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Post subject: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:03 pm
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I am the proud owner of a vintage 1983 Fender Strat Elite. I bought it new and have been her only owner. She's been an awesome instrument and is still my prime axe.
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Aint she a beaut? :)

But, this spring a tiny little problem arose. On the bottom edge of the face of the fret board (all original) a very thin edge of the varnish began to peel up, right around the 5th fret. I took it to my lutier, who said he's seen similar effects of the unusually harsh winter on other guitars. Running the heat so much dried the wood, causing shrinkage, and the varnish to peel. He glued it carefully, and it seemed alright, but a week later I noticed the varnish coming up in a different place (up around the 8th fret). Now I could take it back to my guy and have him fix it there as well, but I'm worried that its degenerative, and once it starts this might be a downward trend. Anyone have any input on this problem? I'm not really the do-it-yourself type, so the idea of sanding it down and re-varninshing holds little appeal. If it is irreparable in the long run, what would be a good replacement neck?

Thanks


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Post subject: Re: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:51 pm
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I have a 1983 Strat, the much maligned 2-knob version. The maple on the neck and fingerboard is very heavily lacquered so I suspect yours is the same (or was originally). As it's your prime guitar I guess it's seen a lot of use and it is inevitable that the finish will wear down. And as you say, environmental conditions can cause drying, shrinkage, swelling, splitting and other unpleasantness that wreak havoc on fingerboards.

Fender supply replacement necks now. The modern satin finishes may be very different from your guitar though, you may want to try a few recent maple fingerboard Strats to see if it's to your liking. The neck joint hasn't changed spec since your guitar was made so it should be a drop in replacement. The US made necks are 22 fret, you may want to check if the overhanging edge of the extended fingerboard will foul the top edge of the pickguard.

http://www.fender.com/necks-bodies/

You could even have a guitar tech lacquer the replacement neck to match the feel of your old guitar if that's an issue.

Personally, I'd be thinking of retiring the guitar from active duty and buying another Strat. Just a thought.

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Post subject: Re: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:06 pm
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GilgaFrank wrote:
Personally, I'd be thinking of retiring the guitar from active duty and buying another Strat. Just a thought.


Thanks. I'll look into the modern necks, but as far as retiring my Girl... well, I've been playing her for 3o years, give or take, and I'd like to play her for 3o more.


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Post subject: Re: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 1:01 am
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Fender doesn't sell Elite Strat necks, try eBay.

Most modern USA 22-fret necks feature MicroTilt adjusters and BiFlex truss rods, therefore they're fully compatible with your guitar - if you want to give your baby the feel of the later 22-fret MIJ Elites (circa 1984/86) which sported a 9.5'' fingerboard radius.

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Post subject: Re: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 2:34 am
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Hello Gelf13. Congrats on a Strat you've owned and loved for over 30 years. That's surely a heritage worth taking some trouble over.

Personally, I wouldn't dream of replacing the neck on such a guitar. Unless it's fundamentally damaged in some way (a warp, say) there is no need. So, two possibilities.

Lacquer sometimes lifts for a variety of reasons, such as you describe. If it does so in a small area then gluing it back in place with cyanoacrylate (super glue) is a normal and reasonable method, and your luthier has done exactly the right thing. There is no reason you can't do it again in another spot, several times if needs be. The only limit is your patience with the process, and the possibility that the problem is becoming so widespread you're fighting a losing battle. I don't think we're at that point yet, but it's impossible to say for sure, especially without the instrument in our hands.

When the time comes you've had enough of glue repairs then you can have the fingerboard relacqured - or perhaps the whole neck, depending on its condition. Again, this is absolutely reasonable and if your tech/luthier is good he can do it to perfection so your hand and eye won't know the difference.

Something to consider. Removing the old lacquer can be done with the frets on perfectly well, but it is easier with the frets removed, and a refret job is the most common time relacquering of fingerboards is carried out. So it's worth thinking about the wear on your frets and asking yourself whether they are going to need replacing anytime soon. If so, then it makes sense to take the opportunity to combine both jobs in one. Again, this is a completely normal part of any good luthier's workload and nothing to lose sleep over.

Not only will relacquering or a full refret-and-lacquer probably be cheaper than a replacement neck from Fender, it will keep the integrity of your Strat. Which, given your history with this guitar, seems like a no-brainer to me.

Eric Clapton had the neck of his "Blackie" Strat refretted and relacquered twice in 17 years, and he put a helluvalot more wear on it than you have done on yours. If you need this work done for the first time after 30 years there is no reason why your favourite axe shouldn't serve you faithfully for the rest of your life. Which is a happy thought and worth the effort.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 4:19 am
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Ceri wrote:
Eric Clapton had the neck of his "Blackie" Strat refretted and relacquered twice in 17 years, and he put a helluvalot more wear on it than you have done on yours.


The Elite Strat was the test bed for his signature model which was officially launched in 1988. Clapton owned a pair in Black and Vintage White - both fitted with a '57-style neck - the latter having regular Stratocaster knobs and a 5-way selector, sold to the Crossroads charity auction at Christie's in June 24, 2004 for the fetching price of $12,000.

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In an interview with Dan Forte in 1985 Eric said he was messing around them.

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Last edited by chromeface on Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 10:24 am
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Thanks all, and esp. Ceri for your responses. Ceri your points all make sense to me, as I am obviously very invested in this instrument. Re-fretting and re-varnishing is probably the best way to go, as my frets are somewhat worn down by 3o years of playing (I mean, not like Blackie, but still.... ;) ) I'm sure my guys (Shout out to the Guys at Action Music in Falls Church VA) can handle it, as they've always done right by all my guitars.

So when I go that route, are their options I should be aware of? Better or worse varnishes? Brands to stay away from? Color nightmares?


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Post subject: Re: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 7:19 am
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Gelf13 wrote:
So when I go that route, are their options I should be aware of? Better or worse varnishes? Brands to stay away from? Color nightmares?

Hi again: if your luthier is good (sounds like he probably is) then he'll know the things to discuss with you before starting the job. In this case that basically boils down to choice of fret wire and the tint of the lacquer.

From what you say it sounds like you are very happy with you guitar as it is, so on both those points it's essentially a case of replacing like with like. Or maybe you feel this is the moment to replace medium fret wire with super jumbo tall and wide? No problem - but bear in mind that it will change how the neck feels: that might be good, or it might be a terrible shame to change something that is already working perfectly for you. Something to think about carefully, and get your luthier to show you his selection of fret wire so you can have an informed discussion.

The other issue is the varnish. I'm guessing this '83 Strat has the neck finished with polyurethane lacquer (which, for the little it's worth, would always be my own number one choice). But I'm not certain: perhaps someone like Forum users Chromeface or Xhefri can tell us for sure what the spec was on those guitars. Or failing that, you could put in a call to the very nice and helpful Rob Schwarz at Fender Consumer Care (see Contact info on this website): I think I might recall that he was working in the finishing department at the factory in those days, so he can hopefully give you chapter and verse.

From the photo it looks like your neck varnish has yellowed a fair bit over the decades. Nitro tends to do that most, but urethane discolours as well, and yours looks a very nice honey shade, so I'm guessing you'd want to replicate how it looks now, especially if you are only refinishing the fingerboard and want the front to match the back and headstock.

Both nitro and urethane are available in "vintage" tints, but even better is to use clear lacquer mixed with the appropriate dye to exactly match the shade of your varnish. Assuming your guy uses a spray gun rather than aerosols that's easy: even with aerosols it is just a matter of using both clear and tinted to build layers that combine to the desired colour.

Again, your luthier will surely know all of this, so this is just a friendly heads-up for things you need to talk to him about.

Be great to hear how you get on! :)

Good luck - C

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Post subject: Re: 1983 Fender Strat Elite - Neck problem
Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 9:16 pm
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I came across this thread by complete accident. I have a '83 Fender Elite as well with the same exact issue you describe on the exact same area on the neck. Do you mind telling what you did to fix this?


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