Refin Baja Tele or...?

SRich

Quandary....

Had it for years. This is one of my two Tele's which gets a lot of playtime.....I like a lot about it - the Soft V neck, S1 switching, but there's other things I'm not so fond of - I have hankered after a Rosewood neck, it's a little bit of a boat anchor @ 9lbs or so and the thick poly finish isn't exactly attractive. However, back to the quandary.....I changed the original 5-hole single ply scratch plate which had warped for an 8-hole WBW jobby which I thought improved it's looks.....but after a year or so has created a crack in the finish.


Nothing I can't live with at all..........except is it telling me to have a poly peel off and nitro refin? ...although what do I do about the neck?

Any more learned folks out there who can advise...to peel or not to peel?.....certainly wouldn't undertake it myself, so I'd be looking for someone who has the skills.

I've read stories of uncovering multiple piece not so great wood under the poly.....so naturally a little dubious.

Seziertisch

 On one hand a strip and refin will probably end up costing nearly as much as a new neck and body already finished in nitro.

Though if the guitar is a “keeper” and sounds/plays better than its original price tag suggests, then it is probably worth doing. Even if it is a five-piece body, any imperfections can be mostly concealed by a good refinisher. 

Also, the issue with partscasters is that even with the nicest finish in the world you might be starting out with a body and neck that don’t sound anything special together. Here, it you know that the guitar already sounds good/great, that will continue to be the case after a refin.

Funkydung!

Leave it as is! It looks nice, you will only regret stripping it and waste money as well. 

PonchoGreg

First of all - I think it looks killer as is!

One thing you could do - especially if the weight bothers you but you like everything else - is get a spare body and have that finished in nitro with a colour you like. It likely won't cost more than strip/refin and that way you have the option of returning the guitar back to stock any time.

A body in the 1.8-2kg range should shave off nearly a pound and half total I would think.

Will it make a difference to the sound? That's a different matter

For what it's worth I went that route with a mexi 60s strat I loved but was also heavy and with a thiiiick early 2000s poly shell. Was very pleased with the result - the guitarbuild body is lighter, 2-piece, with much much nicer contours and the whole thing sounds great.

munckee

@lovestrat74 removed the finish on his badger and oiled the wood and has left natural and looks excellent. 

Iamf68 would strip and Refin the body in nitro for you, his work is excellent, have had two bodies refind by him, and he is incredibly reasonably priced. 

poopot

Do it!... the finish comes off really easy with a little bit of heat from a heat gun...

here’s mine:

Removing the finish from the neck is a case of scraping with a blade...

since those pics were taken I’ve ditched the s1 switching and replaced the god awful standard pickups with some mojo ‘59’s.

great guitar now and my backup for gigs!!!!

Zoolooter

@poopot that’s a really nice finish. It’s exactly the colour/tone I want for a build I’m starting. Did you do it? If so what shade did you use over the white base coat?

meltedbuzzbox

Juansolo managed to strip one with a hair dryer and a spatula. It was then refinished with oil i think
His looked great 

poopot

Zoolooter said:

@poopot that’s a really nice finish. It’s exactly the colour/tone I want for a build I’m starting. Did you do it? If so what shade did you use over the white base coat?

That was a few years back before I had access to a spray booth.

i used a can of white blonde and a can of light tint from @SteveRobinson iirc...

Redid the neck a couple of times...

here it is as of now:

Zoolooter

@poopot thanks for the info and extra pic. 

chrisj1602

Could it be worth getting a new body off SC Relics, then you can store the original body should you ever want to return it to stock.

djspecialist

meltedbuzzbox said:

Juansolo managed to strip one with a hair dryer and a spatula. It was then refinished with oil i think
His looked great 

I am now the proud owner of that guitar - it is indeed great

merlin

Refinsh or leave? Here's mine. It was 7lb 2.5oz before and 6lb 9oz after. Lost over 9oz of plastic finish! 

Before;



After; I think six thin coats of tru-oil and a gentle sand of the back of the neck with a fine sanding sponge. Smooth as anything now.  

GoldenEraGuitars

chrisj1602 said:

Could it be worth getting a new body off SC Relics, then you can store the original body should you ever want to return it to stock.

Thank you for the recommendation 

johnhe

An SC Relics body and store or sell the old one is the smartest suggestion I’ve seen yet. Refinishing it yourself has a certain appeal. But I know that I wouldn’t be up for that amount of work personally.

SRich

Thanks @johnhe ......an SC relics body will inevitably lead to a Rosewood neck and the merry-go-round goes round and round.

It's a very fine thought that is never far from my mind....cheers for the GAS.

johnhe

 Actually meant the suggestion as the lower cost option (with better resale Value for your guitar in stock condition if needed in future)!!! But I see what you mean. I have no need for another tele myself, but seeing the SC Relics photos makes me want one nonetheless.

just to try to end on a positive note, your guitar looks wonderful as it is.