Mark II Tobacco Burst

25.5           Scale Length

42mm        Nut

Bone          Nut Material

S.S.S.         Pickup Configuration    (N- 5.3 ohms,  M- 5.6 ohms,  B- 6.6 ohms)

21               Frets

12               Fretboard Radius

6.5 lbs        Weight

Burst          Color    (Tobacco Burst)

R.Hand       Handing

1.75 mm    Action at the 12th Fret

X   Deep Cleaning

X   Electronics Cleaned / Tested

X   Fretboard Cleaned / Tested

X   Tuners Service

X   Neck Adjusted

X   Intonation Set

X   Setup Complete

X   Body Buffed / Polish

Bone nut

Re-Fretted with Jescar Medium Jumbo Nickle Silver Frets

Wilkinson Vintage Tremolo Bridge WOV01 

Alnico 5 Pickups Musiclily Pro ST 50S ( 5.3 ohms Neck,  5.6 ohms Middle,  6.6 ohms Bridge )

Alpha Mini Pots   A500K

Heavy Duty 5 way switch  ( Kaish )

Treble Bleed Circuit

Gilmour Switch

Dual .022 Capacitors  ( 1 for each tone pot )

Switch Craft Output Jack

Cloth pushback wiring

Silver Solder

Mushroom Style Strap Buttons

Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10 Gauge

This guitar received a complete teardown and rebuild. The fretboard was sanded from 400 grit to 1000 grit before it was re-fretted and the edges rolled. The fretboard was rehydrated with lemon oil. The neck was wet sanded with Boiled Linseed Oil to 1000 Grit to produce a satin feel in the hand. The bone nut was cut and polished. All wiring done in cloth pushback wire and the bridge pickup was assigned to its own tone pot.

The Story Behind This Guitar

This Mark II guitar arrived at Back From The Dead Guitars from the Greater Washington, D.C. area in April 2026 after nearly a week in an online auction.

The labeling on the instrument identifies it as Model M2-15 DOS / BS, with the country of origin listed as Indonesia. The headstock also carries a Classic Golden Baseball QC sticker. One of the more interesting details found during intake was a large strip of painter’s tape across the back of the guitar with “New York Avenue” written on it.

Exactly what that note meant is unknown.

Perhaps the guitar was once used at a local pub, bar, rehearsal space, or entertainment venue somewhere along New York Avenue. Maybe it served as a house guitar, passed from hand to hand by players who stopped in for a song. Or perhaps it was found after an event or gathering and marked for identification before eventually finding its way into storage, then auction.

Its worn frets show that this was not a guitar that simply sat untouched. It was played. Whether it belonged to a street busker, a casual player, a venue, or someone who carried it through years of practice and performance, its past clearly included plenty of music.

How it left that earlier life behind and ended up at auction will remain part of its mystery. What matters now is that its next chapter begins here, in a small shop in the northern suburbs of Detroit, where it has been inspected, restored, and prepared for a new owner.

The badge on the headstock tells where it started.

The wear tells us it was played.

The future belongs to whoever picks it up next.

Initial Intake Assessment

This guitar arrived at the shop in mid-April 2026 with the output jack hanging loose from the body and the jack plate being held in place by only one screw.

During the initial functional inspection, the electronics operated correctly in all five pickup selector positions. The selector switch was functional, but its action lacked the crisp, positive engagement expected from a healthy switch, indicating it was nearing the end of its useful service life.

The bridge saddles remained in a slightly staggered configuration, suggesting the guitar had previously received an intonation setup for regular playing. Very little dust or debris was present around the bridge saddles, which suggests the instrument had been stored in relatively clean conditions. However, age-related oxidation was present around the exterior stems of three tuning machines. The guitar arrived without a tremolo arm, so tuning stability under vibrato use could not be tested during intake.

The body finish remained in very good overall condition for its age. It displayed the typical light scratches and playing marks expected on the front and back of an instrument that had seen years of regular use. The wear was consistent with honest playing use rather than abuse or neglect.

The neck was straight with only a slight amount of forward relief. No fret buzz was present at any point on the neck during intake testing. The frets showed wear from use but did not have noticeable sharp ends. The rosewood fingerboard displayed heavier playing marks through approximately the fifth fret, indicating the guitar had seen substantial use during its playing life. The fingerboard was not severely dry, but it did require cleaning from storage and age. The most noticeable fret wear was found within the first three frets.

The nut appears to be original and made of plastic. Although the nut slots showed significant wear from years of playing, no open-string fret buzz was present during testing.

The tuning machines are unbranded Gotoh-style 10 mm sealed tuners with adjustable button tension screws. They showed age-related oxidation when removed but were solidly built and suitable for cleaning, inspection, and reuse.

With the guitar fully disassembled, it became clear that the instrument had been cared for through much of its life. The neck pocket was solid and secure, and the neck plate screws showed no clear indication of having been previously removed. The neck and body both carried matching T.105 markings in black marker, suggesting the neck and body were matched during factory production.

The original ceramic pickups measured:

• Neck: 5.1 kΩ

• Middle: 5.5 kΩ

• Bridge: 6.0 kΩ

The electronics consisted of a vintage-style import five-way selector switch, non branded mini A500K potentiometers, and a single capacitor shared by both tone controls. The electronics cavity was exceptionally clean and free of heavy dust or debris, showing only the normal visual aging expected from components that have remained covered and protected over time.

Overall Assessment

This guitar presented as an extensively played but well-cared-for instrument. The wear found throughout the guitar is consistent with years of regular use rather than abuse or neglect. Structurally, the guitar arrived as an excellent candidate for restoration, requiring routine maintenance and thoughtful upgrades to begin its next chapter.

The guitar is in excellent player-used condition. The body shows some scuffs, scrapes, and normal cosmetic wear, mostly on the back and lower edge areas. These marks are consistent with regular use and do not affect playability.

The original tuners were retained after inspection and remain stable, holding position properly once tuned. A new bone nut, new frets, upgraded tremolo bridge, new pickups, and new electronics were installed as part of the rebuild.

This guitar is a strong player and a fine example of the pickup-in-body direct-mount style. The controls have a firm, positive feel when adjusting volume or tone, and the Alnico 5 pickups provide a wide tonal range, especially when paired with the Gilmour switch.