1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

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foal30
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by foal30 »

Well done. Some people have an issue about cleaning up old guitars, I think that is a significant improvement. Excellent work
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by hamo »

Was black your choice or the owner's? Did you consider any other colours? The finished job looks amazing.
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by robthemac »

How much sanding did you do after the clear coat? My last one was probably four hours with 800, 1200, 1500 and 2000 before buffing and polishing.
Jops wrote: Sun Sep 18, 2022 7:46 am Spring is the comic sans of reverbs anyway.

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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by MikeC »

Love your work!
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by GrantB »

hamo wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 10:34 pm Was black your choice or the owner's? Did you consider any other colours? The finished job looks amazing.
The body being so borked meant anything clear/trans was out of the question, e.g. its original sunburst. I held on to the hope that sunburst might have been a go.

Fender had custom colours on offer for '68 and Black was one of them. Black Strats and rosewood boards are a good look, I had black in stock (along w Fiesta red, white)...so that was the decision making process. Also, that old red will try and leech over the coming years. Black is good insurance for that. The guys in Hamilton I get my nitro from can mix any old Fender custom colour, but it can be pricey for one-offs.
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by jeremyb »

Slowy wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 10:12 pm
opsguy wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 9:29 pm Fantastic work Grant, given your day job its a huge commitment to find the time as well.
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by GrantB »

foal30 wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 10:33 pm Well done. Some people have an issue about cleaning up old guitars, I think that is a significant improvement. Excellent work
I like to ensure the least disruption, but it has to be playable, and in this case, the finish now is more factory correct than the previous.

Although, interesting point I discovered ahead of painting - 1968 was indeed the year Fender started to move to poly for the bodies and necks.
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by GrantB »

robthemac wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 11:42 pm How much sanding did you do after the clear coat? My last one was probably four hours with 800, 1200, 1500 and 2000 before buffing and polishing.
I stop at 1500...move to scratch removing compounds x 2, then various fine cut. I'll grab a shot of them all and you see the transition...
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by robthemac »

GrantB wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 9:12 am
robthemac wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 11:42 pm How much sanding did you do after the clear coat? My last one was probably four hours with 800, 1200, 1500 and 2000 before buffing and polishing.
I stop at 1500...move to scratch removing compounds x 2, then various fine cut. I'll grab a shot of them all and you see the transition...
Thanks, be good to know what compounds you use as well. The two I have aren't quite coarse enough, but I'm always hesitant to buy more in case they react with nitro.
Jops wrote: Sun Sep 18, 2022 7:46 am Spring is the comic sans of reverbs anyway.

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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by Miza »

Wow, epic work Mr B. Can never go wrong with a black strat!
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by StrummersOfThunder »

Thats a terrible burst Grant

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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by jeremyb »

Black hole burst.
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by GrantB »

StrummersOfThunder wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:23 pm Thats a terrible burst Grant
Agreed. It's an even worse Goldtop.
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by StrummersOfThunder »

GrantB wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:37 pm
StrummersOfThunder wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:23 pm Thats a terrible burst Grant
Agreed. It's an even worse Goldtop.
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Re: 1968 Stratocaster - resurrection

Post by bender »

StrummersOfThunder wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:48 pm
GrantB wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:37 pm
StrummersOfThunder wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:23 pm Thats a terrible burst Grant
Agreed. It's an even worse Goldtop.
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