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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:53 pm
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Hello Riversitter,

Thanks for the update.
Glad to here you axe is well.

Cheers.


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Post subject: Re: Eric Johnson Stratocaster Question: alder wood quality
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:26 pm
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riversitter wrote:
I have only one reservation about my particular instrument. There are very visible cracks running across the grain of the alder wood used in the body of the guitar.


Those long visible grain lines are what I look for to identify alder.
They do seem to have nothing to do with the other grain patterns and I have no idea why/how they form, but it's certainly nothing to worry about.

Fender used alder a LOT beginning in 1955 or '56.

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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 12:33 pm
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pretty sure they used it in 54 as well


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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:20 pm
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I suppose it's possible some '54s were made of alder. The "history" books all say they started with Ash then switched to mostly Alder after a couple of years.

http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender2.html#strat

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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:40 pm
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All of my sunbursts have the same marks... I must be weird... I like them... they add character.


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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:06 am
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I've got a different situation with the EJ I traded for. Mine has a perfectly smooth finish on the top without a single ding. It is white and looks awesome, but when you hold the guitar up to the light at the right angle you can see what appears to be a flaw in the painted surface below the finish. If that makes any sense?

It's hard to describe, but if you've ever spray painted something that wasn't sanded completely smooth you see the imprfections an that's how these look. There are three areas just below the bridge and the biggest one runs almost the width of the bridge and is a couple of inches wide. I didn't notice it until I got it home and held it up at all angles in the light.

I talked to local dealer about it and he said paint was "settling in" and that this happens with thin coat type finishes like those used on these guitars. Sounds fishy to me. Any of you have anything similar happening or did I just trade for one with some finishing issues?

Like I said, the top it totally smooth, so it would have to be with the the with paint, stain, or what ever it is they use to color the gutiar. Under normal conditions you can't tell and it wont show up in a picture, but they're there.

I checked the warranty section of this site to see if I might be able to get Fender to look at it, but discovered guitars are only covered for the original owners. Bummer.

Thanks,


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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:35 am
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Jack Dotson wrote:
I've got a different situation with the EJ I traded for. Mine has a perfectly smooth finish on the top without a single ding. It is white and looks awesome, but when you hold the guitar up to the light at the right angle you can see what appears to be a flaw in the painted surface below the finish. If that makes any sense?

If I understand you correctly my EJ has a couple of these. You can't see them unless you look for them and play with the lighting angles. They look like tiny "dimples" on my guitar. I think your tech is probably right that this is a characteristic of the very thin lacquer finish and not something to worry about.

How about what EJ himselff says about the finish...
Quote:
MPc: You specified a lot of changes that many guitarists were extremely happy to see; for instance the nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The nitro doesn’t have an undercoat, does it?

EJ: No, and the guitar has been received really well. If there has been any criticism of the guitar, it’s been the finish. That’s because we’ve gotten so used to the big thick, plastic finishes that have come to be associated with guitars. But if you look at old violins and the way violins are made, they are finished with a very thin varnish. They are fragile and that’s just kind of the way it is. The point of that is to let the guitar breathe more. It comes with the territory that the finish is going to be just a little bit more fragile.

I have some old Strats, and they’re like that. They’re not painted to oblivion, but there’s a merit to that. Some people have been like “Oh man, this finish is too fragile.”

MPc: Well, if it sounds good, that’s the point right?

EJ: Yeah, yeah. Plus I like it when the finish gets funky anyhow (laughing).

from: http://musicplayers.com/features/guitar ... ohnson.php

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Last edited by riversitter on Wed Sep 10, 2008 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:56 pm
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riversitter wrote:
Jack Dotson wrote:
I've got a different situation with the EJ I traded for. Mine has a perfectly smooth finish on the top without a single ding. It is white and looks awesome, but when you hold the guitar up to the light at the right angle you can see what appears to be a flaw in the painted surface below the finish. If that makes any sense?

If I understand you correctly my EJ has a couple of these. You can't see them unless you look for them and play with the lighting angles. They look like tiny "dimples" on my guitar. I think your tech is probably right that this is a characteristic of the very thin lacquer finish and not something to worry about.

How about what EJ himeslef says about the finish...
Quote:
MPc: You specified a lot of changes that many guitarists were extremely happy to see; for instance the nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The nitro doesn’t have an undercoat, does it?

EJ: No, and the guitar has been received really well. If there has been any criticism of the guitar, it’s been the finish. That’s because we’ve gotten so used to the big thick, plastic finishes that have come to be associated with guitars. But if you look at old violins and the way violins are made, they are finished with a very thin varnish. They are fragile and that’s just kind of the way it is. The point of that is to let the guitar breathe more. It comes with the territory that the finish is going to be just a little bit more fragile.

I have some old Strats, and they’re like that. They’re not painted to oblivion, but there’s a merit to that. Some people have been like “Oh man, this finish is too fragile.”

MPc: Well, if it sounds good, that’s the point right?

EJ: Yeah, yeah. Plus I like it when the finish gets funky anyhow (laughing).

from: http://musicplayers.com/features/guitar ... ohnson.php


I like it when the finish gets funky too.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:42 pm
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I think mine is a little different. They are the shape of a cloud. Not checked or off colored, but you can actually see a distinct outline the shape of clouds.

I contacted the guy I bought it from and he does have the original arm and included the wrong one by mistake. But, he recommended he just send me tip because he said once the arm has been screwed into one strat it could bind and cause issues when screwed into a different one. He said the one it came with was a standard Fender trem arm and nothing special. If this is the case I might be able to just buy a new tip.

As far as the finish is concerned, he said he never noticed it and really had no idea. He also said he was very surprised to hear about this because he had hand picked through a dozen EJ's and took his time unitl he found one with nice grain that showed good through the white finish. The grain on this one is very nice.

Anyhow, I'm hoping someone might understand what I'm describing and be able to tell me if I have a problem or if this is something that just happens.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:53 pm
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Location: Peckham: where the snow leopards roam
Jack Dotson wrote:
I've got a different situation with the EJ I traded for. Mine has a perfectly smooth finish on the top without a single ding. It is white and looks awesome, but when you hold the guitar up to the light at the right angle you can see what appears to be a flaw in the painted surface below the finish. If that makes any sense?

It's hard to describe, but if you've ever spray painted something that wasn't sanded completely smooth you see the imprfections an that's how these look. There are three areas just below the bridge and the biggest one runs almost the width of the bridge and is a couple of inches wide. I didn't notice it until I got it home and held it up at all angles in the light.

I talked to local dealer about it and he said paint was "settling in" and that this happens with thin coat type finishes like those used on these guitars. Sounds fishy to me. Any of you have anything similar happening or did I just trade for one with some finishing issues?

Like I said, the top it totally smooth, so it would have to be with the the with paint, stain, or what ever it is they use to color the gutiar. Under normal conditions you can't tell and it wont show up in a picture, but they're there.


Impossible to say without seeing the guitar. But it does sound like an effect that happens if minute amounts of atmospheric moisture arrive between coats of lacquer during the finishing process. If that's what you have then it is unfortunate that QC didn't pick it up, especially on a top-end EJ. Though if you didn't notice it when buying the guitar you can sort of understand how it was missed at the factory (assuming my diagnosis is correct - it may not be).

Short of sanding the lacquer way back and refinishing there is nothing to be done about it now. However, it is unlikely to develop into something worse, so if you can barely see it under most lighting you can probably live with it.

BTW: regarding the original post, which I'd not seen before. I have a very good tree expert who does regular work for me, and I clearly remember him telling me something very similar to that theory about cracks appearing in timber when strong winds move the tree, and then filling with resin, which hardens.

It certainly wasn't alder he was telling me about (I don't have any of that) - I think it was likely something we were observing in a felled conifer trunk, probably spruce. That would make sense, since softwoods are often very resinous. I've actually never worked with raw alder, so I can't comment on that. I've not seen the effect in poplar or ash - though my experience is far from universal!

Anyhow: it certainly is nothing to worry about on a finished guitar body. Think of it as a characteristic timber effect, in the same realms as figuring or spalting. The fingerprint of your individual guitar: excellent!

Cheers - C


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:26 pm
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Ceri wrote:
BTW: regarding the original post, which I'd not seen before. I have a very good tree expert who does regular work for me, and I clearly remember him telling me something very similar to that theory about cracks appearing in timber when strong winds move the tree, and then filling with resin, which hardens.

It certainly wasn't alder he was telling me about (I don't have any of that) - I think it was likely something we were observing in a felled conifer trunk, probably spruce. That would make sense, since softwoods are often very resinous. I've actually never worked with raw alder, so I can't comment on that. I've not seen the effect in poplar or ash - though my experience is far from universal!

Anyhow: it certainly is nothing to worry about on a finished guitar body. Think of it as a characteristic timber effect, in the same realms as figuring or spalting. The fingerprint of your individual guitar: excellent!

Thanks for the input. Yeah, I have nothing but praise for this EJ strat. I love the wood grain and I have embraced the imperfections. I'm playing it enough now to beat it up a little. It feels like an old friend already. :)

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