Graffiti Yellow Strat Partscaster build, modded some more and FINISHED!

paulnb57

Following a recent Wanted Ad for a Graffiti Yellow Strat and finding them to be somewhat rare, I decided yesterday that I would make my own....thing escalated today when I dropped the pink one in town then popped into the local Auto Paint Factor, where they made me up a couple of rattle cans of RAL 1018 - Zinc Yellow Cellulose, that Internet Wisdom suggests is near enough to Graffiti Yellow.

On getting home I gave my KorinaCaster a swift introduction to screwdriver/800 grit/panel wipe and started spraying...Its so hot in the shed that the paint is drying super quick, so already there is best part of a can applied and it now hangs in the hot shed drying off ready for a rub over with went dry in a couple of days.....Watch this space.....


Todays progress

https://i.imgur.com/y3O3Z4h.jpg

munckee

Looks like a decent paint job, only problem is it will end up graffiti yellow : )  Will follow with interest.

lovestrat74

Black guard, aged white plastics?

paulnb57

lovestrat74 said:

Black guard, aged white plastics?

Yep! Great minds thinks alike!.....

paulnb57

munckee said:

Looks like a decent paint job, only problem is it will end up graffiti yellow : )  Will follow with interest.

Very Droll!

paulnb57

Been out for the afternoon, came back and the paint is fairly dry already, no runs! I'm at work for the next three days so it will have ample time to harden, then get a rub over again with 800grit, then a final coat or two......the harware that came off it is good to go, just need to source/create/ rummage through the parts boxes for  aged white plastics........
The neck is an Allparts (I think) Tele jobby that I modded to the rounded Strat heel shape and sprayed the headstock satin black after a bit of a drama widening the tuner holes to fit lockers, the headstock split from the top e almost the full length, when the drill grabbed, not a happy bunny, but lesson learned, I can still see the glue line so that will get some attention from abrasives and get repainted, satin black will match the scratchplate and tie in nicely.....
Pickups are currently two Iron Gears overwound Pig Irons at neck and middle and an unknown hotter single at the bridge, they will do for now.....
This is how it was this morning....
I could use this scratchplate, or one with the three single coils.....

http://i.imgur.com/7fr6tQM.jpg

paulnb57

So, a couple of days ago I got a flyer from work, the sun was beating down on the back garden, so the body got a dose of 800 grit, wet, panel wiped and left for an hour to warm up in the shed, while the rattle can of yellow stood in a bucket of hot water, with a can of satin black. The headstock had all it's hardware removed, was sanded and resprayed with the black.....then the body had it's final coats, was hung back on the hot shed and left alone with the spiders.....
Until today when some of it got loosely reassembled, tuners and string tree back on the neck, neck on the body, hardtail bridge screwed on but not fully tightened yet, scratchplate and jack plate just rest on the body for the photo.....
Next will se the pickups swapped out for a BK Sinner at the bridge and a Creamery SC size P90 at middle and neck, need to source aged pickup covers, knobs, switchtip and pots........getting there.....

http://i.imgur.com/V225G4d.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nVgYxCF.jpg

munckee

Looks like a good paint job.  What lacquer did you use over the paint?

Andyjr1515

Fabulous

paulnb57

munckee said:

Looks like a good paint job.  What lacquer did you use over the paint?

Didn't...not necessary, paint is robust enough without, shiny finish is straight from the can, no rubbing back or buffing....

paulnb57

Andyjr1515 said:

Fabulous

Thanks Andy!

paulnb57

A few steps forward, a couple back.....
All wired, assembled and a rough set up, found some off white Jazz Bass knobs, so used solid shaft pots, 5 way switch,  all had been used on something previously.....only had two white pickup covers, so, for now the bridge is black.....
Plugged it in and despite following a wiring schematic, the tones are wired back to front, actually the neck tone doesn't work and the middle tone knob works on the bridge, so that needs a bit of fettling, as does the switch which is a bit intermittent in the bridge and middle together position...it should be wired so the first tone does the neck and the second does the bridge, middle no tone, as thats how I like it....
Pleased with the result, need to source another white pickup cover, or three aged ones, I have three parchment but they look wrong with the knobs......
Anyroadup, photos....

http://i.imgur.com/mjQz6Nt.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/j50zvWT.jpg

Winny_Pooh

That's a good finish for such little work. Looks cool!

andyp

Looks awesome! I’m a big fan of graffiti yellow Strats, brilliant job man.

paulnb57

Wasn't happy with the Sinner and P90's so pulled it apart again and rewired the original 2 pickup scratchplate, so it now sports a Single Coil size Creamery P90 at the neck and a Seymour Duncan Rail Humbucker at the bridge, master volume, a tone per pickup and a three way switch, treble bleed on the volume pot...
Straplock buttons are on and I had to apply a smidge of Loctite to each bridge saddle height adjustment screw as any vibration caused then to adjust themselves, nice quality Fender!...not!

So, thats it done, it sounds great and a bit different to my other 5 Strats!

http://i.imgur.com/gkUdfbN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/S61dPc9.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Gxm23bc.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vH8SHId.jpg


Edit, just noticed a little paint sag near the bottom straplock button, so that will nedd a tickle with 2k, so it's not quite finished!

Andyjr1515

It looks absolutely splendid!

Deadman

Excellent job mate.

paulnb57

Thanks Chaps!

Adam_MD

Nice good job 

Dave_Vader

Oh that's nice.

Might do my Frankenstrat the same colour (but with masking tape stripes, obvs)

LuttiS

Dave_Vader said:

Oh that's nice.

Might do my Frankenstrat the same colour (but with masking tape stripes, obvs)

Haha, i was thinking something similar