Weekend project- UPDATED w/ pics!

[Sixstring]

The patient:
A Premier Strat Copy. This guitar was given to me. I love the way they captured the look and feel of an old 70's style Strat. And you can't beat free!
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/01.jpg

I've been working on it getting it into shape. The latest mod was to clear the neck. I like a natural wood neck. Finished necks don't glide as smooth, get sticky with sweat and just aren't as fast. So, I set out to strip the finish off the neck. Here's the 'before' picture.
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/02.jpg

Step one was to take off the neck and tape it off. I wanted to get clean lines at the headstock and protect the fretboard. Notice that I taped off the block that bolts into the cavity. The reason is, even something as thin as the finish would throw off the fit in the joint, so I left it on. That's something to consider if you decide to try this.
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/03.jpg
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/04.jpg

Here it is with the stripper on it. Note the heavy gloves- you don't want this on your skin!!
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/05.jpg

After about 15 or 20 minutes the paint will blister. I tried to capture that in this pic.
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/06.jpg

Here's the first scrape with a straight piece of plastic. I know, scraping sounds bad, but the paint peels right away, so it's not abrasive.
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/06b.jpg

After scraping as much as I could, I got some fine steel wool (#0000) and rubbed the neck dry. Then, to really clean it up I took some 220 grit sandpaper and went very carefully over the neck, just light enough to get to clean, bare wood. Also, taking off the finish showed the shortcuts they took when they made the neck. I found where they had painted over some pits in the neck and sanded them out.

After the sanding, I got the steel wool out again and gave it a final polish. Then, I damped a cloth with mineral spirits paint thinner and wiped off the dust. Use that because it evaporates right away and cleans well without soaking the wood with water.

I let that dry well and then applied a coat of Tung Oil, per instructions on the container. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, wipe off the excess and buff. I let it sit for about 15 hours and applied a second coat, following the same procedure. I let that sit for a couple hours and got a fresh piece of steel wool and rubbed in a final polish, making sure to clear off all oil. Here's how it turned out.
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/07.jpg
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/08.jpg

The neck went from slow and sticky to fast and silky. I love it! The hands-on probably took less than 8 hours and wasn't hard at all. Lots of patience and elbow grease was all it took. And the stipper, tung oil and steel wool cost about $20. It was a very cheap project that made a huge difference in the guitar. I thought I'd post the project in case any of you would be interested and maybe want to tackle something similar.

The final product:
http://users.techline.com/sixstring/pics/10.jpg

[Rman23]

Six that looks sweet too. Hey do you have any secrets for refinishing a fretboard. I have a beatup neck that needs a lot of TLC. I want to get it playable so I can fit it to a strat body I have laying around.

[Sixstring]

Six that looks sweet too. Hey do you have any secrets for refinishing a fretboard. I have a beatup neck that needs a lot of TLC. I want to get it playable so I can fit it to a strat body I have laying around.

Thanks!

How extensive is the damage on your fretboard? The only thing I've done with fretboards is clean them up, I've never refinished one. I've found that #0000 steel wool is the ticket for really cleaning and polishing without being too abrasive. The one here was a little rough so I hit it along the frets to polish them and smooth them and then I polish the frets with the grain to smooth the whole thing. I applied a really light coat of the tung oil on the frets and then polished them with the wool again and now the frets are really smooth.

If you need much more than that, I wouldn't know what to tell you. Sorry. But there are some talented wood workers here that could probably help you out. Is it a maple or rosewood fretboard?

[SGshredder]

that's awesome Six. i really like the color of the wood. are you going to do anything else to the guitar? btw, thanx for the step-by-step process, i've been thinking about messing with my knockoff strat.

[Rman23]

Thanks!

How extensive is the damage on your fretboard? The only thing I've done with fretboards is clean them up, I've never refinished one. I've found that #0000 steel wool is the ticket for really cleaning and polishing without being too abrasive. The one here was a little rough so I hit it along the frets to polish them and smooth them and then I polish the frets with the grain to smooth the whole thing. I applied a really light coat of the tung oil on the frets and then polished them with the wool again and now the frets are really smooth.

If you need much more than that, I wouldn't know what to tell you. Sorry. But there are some talented wood workers here that could probably help you out. Is it a maple or rosewood fretboard?

Honestly I don't know what the fretboard is made of, but I do know it is off of an old Harmony strat.

The damage is pretty much limited to the wood and not the frets themselves. Someone (I won't mention any names) in their younger years thought it would be a good idea to hit the wood with 80 grit sand paper to remove the built up dirt and scratched it up pretty good. I think I can smooth out the scratches but do I need to put anything on it once it is smooth again?

[Sixstring]

that's awesome Six. i really like the color of the wood. are you going to do anything else to the guitar? btw, thanx for the step-by-step process, i've been thinking about messing with my knockoff strat.

Thanks! I'm still working on the action. I tweaked the rod and adjusted the saddles after putting it back together, but I can't get a couple of them low enough without them buzzing. I'm thinking of getting a new nut to solve that problem. Also, I might spring for new pups at some time, but I'll tell ya, that thing has surprisingly good tone for being a cheapo. I know it can be better, but it's pretty decent already, so pups may have to wait until I'm done with my pedal frenzy. :D

Rman23,
80 grit! Ouch!! I would say that as long as the frets aren't caved in and were sanded level, steel wool will bail you out. Then a light coat of oil (opinions vary on what to use) wipe off the excess, and a final polish with the wool. #0000 steel wool is perfect for cleaning the gunk off a board without trashing the wood, btw. The oil is just to seal the wood and should be all you need.

[gtrhrcane]

Wow, beautiful wood underneath there, considering. It's a shame to cover it up like that, not to mention the speed issue.

Can't argue with free either, you scored there. Great "how to" sort of post. :)

[PhantomLord]

pfft...you ruined a great finished neck :(

[killerkiwi]

sexies...

[fretflyer]

thats awesome six, i wish people would just give guitars to me :)

[Fender65Mustang]

Great post Six. Thanks for the time and effort to share.

[Sixstring]

pfft...you ruined a great finished neck :(

That's right, and I'd do it again. In fact, if I didn't like the sunburst so well, I'd have stripped the whole thing!

thats awesome six, i wish people would just give guitars to me

Obviously he's a great friend! I'm very lucky.

Great post Six. Thanks for the time and effort to share.

Thanks. And you're welcome. I was hoping someone would find it useful. Plus, it was fun!

[Munga]

It really looks good. Good job!

[DaisyRocker]

The colour on that thing is beautiful - liking it!

[bugman]

Thanks! I'm still working on the action. I tweaked the rod and adjusted the saddles after putting it back together, but I can't get a couple of them low enough without them buzzing. I'm thinking of getting a new nut to solve that problem.

It could need a fret leveling.

[Sixstring]

Yes, quite likely. I should probably check that before the nut.

[Sixstring]

UPDATE:

I've been meaning to post this. It's the finished product. After I stripped the neck, I liked it so much I decided to really go for it and put some more time and money into it.

First, it needed some new pups and hardware, so I went to GFS and started shopping. I started with the "Jimi" set of single coils. They sounded great, but I wanted a beefier tone on the bridge, so I pulled the bridge of the Jimi set and replaced it with a single-sized rail humbucker. I wired in a coil-splitting volume knob so I can get either the single or the double from it. I put it all in a new faceplate, which had to be hacked with a dremmel in a few spots to fit right. I also had to route out the bridge spot for the rail. The feel of this guitar is homemade mojo, warts and all, so I wasn't worried about it looking perfect, I wanted it to feel perfect. I wasn't going to hide its scars, heck some people pay top dollar for their guitars to look well-used. Mine actually is. Bonus! ( The neck wear is a combination of some steel wool on the frets to buff them and actual playing wear. I haven't played all the paint off of it. Yet.)

So, I replaced the plate, the switch, the pups and the volume pot and finally the tuners. All of the hardware came from GFS and I have zero, zip, zilch, not one single complaint.

I stripped the headstock to complete the look. It was a pain, but well worth it. I stripped it the same way I stripped the neck earlier and applied the same tung oil finish. I also didn't like the shape of the headstock so I hit the point with the dremmel and rounded it. Lastly, she needed a name. I decided to name it after the friend that gave it to me, and thus "Weasel" was born. I used a carving tip on the dremmel to etch out the letters and filled them with a dark stain. A few last coats of tung oil, lots of buffing and she was done.

Oh, I also took it to a master guitar tech. This guy can make anything play great. I told him it needed the works, frets leveled and a whole setup. I told him it had sentimental value so don't worry that I'm putting money into a guitar with no street value, just make it play. And boy did he! I had him set it up for .10's. The final product is excellent. I've used a friend's $1,000 Strat in gigs before and, while it is better in some ways, overall, I honestly prefer my beater. I figure I've got $200-250 in it!

And now... so this thread isn't worthless... the pics!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/03.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/04.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/08.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/12.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/09.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/13.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/06.jpg

BEFORE
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/01-1.jpg


AFTER
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/02.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s73/Sixstring_pics/Weasel/01.jpg

[BASSMAN]

Too cool Six!

I would have to see if the wood on that body was a beautiful as the wood on the neck. I love the look of au-natural wood. GO FOR IT!

Nice work!

[Sixstring]

Too cool Six!

I would have to see if the wood on that body was a beautiful as the wood on the neck. I love the look of au-natural wood. GO FOR IT!

Nice work!

Thanks! It was tempting, but I really like the sunburst on it so I resisted temptation. But guess what... the same friend that gave that to me gave me another one he had just laying around. He saw what I did with this one and loved it. I'm going to strip that one bare from top to bottom.

It's pretty much just a body and neck, so it's going to be a big project for me but I don't want to start it until it warms up around here.

[BASSMAN]

I need to go shopping. I would dearly love to get an old guitar and redo it.

[bobbyswamp]

DUDE! Weasel is a frickin' cool axe! Nice job...

[Sixstring]

DUDE! Weasel is a frickin' cool axe! Nice job...

Thanks, I appreciate the comments! :)

BASSMAN,

You'd be surprised how affordable it is and it's so rewarding, especially when you can take it on stage and it plays and sounds great. Plus the unique factor- nobody in the world has one like it. And it's highly unlikely Fender will ever do a replica! :D

[BASSMAN]

Thanks, I appreciate the comments! :)

BASSMAN,

You'd be surprised how affordable it is and it's so rewarding, especially when you can take it on stage and it plays and sounds great. Plus the unique factor- nobody in the world has one like it. And it's highly unlikely Fender will ever do a replica! :D


I am going shopping today. I have the day off :)

[mishmannah]

Fantastic mod work, Sixstring!!

(Great camera work too!!)

[Sixstring]

Thanks mish! I've been trying to improve my photography. There used to be a cat around here that took killer pictures of guitars on a macro level. I can't remember the name. (I will, of course, as soon as I enter this post! :rolleyes: ) I can still see his avatar in my head. Dang! Can't think of it. Anyway, he inspired me to start working at it.

BASSMAN, I want to know what you end up with, complete with pics!

[Kulyeh]

Man when I striped the paint off the neck that I used for my custom I didn't want to use paint stripper for fear of getting places I didn't want, so I ended up doing it the hard way... filed off the shellack then sanded off the paint. I kept the headstock paint but removed everything else. Talk about a pain in the butt. Your method was much faster. Perhaps one of these days I'll put this old Ibanez X-Series I have laying around together for a "beater" guiter.

[Sixstring]

I was worried about the same thing. I was going to sand but I talked to a friend who's a woodworking craftsman and he told what to get and how to use it. He saved me tons of time and sweat. Taping off is critical, though, because that stuff can get under the tape and wander off where it shouldn't be.

[BASSMAN]

Thanks mish! I've been trying to improve my photography. There used to be a cat around here that took killer pictures of guitars on a macro level. I can't remember the name. (I will, of course, as soon as I enter this post! :rolleyes: ) I can still see his avatar in my head. Dang! Can't think of it. Anyway, he inspired me to start working at it.

BASSMAN, I want to know what you end up with, complete with pics!

I went to two pawn shops today. I didn't see anything that floated my boat (translated - meaning cheap enough). I want to get a strat body and neck (or strat copy) I am not particular about it being a Fender. I could give a rats about the rest of it. I plan on replacing everything with GFS gear.

This town is full of pawn shops, but I have to go without my wife ( she was with me today). Funny how I am the impatient one when she is clothes shopping but take her guitar shopping and all of a sudden, she has no patience.

A Fender would be nice MIA OR MIM, either one.

[Kulyeh]

I was worried about the same thing. I was going to sand but I talked to a friend who's a woodworking craftsman and he told what to get and how to use it. He saved me tons of time and sweat. Taping off is critical, though, because that stuff can get under the tape and wander off where it shouldn't be.

Yeah, exactly... I've done enough taping in my time to know that... and due to frets and odd curves I figured I would just forgo the taping method. I think now-days they have much better tapes though. I did mine many years ago.

[ScottRiley]

Well, I think maybe instead of jumping in and buying a MIA or MIM Tele like I planned I'ma go the 'cheap copy' route, refinish it and load it with some GFS electronics, this thread has inspired me to finally bite the bullet and take on a project, now I have the cash lying about, time to go shopping :).

[scott powell]

EXCELLENT! you have great skills! i bet that guitar is one smooth playing monster

[Tuxedo Bird]

Pretty. Nice color.

[Sixstring]

Well, I think maybe instead of jumping in and buying a MIA or MIM Tele like I planned I'ma go the 'cheap copy' route, refinish it and load it with some GFS electronics, this thread has inspired me to finally bite the bullet and take on a project, now I have the cash lying about, time to go shopping :).

Cool man, cool! Let us know how it turns out!

EXCELLENT! you have great skills! i bet that guitar is one smooth playing monster

You're too kind. Thanks. :)

Pretty. Nice color.

Thanks Tux! :)

[ANGRY PYGMY]

That looks great. I always prefer my stuff to be mine, and have that "one of a kind, you can"t buy one off the shelf like this" type of feel to em. And that guitar is just right.
Good job

[Caliban]

Hey I have a question -- those GFS rails you put in the bridge - I bought the same ones (okay, not sure if their exactly the same, i got the lil' puncher vintage!)

I've also got them coil-tapped, but I can hardly discern the difference between hum and single... There is a slight difference, but I think it's a waste of a coil split really because they sound so similiar.

It could also be that there's something wrong with mine because when I tap test them, both coils respond in single mode, though the one is much softer than the other... Do yours do the same? What's your opinion?

[shiggity]

that thang is SEX-E!

I love the fretboard wear out!

[entityof1]

yea, i do love the feel of tung oil as well. although watch out it certainly does lose its luster eventually. good work

[Sixstring]

Hey I have a question -- those GFS rails you put in the bridge - I bought the same ones (okay, not sure if their exactly the same, i got the lil' puncher vintage!)

I've also got them coil-tapped, but I can hardly discern the difference between hum and single... There is a slight difference, but I think it's a waste of a coil split really because they sound so similiar.

It could also be that there's something wrong with mine because when I tap test them, both coils respond in single mode, though the one is much softer than the other... Do yours do the same? What's your opinion?

Hey, sorry for the delayed response, I just saw this! :o

I can really tell the difference in single vs. double. I don't know how to describe it other than to say it's exactly what I expected. In single, it sounds like a Strat in the bridge position and in double it sounds like a nice humbucker in the bridge. Tonally, it may be a bit warmer and smoother than most bridge humbuckers and maybe just a hair thinner, leaning toward a single coil type of response. It has nice clarity to the notes and good bite.

I don't have the problem you describe with the bleed-over between the rails. I'm guessing that's why you're having trouble. You should send it back and replace it. I got the Lil' Killer Lead 15K overwound, btw. Lots of push and plenty warm.

[Sixstring]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

What gives with tung oil, entityof1? What happens to it over time?

[smoke63b]

Tung oil is perfectly fine. I've finished rifles with it. It wears out just like anything else. Don't worry about it. You can always add more. You can seal it on there with some Poly coats but that would get you all slick and super shiny.

[Raycing]

Great work, and I know the feeling of satisfaction that you get from a project like this, and you've given a few of us some inspiration to undergo some projects of our own