I purchased a 2000 something USA strat body (not a highway one but the standard with the 2 point bridge setup) and I got a great deal because the body was essentially split in 3.

I am by no means a luthier but I am very crafty and have an awesome set of tools and patience.

The pieces were not totally seperated, but enough where I could bend it and maybe 1/4 was holding it together..I guess someone Pete Townseded it of something.

Anyhooo....what I did was bend the body points where they hinged, filled it with wood glue and used really strong wire ties (since I do not have wood clamps which I guess would have been a better option) to hold it together for a few days.

It seems to have done the trick, the body is very solid now. But I had stripped off all the poly and re-fined it nitro. What is happening is hairline cracks are still showing. So I reckon I need to take the finish down, at least in the areas that the cracks show, and refill and refinish.

My questions are...

1) Is this repair going to have a negative effect on the natural tone of the body..in other works is this a waste of time and effort?

2) If this is worth my time and effort, can someone advise what type of filler to use and how to properly apply it and prep it for paint. I need specific brand of products to use (since I know NOTHING about doing this kind of a repair) and where I can get said products (IE: home depot etc)

Thank you in advance. I will post pics..I finished it in that color that is blue but used yellow tint so it looks greenish as well. I think Fender calls it sea foam green, but details on this particular color are sketchy at best,,,no one seems to know what it is really called since it is a result of a shade of blue that faded green with time. But I like it so that's all that counts.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Oh..should mention...I apologize for the oversize pics..do not know how to resize it...and the picture quality. Cell phone cam is all I have. In case anyone is curious, I did not intent for that open CD to be in the pic but it is from my room mate who want me to appraise it. It is a G n R greatest hits CD signed by Slash. Not that i am requesting anyone to appraise it here, just wanted to let you know what it was. Just was something thrown in my pile of projects lol.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

1)I do not believe the patch job will affect the tone of the guitar. It is not an acoustic, so therefore most of the tonal qualities are not bouncing off the back and sides and top (as an acoustic does). I just patched with a solid plug of spruce a 3" by 1.25" "X 1.5" (L,D,W) hole that was routed out by a previous owner on a 79 Strat I picked up for a song. I also glued it in using wood glue. Wood glue will actually make the joint stronger than if it were just the wood grain holding the section in there. Wood Clamps would have been preferible (Harbor Freight has them pretty cheap) over wire but hey if it worked-great.

2)I would actually talk to someone at a LOCAL hardware store-not a big box store, but a small local hardware store and ask them what they would recommend-take the body with you and show them what you are talking about. Chances are they will have exactly what you need. And it will keep local people working. Tell them what finishes you expect to be working with.

Best of luck on your project.

Jan

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So heres to your survival, swimming up the stream, crossing over one dam after another till we get to Rock and Roll Heavens Gate!

Thanks Bigbike. Yeah I figured glue joints were strong since whomever hammerbagged this body did not break it at the factory joints (it is a 2 piece I believe "select" Alder body)..so it holds true that the glued sections are actually stronger then the wood itself. I was concerned about it effecting the tone since when you research stuff you get all these opinions and don't know what to believe.

I do have a maple/maple neck for this ax (same year 2002 single string tree which is appropriate), and just ordered a used loaded pick guard, bridge, tuners and posts all from the same year as dated on the body (2002) so I have gone past the point of no return really.

The pickguard is mint green so it should be a match made in Strat heaven for this project with a maple fretboard. I just hope it sounds right, I am quite fussy about tone and if it ain't right I would want to sell it but have to be honest that it is really a 6 piece now..not a 3 lol.

But I don't want an "excuses" ax..if i can get this to where the repairs can not been detected..I can take pride in telling the story of this ax (and if it sounds good it's a keeper), and have pride that i rescued a bashed up shame and brought it back to life. Heck, might have to throw some CS 69's in there if it still has tone.why not?

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Oh, also Bigbike, I notice you are from Tn. I used to live there myself (Jackson) and played out quite a bit with my band..where I played..you guessed it..a Strat.

But the reason I bring this up is because there really are no mom and pop hardware stores in L.A., where unfortunately I currently reside. I agree if i go into a Home depot and ask them what I need for this project they would have NO IDEA on earth what I really need. But I have also been into some of the smaller shops here and they as well...know nothing, and could care less to find out. You see the smaller shops only want to deal with the people they can rip off for thousands and thousands like Hollywood Stars and celebs..some dirtbag like me walks in asking about cracks in my Strat and they won't even put the phone down..heck I doubt they would even look at me directly.

So that is why I am here, hopefully someone can help me with the specific product(s) I should use, and where I can get them or order them, and the proper procedure so the repair does not show through after I spend a week painting it..or to prevent the finish from hairline cracking along the repair down the road.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Yeah I bumped this thread. I won't do it again but just hoping for some pro advice before I strip her down AGAIN and attempt to re fill the cracks without pro advice. Heck if that is the case i will just tie the body to the rear bumper of my car and have a go through downtown LA..instant mojo..lol...but heck if the glue joints hold at least I'll know I did something right.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.