Hi, although I have read the forum regularly, this is my first post.

First of all, I'd like to say hello to everyone and congratulate you on this fine community you have here

Now, on to the question (with a bit of backstory first)... Way back, when I was young(er) , all I ever wanted to do was play guitar (and bass, I really love the bass), and I began to learn the ropes on my dad's old acoustic (which, sadly, was VERY hard to play), and I did learn a little, but I never really took off until I had my own money to buy my own guitars... I started with generic (read: unknown) brands until, in '96, I finally got my first (and so far only) Fender Stratocaster (standard white MIM).

That guitar being 15+ years old, it's really showing its age. Although its perfectly playable, I think it could benefit from a little cosmetic uplift, so I wanted to ask you what do you think. Should I leave it and show its age, or should I rejuvenate its looks?

I was thinking about changing the string tree (it's very rusty), and the pickguard, the knobs, the jack socket and the back cover so they look... well... white again

I have read countless times that this community thrives on pictures, and of course I couldn't ask this question without showing how it looks right now, so here are some pics (sorry for the quality)

The guitar itself:



The pickguard:



Closeup of the knobs and the jack socket (a little rusty too):



The back plates:



The headstock (the string tree is very rusty, I think this is a must change):



The back of the headstock (with the 50th anniversary decal ) :



I'd be happy to hear any thoughts you all have and, once again, congratulations on a very nice community.

Peace,

_________________
"Life is far too short to concentrate on your past. I'd rather look into the future"
- Lou Reed

'96 MIM Fender Standard Stratocaster (White)
'98 MIM Fender Standard Precision Bass (Black)
Fender DG-8S Acoustic
15W Fender Frontman Reverb Amp

I love how it looks, rust and all.

But, it's YOUR Strat, and you should do what you like with it.

Well, there's fans of relic (aged parts) and there's fans of shiny new looking guitars.

I'm not a relic fan, it means artificially aged look.
If a guitar aged "honestly", that's a different thing and it has its charme.

After all it comes down to your(!) taste.

I would only change parts if they don't do their job anymore. A little rust doesn't hurt as long as you maintain them (like a little drop of oil onto moving parts to keep them working).

I would leave your guitar as is, if I were you but you must decide what you like better.

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

Hi arosania,

Nice looking guitar.

Some people like the aged look of a guitar, including myself. In your case I would definitely change the string tree and the output jack, as these parts affect performance. Personally, I would leave the pick guard, knobs, neck plate, back plate and jack plate as is, but it certainly wouldn't hurt anything if you changed them. What matters in this case is how you feel about any changes. If you want a fresh, new-looking guitar, go for it.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

save your money and put it towards a telecaster

The pickguard can be cleaned up with Jif and then polished with either brasso or duraglit
The jack socket would have to be changed ,(keep the old one) but the string tree could be cleaned up with fine emery and then coated with clear laquer on the top and vaseline on the bottom to stop more rust forming
Pickguard screws can also be buffed up by taking them off and holding the threads in a pair of pliers with cloth to stop messing the thread, then rubbing the head against a piece of cloth with brasso impregnated in it , then washing and drying before reassembling

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Ted

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

Hell, I think it looks just great "as-is"!

As shimmilou mentioned, any performance-related issues should be addressed. But cosmetically, I wouldn't touch a thing. That's called "mojo" and your guitar has earned every scintilla of it via righteous ownership and play.

JMOOC......

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

Hey, thanks for all your feedback!, and I'm VERY pleased that you like how it looks

I'll do as some of you suggested and just replace what affects performance, IF and WHEN it really does (though maybe I'll give in and replace the string tree and jack)... I like the way it looks now (besides, it has a story... after all, it has grown old alongside me), but sometimes when I pull it out of its bag to play some people (albeit not musicians/guitarists, just your average random guy) complains that it looks too old and battered and that's why I wanted to hear your take

moochy13: I'm REALLY looking forward to get a tele! When I do (I'm traveling to the states in may and that's as good an occasion as any), you all will be the first to know (with pics, of course!)

Once again, thanks!

_________________
"Life is far too short to concentrate on your past. I'd rather look into the future"
- Lou Reed

'96 MIM Fender Standard Stratocaster (White)
'98 MIM Fender Standard Precision Bass (Black)
Fender DG-8S Acoustic
15W Fender Frontman Reverb Amp

I would never purposely ding, chip or scratch a several thousand dollar instrument. I don't mind honest wear from actual use though. I'm not afraid if I get a chip, scratch or ding either. I play my stuff. I like to take care and maintain my instruments. There's no point in caring and maintaining an artificially relicd guitar because it's already been brutalized.

Cool guitar. Trying some of the clean up tips offered in this thread is as far as I would go unless it's causing a problem.

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In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.

I'm usually the odd man out around here, but I'm in the "shiney and new" category. Especially the chrome parts...ok...I'll admit that I do have something of a chrome fetish, LOL! Coming from a car and hot rod background, my philosophy is "It just ain't cool if the chrome don't shine!". Seriously, who wants to look at the bumpers on a '57 Bel Air if they're all rusty and dented! There's a really good reason why those guys go to so much trouble to restore such parts...it looks better! Got any antique silver laying around the house...maybe an old tea pot or flatware or something? Do you REALLY thing it looks better all tarnished and rusted or is it simply more pleasing to look at once it's been properly polished? Seriously I'd clean that stuff up or change those parts out in a heartbeat. In fact I'd also take the opportunity to upgrade the string tree to a roller...but that's just me. Same goes for the plastic really...I'd clean it up or change it. A new pickguard, knobs and tip don't really cost much at all and you can always save your "aged parts" in a plastic baggy for posterity. I don't mind a little bit of natural age and I agree with Frets there that it may even add a bit of character to a guitar, but to my eyes, that sucker just looks dirty...uhhhggg (sorry).

As mw said though, it's -your- guitar. You're the one who has to play it and look at it. Whether or not any of us think it looks "cool" or not is really pretty irrelevant.

Peace,
Jim

I can't believe that guitar has that much vintage relic'ing for being only 17 years. People pay a lot of money to have their hardware and plastic look that aged. Personally, I wouldn't change a thing. I wish my Strat looked that aged.

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC

Relics...I've said it before and I'll say it again - I just don't get it. To me it's like buying a brand new car...except that someone busted out a headlight, key'd the doors, painted one rim school bus yellow, smeared ketchup around the interior....why would you really want something like that, let alone actually pay -extra- for it? Just doesn't make sense at all. Same thing with what I said about vintage Rods...those guys go to -a lot- of trouble and expense to restore a car because no one really wants to look at that dented, half-primer'd body, rusted bumpers, etc...that just looks like crap every time.


Sigh.....

Jim

So you can pretend you've taken your guitar out of the bedroom.

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my stuff on soundcloud

LOL!!! Thanks...needed the laugh