1975 4001FL Rescue

Exceptional restoration is in the details

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Relsom
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Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:52 pm

1975 4001FL Rescue

Post by Relsom »

I recently acquired a '75 4001FL that was sort of an impulse buy not knowing the full extent of its problems. Parking lot Craigslist meetup. The price was about what I've seen husks alone go for and the seller was a non-RIC player...5 String Gospel R&B kind of guy who had this RIC given to him by a relative.

All I really looked at was the relief and checked that all of the parts look to be original, which, other than the tuners, it is. The neck is nice and thin and in really good shape. Fingerboard and fb binding are excellent. It actually played decent considering the action was too high. All of the electronics are original and everything works. Truss rods are straight and turn ok. TRC and PG have no damage or cracks at all.

Now the heartbreaker...It has water damage on the butt end, with mold and wood decay. Lysol and vinegar applied to the areas affected seems to have caught it. The shedua(did I spell that right) strip is recessed slightly from the butt end to where the bridge rout begins, on the front, and I can feel a little step in that strip from the end to where the fingerboard starts, on the backside. Interestingly, all of the pieces seem flush with one another from there the bridge rout begins, through all of the routs all the way to the fingerboard. The body wings are attached well and flush with the neck all the way to the rear of the bridge route on the front and to just behind the treble pickup on the back. My fear is that the Shedua strip may be separating from the neck since there is a definite break in the finish along that line in the back, and the fact that the strip is recessed slightly. The only actual gap I see is along that 2" section between the bridge and treble pickup routes, on the treble side of that strip only. `The break in the finish along that strip seems worse on the treble side on the back of the instrument as well.

I know that I will need to fill the front PU route with a maple block to brace the neck to correct the forward tilt causing the high action. But I'm thinking that I need to reglue these otherparts that I mentioned before, first. I'm hoping that I can force or let some thin CA do the job but I'm considering drilling small holes along those seams to create a path for the glue. I can't really open up these seams, and I'm not sure I'll be able to get the glue down in there. I'm afraid that if I clamp everything flush that I'll break whatever adhesion there might be. As far as the decay goes, I'll likely just patch what has to be removed and use a hardener to deal what may be still soft. I don't think keeping it Fireglo is in the cards.
So....suggestions.
Damage.jpg
Ugly Rear.jpg
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But The Neck Is Nice.jpg
maxwell
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Posts: 361
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:14 pm

Re: 1975 4001FL Rescue

Post by maxwell »

This is certainly a challenge, and the past week of utter silence here only corroborates that. I wish that I had the experience and expertise to offer suggestions. If you haven't posted in a luthier forum, etc., try posting over at the fender discussion page (fenderforum.com). Some really capable guys there, including repair guys; give it a try. I appreciate you posting here, and hope to see a follow up, but by now you probably realize that your unique situation, obviously, won't/can't really be addressed here. Keep in touch!
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