Long-lost Spectrum strat arrives ... mostly

Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 -- On my way out of the driveway I checked the mailbox; sure enough, the mail was there and one of those lovely pink cards that alert you to a package they did not deliver! I checked eBay on my phone, and the tracking info said "no secure place" to leave the package.

What?? I live in the middle of rural Kentucky! We have to import whores and crackheads for excitement on weekends -- what could be more secure than my front porch located 1/8 a mile off the highway??

It was a big box -- the Spectrum strat was in a really nice but compact case, and that case was loosely packed in a larger box with a couple of pieces of foam thrown in for good (!) measure. The ghost of Jimi Hendrix must have been smiling down from Rock 'n' Roll Heaven; despite the substandard packing job, the guitar arrived in the same condition in which it was sent.

In pieces.

Actually, when you open the case, it looks whole. The pickups, pots and switch are attached to the pickguard; the output jack was in place, as was the bridge. In place, but not attached to the body. No screws to be found (except in a baggie in the case, along with the tremelo arm).

The neck is attached, the rosewood fretboard and the frets have minimal wear, which means no one played the guitar much -- or it was so shitty no one wanted to play it.

The body was apparently painted black or it was a sunburst model ... but the finish has been removed from the front and back of the body. The sides of the body are still black and shiny. Why was the finish removed? The front and back are smooth, not scrapped or gouged. My guess is a previous owner wanted to go to some sort of natural finish.

It appears that all the guitar needs to become operational is to wire up the electronics to the output jack, mount the jack and the pickguard, add strings and let 'er rip ... well, almost. While inspecting the neck, I notice the nut is missing. It had one (obviously), but it is gone. I checked inside the case, but no go. After a closer look at the slot where the nut was mounted, it looks like a standard Fender strat nut. I decided to buy a pre-slotted Graph Tech TUSQ nut. It should arrive next week sometime.

I'm not sure what I might do to finish the body; I'm still partial to going with a Surf Green finish. Due to the fact that sides of the guitar are black, I'm thinking I should use a white primer or sealer first to give the color coat a solid base for even color holdout. The Surf Green is available as lacquer in a spray can, and then I can add clear coats and wet sand it for a good finish.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First the nut, then assemble it with strings and check out the electronics. I'll take it back apart and go to work on the body once I believe the guitar will play.

Rock on!