tearing down my fat strat

[dragonworks]

I am starting today, take her apart, sand the body to natural wood, install new pickups, rout her out and install a good whammy bar. Let the fun begin.
I was given a DiMarzzio Humbucker with Steve Morse written on the back of it. Ill try that one.

 

[Light]

sand the body to natural wood

A really bad idea. The finish on a guitar is there to protect the wood from the elements. If you leave it bare wood, you can expect it to dry out and crack, which is not a good thing (obviously). As for the rest, have fun, but you have got to have a good hard finish on your instrument. Also, sanding a finish off is the absolute most difficult way to do it.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[CGibson]

R U Serious?

What year strat is it?
I had one beat to hell and sold it as is for a G.
Now six years later it's worth about 3 G.
Are you sure about this
C

 

[BlindCowboy]

Also, depending on the year of the Strat, you could be looking at 3 - 5 pieces of wood instead of the slab that you may be expecting...

 

[dragonworks]

Its a newer mexican fat strat so it doesn't really matter. Of course I would use a stripper first then sand it and of course I would stain and finish the wood and I dont care if is 8 pieces its all for fun.
Actually I have done this to two other guitars. one being a strat, the other an ovation electric strat type.

 

[dragonworks]

Got her all apart, about to apply stripper today.

 

[Easto]

Cool! Let me know how it goes. I've got an old "beater" SG that's a perfect candidate for the process. It's been rewired and reworked so many times I can't remember what it looked like when I bought it. It's needing a good makeover!

Easto

 

[dragonworks]

Well, the stripper is not doing so good, seems fender puts on some good coats of paint. I started sanding with heavy grit to put some furrows in the paint and recoated it with some more stripper, lets see what happens.
Got enough paint off to see that it is a block of wood and not laminated though.

Where is that aircaft stripper #10 when you need it?

 

[Light]

Well, the stripper is not doing so good, seems fender puts on some good coats of paint. I started sanding with heavy grit to put some furrows in the paint and recoated it with some more stripper, lets see what happens.
Got enough paint off to see that it is a block of wood and not laminated though.

Where is that aircaft stripper #10 when you need it?

What kind of striper are you using? The problem you are probably running into, if that is not a USA made instrument, is that it is not a nitrocellulose finish. The stuff they use overseas is usually a catalyzed finish of some sort, which is pretty much impervious to most chemical stripers. The ones which WILL get through it, will stain the wood so you can not finish it in a natural color.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[dragonworks]

What kind of striper are you using? The problem you are probably running into, if that is not a USA made instrument, is that it is not a nitrocellulose finish. The stuff they use overseas is usually a catalyzed finish of some sort, which is pretty much impervious to most chemical stripers. The ones which WILL get through it, will stain the wood so you can not finish it in a natural color.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

You are really trying to put obstacles in my way aren't you


Well the paint is coming off, allthough difficult, its coming off.
Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead.

 

[ZoSo58LP]

ya should take some progress pics, i'd love to see her in the works!

 

[dragonworks]

ya should take some progress pics, i'd love to see her in the works!

99 percent of the paint is gone, now its time for the sanding.