Dylan, wow what an answer! this is the best answer I have ever gotten from the internet. Thank you for sharing your knowledge about these instruments.
I think I am done working with this guitar. It's amazing how well sounds unplugged. I don't have an amp here but I have been plugin in on a Fender Rumble bass amp and its crazy, a little marriage between the twangy Tele and the lower freqs amplified by cheap Rumble. When I got it everything was loose. So started tightening it up, tuners, new nut, polished frets, soldered the tone (tone was disconnected) cleaned the switch and pots with contact cleaner, little w40 on the saddle screws, and a little neck relief but mostly straight. Then put a new set of 9's and set it up low how I like them. There is some fret wear on the third fret that causes buzz, and some leveling to be done on the 12 fret, other than that it rings in all frets. It sounds beautifully unplugged. I am anxious to plug in on a tube amp and have some reverb with a tad of tremolo, or without it... I may need to buy the missing 6th (saddle/screw/spring) later and will try a black pickguard.
I think I am done working with this guitar. It's amazing how well sounds unplugged. I don't have an amp here but I have been plugin in on a Fender Rumble bass amp and its crazy, a little marriage between the twangy Tele and the lower freqs amplified by cheap Rumble. When I got it everything was loose. So started tightening it up, tuners, new nut, polished frets, soldered the tone (tone was disconnected) cleaned the switch and pots with contact cleaner, little w40 on the saddle screws, and a little neck relief but mostly straight. Then put a new set of 9's and set it up low how I like them. There is some fret wear on the third fret that causes buzz, and some leveling to be done on the 12 fret, other than that it rings in all frets. It sounds beautifully unplugged. I am anxious to plug in on a tube amp and have some reverb with a tad of tremolo, or without it... I may need to buy the missing 6th (saddle/screw/spring) later and will try a black pickguard.