A bigger package.

GSPBASSES

 

     The postman also delivered this package.

 

The inner the box.

 

The inner box opened

 

The content, a beautiful 3 colour sunburst Stratocaster body, by the code number I should think it's Mexican.

 

 

I can't believe one of the part casters builders on the forum didn't spot this on eBay. I only found it through another posting were one of our members were asking if I different body to this one was a genuine Fender. I went and had a look and scroll down the page as you do, and spotted the fender I now have.

normula1

V nice. And even better that it doesn't have a fugly universal pickup route.

Bridgehouse

Lol. That’s like a busman’s holiday or something

Bond123

Isn't that like taking coals to Newcastle?

That's an awful lot of necks in the background in this post and the Small Package post!

mart

Silly question, but how come there’s no paint in the routs- do they rout these after they’ve put the finish on? If so, why - isn’t there a chance of it ripping the finish ?

robinbowes

mart said:

Silly question, but how come there’s no paint in the routs- do they rout these after they’ve put the finish on? If so, why - isn’t there a chance of it ripping the finish ?

Good point. 

I thought something looked odd about the body but couldn't put my finger on it. 

R. 

GSPBASSES

No colour lacquer in the cavities was the first thing I notice when I open the box. I used to run my own spray shop for spraying guitars, even though all cavities were carefully masked off, I can't recall ever having the body that looked as clean cut round the edges of the cavities. Not sure how they do it, but it does look very much like any over spray has been removed back on the CNC. Although I can't see that as being very cost-effective for practical. All the cavities do I have clear lacquer in them.

WezV

And yet there is paint in the neck pocket.  How odd

CasperCaster

I don't know how/why they do them like this, but it is now the norm, at least on recent Fender Mex Classic series bodies. Personally I like it as on solid colours (mines CAR), via the various cavities front and back you can see the grain across about 70% of the guitar. I can see a single join on the bass side of the pickup routs on mine, so probably a two piece or at worst a three piece body - certainly not the five or seven piece spreads veneered front and back as found on 90's Mexican Fenders. Also, the finish looks quite thin on mine, again much better than even just a few years ago (I've had quite a few Mex Fenders and excluding the CAR body currently own five from 2007-2015. The fit and finish gets progressively better). And no paint in the neck canvity, but some dye/marker pen around the edge, something Fender do on most models.

https://i.imgur.com/ifUcYZW.jpg

guitarcookie1

WezV said:

And yet there is paint in the neck pocket.  How odd

Meaning there’s no chance of seeing any wood, just paint, when the neck is fitted and getting complaints of a poor finish?

Doesn’t matter elsewhere as it will be hidden under the scratch plate. 

WezV

guitarcookie1 said:

WezV said:

And yet there is paint in the neck pocket.  How odd

Meaning there’s no chance of seeing any wood, just paint, when the neck is fitted and getting complaints of a poor finish?

Doesn’t matter elsewhere as it will be hidden under the scratch plate. 

I was more thinking off the order of operations, not the reason for the colour there

if it was paint it would suggest neck pocket was routed before finish and other routes were done after, which would be odd... but if it’s pen then they can be ignored 


Maybe they just just have a really effective masking contraption, but it’s still an odd step to go to when it’s benefits are minimal if existent at all.

normula1

I seem to recall Paul Reed Smith stating that they don't paint the cavities in the Silver Sky model for a tonal reason.

WezV

normula1 said:

I seem to recall Paul Reed Smith stating that they don't paint the cavities in the Silver Sky model for a tonal reason.

At the price of a PRS manually masking them off at an artists request isn’t unreasonable

fenders choice will be based on efficiency and cost, But it’s hard to imagine what the benefit to them would be without knowing the factory processes.  

robinbowes

Maybe it's a stock control thing? They can pre-paint bodies in advance and route them at will?

Andyjr1515

My guess would be that it is simply how they jig up for a high volume paint line.

I ran a few aluminium powder coating lines for a number of years and there were similar challenges with jigging.

I'm almost certain to be wrong, but in similar circumstances my logic would have been, against a requirement of:

• Request by manufacturing to retain visibility of the internally used id markings in the neck pocket
• Request by the marketing to have all under- scratchplate chambers unpainted but clear coated because it looks classier and more professional.

...then my solution, especially if I was using a cnc controlled automatic quick- colour change spray booth.

• Standardised jig fixture locked into neck pocket allowing the body to hang  down rigidly from the  paint line track.

• Preformed insert placed in control chamber / pickup chamber to mask those areas

• Track runs though paint and, maybe, accelerated drying stations, that is:

• Prime

• Colour coat(s)

• Remove insert

• Clear coat

• Accelerated drying (perhaps)

• Dejig

 This then leaves me with one problem -   the possibility of a visible edge of the neck pocket once the guitar is assembled.  My pragmatic solution would be to have a pack of colour matched sharpies at the end of the track and colour the corners

As I say, I'm probably wrong but that is how I would do it given the range of multi color change automatic paint booths available nowadays.

SteveRobinson

The line around the cavities is so sharp, they have to be routed after the colour coats are appled.

The neck pocket (which is common to all models) is clearly routed before the colour coats.

mart

Maybe @MattFGBI can shed some light on this?

MattFGBI

It's painted last. I'm guessing this is a Classic body so that's why there's not shielding paint.