This is not your typical Tele by any stretch. It has been heavily modified with some really fantastic pickups that border on legendary themselves. I believe most of these mods were completed in the mid-late 80s but that is purely a guess.
I'll do my best to be as accurate as possible in describing this guitar for better or worse.
The neck pickup is a T-Top (wooden spacers, short magnet, "T" marking on the bobbins) from mid-late 70s maybe and the bridge is a dated 1981 Tim Shaw (white plastic spacers, long rough cast magnet). The pots are CTS 1Meg Audio Taper pots with Nylon Shafts that date to 1966. The original CRL switch would intermittently cut out and has been replaced with a new CRL but the mounting screws have been used. The original switch is also included. There is a .05µF ceramic disc tone capacitor and a single .001µF ceramic disc treble bleed. The control plate was physically reversed but the components were not. This was corrected
The neck heel stamp and neck plate date it as a 1971 w/ a "B" designation for 1-5/8" width at the nut. The body is stamped "L. Hughes" which was probably some sort of quality control manager maybe?
The bridge is original and has been cut down to facilitate the humbucker mounting. Both of the pickup routes have been enlarged to fit the humbuckers as well. The original saddles are included but have been replaced with a vintage style threaded 3-barrel saddle. Four out of the six height adjustment screws would not turn without the possibility of stripping the head.
The neck is straight, the truss rod works - how many turns are left are of course unknown but it's set up with 10s and the action is great - low and comfortable. The fretboard radius is 7.25" and the frets show a little wear but have been maintained and still have plenty of life left in them.
A couple not-so-obvious items that can be addressed or left alone: The neck pickup ring is every so slightly out of square but it is centered and the screws match up really well with the string spacing. The bridge pickup spacing is obviously off due to being a Gibson humbucker - the bass side strings line up great however the treble side are a bit off. The pickups sound thin when the volume is rolled below 5+/- more than likely due to the treble bleed capacitor.
There are plenty of minor bumps and bruises but nothing that would be considered excessive wear. The hard case is original and in fair condition. Both latches close, though the slide tabs stick and it appears they have been pried open at some point in the last 45+ years. The case is clean on the inside and free of any odors. The exterior is dirty and can be cleaned however that can be addressed by the next owner if needed.
Bottom line - Awesome playing and feeling guitar. Sounds fantastic. Perfect player grade vintage guitar with some classic mods.
