ShortScale.org

Resolved to ease up on looking for stuff, with the exception that I’d been looking for an affordable original Tele Deluxe for the last decade, but since one would never turn up here in Tasmania I was pretty safe.
Last week one did. I had to drive for five hours, but now it’s my Final Boss of collecting.
1976, refret, everything else original.

Foxy as shit!

Although the whole vintage guitars thing is getting annoying because of the rich corksniffers who wouldn't shut up about special tone semen from the left ball of Ted McCarthy being carefully rubbed into the wood; and although I hate Fender, that is an absolute beauty, congrats!

Beaut.

Thanks folks. I don't know about tone semen but this one feels like it has earwax all over it, there is a lot of cleaning to do. Plugged it in and instantly understood the fuss about these pickups.

Don’t clean it! That’s Seth Lover’s earwax! That’s how wide- range pickups work.

Very nice!

plopswagon wrote: Sat Jul 18, 2026 11:55 pm Don’t clean it! That’s Seth Lover’s earwax! That’s how wide- range pickups work.

Oh god what have I done?

oh hells yeah

MattK wrote: Sat Jul 18, 2026 11:11 pm Thanks folks. I don't know about tone semen but this one feels like it has earwax all over it, there is a lot of cleaning to do. Plugged it in and instantly understood the fuss about these pickups.

They wax potted the whole guitar.

That’s a lovely guitar - congrats.

Gorgeous!

But when I read a post saying "Finally found The One" or similar I always think "haha, have you fuck, we'll see you back here with a new guitar soon."

Bacchus wrote: Wed Jul 22, 2026 5:12 pm Gorgeous!

But when I read a post saying "Finally found The One" or similar I always think "haha, have you fuck, we'll see you back here with a new guitar soon."

and either Nick O or Shad end up with that guitar

Bacchus wrote: Wed Jul 22, 2026 5:12 pm"haha, have you fuck, we'll see you back here with a new guitar soon."

GET OUT OF MY HEAD

Well, it sure was caked in a lot of grunge. I was pretty anxious at first - this being the most I've ever spent on a guitar - but I've been testing and gradually upping the strength of the cleaners I've been trying. No bad consequences so far.

The good news is that an organic, relatively mild general purpose cleaner containing a little eucalyptus oil and a little alcohol, seems friendly to the finish. Cautiously buffing the headstock face, I don't know if the decal is *under* the finish so much as merged with it, but my 78 Musicmaster seems similar. The body has a clearer layer of grime / layer of finish distinction, except for the heavy wear spots where the finish crazing has merged with the grime to form the earwax of Seth Lover. The same cleaner has made significant inroads on the grime layer.
It's looking cleaner but a bit dull - I found an auto finishing polish with no silicone, which I'm going to try it on a rough-looking Tele body I have in the workshop and evaluate. Aiming for warm shine without removing anything. The metal parts are having a little bath in WD40 to soften the surface scum, but I won't do anything beyond cleaning them.

That thing is sexy! A good friend of mine let me borrow his AGES ago, it was black with some sort of swapped out humbucker set( I don't remember what they were) with his it was very clear that the neck was poly and the headstock was nitro just from the discoloration. yours looks MUCH cleaner. his also had a refret at some point and he was shockingly close to needing another one on that guitar 10+ years ago.
if you are anything like me you will tell yourself not to play it,(don't want to ruin it) for a couple of years, and then break down and realize its meant to be played, not just admired.

HOLY SHNIKES! that is gorgeous.

Thank yiz. Spent half my weekend working on it, polishing is a workout for sure. Some fixups too - the loose ground from the selector switch was unhelpful.

Cool as fuck, I've always loved "wood" Deluxes