I've read mixed things about this...considering i just layed down 4 light coats of acrylic laquer over my nitro...is this gonna be a problem?

I didn't really think anything of it until now...

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Fender Highway 1 Strat, Fender Lonestar Stratocaster 25th Anniversary, Orange Rockerverb 50 w/ PPC212, Crate Vintage Club 30 Tube Amp, Digitech GNX3, Line6 pedals, Ibanez Tube Screamer (my fav), Crybaby Wah

Laquer is about the strongest paint and i wouldnt do it--we paint cars and Laquer lifts about every paint except another laquer

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2011 PRS 25th SAS
2008 Eric Clapton Custom Antigua Strat
2012 PRS Artist Package Studio Special Order

Hi stratdude83: like Wyoming T/A says, I wouldn't do it.

In this case there is no intrinsic chemical incompatibility reason not to so long as the finishes have cured, and we're told Fender put nitrocellulose over acrylic very frequently. However, there is a structural issue. Acrylic cures much harder than nitro, so you'd be putting a hard finish over a softer one, and that is always bad news when it comes to paint and varnish.

Imagine painting a thick layer of ink onto a pencil eraser, so that it forms a discrete film as it dries. Now flex the eraser a bit - and the ink layer will crack and flake off.

When your guitar finish moves minutely with temperature changes as you take it to different locations or just as the seasons change the softer nitro underneath will expand and contract a little like that pencil eraser moving. That movement will be out of sync with the different, lesser movement of the harder acrylic on top and the result will be cracking - and not of a charming "vintage" guitar kind.

There is a saying in the world of paint: "fat over lean" (i.e. soft over hard). You'd be doing the opposite: it will soon deteriorate and look lousy.

This is why as a general practice it is advisable to stay within one finish type on a given guitar.

Use nitro for your top coats.

Good luck - C

Well Ceri it is sad to say as the OP should of asked first, because he said he did it already.I doubt there is anything he can do now. What would you advise him to do Ceri, just wait and see what happens?

So should i sand down the headstock and start over?

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Fender Highway 1 Strat, Fender Lonestar Stratocaster 25th Anniversary, Orange Rockerverb 50 w/ PPC212, Crate Vintage Club 30 Tube Amp, Digitech GNX3, Line6 pedals, Ibanez Tube Screamer (my fav), Crybaby Wah

Oops: misread the first post. I missed that it was already a done deal.

(Hey, haven't seen you around for a while, StrayCat. Nice to see you again - everything good, I hope?)


Hi stratdude: in that case, no. Nothing to lose now by waiting to see what happens. Who knows, you might have a good bond and a very thin, flexible layer of acrylic. Maybe your guitar doesn't experience big changes in temperature and humidity. Perhaps it'll be OK.

No point in doing all that sanding work till it starts misbehaving, anyhow.

Don't sweat it, man. It may very well turn out all right. Sometimes we break the rules and get away with it!

What color did you paint it, BTW? Or is this just on the neck? Care to show us pix?

Cheers - C

I sprayed only the headstock area...i used a clear acrylic satin laquer to try to mimic the satin nitro...i sprayed 4 light coats and it seems almost like a sand paper finish now...im guessing i'm going to have to get some 1000 grit sandpaper to sand it smooth...before i sprayed tho i somewhat roughed it up with 0000 steel wool

i'll try to get some pics up later tonight

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Fender Highway 1 Strat, Fender Lonestar Stratocaster 25th Anniversary, Orange Rockerverb 50 w/ PPC212, Crate Vintage Club 30 Tube Amp, Digitech GNX3, Line6 pedals, Ibanez Tube Screamer (my fav), Crybaby Wah

heres some pics of my nightmare!!!

if you look at the pic that shows the fingerboard section directly in front of the nut the whole neck looks like that...it seems like it bonded pretty well and if i sand it down it might actually smooth out pretty good...

so if i put a decal on this layer i would need to smooth it out first?

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Fender Highway 1 Strat, Fender Lonestar Stratocaster 25th Anniversary, Orange Rockerverb 50 w/ PPC212, Crate Vintage Club 30 Tube Amp, Digitech GNX3, Line6 pedals, Ibanez Tube Screamer (my fav), Crybaby Wah

'Morning, stratdude. Ah-ha: so this is your new Warmoth neck, right?

Couple of questions. You're sure it is finished with nitro, are you? Certainly might be - but it could also be polyurethane unless they specified differently.

Second: why are you shooting clear acrylic onto the face of a headstock that already has lacquer on it, please? Is this all about putting a decal on?

Depending which maker's decal paper you are using you may be in for some nasty surprises. For example, when putting my own "made by Ceri" decal onto bodies and necks I discovered that acrylic turns the transparent bit of the logo a milky white, and it never goes clear again. For some chemical reason I don't pretend to understand the decal paper works properly with either nitro or polyurethane - but not with acrylic.

I strongly suggest you do a test on a scrap piece of wood before going ahead on your neck.

If it were me, what I'd do now is gently sand back the face of that peghead to the original nitro (if that's what it is), apply the decal, and then spray a couple of thin coats of nitro over the top to seal it in. Sand them very lightly to begin to level the bump at the edge of the decal. Spray some more. Sand some more. And so on till you have a nice smooth surface.

For that I'd buy an aerosol of clear nitro lacquer from Stew-Mac or many other sources (try an auto paint shop), presuming you don't have a compressor and spraygun. (For some reason automotive folks seem to refer to nitrocellulose as "cellulose" rather than "nitro". Just so's you can avoid confusion at the paint store.)

...I'm going to leave other people to discuss with you whether this is a fake Fender decal or not...

Good luck - C

I know i know...a lot of people do not like people putting fake Fender decals on their replacement necks but i think it finishes it off...and plus right at the heel theres a permanently burnt in Warmoth logo in it so...idk say what you want i would never sell somebody this neck saying it was made by Fender anyway

But i have been testing it on a scrap piece to see how it reacts to the decal...it says its compatible with acrylic laquers so it should be ok...idk we'll just have to see...i just dont like a bare headstock...having the decal there just finishes it off for me

Also i had the neck finished at Warmoth with satin nitro...so im just taking their word for it that it is nitro...

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Fender Highway 1 Strat, Fender Lonestar Stratocaster 25th Anniversary, Orange Rockerverb 50 w/ PPC212, Crate Vintage Club 30 Tube Amp, Digitech GNX3, Line6 pedals, Ibanez Tube Screamer (my fav), Crybaby Wah