›

Stratocaster renovation project

What's Hot
jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
edited August 2013 in Making & Modding
I've had this partscaster strat since i was 15 (now 19), and it was built by me and my dad. Spec was: ash body, fralin vintage hots, maple neck.

I thought i would share the process with you guys. I'm quite sad and like reading these detailed threads, so i thought i would give something back now i have the chance to! Updates will come as they happen, which should be over the coming few weeks.

Heres how it started out life:

Then i decided to un-relic the body, and resprayed it blue again. This was over the top of a polyester sunburst, because i had heard that in the 50s custom colours would just be sprayed over the top of a sunburst finish, but the fact that the body i got was poly finished meant that the effect didn't really turn out too well.


^This photo was after i started disassembling it, hence why everything looks a bit odd... But in this incarnation i had replaced the 'reliced' saddles with modern style steel ones, resprayed (cheap halfords paint job) and added a bit of wear to the headstock.

Now onto what i intend to do. This started out as just stripping the body back to bare wood to respray it with nitrocellulose. I was going to depart from the past and go for a vintage white shade, and swap out for a tortoishell guard. So i started stripping the body:

nitromors applied

I dont have any photos of this, but after a while of scraping and reapplying, i realised the stripper wouldnt bite into the poly undercoat. So i resorted to the heat gun:

progress pic

Here it is completely stripped and flat sanded!

However, having put all of that work into it, I decided it was actually time for a body upgrade. This one had served it's purpose for a good few years, but now i wanted a higher quality one which i could start afresh with. Anyway, i shelled out on a 2 piece unsanded ash body from booboos guitars on the bay, which was £32 plus £16 postage which i was pretty happy with. I'll post pics when i have the chance to take a photo of it.
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«1

Comments

  • jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
    edited August 2013
    i cant seem to make the images appear properly... i used the IMG link from photobucket, is that wrong?
    EDIT: fixed
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17943
    edited August 2013 tFB Trader
    Just use direct links
    We don't use bbcode

    EDIT: I've fixed the first link in your post so you can see what to do.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FretwiredFretwired Frets: 24602
    edited August 2013
    http://s1122.photobucket.com/user/jedhemsley/media/relic strat/IMG_20120626_212411.jpg.htmlimage

    Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • TheOtherDennisTheOtherDennis Frets: 2011
    I can see what you're trying to do, and I'm sure it'll look great when you're done, cos that's a really nice blue.

    For me, though (just my taste), leave the body natural and put a tortoiseshell pick guard on that and I reckon it'll be fab. :)

    But if you've bought a different body, that's up to you.
    If you must have sex with a frog, wear a condom. If you want the frog to have fun, rib it.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28355
    That seems like a lot of effort to just ditch a perfectly useable body! I rather liked the original look personally, but each to their own.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
    Its going to be vintage white with a tortioshell pickguard when its done.
    I know the body was probably useable, but i think it's quite hard to argue that there isn't any point in upgrading a guitar. People upgrade pickups, swap necks all the time, i'm just replacing a tired out body so that hopefully i won't have to change anything on this guitar in the future.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28355
    I really like vintage white with tort, looking forward to seeing it.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
    edited August 2013
    UPDATE!

    this has been a while, apologies. I've been mainly waiting for things to arrive (held up for 2 weeks waiting for the tort pickguard to arrive from Holland). But now i am back with some pictures i took earlier today! 

    So far we've routed out the single coil bridge to accept a humbucker. Don't have pictures of the process unfortunately, but the result is pretty neat. Theres one area you can see which went too deep, but it's been filled and shouldn't notice under the paint.

    As far as the finish, all of the stuff has arrived. I've gone with vintage white, as reccommended by Steve (Manchester Guitar Tech) himself after i foolishly tried to buy Olympic White! Anyway, here are the wildly entertaining progress pics:

    Here's the new body with the humbucker route. I forget what was happening here, something to do with checking bridge alignment (it was all okay!)

    Heres the back of the body with the bridge block in place (working out where to mount the backplate). Its got a cool bit of spalting on it, shame its going to be covered with a solid colour!

    proprietary pic of the new pickguard and Fralins installed :). It was a bit of a bugger, as when it arrived the neck pocket and both pickup slots were too narrow, which required a bit of filing and sanding away. S'all good now though.

    The body on my Dad's milling machine. He's an horologist so we used his workshop for most of the work. He's got a pretty nice lathe too! The milling machine was used along with an el cheapo Wickes router bit for the humbucker route, so i feel like it could have gone a lot worse!

    And here we are now. The body here has been coated with cellulose sanding sealer. This revealed a few blemishes which i've filled with the grain filler we used prior to applying the sanding sealer. When the body arrived it was completely unfinished (dirty routes, not fully rounded over) so i feel like it's come a long way in the past few weeks!

    Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this update! it isn't much, but it's now up to date fully :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
    I've also ordered all the electronics. I've got some Fender vintage spec cloth wire, 500k Bourns push pull for the volume, 250k CTS middle & neck tone, and a 500k CTS bridge tone. I've also got some 470k ohm metal film resistors, which we're going to use wired into the 5 way switch in positions 1-4 so that the volume pot is reduced to a 250k when the single coils are running through it, so as to make sure they don't sound too bright.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • GuitarMonkeyGuitarMonkey Frets: 1883
    Looking good Jed!

    I've had a few pickguards from the guy in Holland (must be the same one) and they have been really accurately made.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
    Well it's good to know that perhaps i was just unlucky. It wasn't too much of an issue because we have the tools to correct that kind of stuff, but other pickguards i have bought have fitted pretty much out of the box. 

    Also after having been a loyal customer of AxesRus for about 4 years now, i've decided to never buy anything from them again. Their stuff is cheap; i had ordered some pickup covers, a push pull and some screws from them - of which none fitted. I then had to pay return postage, despite the goods not being fit for purpose, and to add insult to injury, it's now been a good 2 weeks since i've sent it back. I rang twice and they said they haven't received anything. What a nightmare, glad it was only £13 worth of stuff. 

    Does anyone have any experience with the stuff from Axetec? I was going to buy some felt strap button washers and trem springs and screws from them, however their prices seemed on the low side, which made me wonder about the quality. If anyone's had anything from there which has been decent it would be good to know so i can get the stuff ordered :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • LixartoLixarto Frets: 1618
    I've used Axetec for bits & bobs (knobs, Tele switch, those tiny springs for Strat trem arms) - excellent service and no problems quality-wise.

    Keith's also a lovely chap who stepped into the breach when I had a singer on the missing list :)
    "I can see you for what you are; an idiot barely in control of your own life. And smoking weed doesn't make you cool; it just makes you more of an idiot."
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • MegiiMegii Frets: 1670

    I've never had any trouble with Axesrus I have to say, and on the odd occasion I've had a query, they've always been friendly and answered promptly. I've bought various parts, pickup covers, pickups, machine-heads etc. from them and it's all been as described, and good.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28355
    Mmmmnnnn ...... I like project guitars. Itching to get on with my two.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • TheOtherDennisTheOtherDennis Frets: 2011
    jedhemsley said:

    Does anyone have any experience with the stuff from Axetec? I was going to buy some felt strap button washers and trem springs and screws from them, however their prices seemed on the low side, which made me wonder about the quality. If anyone's had anything from there which has been decent it would be good to know so i can get the stuff ordered :)
    Yep, Axetec is a great service. Keith's a very good bloke, the kit is dead good, you'll get it the next day and if there's anything wrong, he'll replace it instanter.

    Well worth working with.
    If you must have sex with a frog, wear a condom. If you want the frog to have fun, rib it.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
    Update time!!!!!!

    so progress has been made this week as i haven't had to go to work too much. We got the body primed earlier this week, which turned out less ideally than planned. 

    We sprayed 2 coats of the nitro primer, which then revealed a ridiculous amount of unfilled grain and areas which were still really unsmooth, even after grain filling twice and most of a can of sanding sealer, so it was a bit of a disappointment :(

    I had a genius idea to fix it after looking at a few furniture making forums to fill over the primer using this car filler (cataloy) from Halfords which was meant to fill fine pinholes in car paintwork. We started putting it on, which was a task in itself because it went off within a matter of seconds and became an ungodly squidgy paste. Then after plastering it all over the body, it revealed that the filler must have been cellulose based because it was basically melting through the primer. This was a bit of an issue because i only had one can of the primer. In the end i just decided to sand off all the grim filler and sand through the expensive primer in all the areas where grain was showing, then use higher build acrylic primer in those areas to fill the grain better, and then go over the whole body with the remaining nitro primer. While quite a lot of effort, it did work quite well but the body is still by no means perfect as some of the grain pattern is still visible in certain lights. I'm not really too fussed about this because i think it's nice to see that the body is actually made of a decently grained piece of ash, and i think that the imperfections give it a bit of a more vintage feel, which is good.

    Having looked at my Les Paul theres areas of grain sinkage all over the place on the back and neck, so i'm guessing that it might just be characteristic of Nitro finishes (hopefully).

    Anyway, i've got some photos of the colour coat application which we did earlier today. I first wet sanded the primer smooth with some 600 grit, and then we sprayed about 4 coats, which was pretty much all of the can.

    here it is in the spraying booth 8)


    Here i was trying to capture some of the blemishing, if you look closely around the horn you can see wood grain

    Aaaand, colour coat complete!

    Thanks for reading :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28355
    Sounds like a bit of a nightmare with the problems! Looking good though.

    I presume that the nails are to keep it off the surface when you spray. I tend to hang the guitar body from the garage ceiling when I spray, screwing a strip of wood onto the neck pocket. I have to admit that I always go for 'worn' finishes, I don't think I have the patience to do it properly myself.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
    Progress!

    I've realised that i'm really lazy at taking photos, so i'm sorry about that. 

    The guitar is now nearing completion ;) I polished up the body today (left for 8 days, seems fine), and finished it with a coat of carnauba wax which my dad had lying around for polishing carriage clocks (interesting).

    The finish is okaaaaay. There is quite a lot of grain sinkage which i'm not sure how to feel about, but it looks perfectly smooth in most lights, so it'll do! I think it helps with the vintage look i'm trying to get at. 

    Does anyone have experience with freezing the body overnight to try and get subtle crazing? I'm worried it might end up creating some ridiculous cracks, especially given the luck i've had with the finish so far!

    Anyway, here are some cool pics i took earlier:::::::

    This is a makeshift drill extension we made to drill the 6 degree angled claw holes! It's basically a length of brass stock with a hole the size of the drill bit on one end. Wouldn't have been able to make it without a lathe though, which was handy!

    Here it is in action ;)

    Here's where we stand! bridge and neck attached. I've gone for the trem decked with 5 springs, so we'll see how that turns out

    Another extra artistic angle ;)

    Just waiting at the moment on an F-spaced zebra Nailbomb from BKP to arrive to complete the pickguard assembly. I'd previously got a JB designated for it which Van_Hayden kindly gave me some screws for, but i've decided to save it incase i want to stick it into an LP type due to it being more suited to mahogany (apparently)

    Anyway, here we are now!

    Cheers
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • dindudedindude Frets: 8574
    Looking very nice. I'm going for a respray in a couple of weeks on my home brew La Cab so this is useful stuff.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • jedhemsleyjedhemsley Frets: 7
    my advice would be: you can never use enough sanding sealer. 

    Theres a lot of grain sinkage in my finish, and i used the best part of a can. Having said that, ash is a very porous wood, it might turn out different on an alder body. Also if it's a respray chances are you wont be stripping it back to completely bare wood so it should be less hassle ;)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.