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"How bad is it?" Silvertone Hornet resurrection
- Thread starter JIO
- Start date
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,091
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
That's a decent price. So is it VV now? The original electronics are what these basses (sound/tone) are known for. That and the pu's. And is that the original colour? The Dano bridge being as basic as it is actually works well when adjusted correctly. I think it even has a positive effect on the basses sound/tone.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,091
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Haha! This made me laugh.
Guitarcheology:
noun
noun: Guitarcheology
Guitarcheologist:
- the study of guitar history and prehistory through the excavation of parts and the analysis of relics and other physical remains hidden underneath layers of finishes.
noun
noun: Guitarcheologist
- a person who studies Guitarcheology.
That's good!
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,091
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
I have no fear of it being lead-based - that was phased out a long time ago. I think it's just thick enamel, which I will mostly remove using a heat-gun with good ventilation.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,091
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Yah, considering our current rosewood ban, the 50 year old rosewood fb is pretty nice. I made sure the frets weren't grooved before committing to buying it - that would have been a deal breaker. Also I wouldn't have been interested without knowing what I was dealing with having done work on my Dano/Coral. These basses are pretty bullet-proof, especially the neck. No truss-rod and two steel beams means I didn't have to worry about it being anything but straight. So seeing the frets un-grooved I knew I could get it cleaned up and playable. The body (also poplar) is nothing fancy and relatively soft wood. (which is why it's mangled, by course-grit sandpaper) So I know I can remove all the paint and re-shape it where needed. And yes, I will finish both neck & body in the same colour. (undecided as of yet) I'm looking forward to seeing the orange tort which will help me decide.
Like they say in the resto biz, fear it, until you test it.
They banned it in the States for residential use in the late 80s, but industrial still uses it.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,091
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
I have a lead testing kit and will use it before starting to remove the paint.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,091
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Tort! This is the real stuff - like Fender's of the same period.
Need to do some emory cloth sanding and polishing to remove some scars caused by scraping the paint off with a flat-blade.
Doing some wet-sanding - looking good in the light.
Need to do some emory cloth sanding and polishing to remove some scars caused by scraping the paint off with a flat-blade.
Doing some wet-sanding - looking good in the light.
Well, now we know where all that leftover flat white went . . .
Whoever did that "refinish" was a wimp. There he was, halfway to creating his own guitar completely out of house paint, but no, he had to use a wood core. SOOOO close to greatness . . . Of course, I must give him props for chipping himself his own wood plane out of flint.
Wow... that thing looks like it was scraped with a house paint scraper before being sanded with 40 grit sandpaper and then painted with latex house paint and a brush... 
They PAINTED the tort? Servant of Satan, their souls are eternally darned to heck.
The 1443/Coral/Dano was thin to begin with, and the neck is a baseball bat. I readily use Jasco stripper on -bodies- that look like badly painted basket cases (not necks). Hose 'em down with water? Yeah. Poplar has some good points- it doesn't absorb water (or stain) very well. Hey, you have to raise the grain anyway...
I've played maybe half a dozen different 1443's. Some original, some refinished many, many times. I've yet to come across a neck that wasn't straight. Any face/back bow issues were addressed by using different strings.
I love mine. I've done two salvage jobs on different 1443s over the years. Chasing down parts is the bugger.
There is a full set of original 1443 knobs, a neck plate (some didn't even have them), and a few other bits on eBay right now, btw. Not mine.
The repop Dano bridges seem more prone to bad sagging in the center, over time. I've not seen any sagging on an original bridge that couldn't be mitigated by some judicious shaping of the rosewood saddle.
I've played maybe half a dozen different 1443's. Some original, some refinished many, many times. I've yet to come across a neck that wasn't straight. Any face/back bow issues were addressed by using different strings.
I love mine. I've done two salvage jobs on different 1443s over the years. Chasing down parts is the bugger.
There is a full set of original 1443 knobs, a neck plate (some didn't even have them), and a few other bits on eBay right now, btw. Not mine.
The repop Dano bridges seem more prone to bad sagging in the center, over time. I've not seen any sagging on an original bridge that couldn't be mitigated by some judicious shaping of the rosewood saddle.
I know, right? Minus ten internets!
I'd paint it pink and slap on the Hello Kitty decal.
Double Amen. Love old Silvertones.This thread is continued from post #242 on page 13 here - Danelectro Coral Deluxe Bass project I have a few related threads going that you may or may not have visited and they have all overlapped a bit. This one is at the point where it needs lts own thread, so here we go again.
My friend Brian has a sardonic sense of humor, and the first thing he usually sez' when I talk with him is "How bad is it?" - which fits this hot mess like a glove. Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment, but I saw this sad bass on eBay and decided I needed a challenge to get me through the winter months. It's been used, abused and finished (off) with one of the most inept DIY 'treatments' I've seen. It's almost so bad it's good.., but it even falls short there - it's just so bad. It just arrived yesterday and here's some pics to illustrate the "before". By the time this thread runs its course - the "after" pics will illustrate a nice bass and it will have a new lease on life. Can I get an AMEN!
So the person who 'did this' must have enjoyed painting. Every part is painted and it's hard to tell exactly how it was done, but people like that shouldn't be allowed to buy paint.Someone also liked playing cards... maybe a gambler, who knows.
View attachment 3631981
View attachment 3631984
'custom' string restraint
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Who knows what went on before the paint was applied, but aggressive heavy-grit sandpaper was involved.
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As I said - everything was painted, a lot.., with thick paint...
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Ah, and here's a lovely detail the seller conveniently left out of their description. Luckily I know how to address/repair such, but he's going to hear from me with this pic attached. He has 100% feedback on eBay, as I do. The big difference is, I would never leave such a detail out of a description... but maybe I'm different. I would have still wanted to buy it, but would have offered a lower price ~
View attachment 3631990
And as I expected - the thick gloppy black paint is coating a very orangy tort (wht/blk/wht/tort) original pg. It should clean up nicely. One of the four knobs are missing - and nowhere to be found (I looked) so I'll be replacing them with something appropriate.
View attachment 3631994
Under the hood - looks bad, but works non-the less and other than one replaced pu - looks to be all original.
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Neck-located pu looks original, but marked "B" to me sez a bridge pu. Plugged in it 'clunks' louder than the newer pu so they will be reversed.
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Headstock has been sanded within an inch of its life, and the original tuners are missing the post ferrules and some bolts/washers. We'll see if I can locate these small ferrules which are not common. Retro remake of the chrome hs badge - it will look sharp... eventually.
View attachment 3632000
Fingerboard is in need of major work, but the frets look ok. They were originally very flat profile, and there are no grooves in any of them. A flats player? Note one of the steel rod ports are painted shut.
View attachment 3632001
