My '04 Start body is black, with a maple neck. I bought this guitar used a while back and now I'm having doubts that black was the original color. The paint just feels thicker than other finishes I've seen and touched, like sunburst or white. I took off the back plate and there was some wax residue and the cavity was painted black. Short of dis assemeling the whole guitar, whats the best way to tell if the guitar had been repainted at some time?

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The white powdery residue inside the trem cavity is normal. Short of disassembly or chipping the paint it would be tough to tell if it's well done. Can you post a picture of the cavity? Is there a coat of polyurethane on the body?

Hi masterhacker: have the neck off and look in the pocket. The way Fender do their finishing there is usually bare wood to be found in there, and if there has been a refinish you will often see tell-tale archaeological layers of paint in that spot.

Or just wait till you ding the guitar and see if there's a different color underneath when the top coat comes off...

Cheers - C

I might also suggest that you try contacting Fender and provide them with the serial number of your guitar. They would be able to tell you what the original color of your guitar when it left the factory.

Ceri
Thanks for the tip. I took the neck off today, and there is bare wood on the body inside where the neck is screwed on. There is a series of stamped initials and numbers on the body in the neck cavity. The neck is stamped July 4, and the body is stamped Sept 10, 2004. Buying the thing from Music Go Round, I had my doubts after I had the Strat for a while, but thanks to your advise, I can rest easy knowing the facts.
That's the one thing I kinda dislike about Fenders. They are so easy to decieve someone by being able to switch out necks and bodies, and being able to buy so many aftermarket bodies and necks and interchanging things. Without knowing the facts, it's so easy to decieve.

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Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the less sh*t you have to eat.

Hello can anyone tell me why my Olympic white Amer. Strat is turning a cream color? Thanks

To masterhacker: you're welcome - it worked better than I'd hoped!


Hi kleintools: because the lacquer the white pigment is mixed into is turning yellow with exposure to light and also potentially atmospheric contaminant such as cigarette smoke. If you lift the pickguard you will likely find it is still nice bright white under there.

Some like the "aged" yellowing look, some don't. Nuttin' you can do about it...

Cheers - C