Jonathan's Details....

Jonathan at GVCG (Greenwich Village Custom Guitars) went to excruciating details to get his guitars exactly period-correct. As mentioned earlier, my guitar tech informed me that he had removed the surgical rubber grommets under the bridge pickup, since they were outdated. He replaced them for me with more modern springs, which he said were more gig-friendly. He meant well, but for MY taste, I believe whatever is there in a period-correct early 60's Tele, should NOT be updated, unless it makes it unplayable. Thing is, those rubber grommets looked just like original's I've seen off REAL Tele's from that period. Jonathan also hand machined most of his bridge parts (if not ALL of them, apart from the bridge itself). Cloth wiring is obviously period correct too... just in case that has any effect on vintage tone. I just got another pair of his Tele pickups (which he still makes), and they are covered in a wonderful layer of vintage dirt... and also have wonderfully intact cloth wiring. He apparently marked his guitars in hidden places, to avoid confusion with actual Vintage Strats and Teles, and to avoid crooks selling them as such. He even used 100 % nitro paint, which is apparently illegal now. (My investigation into this is still on-going... Leo shot early Tele's with 'thinned' nitro. I don't know if this affects what painters refer to as the paint being 100% nitro solids, since the thinner does evaporate... mostly). In any case... GVCG's are obviously easily as exactingly made as Masterbuilt Fender Guitars... only thing is though... they are as hard to find as an honest electrician... but they are out there (both the guitar and the electrician... maybe together).