Thanks mutt. Yes, my goal with this guitar is to have it be functional and playable while being very mindful of it's vintage value and keeping it correct. I'm not changing anything on this guitar that can't easily be changed back. I very much want it to be what it is. I don't want to turn it into anything else. Putting a OEM-style replacement bridge in place to make it playable and saving the original is a no-brainer to me. That's nothing.muttley wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 6:57 am Ive been watching this with interest mate, nice score.
A couple of things that you may want to consider.
The bridge. When I have come across really futzed up saddles and stuff I have had some joy taking them to a watch or clock repairer. They use an ultrasonic cleaner that lifts most of the shit thats in there. I suspect that some of the parts will be die cast so you want to avoid using anodic cleaning or anything with too much acidity or electrolysis. That can make matters worse. Die cast parts have microscopic pores in there and they can bust out and look terrible. Just a heads up as I learned the hard way. If they aint die cast you are good. A decent electroplating shop would also be able to help you out.. You may have it right when you say you are getting a replacement and keeping the old one for reference and originality. Thats what I would do.
The pickups. If they are epoxy potted which I suspect they are you aint going to be able to save anything that isnt already removable. If ever they die on you the thing to do would be to save the covers and poles and have them rebuilt from there. Be careful what you use to free up the pole pieces. Some types of lubricant can eat away at the enamel on the windings if it finds a way in there.
Once again mate, nice score. I may well be in touch for some detail shots and measurements at some point down the road...
I think the original bridge base piece is stamped steel and chrome plated, the saddles appear to be machined steel. None of the bridge mechanism seems to be cast. All of the bridge assembly will stick to a magnet. I've got it physically clean enough for my satisfaction. The only problem with it, besides the adjustment bolt that I broke, is that none of the rollers in the saddles will roll. They are cruddy. Interesting idea about the clock guy. I know of one right down the street in a strip mall. It's called "vintage clocks" or something like that. He's right between a barber shop and a donut shop. Lol. I always thought it was a weird place for a clock repair shop and now strangely enough I have a reason to go there.
I've seen pics of Mosrite pickups with a lot more epoxy goop in them than mine seem to have. I've tried researching how they're made. They seem to use corrugated looking snap-to-length A5 magnets, wound with a ton of turns, and sealed in epoxy. Then the whole shebang is packed into the cover with a piece of foam, literally, a strip of foam. The "backing plate" is nothing more than a piece of flat bar that spans across the bottom with threaded holes on the ends for pickup height adjustments. Then that too is epoxied into the foam. All of the parts are completely home made. Really primitive and weird. I suspect that just getting through the epoxy would require a rewind. I don't see how you'd get that epoxy off of there without damaging the wire. I've also read that being microphonic is just part of the charm of Mosrite pickups. If that's true then my pickups are probably exactly how they're supposed to be and I'll just deal with it.
If a pickup replacement does eventually have to happen, I'll just get some reproductions. There are some options out there. Maybe you can build some!
