VALUE MATTERS
“After I sold it, I heard there were only a limited number of these ever made…”
That should give you something to think about till our next issue.
In the meantime, if you have any modding questions, or suggestions, drop us a line - The Mod Squad.
One reader has found a guitar that could finally be ‘the one’ with just a few tweaks… But will it be worth it? To mod or not to mod?
QI have owned many guitars over the years. I must have bought and sold close to 100 guitars in my search for the ‘perfect’ one. Anyway, one of the guitars I had on my journey was a Japanese Fender Francis Rossi signature Telecaster. I didn’t have it very long because in those days I only ever had one guitar at a time rather than the small collection I have now. This particular guitar was fitted with a G&L bridge and played very well. I think I sold it for roughly what I paid for it, about £600. After I sold it, I heard there were only a limited number of these ever made. Some report 200 but I have also heard 500. Over the years, I have seen them come and go on internet auction sites for well over £1,000 – I think there was one on Reverb recently for £2,000!
Anyway, my question to you is this: I have recently been lucky enough to source one in perfect original condition. No modifications etc. What would you do with it? I would like to consider changing the pickups (to Seymour Duncan Hot Rails) and perhaps adding a G&L bridge like my last one, but could this negatively affect the value and collectability of the instrument? Also, I have not been able to find out much about these guitars online. Do they have standard Stratocaster routing for the three pickups? Or would the bridge require a Telecaster one? Or should I just leave it alone and not tinker with it? Do you think it is a collectable guitar for the future?
John Pascoe, Essex
AAh, the modder’s dilemma in a nutshell. This craze to ‘improve’ a guitar can have some consequences. We love to mod, but why do we then insist on original condition when it comes to buying a used guitar? The fact of the matter is simple: original condition, whether it’s vintage, collectable or simply used, will not only affect an instrument’s value it will also affect its desirability. So, as you’ve seen with your Tele in question, it has a value – in theory – a little beyond what a non-signature standard guitar would have. If you’re considering modding it, I’d think very carefully.
Fender’s Deluxe Nashville Tele (£829), for example, might make the perfect three-pickup Tele-style that you’re clearly attracted to. It also has a fully adjustable bridge with six block saddles. Pickups are Vintage Noiseless Tele pickups (neck and bridge) and a single Vintage Noiseless Strat pickup in middle position plus you get ‘Strat-o-Tone’ switching from the five-way. Obviously, used examples will considerably reduce your outlay.
If you’re intent on modding your Rossi, however (and we’re not endorsing that), we’d suggest gutting the guitar, certainly the pickups and wiring loom, and keeping all the parts well stored. That way you can rebuild the pickup set, wiring and so on to what you like. I wouldn’t be surprised if a standard Tele bridge with six block saddles would fit over the original bridge plate and bridge with little, if any, modification. Any change you make must be reversible so that, in the future, you can put it back to original condition.
So, the potential of future value, collectable or not, should really be on your mind. There are no shortage of sources in the UK to purchase a neck and body – even with that extra middle pickup slot – so a partscaster ‘Rossi’ build would not only be a lot of fun, and a learning experience, but really might help you find ‘the one’.