Chord S-Style Solidbody Overhaul

As received, this Chord S-Style Solidbody was totally unplayable. The ravages of time were certainly evident. Rust, crud, dust and grime had taken hold of this once beautiful instrument.

Upon closer examination, I was able to identify the issues that needed to be addressed, as well as the most cost-effective solutions. The first issue was rusty hardware. I salvaged what I could and replaced the rest.

Next was the condition of the neck. For starters, someone had cut the D string nut slot so deep that it buzzed against the first fret when played open. The easiest solution was to just replace the whole nut.

The whole neck was also angled upwards in the neck pocket, resulting in extremely high action in the upper frets. This issue was solved with a neck pocket shim of suitable thickness.

Meanwhile, the whole length of the rosewood fretboard was caked in hardened sweat and grime. Also, after straightening the neck, 12 high frets were discovered. All this meant that a full fret level and dress was required, followed by fretboard conditioning.

On to the electronics, then. The three ceramic single coil pickups were still working, thank goodness. As for the pots, switch and jack; none were useable. And so, these were replaced with Alpha A250K pots, a generic PCB switch and Switchcraft output jack. 

Once everything had been taken care of, this Chord S-Style Solidbody was strung with D'Addario EXL120s and set up in the usual manner. If you'd like to listen to what this guitar sounds like after the overhaul, I've uploaded an audio file to SoundCloud.

Tuners and String Trees

D String Nut Slot Cut Too Deep

Pickguard and Screws

Vintage-Style Bridge

Output Jack and Jack Plate

Strap Buttons

Three Ceramic Single Coil Pickups

Electronics as Received

Ground Wire Soldered to a Tremolo Spring

Incorrect Neck Pitch

Fretboard as Received

Hardware Disassembled for Servicing

Bridge After Servicing

Body After Cleaning and Polishing

High Frets Marked Before Leveling

After Fretwork and Fretboard Conditioning

Alpha A250K Pots

Switchcraft Output Jack

Overhaul Completed

D'Addario EXL120 Strings