When mine bubbled, the bubbles were flat. I have the body, but I sanded it. Sorry I can't show what they look like.

_________________
1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Erm maybe because I mentioned the possible cause before Steve did.

Your best option is to take it back to the shop you bought it from. They'll give you as straight an answer as you can get. Don't be surprised if they come back to you with a similar reply to one you've read here. The AVRI's topcoat of paint sits atop a urethane undercoat that the cellulose burns into when it's applied. I can't think of anything that would cause that urethane to chip away from the lumber. That stuff is as near indestructible as you'll find in the world of guitar paints. However a reaction between the cellulose and a foreign object is a proven problem with those finishes on those very guitars. At least until the cellulose has gassed out.
You'll need to take the guitar to a dealer to make a claim anyhow. Your contract is with the dealer that sold you the instrument. The dealer has a contract with Fender.

As for the smart arse attitude, it's probably because you seem to be seeking an answer that no one is giving whilst at the same time ruling out the one a few people are. Just trying to get you ready for the answer you'll likely receive from the shop. As well as the finish not covered by warranty one.
Sorry.

Buxom would it have been possible for the bubbles on your guitar to have pulled away had they stuck to whatever caused them to bubble?

_________________
No no and no

The urethane on mine bubbled and separated from the body.

_________________
1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

OK, so now you're on track. Good!

This whole thing sounds a little weird to me, because what you're describing sounds like the base coat/filler got contaminated somehow and its bubbling the top coats.

If I were you, I'd get someone with a digital camera to take some good, detailed photos of the damage, so that you have a record and then take the guitar to your dealer. Be careful because your relationship with your dealer is probably the most important factor in getting your claim accepted and processed. Is your dealer the local Fender Certified Tech? That also a need-to-know.

Before all is said and done, you may well have to go up Fender's corporate ladder in order to get a result but I'll PM you with my experiences and how we won the war.

Later,

MMOK

My American, Strat 2010 made, is showing what looks like body glue joint lines running the length of the body here & there. Weren't there a couple of months ago. Always in its case with humidity around 45% & temps 65-70 degrees. Both hum. & temp constant year around. I had posted about my 60th aniv. tele maybe reacting to the Vintage tweed G&S case fur and it leaving marks on it too. Just got that in May.

BTW, I did write to customer care via email at Fender on Sat. and haven't heard back yet? Gibson always gets back in a day or same day when I've written about an Epi or Gibson question. Just say'n.

Aster

nikininja, I'm sorry if I wasn't clear on this but I wasn't asking people to venture rough guesses about what might have caused this, I simply wanted to know if it had happened to anybody else.

Several people, including myself, mentioned that the rack might have caused the problem. The key word there being MIGHT. I think Steve was the only one who declared that I absolutely screwed this up on my own. Which is why my reply was directed at him, not you, and I dunno why you took offense to that.

The reason I do not believe the rack is the cause is because the chips are not located where the guitar touches the rack. Also, I have two other nitro finished Strats that I've been keeping on the same rack and I've had no problem with either of those. I'd have more peace of mind about it if I really thought the rack was the cause, because then at least I could stop the damage. But if it turns out to be some problem with the undercoat, then the paint will probably continue to come off and that's what I'm afraid of.

But anyway, I guess I'll find out more about it on Friday.

Hey TVR, It's off topic, but I just re-read your post about the TVR. Man, crappy nitro paint or not, I'd love to own one of those little rocket ships. An AC King Cobra was in my reach when I was in my mid 20's & even had the $3500 to get it (used, perfect shape, & I think a 1967 I bellieve). Course now, I wouldn't be typing this here of topic post had I got her!!!

Too fast.

Aster

I just found the exact same thing you are referring to on my 1983 '52 Vintage Reissue Tele. There's a chip in the nitro finish right where it contacts one of the supports on my stand. This could surely be a co-incidence. But, I know I haven't put it down roughly, or for that matter banged it on anything. So i was wondering if it has something to do with the rubber type material on the stand. So, just in case, I now throw an old t-shirt over my stand, until I can get around to wrapping the supports in cloth.

Doc

Doc,

I'd remove te foam from the stand before wrapping it.

Some of the foam stuff in use today actually gases off and thats what is reacting with the Nitro.

Best solution is to buy a quality stand.

Good idea about stripping the foam. I'll do that. Thanks for the tip mymindsok.

I made sure that when I bought my A frame stands they didn't say "not for nitro finishes". On the other hand, they didn't say "nitro safe" either.

I actually like the nitro finish - with all it's foibles. I'm a big fan of vintage 50's Fenders. I love the 7.5 radius necks and vintage frets, and of course that sparkling 50's tone. And, nitro is just part of the deal with a faithful 50's reissue. Next guitar will be an American Vintage '57 Re-Issue Strat. I'm planning to visit the new Fender Visitors Centre this winter. If I make it out of there without one it will be nothing short of a miracle. LOL

Doc

It's a known fact (although stand manufacturers won't aknowledge it ) , that even surgical rubber can affect the finish on a Strat , or more so a Gibson.

I found a shop that sold the furry lining material that lines guitar cases and wrapped my stand where it comes into contact with the guitar and no problems whatsoever in 11 years.

_________________
Ted

"All right, guys, uh, listen. This is a blues riff in "B", watch me for the changes, and try and keep up, okay?"

Anyone had any problems with the Hercules auto locking guitar stands with anything nitro? Just to play is save I have the guitar lean into a clean T-Shirt cloth so far.

Normal things contacting & reacting are kind of interesting. Guitar stands & guitars, kind of like some of the gummy fishing tackle just melting & fusing into your nice Plano tackle box. Go figure. Then they have to start saying, "tackle box safe." Give us a break. Well I guess the car battery isn't car sheet metal safe if you know what I mean.

Aster

I haven't had any problems with my Hercules Auto grip stands, I've been using them for years with my Martins, a 000-28EC, OM-21 Special and also my new '62 HR Strat, all Nitro finished guitars. The Martins in particular are a very thin and delicate finish.

Here's the stands I have:
http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GS414B.html

Here's some info about this subject from the Hercules FAQ page:
http://www.herculesstands.com/faq.html

As they say the guitar owner still needs to seek advise from the instrument maker, as the guitar manufacturer could change lacquer formulation at some time without notice, I just know that for my particular guitars (Fender and Martin), I haven't had an issue.

Snowy

Thanks Snowy,

Yep, that's the same unit that I have a few of. Just thought I'd check with other.

Thanks again!!

Aster

Alright, here's an update for anybody that's interested.......

It took two weeks for me to get a day off work during the week so that I could take my guitar into the dealer. Wouldn't have done any good to take it on Saturday because we couldn't call Fender on a Saturday as they're not in on weekends. Anyway, in the couple weeks since I noticed the chips, I've kept an eye on the guitar for further blemishes and have found no more. I was leaning towards just keeping the guitar but decided to take it in the dealer and get his opinion anyway. He suggested I keep it as well and suggested we take a "wait and see" approach. He assured me that if the paint continued to come off (which he doesn't expect), that we could still contact Fender. So I guess that's that, at least for now. I'll stop using any kind of rack or stand with it just to be safe, but I've seen no finish damage on either of my other two nitro finished Strats so I dunno.......

Anyway, I had the day off and had driven an hour to the guitar shop so I figured I'd check out some new gear. Played through a variety of amps, including a Gibson ES-335 through a Marshall "Bluesbreaker", a Fender Blues Jr., a Vox AC15 and a Marshall Class 5 stack and combo. Believe it or not, my favorite of the bunch was the Blues Jr. I also got to play a AVRI '62 Telecaster Custom through several amps, a new AVRI '72 Tele Custom and a Gibson Les Paul Traditional through the Blues Jr. Rather enjoyable day overall.