CDee wrote
Geez, looks like you are the Guitar Dictionary.
I think it may be a bit of an obsessive disorder, mixed with attention deficit to keep things interesting, that's all. On the other hand, I could just like guitars a lot - I dunno. ?
I want to use good quality parts so I give it every chance of being "all it could be".
No need to go too overboard. Decent mid-price stuff like that sold by Stewart MacDonald (www.stewmac.com) will do. Going to the upper price stuff largely gets you some "bling" factor, but doesn't neccesarily improve tone.
The finish: I am thinking exactly what you said. The best part of this guitar is the wood.
If you're new to finishing, an oil finish is the easiest to do, is quick to apply and gives you a nice clear, matt result that brings out the beauty of the wood and is ideal tonally. Nitrocellulose lacquer is often preferred by pros as it can be built up to a high gloss, but is more difficult to get right. French polishing is the best looking, but is an artform in itself and takes years of practice - it's also high maintenance and the least resistant to water and solvents.
(boiled inseed oil???)
Yup. The modern versions aren't actually boiled, but rather have polymers added to make it cure. I prefer tung oil which is an all-natural finish and has a bit more depth. You should be able to get either at a decent woodworking supply shop.
Trapeze tail - I do still have all the original parts, should I use the one it came with?
You could, but I'm guessing it's pretty ratty looking by now, and replacements
like these are cheap.
It looks like the biggest problem with the guitar was actually the bridge, little to flat. Can't get it tuned.
Unlikely to be the original - they are the first things lost and locally were almost always replaced with a nasty little black and cream plastic jobbies. A
proper archtop bridge needs fitting properly to match the curve on the top and sometimes some work to get the action low enough on a shallow hollowbody (depending on the angle of the neck).
The tuners: Should I use the originals? I think I should look for Gibson or other better make tuners?
Modern tuners are heavy die-cast affairs and usually look completely wrong on a guitar like this. The old ones (if original) will be a set with backing plates, three tuners on each
plate like this, rather than individual types? If they have been replaced with individuals or are an odd post spacing, you'll either have to go for
very cheap or
very expensive replacements - there's nothing in between.
Get a very good quality pickup.
Unless you have money to burn, wait until you have it assembled and playing nicely before splurging on expensive electronics. When you do the electronics, don't compromise on the pots (CTS) and jack socket (Switchcraft), as archtops are difficult to do the wiring on, and you'll want it to last for decades before you have to go back inside to repair/replace again. Splurge-wise I'd go for an underwound Lollar Imperial or a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover, but any lower powered PAF-style humbucker will work well.
