1960 Ebony "Standard"

[eric ernest]

Hey, at least I'm not suggesting heroin! !!

To him....you are! LOL! (Or me, for that matter.)

 

[Cookie-boy]

I have to be honest here, I would crawl over a field of broken glass in bare feet to get that guitar and pass a few "Bursts" on the way. That instrument is part of our history and there is no denying it.

 

[Jblpplayer]

I didn't buy it... . That I know... And if was a question of need then I would of stopped at my JB Player Korean Strat copy and Sunn Beta lead 4x12 combo in 1984. Sat in with Albert Collins with that rig. Sounded fine.

The Ebony Standard is an epic guitar in all facets. That's all I know.

Joe B

 

[OldBenKenobi]

That is ten times cooler than any burst or GT I have ever seen. Black guitars rule.

 

[Rich H]

It's extremely cool. I'd prefer if it had three pickups, block inlays, gold hardware, multiple binding and was played in a bit

 

[rockdog]

Damn, that's really a sweet one! Simply black with a touch of hidden flames.
It's a Standard and I like it, what happened?

 

[pinefd]

It's extremely cool.

This, I can agree with!

I'd prefer if it had three pickups, block inlays, gold hardware, multiple binding and was played in a bit

What, are you crazy?!? What you described is a dime a dozen! Everybody has one of those! (well, maybe not everybody...including me...but I'm sure you get my point)


Frank

 

[RAG7890]

IN a word..................pristine.

I was born early February 1960.............. that would make a really nice Birthday present.

 

[Jimmi]

Did the ebony finish not give off the same fumes as the burst and GT finishes ? The tuners look pristine.

 

[RevWillie]

Did the ebony finish not give off the same fumes as the burst and GT finishes ? The tuners look pristine.

The tuner tips disintegrated due to the formulation of their own plastic - not because of the guitar's finish/fumes.

Kluson changed the formula of the plastic used for tuner tips in mid-'58 to the plastic that off-gasses/shrinks/crumbles over time, and went to a better long lasting plastic in very late 1960 or the beginning of 1961.

 

[7gtop]

th!s Standard ... is "the" Custom ...


of all Customs

 

[eric ernest]

The tuner tips disintegrated due to the formulation of their own plastic - not because of the guitar's finish/fumes.

I think the culprit may be the glue in the case lining. (formaldehyde?) Since the "G" string tuner likes to go first, I think it may also be a proximity issue where the fumes may not be as strong.

 

[RevWillie]

I think the culprit may be the glue in the case lining. (formaldehyde?) Since the "G" string tuner likes to go first, I think it may also be a proximity issue where the fumes may not be as strong.

I see your logic but... do you really think that the case makers changed their glue from mid-'58 to the end of '60? Especially given that cases were routinely swapped and sometimes guitars went unsold in stores for a couple of years... it would be easy to have a '59 Burst end up in a '57 GT's case, etc.

There are both single and double-ring tuners made with the bad plastic, and almost all of them disintegrate over time. Virtually all of the tuner tips made prior to mid-'58 did not crumble; the plastic used for 1961 and later tuners is the greener stuff that doesn't disintegrate.

 

[Ducati]

I think the culprit may be the glue in the case lining. (formaldehyde?) Since the "G" string tuner likes to go first, I think it may also be a proximity issue where the fumes may not be as strong.

I've had plastic tuner buttons from lots of different eras crumble. Some batches were good and I guess some weren't.

 

[eric ernest]

I see your logic but... do you really think that the case makers changed their glue from mid-'58 to the end of '60? Especially given that cases were routinely swapped and sometimes guitars went unsold in stores for a couple of years... it would be easy to have a '59 Burst end up in a '57 GT's case, etc.

I know the plastic tips are different in the late 50's, and an issue...which made them susceptible to degradation in the first place. Maybe some batches of plastic just reacted to the case glue fumes.

It could also be a lower tolerance to the sweat/acid from the player. The "G" string is usually the least stable from a tuning standpoint.

I've had plastic tuner buttons from lots of different eras crumble. Some batches were good and I guess some weren't.

That might be it...like the spontaneously deteriorating ES355 guards.

Either way, there has to be an explanation why the G has problems.

I would say the guitar lacquer is the least likely of these scenarios.

 

[tallpaul]

I didn't buy it... . That I know... And if was a question of need then I would of stopped at my JB Player Korean Strat copy and Sunn Beta lead 4x12 combo in 1984. Sat in with Albert Collins with that rig. Sounded fine.

The Ebony Standard is an epic guitar in all facets. That's all I know.

Joe B

i can just picture you heading out to the garage for a tin of black paint and a brush!
put the brush down....step away from the paint!

 

[RevWillie]

 

[eric ernest]

Can't you...in your mind's eye....see Ace Frehley, Beck, Joe Perry, or a slew of other 70's guitar players rockin' out on that bad boy back in the day?

 

[RAG7890]

We all want.

 

[rockstar232007]

I know the plastic tips are different in the late 50's, and an issue...which made them susceptible to degradation in the first place. Maybe some batches of plastic just reacted to the case glue fumes.

It could also be a lower tolerance to the sweat/acid from the player. The "G" string is usually the least stable from a tuning standpoint.



That might be it...like the spontaneously deteriorating ES355 guards.

Either way, there has to be an explanation why the G has problems.

I would say the guitar lacquer is the least likely of these scenarios.

Another cause could be from the acids in the sweat of the original owners?

I've noticed the of all the vintage LPs I've ever seen, the one's with the worst tuner tips, were the ones played by people with really sweaty hands. The same thing goes for the finish, as well.

Many people assume it's because of the cases, or the fumes from the lacquer, but how do they explain totally mint/prestine LPs, that have spent the majority of their 50-60+ years in their cases, with absolutely no signs of degredation?