Melted Pickup Spacers

[Sigmania]

Has anyone seen this before?

I just opened up my 1983 TST70 for the first time and realized the orange stuff on the pickuard that I had thought somone had done a tea stain with was actually residue from the spacers that completely melted.

I got the guitar from a dealer in Miami, so am wondering if he or whoever he got it from was storing it a space without air conditioning?

I don't think those are bees wax, so must have been really hot.

Neck is fine thankfully.

 

[CliffsGuitarWorld]

Yes, I have seen this before..

 

[Puck Luck]

WOW, that is crazy. Glad it's ok otherwise.

 

[Sigmania]

I ordered Fender spacers.



Will install them this week.

No idea what those we made out of?

In other guitars they look like silicone or polyurethane.

Had no idea they could melt.

 

[Sigmania]

… Do your pickups have little orangy-yellow rubber "pickup cushions" instead of springs between the pickup screws and the pickup under the scratchplate? …

Chris
________
Medical Marijuana

Anyone know where I can find some?

 

[Sigmania]

Just did some searching on here. Looks like most vintage Tokais used spring spacers.

The other ones I’ve seen like these are on my other ST70. My 1981. Interesting.

 

[Sigmania]

As an update, I pulled this guitar apart today and cleaned out the melted spacers and installed the Fender ones.

What a mess. They stained the pickup covers, and pickguard, and melted all over the body under the pickguard.

I was able to get almost all of it off, but it was a job.

Nasty little buggers.

 

[Sigmania]

Finished.





Still need to adjust the pickup height.

 

[Sigmania]

Cool lighting effect with my headlamp.

 

[Sigmania]

Just spotted these spacers in the 1982 catalog.

1980s - 1982 Vol. 5 Spring Catalog Spring Version (FULL)

 

[guitar hiro]

I have seen the 'melted' surgical tubing spacers on a few of my old Fender Japan Strats

if they don't melt they can still become hardened and non functional

I prefer the metals springs