Hi! I just bought a used Highway One Stratocaster 2006 model, with maple fretboard and Crimson Red Transparent finish (Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer). I don't know how the satin/nitrocellulose surfaces should be treated, so I would like to have instructions for proper way to clean and maintain body, neck (Satin Urethane) and fretboard? Any good tips?

Thanks

I use a dry untreated cloth to polish and clean the neck and body after a re-string or if it gets dusty, and I use a treated cloth to polish everything on the guitar when I take all of the strings off.

I use nut sauce to keep the saddles, bridge, nut, the ball ends of the strings, and string trees lubed so those parts don't wear out.

I tape off the fretboard and use gorgomyte to polish the frets!

I use a dab of cold water on a clean untreated cloth for stubborn blobs of humanity.

The finish on the body is getting shiny and worn where my forearm makes contact with the body. There's pick marks and other assorted contact marks. The paint is still curing on mine and was susceptible to pick marks but is now more durable as it cures and gets harder.

Mine was hot off the press, dated 2 months before delivery, so it took a year for the paint to cure and wood to settle.

There's not much you can do to stop the process of wearing the nitro outside of never touching it and lightly dusting it. I've seen people buff the paint to a shine, but still it gets shinier in the area where there's contact with the guitar, and the paint will wear off faster if you keep buffing it, it's soft paint.

I read a post about somebody leaving a Hwy 1 in a car on a hot day and the paint shriveled and bubbled badly due to heat. Apparently, the nitro paint don't like heat.

The improved tone of the delicate nitro paint is worth the trade-off to me. It'll be interesting to see how long the finish lasts!

RCB-CA-USA wrote



Not being funny, its a genuine question, do you think you really can hear much difference due to the thinner paint? given all the other factors involved in tone.

'RCB-CA-USA' , thank you very much!!! A very comprehensive answer
I will buy nut sauce and gorgomyte, thanks for the tip! Could you clarify what you mean by 'treated cloth'?

Yes. To my ears, the poly paints have a different tone than do nitro surface paints. The poly tone is more brittle and compressed, with an emphasis on mids and highs. The nitro yields a more dynamic, stronger tone. It's one of the many audible factors of tone I can hear.

Here's what the Fender ad states:

Product Description...

Treated cloths have a cleaning agent added to the material.

I do not know what the cleaning agent is, you'll have to ask Fender!

Thanks, interesting thoughts, my most recent guitar (c 1987) i bought a few months ago is the best sounding to my ears at least of all those i own. Thin paint it aint lol.

Cheers

Ok, thanks! So it's Fender Treated Polish Cloth? I mean that does it treat well satin finish -> finish stays satin, doesn't turn any glossy?

Whether you use a treated or untreated cloth, any time you rub the nitro finish, it gets glossier. I didn't notice any shine caused by the treated cloth. But, I've only used it a few times to do spot clean up after I lubed the bridge, saddles, nut, string trees, and polished the frets. After the treated cloth wipe, I finished up with the untreated cloth, which looks like it picks up grime and oil. The treated cloth loosens up the grime, the untreated cloth picks it up.

I have a Hwy 1 tele and used GHS guitar gloss on mine and it protects it and makes it slight ore shiny.

_________________
08 Fender Highway One Tele-Sunburst
09 Squier Custom Tele II-Blonde
04 Squier Standard Strat Antiqueburst
07 Washburn D10SCE natural with Rosewood backing
Fender Mustang II amp


Experience is the best teacher

Ok, thanks!

There is not much that hasn't already been said. I do use Carnuba wax on my Highway 1 body about once a year or so. It gives it a little better protection than without it and provides a bit of a shine.

_________________
RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Ok, thanks. I have read and understood that when you put the wax on the satin/nitrocellulose surface it may never be completely removed without degrading the satin surface? What do you think of that notion?

I see that there was previous topic about wax and Highway One. There were comments for and against wax.

Topic: Is it OK to use carnuba wax on my HWY1?

That's what I always ask myself as well!
Unless the finish is REALLY thick, I don't think there's much of a difference.

Given the point that even two guitars of the same model sound different, I can't imagine that one can judge whether it's the paint or just any another difference.

I personally compared: nitro finished Strat when I got it, then sanded & refinished with model paint (bad idea!!!), then sanded and refinished with 2K paint, then sanded and played in natural look (no paint, no oil, no wax), then fillerd & painted & airbrushed & clear coated. It was all the same guitar and I heard absolutely no change in sound at all.

It's just my personal opinion, so please don't be offended anybody:

I think that many people just take over opinions from others who use these kinds of "knowledge" to show, what greatly experienced, perfectly talented and musically experienced people they are.

Honestly, I've done so many cosmetical mods to otherwise unchanged guitars without ever getting a difference in tone.

"Some people can even hear fleas caughing" (popular saying in Germany).

There might be a noticeable change in tone when using an oscillator but I doubt that human ears can hear the actual difference between different finishes.
There's just too many factors affecting the sound including personal fitness/mood on different days! (ever experienced this: one day super great sound, next day $@!&#* sound with same guitar and same settings?)

Biggest joke I've ever heard: I asked a guy why he had "aged" his guitar. One would expect to hear "it looks cool!" but no, he said it would be more resonant and sounding better with the missing paint (he had removed maybe 5 sqare inches(!!!!!) of paint on the spot where he puts his arm when playing!!!!!)

Resumee: I personally would say, you can't hear a difference in finishes. You certainly can hear differences in woods, pickups, strings, picks, amps...... but with finishes the differences are too minimal to be able to conciously HEAR them without mistaking them with maybe different room acoustics or whatever. IMVPHO (in my very personal humble opinion)

And yes, my hearing is very good, I'm not half deaf

_________________
Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!