my strat

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hammer4ever

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Just thought i'd show you all some pics of my 'home made' relic Strat.
I put her together using all genuine 'new' U.S Fender parts, i.e' 62 re-issue neck, Texas Special pups, ect, and set about creating my own 'custom shop model' at a fraction of the price! I've also built an 'SRV#1 strat, ill try to post some pics of her as well.
 
That looks awesome h4.

How the hell did you get the neck looking like that? I've seen John Frusciante's and Mike McCready's original '62s and they both have that look.

Wicked. I love Texas Specials too! :wink:
 
hi thanx! :wink: I aged all hardwear by first, literally just taking the shine off of the chrome in a beadblaster, then using vinegar' YES vinegar, soaked into a cloth, wrapped all of the hardwear into it and left it over a couple of days, soaking in a bowl' occassionaly adding more vinegar. End product' nicely aged parts! I beveled the edges of the pickguard to simmulate the 'old' 60's style plate' something Fender dont do? Nitro lacquered it, then flat it again using 000 wire wool, added a couple of cracks here and there and as you can see, a very authentic looking aged pickguard. The pup covers and knobs were again wire wooled and then soaked in HOT coffee for around 15 minutes at a time untill I was happy with the colour.
 
My plastic ageing technique involves tea bags, coffee and a pinch of turmeric. Mix with cold water, add your parts and stick in the fridge for a couple of weeks (or it all goes a bit mouldy!)

Very well done though.

Do you have spraying facilities or did you just use a spray can?
 
The broken tip of the pickguard is a nice touch too.

There's one thing that the early 60's pickguards do: they shrink a bit.
I don't know if you could shrink one by using a heat gun or something, but you could make it look as though it shrunk by putting the screws in at an angle. That's what happens to real ones.

Do you have a full-size metal shield under the pickguard? Of course, those don't shrink, so the holes in them and the shrunken pickguard don't align.

How the hell did you get the neck looking like that? I've seen John Frusciante's and Mike McCready's original '62s and they both have that look.

My necks get that way --- from playing them -- in a very short time. Just take the clear coat off and let me play it a while. Yes, it would take a long time to naturally wear off the clear coat.
 
Hi Dead' thanx. It took quite a while to get the original finish back to the bare wood, but once it was there I wiped a 'black' stain into the wood, flat it back again and then using loads of bees wax and the trusty superfine wire wool, buffed it back to an amazing satin finish.
 
You can't beat beeswax. As long as you leave it between coats then you can't go wrong. I find a product called 'Briwax' the best.
I much prefer the natural look of that kind of stuff.
By the way, Orv, you're right. The broken pickguard is a great touch.
 
Orville' yes it has a copper shield, didn't know about the shrinkage though? got the idea for the broken plate from Stevies #1 strat :wink:

Dead' yeah I have access to spray equipment at work, very handy :wink:
The body funny enough is a U.S Highway strat' dont know if your familiar with them or not, but there finished in a horrible satin finish so the plan was to strip it first, then re paint. But after relicing the body, I pollished it up using an electric mop, and it looked just right!
 
I thought it was a Highway!
There's a question on relic'ing them in this month's Guitarist.
That satin finish may look like crap, but it's easier to relic than a thick poly lacquer, huh? Come to think of it, that's probably not possible.

I'll see you later mate. Got an early start in the morning! :wink:
 
The finish on the Highways is paper thin' ideal for relicing!

Thanks, I will remember that.

You need to put a crack in the pickguard between the neck pickup adjustment screw and the edge. :wink:

Update 23/Mar/06: I have an amber Highway One HSS on order. I like the Large 70s style headstock. I don't know if I'll try to Relic it. That color may not take the "aging" as nicely as yours, since it's not a vintage color to begin with. Maybe I'll make it more "natural" (I'll have to see what it looks like in person) and dump the humbucker. As it is, I guess it looks like a modified 70s strat. My "real" 70's strats aren't that reliced!
 

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