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Vintage Silvertone Help

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silvertone
2K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  ed2000 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

What are the odds of getting a nice looking silvertone to play fantastically? I just love the look of this guitar, but it feels odd to play. The fret are really tiny and the action is quite high. there no fret buzz and each fret rings clearly.

I'm also wondering if there are killer pick-ups that I can have installed too (suggestions?).

Does anyone have experience turning these into a respectable player?

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#2 · (Edited)
The value in this genre of guitar is in the look and the nostalgia we remember about them.

I would give it the best possible setup, and then alter the tone with simple items, like an EQ or boost pedal.

The thin frets can play well after a good setup. Action is not that hard to achieve on these, unless there is something like a warped neck.

I have had some success with this approach. It is a shame to alter the electronics on a nice stock museum piece, if nothing is defective. Some of the best tone I have ever found, came out of bone stock electronics of this era. Shape the tone, save the guitars DNA.
 
#3 ·
The value in this genre of guitar is in the look and the nostalgia we remember about them.

I would give it the best possible setup, and then alter the tone with simple items, like an EQ or boost pedal.

The thin frets can play well after a good setup. Action is not that hard to achieve on these, unless there is something like a warped neck.

I have had some success with this approach. It is a shame to alter the electronics a nice stock museum piece, if nothing is defective. Some of the best tone I have ever found, came out of bone stock electronics of this era. Shape the tone, save the guitars DNA.
Maybe that's what I'll do - a good set up. Maybe the lower action will help the frets feel better.

It has been heavily modded by someone. Drill holes, wiring, bridge and pick guard - the whole 9 yards it seems. I have most of the original stuff (if not all) though.

These pick-ups don't seem to have any bite, but I think that's relative due to the guitars I played prior. I'll have to pick it up first tomorrow.

Thanks for the comment.
 
#4 ·
Might put a shim (small piece of cardboard usually works) under the neck where it meets the body if you have to change the angle slightly to get the action lower.

If it's been drilled/routed to accommodate the bridge humbucker or the new bridge, you can do any other mods you want/need, as collector value is shot.
 
#5 · (Edited)
If the pickups seem to lack bite after the setup, try an EQ pedal. Just boost or reduce a frequency at a time. Sometimes that alone wakes up a pickup to a tone that is awesome. The add some light boost or mild overdrive. Also experiment where you place an EQ pedal, (before or after another pedal, or just before the amp after your pedal board. I need a few more EQ pedals to experiment with. I am starting to wonder what it would be like to EQ all the key places at the same time.

After all these years of spending and chasing tone, I was blown away by what a simple EQ pedal can do. The most simple device can yield bigger tone and sustain. My single pickup Fender Bronco can thicken up and sustain like a higher dollar guitar.
 
#8 ·
I'm just getting into EQing. I had a hard time with it until I downloaded a free interface for my Eleven Rack - now I can see sliders instead of twisting knobs which makes things much easier. The expansion pack has a studio grade parametric EQ, so I'll be able to shape tone even more.
 
#6 ·
The bridge is right for a mid 60's Mosrite style Silvertone. The tailpiece and the bridge pick up have been changed. The pick gaurd could be original too. It probably was close to this originally.

As far as turning it into a 'respectable' player, it is already. If it was mine I'd change the tailpiece back to original, leave the bridge pick up, set it up and play it thru an old Traynor or Garnet amp. I wouldn't bother about chasing some special sound, you have other guitars and amps for that, I'd just play it and enjoy playing it. The one in the pic is in your area.....might even still be for sale. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-guitar/oshaw...ar/1121841659?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
 
#7 ·
The bridge is right for a mid 60's Mosrite style Silvertone. The tailpiece and the bridge pick up have been changed. The pick gaurd could be original too. It probably was close to this originally.

As far as turning it into a 'respectable' player, it is already. If it was mine I'd change the tailpiece back to original, leave the bridge pick up, set it up and play it thru an old Traynor or Garnet amp. I wouldn't bother about chasing some special sound, you have other guitars and amps for that, I'd just play it and enjoy playing it. The one in the pic is in your area.....might even still be for sale. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-guitar/oshaw...ar/1121841659?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Yeah, that one seems about right. I have all those parts kicking around, but they were changed out to help with playability. The previous owner actually machined the new parts out of aluminum at the tool shop he worked at. I didn't realize I had that extra pick-up.

You're right, I'm getting all the sounds from elsewhere. I'm just curious about typical pick-up upgrades to these guitars (if there is, what are they?)

It being a respectable player at the moment is out of the question - unless these guitars were only meant to do that surf stuff or bash out cowboy chords. There is definitely something up with it. The best way to describe it is that it feels like the strings are simply tied at both ends of the guitar - the tension seems off, but it's still in tune and stays in tune well.
 
#9 ·
Looks like a Filtertron in the bridge!
If you were handy and could do a refret, I bet it would start to come around. New taller frets, new nut and like Keto said, a neck shim adjustment and she'd start to play better. "If" you felt it was worth it.
I'm terrible for rescuing guitars and amps. I used to do it quite often. Drop some money and make them better, but you seldom get the money back if you sell it.
My .02c
 
#13 ·
I'll probably try to rescue it so that it gets some more use. I'll take it to a tech soon and have a pro look at it. I don't want to dump too much into it - especially if that one EG pointed out is $400 (a refret would cost me more with the set-up).
 
#12 ·
if you want to get it playing great, your going to have to level and dress the frets.
they may need some profiling as well.
the reason these things dont play so nice is because the fretwork and setup was never great out of the box-
add to that years of play and/or neglect....

or you could just slide on it and wallow in its funkyness.

let me know what you do pickup wise.
ive got almost this exact guitar at home
(date stamped my second birthday)
but it has no pickups- originals would be like the black ones in yours.
 
#22 ·
The way you describe the feel and tone brings many of us back to the 1960's. These qualities described the guitars most old timers started with.

Do the minimal work to make it playable and enjoy the Silvertone for what is it.
 
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