Hi guys
I could do with the benefit of your wisdom.
For ages I've been debating selling or trading my CS tele. Unfortunately, my 16 month old is a ninja.
Somehow, she broke in and went on a studio rampage. She knocked the tele over and it landed in the worst possible way, adding some gnarly bumps in the finish on the back of the neck.
The guitar is a '97 cs '50s tele'. And came with minute frets, next to no ambering and glossy finish. None of my favourite things anyhow!
As i live on another continent, and with the pandemic, i can't get the guitar to my normal luthier to work on.
When it is possible i'll certainly be getting it refretted.
So... should i have a crack at stripping the finish off?
In an ideal world I'd practice on a shit knock off as i have zero experience. However the situation has presented itself now!
How would you strip the neck?
I know this is a bit mental... but HOW mental?
Thanks for reading my ramblings.
Comments
If it's nitro, wipe if off with thinners and a rag. If it's not, sand and scrape.
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To be honest i want to strip the whole thing as;
1) not a fan of gloss
2) neck is really nice birdseye maple but very pale... i much prefer an amber tint
3) neck shape is good but the edges aren't rolled at all.
What would i need to get to do all of the above?
Apart from having my sanity examined... that goes without saying!
I would strip it with thinners, as it should be nitro. You can then do all the bits you want without altering the profile. You can also decide if you want to keep the existing decals in situ, strip the rest and overspray that area with a tint
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Photographs would help.
Steaming is usually easier on an unfinished surface, but it is still possible on a finished one.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
One thing is certain... you know a lot more than me! Cheers
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
I would first work out how bad the dents are, can they be fixed and figure out what finish you have before proceeding.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
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Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
If they don't then you always have the topic of mostly fixing it by replacing the skunk stripe, although that is not a trivial job.
You'd need to make a jig and go down about 3-4mm with a route, make a new skunk stripe, glue it in and then shape the stripe down to be flat with the neck profile with a spokeshave and sandpaper.
You'd still have to fix the longer dent on the right that goes into the maple- you always have the topping of thinning the neck down a bit but it might change the feel considerably.
That doesn't look like nitro to me, can you provide a photo of the body?
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
It was a long time ago but I remember most of the CS guitars we had were not relic and were not nitro, but I could be misremembering.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
Instagram