Scrapocaster Two - finish on frets - Guitars101

stratomatic · 05-20-2006, 12:23 PM

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Here is a photo of a guitar that I'm currenly playing. It is number two of three in my Scrapocaster Original "Home Grown" Series line.

This one I have re-assembled recently.

Question for the guitar techs:

I bought a Fender licensed Allparts 70's Strat neck a while back. I used this neck on the project you see here. Now, as I'm playing I'm noticing that there is finish on the frets. The finish is chipping off as I play. Of course, this creates a real uncomfortable feel on bends. It's like hitting a speed bump. Also, I doubt I'm getting the best sound I can with finish on the frets, so...

Is there a recommended method for getting the finish off the frets without doing any damage?

Mike M · 05-20-2006, 12:46 PM

Hi Strat: the only way I know of removing the lacquer safely is to play the thing unmercifully, day and night, dawn to dusk!

I bought a Jap Strat 16 years ago that had the same thing but I seldom played it until recently: the lacquer is coming off nicely and I don't notice any "speed bumps".

Hope that's not naff advice!

Badams · 05-20-2006, 03:30 PM

I believe I'd try to scrape it off with a dull razor blade held at a 90 degree angle to the frets. Then polish the frets a little with fine steel wool.

Elysian · 05-21-2006, 09:00 AM

tape up your frets, and then i'd probably do whats suggested, use a razor blade(it doesn't need to be dull, just make sure you pull it across the fret, not push it)... tape off the ends of the razor so as not to gouge anything else, so just leave a spot in the middle of the razor thats bare...

be careful when removing the tape, remove it slowly, so as not to pull any of the finish off between the frets.

stratomatic · 05-22-2006, 07:06 PM

Thanks for the ideas! I would like to have the time to take Mike's advice and play "unmercifully" for days and days. However, my impatient side is leaning toward taking measures to get the lacquer off the frets. This is a really thick coat of finish on these frets!

I also contacted Allparts on Saturday and they replied today. They suggest using steel wool, with the finger board taped off. They also had a suggestion I probably would not have thought of doing: Cover the Pickups, bridge and switches to save on cleanup.

The razor with ends taped off is a great idea and I think that will speed up the job even more. Thanks again Elysian, Badams, and Mike M.

I will followup with results.

stratomatic · 05-23-2006, 05:45 PM

What an improvement. Like I said, the finish on these frets was on thick.

You can see from the photos that the chips of lacquer made a mess.
Thanks again for the advice. It turned out great!

D.i.n.o · 05-24-2006, 08:56 PM

Nice job, and great pics.

Spare-Flair · 05-28-2006, 11:17 PM

that's a fine looking neck

Mike M · 05-29-2006, 12:11 PM

Hey Strat, it would be very cool to see some pics of the whole guitar when you've finished the work - what's the serial number on it?

Elysian · 05-29-2006, 05:16 PM

cool, glad it worked out for you.

bluesjunior · 05-30-2006, 03:58 AM

A quick tip for anyone who wants to work on frets without taping up the whole neck. Take a piece of thin tin plate about 1inch X 4inch. Cut a slot about 2-21/2inches long and wide enough for a fret to stick through. This can then be placed over each fret as you go along protecting the fingerboard and the ends can be bent down around the neck. It is also a good tool for smoothing and bevelling rough fret ends. I use the lid of a tobacco tin which can be easily cut with a Stanley/Exacto knife. Alternately you could wrap a piece of cardboard in heavy duty tinfoil or the copper screening tape available at Allparts/stewmac et al.

stratomatic · 05-30-2006, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike M

Hey Strat, it would be very cool to see some pics of the whole guitar when you've finished the work - what's the serial number on it?

If there was a serial number it would be something like 00002. It's not really a Fender. This is the second "double fat strat like" guitar I assembled from parts back in 2005. The neck on this guitar is the best part on it (and most expensive -$135 on-line). The other pieces were also found on-line. There are no original Fender parts but the neck is Allparts licensed by Fender. The headstock logo came from a someone in the UK. He does excellent work on logos.

Thanks for looking!

guitaral · 06-01-2006, 03:20 AM

all i got to say is that is gorgeous! i have a couple of bucks sitting around somewhere... where'd you learn to do that kind of stuff?

stratomatic · 06-02-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitaral

all i got to say is that is gorgeous! i have a couple of bucks sitting around somewhere... where'd you learn to do that kind of stuff?

Thank you. I'm still learning. I've completed four Scrapocaster projects so far. It's odd that my first two attempts turned out to be something I like. The one pictured is the one I play and record with. My third and fouth were not so great. The third one was so bad that I disassembled it to use the parts for something else. My fifth project was my first Telecaster. It's body is a beautiful swamp ash from www.guitarmill.com. The feel is great on the tele but I need to work on the electronics to make it less noisy.

Hands on trial and error, on-line help, and a good fender setup video are my only resources right now. I would like to find a good school and get serious about it. Someday.