Blackguards!

[HuggyWuggy]

Great pic.

 

[Daniel C]

Wow, @hogy ! What's the science here? I'm really surprised that a pickguard can protect the lacquer like that.

 

[Dashface]

So amazing. I wonder which of the Musikraft necks is closest (asking for people who are too poor to ever have a 53 ha ha).

 

[mmannaxx]

Guitar Center in Austin had a '53 for a while, 4 or 5 years ago, I got to play it at some length, through a DR a couple times.
The best tele I ever played, and yea, neck, sound, feel, just great.
35k at the time, though. Out of my price range

If I saw a 53 Tele under 7 lbs for $35K I would try to buy it. Since I was born in 52 I would like one of those especially it if was as good as the 53s appear to be!

 

[ripgtr]

If I saw a 53 Tele under 7 lbs for $35K I would try to buy it. Since I was born in 52 I would like one of those especially it if was as good as the 53s appear to be!

Didn't weigh it, since I was in a store, but then, I don't weigh guitars. Didn't seem heavy.
Sounded heavy. ;-)

 

[shallbe]

So amazing. I wonder which of the Musikraft necks is closest (asking for people who are too poor to ever have a 53 ha ha).

In my experience, for a great 53 neck feel and look, serial #4942 Musikraft Blackguard is the one for me. Tadeo taper. So good, I have 2 builds with it. Choose your radius and fretwire if you want to change that.

Serial

12th Dot

Rad 1st

Rad 12Th

Nut Width 1st

Width 12th

Thick 1st

Thick12th

Back Profile

Truss Nut

Plug

4942

.79

7.25

7.25

1.67.

2.04

.93

1.00

1953 Baseball Bat

Dbl.Slot

Walnut

 

[Dashface]

In my experience, for a great 53 neck feel and look, serial #4942 Musikraft Blackguard is the one for me. Tadeo taper. So good, I have 2 builds with it. Choose your radius and fretwire if you want to change that.

​

Serial

12th Dot

Rad 1st

Rad 12Th

Nut Width 1st

Width 12th

Thick 1st

Thick12th

Back Profile

Truss Nut

Plug

​

4942

.79

7.25

7.25

1.67.

2.04

.93

1.00

1953 Baseball Bat

Dbl.Slot

Walnut

I’m usually pretty firmly a v-neck guy, but that sounds just about perfect!

 

[Zen_]

‘53 is the best production: I was born that year !

 

[shallbe]

I’m usually pretty firmly a v-neck guy, but that sounds just about perfect!

It is an amazing carve. Heavily rolled edges and an in between nut width, which is the way that particular ‘53 Blackguard was. Very comfortable.

 

[RLP]

Three of the best sounding blackguards I have ever played. '53s are remarkably consistent. Fender figured out the formula that year. Perfect necks, perfect Telecaster tone. Two of these are six and a half pounders, one is just over 7 lbs. I've recently played Danny Gatton's '53 and the Roadrunner '53 that Tom Bukovac used to own. Plus three more '53s this year alone. All on the same level tonally, all with pretty much identical feeling necks. It's my favorite year for Teles.

Stellar!

 

[crashbelt]

Since we're talking about 53 blackguards, I love my refin 53 (Oct 53 neck date).

I wanted an 'affordable' blackguard that I could happily gig. JK Guitars in London had done a great aged refin on this previously badly refinished 53 Tele. The parts are original and JKG's aged refin job nicely fits with them. The other issue taking it way out of collector territory (and cost) is that the fretboard had been previously planed nearly flat.

As a real player grade 53 its a dream to play - sounds incredible and is no worry to gig in the UK equivalent of 'dive bars'.

 

[shallbe]

Stellar!

Looking at Gatton's '53, and knowing about the cubic zirconia dots on the side of the board (which stuck out, right?), I'm guessing he would have been all over the glow in the dark side markers made today.

 

[hogy]

They're breeding!

This one has the color (no filter). Guitars will never ever mature like this again without smoke filled bars.

Good amount of flame in the neck of this '53.

 

[dr.prick]

For those of us who can't afford 3 to 6(!) 1953 Telecasters, can anyone chime in on the best years for repros? (I'm not saying I'm too jealous...I bought a '62 Strat in the 80's for $440.)

 

[hogy]

For those of us who can't afford 3 to 6(!) 1953 Telecasters, can anyone chime in on the best years for repros? (I'm not saying I'm too jealous...I bought a '62 Strat in the 80's for $440.)

Just to be clear, those are not all my guitars. I work on vintage guitars, those just happened to come together at one time, so I took some family pictures.

As far as repros, that's not my era of expertise. But a friend of mine has one of the high end Danocasters with the Ron Ellis pickups, and it's a very good guitar. Neck feel is pretty spot on and the tone is in line with some originals. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that guitar. I think those are like $5k.

The Nacho stuff is very good, too. Visually the most accurate. I don't know how much those cost.

 

[skydog]

It’s my favorite year for Tele players, too!

 

[Craig S]

I love old blackguards as well. Don't despair on these prices - I've seen 'em go for higher than current prices only to fall dramatically. One friend has a nice '52 that he paid 40K for back in the early 2000's. When the market fell he was left holding a 25k guitar. Only now is it back to near his original purchase price. If the economy tanks there won't be as many buyers for vintage guitars, cars, art, etc. Until then I have to settle for my Custom Shop Nocaster relic and keep my powder dry.

 

[hogy]

I love old blackguards as well. Don't despair on these prices - I've seen 'em go for higher than current prices only to fall dramatically. One friend has a nice '52 that he paid 40K for back in the early 2000's. When the market fell he was left holding a 25k guitar. Only now is it back to near his original purchase price.

Original blackguards are $65k to $85k right now, and selling.

 

[sahhas]

probably answered, but Danny Gatton had Willie Nelson sign his ‘53 at some point when he was on tour!!

Was somebody trying to carve their name into that one?

 

[Jazzandmore]

@hogy What I’m curious about is how many times you’ve ended up working on guitars that were siblings? You didn’t necessarily have them in the shop at exactly the same time, but when working on one, you realize it’s sibling had been on your bench previously.

Not sure why but I find it fascinating, in a nerdy probability sort of way, that there are guitars made right next to each other, that leave the factory to go to all sorts of places, yet 50-70 years later, they end up in the same person’s hands for repair.