Rookie Strat refurb

[funkjunky3]

New recruit here - I’ve ordered a pitbull hardware kit to fix up an old Strat that has been taking up space at my folks house for about 15yrs. Was my first electric guitar and cost $300 NZD with a little Marshall practice amp. Was always a dog to play but now I’m wondering if there is hope for it with a bit of love and a decent set up.

Wokkaboy suggested I start a build diary - I feel like a bit of a con given it’s not a full build but would appreciate the help along the way and if this goes well I’ll be jumping into building kits (where are the GAS anonymous meetings held?)

First decision while I wait for the hardware to arrive is what to do about the finish. I don’t mind the forest green but there are some pretty big dings on the bottom edge of the body. Dropped it on a tar seal road while walking home from school as a 13yo! Looks like some semi decent wood underneath so wondering if it’s worth tracking down a heat gun and removing the finish or perhaps doing a relic. Anyone got any tips for removing poly?

Here’re some pics of the old beast. Kit I’ve ordered has a standard sss configuration but I think there’s a swimming pool rout so I may consider messing around with some alternative pickups if I get her playing well.

Ah, so many ideas, so little time and money.




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[CascadiaGuitarGeek]

I haven't tried stripping an old body, but I have heard that it's not uncommon for paint grade bodies to be filled with bondo and often have not so attractive grain patterns. It could still be worth a shot to strip the finish and see what you've got though. I just wouldn't count on being able to do a natural/transparent finish in the end.

[Sonic Mountain]

I'd take the back plate/pick guard off and have a look in the cavities to see if its solid wood. I suspect it may be a ply style body, which is common for cheaper guitars. If not, I would use a power sander to strip back the bulk to the primer and then remove that by hand sanding. I wouldn't use paint stripper as it will make a huge mess. It's likely that even if it is 'solid' wood that it will be 3 pieces glued together- similar to most of the PBG bodies - still can look great in a natural finish.

If you decide not to strip entirely, you could fill the dings with automotive body filler, prime and respray (thats what I would do)

[Andyxlh]

I'm with Sonic, I'd say you are in for a hiding to nothin trying to strip that body with the thickness of finish on it, and the chances are there's nothing under there worth showing off. A bit of cheap epoxy car body filler, good sand 180, a spray with high build, guide coat and a sand and then topcoat. Save a lot of heartache.
That humbucker looks like it was added at a later date to the rest of the guitar?
How does the neck look? Have out sighted down it like a gun barrel and checked that it isn't twisted? I have only ever seen one guitar that was twisted like that, so probably not.

[FrankenWashie]

Agree with the above statements. If you are going to power sand, have a shop vac handy and wear at least a p2 rated dustmask, if not a respirator version with replaceable filters.

One of the forumites stripped back a ply body and got a really cool looking trans finish that played up the layering of the ply quite well, so some cool things can be done. I'll try and dig out that thread because it was an awesome effort.

You'd probably want to look at the neck and see how straight it is, and what sort of state your fretwork is in. They look like some pretty skinny frets, so it may be worthwhile to re-fret with jumbo and perhaps thin the neck down ('cause it looks pretty much a standard strat copy baseball bat from the pic).

GAS Anonymous meetings got put on hold because we're too busy building and playing.

[Sonic Mountain]

GAS Anonymous meetings got put on hold because we're too busy building and playing.

To be fair, having this forum involved in any kind of GAS treatment is a bit like Maccas running a weight loss clinic.

[king casey]

I've done 3 guitars with that paint/poly finish. Got an el-cheapo heat gun and a paint knife to chip it away.

The Fender Squier Bronco bass had a nice grained wood underneath.

cheers, Mark.

[funkjunky3]

I think you’re right guys - I can see the joins between the three pieces through the finish in the back. Removing the finish is probably out of my expertise anyway - filling the dings sounds a bit more manageable. They’re not exactly visible on the bottom edge there anyway.

Humbucker was original. The knobs, faceplate and single coils were all bright white when new. Everything has faded to a beautiful cream colour with age - but for some reason the humbucker stayed white. Weird.

You’re right about the frets, Frankie - much skinnier than my proper Strat. And the neck is thicker than I’d like. I’m not great at eyeballing it but there may even be a bit of a twist like Andy suggested. Nut seems to tail off to the high E side when I sight down the neck.

I think I’ll patch the dings, fit the new hardware and if I can get it looking and sounding alright, maybe consider finding a cheap squire neck to improve the playability.

To be honest, I have no idea what I’m doing and if the only outcome is I learn how to perform a basic set up and maintenance I’ll consider it a success - anything else is a bonus!




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[funkjunky3]

This is what the inside looks like - lots of room to play with but not super encouraging for a nice bit of wood!




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[Sonic Mountain]

Always hard to pick a bent neck from a photo - the lens tends to add its own distortion. A decent straight edge will help tell the story a bit better, you can check for overall bow down the centre and then compare the high e side to the low e side. There is a fair bit that can be done to bring it back if you willing to have a go.

Learning by doing is the best approach in my opinion.