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Post subject: Two modding questions
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:26 am
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Hi guys,

I have a squier with a rosewood neck on it. I would like to get the squier logo off, how do I do that? The reason is, and this is question number 2, the neck and headstock are too white for me. I want to yellow them like a classic strat. Can you tell me some products that would do this?

THanks!


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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:45 am
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Hi Adam. I don't recall for sure whether the lacquer on Squier necks is polyester or polyurethane. But either way it will yellow little and much more slowly than nitrocellulose. Especially if it is not exposed to lots of cigarette smoke, which many believe was a major factor in yellowing the finish on older guitars.

Exposure to UV light will carry the discoloration process along - you could stand your guitar facing a window (though not in direct sunlight, which might warp the wood), but don't expect a big change.

On modern "reissue" guitars the honey yellow look of the necks is obtained by tinting the lacquer to imitate those old discolored ones. Presumably, in time this will perhaps darken even more and there will then be a generation of old reissue necks around that look positively suntanned...

As to the logo: I've seen Squiers with screenprinted logos, but most are waterslide decals, like on other Fenders. The top coats of lacquer will then have been sprayed over the decal to protect it. With either type of logo the safest way to remove it will be to sand it with wet-and-dry paper wrapped round a sanding block to keep the whole thing flat and prevent dips appearing in your headstock. You must take the tuners off first and sand the whole face of the peghead.

You could of course use paint stripper - but I wouldn't. Messy, and a high likelyhood of damaging parts of the lacquer you wanted to leave alone.

And then refinish with clear polyurethane, which you can purchase in an aerosol, assuming you don't have access to a spray shop. Perhaps four to six thin coats, then leave it for a good couple of weeks to really harden (regardless of what it says about drying time on the label). Finally, buff it up with a very mild abrasive such as automotive T-cut or even household metal polish till it is a shiny as you want it.

I'm sure you were not thinking of it, but just take a look at a current thread in the Fender Lounge before applying a fake Fender decal. Not a cool way to go... But I'm certain you didn't have that in mind.

Good luck - C


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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:21 am
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Thanks!

I really didn't have that in mind. I just wanted to make the headstock and the back of the neck a more vintage color. I may put a squier logo back on it or leave it blank. Not sure yet.


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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:50 am
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adamym wrote:
I really didn't have that in mind.


:wink: I know, I was just in a righteous frame of mind after that discussion in the Lounge yesterday.

I'm afraid the simple way to get a darker neck is to carefully strip it and then refinish with honey colored lacquer. But I don't recall ever seeing that in an aerosol - though I could be wrong. Certainly StewMac's Colortone range doesn't include a tinted clear lacquer:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_s ... vents.html

To be absolutely sure you could check with Behlen in your region. If anyone makes a ready to go tinted clear finish it will be them. Google them and then give 'em a call. I've always found them very helpful on instrument finishing in my part of the world.

Still, if not then you'd need to buy a tin of clear lacquer, tint it to taste and then spray it using a compressor and proper spray head. Assuming you don't have those to hand then you're only route would be to find a car bodywork spray shop and ask them if they'd do the job for you. If you have a rosewood fingerboard make sure they understand to mask that: we don't want lacquer on rosewood.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:29 am
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The Guitar Reranch (www.reranch.com) has nitrocellulose lacquer sprays for many Fender colors, including a neck amber color. You'd have to strip down to bare wood. They provide instructions. But it's all lacquer.


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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 10:16 am
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soggycrow wrote:
The Guitar Reranch (www.reranch.com) has nitrocellulose lacquer sprays for many Fender colors, including a neck amber color. You'd have to strip down to bare wood. They provide instructions. But it's all lacquer.


Excellent, thank you.

No use to me in my part of the world, but a useful additional resource for others.

Nice work: cheers - C


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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:33 pm
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Ceri, heres one for the uk.

http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/lacquer.html


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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 11:54 am
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Hi Ninja: thanks for that.

I've looked at that ManchesterGuitarTech website before, though not for a while. You were dissatisfied with the Daphne Blue of one of their competitors, weren't you? I wonder how MGT's product compares.

As it happens, I don't usually use nitro; I mostly divide my efforts between waterbase and urethane, depending on circumstances. I usually keep an aerosol of clear polyurethane handy for those tiny touchups that are not worth setting up a full spray session for. I've never before had a need for a tinted clear urethane - which is just as well because I don't recall seeing one.

However, I recently aquired a honey tinted neck for a project, so things may change...

I generally use these people, and have found them very helpful in the past:

http://www.behlen.co.uk/

Though that website could be more informative. Who knows, maybe there's some tinted urethane clearcoat hiding in there somewhere. Must have a careful look...

Cheers - C


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:15 pm
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so, I think I have messd up. I used a couple of different light stains here locally for my neck and have not gotten the results I wanted. So I ordered the nveck Amber from guitar reranch. Couple of questions...do I have to sand all the stain off before I apply the reranch? If so, what kind of sandpaper would you suggest? Second, how to I achieve thedark worn out look on the neck? I have a skunkstripe, most of them I have seen do not have the stripe, so how do i do this?

Thanks!


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