I recently got a 2006 MIM Candy Apple Red body shipped to me. During transit, something impacted the guitar through the box and made some small cracks in the finish surface -- near the strap button in this photo:



I would appreciate advice about how to touch this up, please, as well as protecting it from chipping off during use. If I understand correctly, Candy Apple Red has a white undercoat then a gold flake layer and then a red transparent layer. Perhaps there is an auto paint touch up color that is close? If so, if you know a color number and brand, please let me know.

Thanks a lot.

Damaged in shipping? Why not file a claim and get it replaced? It is going to be very hard to match.

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

Candy Apple Red is actually three colors, gold as the underlying color, translucent red and over that is a clear...
Iv'e shot CAR many times in the past, it is all about the prep.
I would suggest looking up automotive painting repairs for candy colors..

BTW...wasn't or shouldn't the guitar have been shipped in a case which then is enclosed in a box..
Am i also seeing clearly as that being a rather wide gap between the body and the neck at the pocket....

If it was me I would send the guitar back and demand a full refund, there is No Way I would accept a guitar that was shipped without a properly fitting hardshell case.
Sorry but on this one, you may want to retrace your steps...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

+1

Even a gig bag might've helped.

Tragic!



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Hello yeastor, welcome to the Forum.

What the others are saying is certainly right.

On the other hand, you may not want to return the guitar, since you can only get your money back, not a replacement. So regarding a repair...

Since CAR is made from several layers on top of one another a match is not to be found in a single tin of paint. It would be a demanding task to strip back a section and do it again from the start and the chances of making a very good match are poor. However, it looks from your photo as if the damage might only be in the clear coat on top of the transparent red layer. If so, someone who knows what they are doing might be able to knock the clear polyester back without running into the red, so as to take out the damage and then build a new clear layer in that area. Your local luthier or perhaps an auto body repair shop are the places to try for this.

I also have heard about people using super glue to spot-fill these sorts of cracks, but I have not done that fix myself and can't speak for how well it might work.

Other than all of that, you may just have to learn to live with it.

Or go for the refund.

Cheers - C

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These cracks will always be visible no matter what you try, unless you strip the body and apply a new finish. The poly is so thick. Filling the cracks in with super glue will prevent them from spreading, and even if you do that and get the super-glue finish blended well with the remaining finish, you will still see the cracks. Poly is incredibly tough, but when stuff like this happens, it is probably better to just try to live with it because anything you do, short of a refinish, is going to look like crap.

I tried this using touch up paint from this place automotivetouchup. It didn't come out perfect, a professional might have done better but it came out good enough for me. Just follow the directions that they have for touchup up a candy apple red vehicle and you're good to go.