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Post subject: Flaking/bubbling neck varnish
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:28 pm
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I have a '94 US strat that I love, but Ive noticed in the past year that the varnish on the neck is starting to crack. None has actually come off yet, but I dont use the guitar all that much (9 guitars all together, its hard to stick with one!) so I think its only a matter of time.

What I want to know is, is it a big deal? Is it normal? Will it ruin the wood underneath if theres no varnish on it?

The tone of the guitar is so Im reluctant to buy a whole new neck, so would a sanding and revarnish be in order?

If it wont hurt the neck Id prefer to leave it as is and let it relic up a bit.

Any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated.

You can see the long grey areas at the bottom, and the bubbling top right.


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Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:24 pm
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Oh, that's too bad. I wonder what caused that?

You could take it and show it to a Fender dealer.

When (if) it flakes off, it will feel rough (and uncomfortable). You could sand it down then and revarnish it or perhaps just use something like tung oil on it.

Let us know what happens.

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Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 8:48 pm
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If it does flake and crack, just polish it down like crazy, let it sit, then play the fire out of it. Trust me, I have a '61 Gibson Melody Maker where the neck has chipped spots in it, and they've just been played so much that they've become unnoticeable. But if you really want to take care of the problem, then I'd say take it to a tech and let them put a new coat of finish on the neck. Or I could be wrong. :?


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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:37 am
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I've had similar trouble, with 2 of my fenders, but not on the scale of yours!

I reckon it's something to do with the wood not having enough time to cure and dry out before varishing (I'm no expert!) and since Polyurethane doesn't allow the wood to breathe, as moisture leaves the wood it lifts the varnish. (this is just my theory, of course!)

Or perhaps the wood shrinks, and the varnish doesn't have the elasticity to stretch or contract with the wood. Mind you, Polyurethane (modern varnish) is more elastic than Nitrocelulose (old varnish). I dunno....

In the below thread I posted pics of the repair I did, and Ceri posted a fantastic link with some great hints.

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... hp?t=13555

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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:45 am
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That is one of the worst cases I've seen. Looks like something was on the wood before the varnish or used on it afterwards! :?


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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:46 am
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Nice clear photograph. Does the effect continue all the way up the neck to the nut? How about on the back of the headstock?

Anyhow. After all this time it surely isn't a manufacturing fault with the original spraying. It must almost certainly be from temperature/humidity changes. I'm wondering if the guitar has been stood with its back near a central heating radiator at some time? Alternatively, has it been on a wall-mounted hanger on the inside of an external wall?

It is amazing how subject to temperature changes external walls are, no matter how well insulated. In the art world it is considered fatal to hang paintings on external walls: if it must be done then spacers are put in to allow a lot of circulation of air between the picture and the surface of the wall. In a different area of my life I saw a painting less than five years old where the oil paint layer was virtually falling off its canvas simply due to being hung against an outside wall.

If you do nothing about it then eventually the lacquer will crack and flake off and you'll be left with bare wood. Apart from the discomfort of that on you hand (which can be addressed with sanding) there will probably be no significant effect on the performance of the instrument. But once the naked wood becomes dirtied with oils from your hand it is a done deal cosmetically: no way back.

If you want to prevent that then it does indeed need stripping and relacquering. You almost certainly have a polyurethane lacquer on that neck: easy to redo for a tech or even yourself if you're feeling adventuresome.

Good luck - C


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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:42 pm
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Thanks for the feedback guys. I was hoping it wasnt a big deal and that it happened to a lot of Strats. Guess not :(

Its not been anywhere near a radiator, certainly not with its back to one.

The only thing I can think of is the Jim Dunlop 65 guitar polish I use, which I know cant be used on unvarnished maple fretboards, but mine is rosewood, and I only use it on the back of the neck. I use it on all my guitars and dont have anything wrong with any of them.

I guess its time to root out a decent repairman or authorised dealer near me.


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