I was just watching the YouTube video of how Andy Summers came across his original Tele... he used to teach guitar in LA when he was here in the 70's, and a student brought it in for him to play... and he fell in love with how it sounded immediately. The undeniable magic of the right instrument in the right hands took place. The question begs to ask is... 'Why didn't the student who originally own it notice what a great guitar it was?'. Andy said (by the way) that it came with the preamp (that includes a battery)... non-original switches, and a brass bridge (for tonal reasons). He said it came in it's current incarnation, without him having to do any mods to it. This is not the first time a guitar has been 'sheer magic' to one musician... an immediate extension to his (or her) body... just like a new limb...but maybe just an ordinary guitar to the person who sold it to them. Maybe there is one great guitar out there for all of us... and our job is to find it languishing wherever it is, maybe in someone else's unloving hands. I myself had this happen to me... I had a really neat green Nash Tele, with white binding. At the time I owned 4 Nash Tele's.. she sounded nice.. really nice... but it wasn't like I felt the guitar was any better than the other 3 Nash guitars I owned. My friend Mick came over, and in his hands it sang... the look on his face was like someone had given him his long-lost soul mate... at first I thought he was kidding when he said he had to have it... and it only took him about 2 minutes to know this... Isn't love always like this? Remember that girl (or guy) across a room at a party... the one you knew in a moment was for you...well a guitar can be just like that... only sight alone is never enough to close the deal (with the instrument). Check out the YouTube link here with Andy Summers.
