Wow... cool! I would have predicted that I would have hated that look if you hadn't actually shown it to me. But it's actually not that offensive!Double-binding should just be standard on Tele's, it looks so sharp! I switched the pickguards for you just to see what it looks like, you're welcome!
Substantial is a good descriptor. That's a solid brass unit I sourced from a Chinese seller on Ebay. I was trying to find all brass components, and the options for the tele-style bridge were few. There were a couple 70's era Fender units made of solid brass out there, but they were all aged looking, and this wasn't a relic project. I was hesitant on buying something from a Chinese seller, but the deal went flawlessly. I wish I had purchased two of them in retrospect. There's a similar unit on Ebay now from a Hungry-based seller. It's a more modern style... and I'm considering it for the Black tele. The only component that I wasn't able to fine a brass version of are the tuners. I've come across some sets that are aged/relic'd... but I'm looking for new.
I don't know about that.... I think your three categories are also applicable to Gretsch archtops. I've bought expensive examples to get all the features I wanted. I've also bought less expensive models brand new, only to immediately upgrade them to high-end components that I desired. And, I've also purchased a lower-end husk, and outfitted it with almost everything from my parts collection. I really enjoy the results of each of these exercises.
I can’t fault your logic except to say that to me, set neck guitars were meant to be played as pretty much as made and there was never a Fender made that wouldn’t benefit from personalization. One man’s opinion based on his experience.
