Hey everyone,

I've just got myself a vintage white Strat. It stood in the original fender custom case in the guitar shop. As I inspected it more closely when I arrived home I came to notice some bright orange stripes on the back and side of the guitar.

I got it with a 2000$ discount, and it plays like a dream, so I don´t regret the purchase, but it´s starting to bother me since it just looks plain ugly.

Does anyone know how I can get rid of these stripes, leaved by the "fur interior" of the case? Can I use rubbing alcohol to see if I can get rid of them, or will this affect my finish?

Thank you all in advance,

Jay Jay from Holland.

If the finish is nitro lacquer, the alcohol may not be "simpatico" with it. Try a quality paste-wax suitable for musical instruments instead and confine your removal efforts to the affected area(s) only.

HTH

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

Thank you for the reply!

I guess it is indeed nitro. So thanks for the heads-up, I'm sure I would have attacked it with some alcohol otherwise.

I've tried some Dunlop Guitar Polish and cleaner, and a Gibson Pump Polish, but they didn't do the trick (as expected.)

I've posted some pictures here, maybe someone knows a little trick? Otherwise i'll bring it to a professional to take care of it.

Thank you again.

Jay Jay.

Try a mild paste wax like Carnuba.

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

You can try using some rubbing compound or toothpaste. Rub lightly with a damp cloth and you should be able to remove those marks. Don't rub to hard just a gentle rub and you should be able to remove those marks quit easily. This will only work if the marks are on top of the finish. After a little rub if they do not come out STOP, they are more then likely under the finish which is a warranty issue. If this is why you got your discount and the marks come out you will have made an awesome deal.

+1!

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

If your guitar is really finished with nitro, you can try cleaning one of the spots with some Naptha (aka lighter fluid) on a clean, white (not colored) cotton cloth. Naptha is the only volatile solvent which is safe for nitro finish.

If naptha does not remove the discoloration, you should try some Virtuoso brand Cleaner followed by Virtuoso Polish. They have become probably the most popular and widely respected cleaner and polish on the market. http://www.virtuosopolish.com/

I don't think you'll get the stains out without damaging the finish because they are absorbed into the finish not on top of it. I would contact Fender Customer Support before trying anything besides a wax. They may be able to recommend the best remedy or even refinish the guitar if it was caused by a Fender Case that came with the Guitar. You might check out Mothers Cleaner Wax but anything abrasive like rubbing or polishing compounds may remove more finish than you want and just create bigger blemishes. Was the discount due to blemishes? check your receipt. if so Fender might just say sorry that is what you bought

Definitely check with Fender first as mentioned. If they don't have any advice, or you aren't satisfied with it, consider this;

The discoloration is likely rubbed onto the top of the finish. But, it could also have worked into the finish, esp. if it is true nitro.

I would avoid organic solvents of any kind - alcohol, naptha, lighter fluid, benzene, Formaldehyde, acetone, citrus terpens, etc. You risk softening the finish and dissolving the dye and/or spreading it even further.

This leaves abrasives to try and remove it. Abrasives can range from mild to agressive and this is how you should proceed with them. Try mild abrasives first and move toward more agressive ones if the finer ones fail to get results.

The mildest is probably Automotive Detailing Clay, using water w/ a drop of dishwashing liquid dissolved in it as a lubricant. Do NOT use Dawn dishwashing liquid because it's high alkalinity can also mar the finish. Keep the finish wet and work the clay in a back/forth motion. Being mild, it will take many passes to get it out, but you should see some results almost immediately. Do 10 passes and then wipe with a clean cloth. You should see the cloth becoming discolored as the dye comes off.

If No-Joy, move on to something like a Plastic Polish like the Novus system. This is a 3-step or grade system and will work well - http://www.novuspolish.com/

Next, I would try a mild cleanser such as Bon Ami or Barkeepers Friend. These contain micro-pulverized calcium carbonate as the medium. Again, use a clean, wet cloth and work back/forth using the lightst pressure you can, clean the piece after every 10 passes.

Lastly, I would use a VERY fine wet/dry sandpaper which has been soaked in water for 24 hrs. prior. Use extremely light pressure and keep wetting and wiping the piece as you use it. I would use a maximum grade of 3000. Searching the Net will get you Ultra fine sandpapers even more fine.

Using an abrasive does run the risk of dulling the finish, so you may need to buff it out afterward. I would also mask off adjacent areas with masking tape to minimize the size of the area needing buffing afterward.

Avoid cleaner waxes as these often contain organic solvents as well.

Hope this helps... Good Luck !

cheers!

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'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

Hello all,

Thanks for all your replies!

I've send Fender Customer Relations an Email, explaining everything. We'll have to wait and see. (of course i'll keep you all notified, that's the least I can do!)

The reason of the discount was because of a "going out of business" sale. The salesman really didn't know these stains were there, so it also doesn't show in the receipt.
(Unfortunately I also didn't get the original Custom Shop Certificate.)

It stood upright in it's original C&G "The Original Vintage Case Co." case, so it was indeed in the original Fender case.

I'll just wait for a reply by those guys before trying any wax or anything, if they say it's not a warranty issue i'll try a wax myself.

Really appreciate all of you guys helping me!

Greetings from the rainy Holland,

Jay Jay

Why didn,t you get the Custom Shop Cert. Is this a new guitar You need to be assured that this is a real CS guitar. I would be more concerned with not getting the cert.

yeah, I asked for it, but he said he couldn't find it. It is a genuine CS, I know since this shop is the largest Guitar shop in the whole of Holland, and it's a certified Fender Custom Shop Dealer.

I'll call them asking to look for the certificate once more!

And for those of you wondering; this is the whole guitar. Still very happy with it, even though the paint on the side is stained/damaged. It plays like a dream and sounds amazing, especially for the price I paid for it.

Back of the headstock logo and serial number on the neck plate please...

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"Another day in paradise!"

Jay Jay - I don't know what you're dealer there in Holland is doing; it looks like they didn't have the right case and all the accessories (including the certificate) for your guitar. That's a CS '69 Time Machine; it should have come with a black tolex case with a large Fender amp logo on the front of the case. From the photo that looks like the type of tweed case Fender used for the production-line American Vintage '52 Tele and '57 Strat (the old series, not the new "Pure Vintage" AV series that came out in August. It's possible that it could be the nicer version of the tweed case that came with CS Nocasters and CS '56 Strats.

I'll echo ZZ Doc's request to see the CS logo and the serial number.

With respect to everyones thoughts on this...I am not convinced the case caused this at all. My 1982 '57 Vintage Reissue has similar marks on the back of the headstock. They look almost identical to those on your guitar. I don't believe there is anything that will remove the marks short of taking it down to bare wood and refinishing.

And if it was the case, why just a couple stripes and not a patch where the case contacts the guitar? I think this may be bleed through on the finish where the wood was not prepped right or some contaminents got in while finishing was being done.

FWIW

T2

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