Stage 2 was yesterday. I took everything out and started puttying in the old holes. It's never going to be a saleable item because of the things I'm doing to it, but I got it cheap and I'm willing to sacrifice it if necessary for the sake of learning. The only pictures I took were of the open electronics board just before I masked it off.
And all the parts and tools neatly thrown in a heap on my workbench, which obviously is also my temporary computer table.
Phase 3 is today's project. I sanded down the putty and stained it as best I could. The only part that really shows is the holes where the original bridge was, but they're in the back where no one can see them.
Hung out to dry.
And the back.
Close-up of the body.
After reading tons of literature on different oil and varnish finishes, I've followed the recommendations of several guitar makers and bought some Tru-Oil, which is a linseed-based oil compound used mainly to refinish rifle stocks. I've already applied two coats and am waiting for the second to dry before sanding again and applying the third. They say that the more coats you give it the shinier it gets.
We'll see.