66 MMII in another thread. Here's the deal. I took it completely apart when I restrung it last week. For documentation purposes and to help with the following decision.

Do I leave it as is now, or do I go ahead and mod it up a little (bridge, pups) or do I go for a semi-restoration?

For your consideration, the guitar has a natural non-original finish. My 8 y/o son would like to go back to a white finish and he is the one playing mostly now. PG is toroise with orignal pup.

The neckplate with the original serial number was pirated before I bought it. Replaced with a blank chrome piece. The bridge is pretty rusty. THe body had a crude route for a humbucker or something in the bridge position. Some wires have been replaced. The inner routes would seem to indicate a white original finsh, but can't be sure. There is red in there too. And no rhyme or reason to it. Looks as if it could have been red and white in it's past. The red is on the shielding, but no white on it. The white looks too sloppy for factory though (brushed?)

Neck date is May 16 66, I think. Pups may be July 66, would have to look at pics again. Seems like pot dates are 18th wk of 66.

I don't want to mess with the neck. But what about the body and electrics? I would love to buy a new Mustang pg and put two pups in it. I'm not fond of the switching arrangement though. Whatever I do, I will be keeping the original parts WITH it.

The body can't be fixed back to original, due to the crude routing in there. I could clean it up though. With that said, what about replacing the bridge with the string thru body, 6 saddle arangement (I saw it at Angela Instruments on Ebay). That would be a definite improvement in playability, intonation.

I can "restore" it to original appearance, but never back to 100% correct. I have no idea what the serial number is, although I see ebay also has replacement plates that can be stamped with whatever. I don't really want to buy original vintage parts, as they are too expensive to ever recoup the investment, when combined with the poor routing job. $200 for a 66 neckplate, $100 for a bridge, etc. And when it's done, it's still not a 100% accurate restoration.

I don't want to ruin the eventual value of the guitar, but who can tell what to really expect out of it, anyway. But if the value is shot already, then I could mod it carefully to improve it's playability and at least trade that for value.

I know nothing of the history of the guit before I bought it.

Suggestions, opinions? So far locally they are split on leaving it completely as is, like I bought it in 1983 or trying to get back to an original appearance.

Thanks
Randy


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