Doing Things Wrong

All Together Now

All assembled and strung up with D'Addario round-wounds. The action fell into place with just a little adjusting. I set the intonation with a yardstick, which works better than you'd think. Add 3/16" for the E string, 0 for the G, and split the difference in between.

Apart from testing the wiring, I have not yet plugged it in. I'm going to let it settle under tension for a week or two.


The Silvertone 1450 is a relatively rare model from 1965 to 1967. It is identical to the much more common 1452 "Amp-in-Case" model, except that the 1450 has a three-ply tortoiseshell pickguard in place of 1452's white masonite, and the 1450 did not come with an amp. The three-bolt neck attachment indicates that this is a fairly early example. There should be a date stamp inside the neck pocket, but I don't want to take it apart. For a long time I thought this was a 1452, I was quite pleased to discover while writing this that it is actually the more deluxe 1450.

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