I found and acquired a beat-up QUAD! Now what?

[Alex Cattaneo]

The blend wheels were all gone, but if I understand correctly, they are just regular pots with a little metal wheel added on top. So I should be able to put the original configuration back together. The push buttons are what’s worrying me right now, I’ll post some pictures later today.

[Alex Cattaneo]

First significant setback today: I borrowed a friend’s multimeter and four pickups are dead. The others read

8.48
7.71
7.68
7.62

Lollar lists his replacement Stringmaster pickups at 8.6 while Seymour Duncan has them at 9.4

Trying to find someone who rewinds pickups in my area, hopefully the rewinding costs a bit less than new pickups.

On a positive note, yesterday I cleaned all the control plates and they look really good!

[Geoff Queen]

As far as the push buttons go; some emory cloth or super fine sandpaper between the contacts will clean these right up. Add a bit of contact cleaner and they're good to go. I did that and had zero problems after. Cool project!

[Tim Whitlock]

First significant setback today: I borrowed a friend’s multimeter and four pickups are dead. The others read

8.48
7.71
7.68
7.62

Lollar lists his replacement Stringmaster pickups at 8.6 while Seymour Duncan has them at 9.4

Trying to find someone who rewinds pickups in my area, hopefully the rewinding costs a bit less than new pickups.

On a positive note, yesterday I cleaned all the control plates and they look really good!

Check out Sentell. I think his prices are better on rewinds and new pickups. I have been happy with his work. You might also look up Nick Fryer.

https://www.sentellpickups.net/steel

[Joseph Lazo]

Thanks Bill.

It just occurred to me that I could remove neck 3 and make a triple with necks 1,2 and 4. No need to add or remove leg sockets and neck 3 could be used like a lap steel. That would be an easy and reversible way to do it.

If it's 100% reversible, that's what I'd do. A 4-neck steel just seems like overkill. And I don't think my arms are long enough to reach that baritone neck.

[Mike Harris]

You can find the threaded rods at Lowes and can cut them to the length you need for your T-8. If you slightly enlarge the pickup wire hole on your new single neck lap you can install an input jack there. If you ever change back to a quad that hole will be hidden.

[Mike McBride]

If maximizing your return on investment is the goal, separating the necks might be the best path.

There is a Quad on Reverb.com right now for $2400. There are several Fender triple neck guitars that average about that same amount. The double average about that much as well.

[Alex Cattaneo]

I’m gonna keep it as a Quad for now. Multiples guitars are probably worth more, but then you need extra sockets, legs, cases, it adds up! So the extra return might not be worth the trouble.

[Tim Toberer]

Really cool project! I will be watching and living vicariously
My thoughts on the guitar. I like the idea of keeping it a Quad. If you ever decide to sell it, there will always be someone who wants it eventually. As time goes on the price of these is bound to just go up. At some point they will be basically impossible to find. The other restoration thread convinced me that red looks pretty sweet, but if it were me, I would want it to look like the original. Just make it beautiful and don't think about the money, surely your time will be the largest investment.

[Alan Brookes]

A fairly simple restoration if you can find all the replacement parts. It's just a matter of putting it back together and wiring it up.
Wiring is probably the worst part of the job if you don't know what you're doing.

Whatever you do, do not think of parting it out and selling the parts separately, or making it into a three-neck or two two-neck models. That would be vandalism.