Re building MIJ Squier to Fiesta Red

[Wilko]

So these MIJ 80s Squiers are great guitars and I've been enjoying refinishing them over the years, mostly top coats over the poly.

Check out how thick this poly is!

Since Fender refuses to make a proper vintage body contour (same as Gibson's top carves :hmm)
I've stripped this one so I could fix the contour to match my '60 strat.

Here's the first rough shaping of the contour:

And with a coat of white:

 

[rockabilly69]

I've had this '83 Squier strat since I bought it new in 83! It has Seymour Duncan alnico II pickups, a tom anderson blower switch, and a vintage style trem from a USA model, and damn it's a great guitar! ...

 

[latestarter]

So these MIJ 80s Squiers are great guitars and I've been enjoying refinishing them over the years, mostly top coats over the poly.

Check out how thick this poly is!


Since Fender refuses to make a proper vintage body contour (same as Gibson's top carves :hmm)
I've stripped this one so I could fix the contour to match my '60 strat.

Here's the first rough shaping of the contour:



And with a coat of white:

oh yeah - keep it coming!

 

[Kris Ford]

oh yeah - keep it coming!

What he said!!:yah

 

[tonar8353]

I don't think I have ever seen a coating applied that thick on a guitar, that is crazy! It almost looks like it was painted in a dip tank. I look forward to seeing the guitar finished and reassembled.

 

[thin sissy]

That is crazy thick!

As much as I love strats in both looks and sound, they are ugly IMO if they don't have the deep contours of the early ones for some reason. Good job fixing that as well as the finish :salude .

Did you strip it mechanically or chemically (or both)?

 

[WBailey]

Crazy ! :bug

Hey Wilko, did you happen to weigh that body before and after ?

I wonder how much all that goo weighs. :hmm

 

[Wilko]

I used a heat gun and peeled it off with a chisel and a knife. I just weighed the stuff and my Mettler scale says .22 lbs!

Body weighs 2.85 pounds and looks like alder. Not positive. It sounded great unplugged with the plastic on it. This plastic is very hard/britte and not rubbery at all. the chips make a lot of noise.

This Squier is very cool with a really flamey neck too.

Here it is with the "singapore" nitrate guard:

I'd already rounded the end of the fretboard, doweled the tuner holes and replaced with vintage style, and put a 2-pat. number decal set:

 

[sikoniko]

I'd already rounded the end of the fretboard, doweled the tuner holes and replaced with vintage style, and put a 2-pat. number decal set:

not trying to stir the pot here, but after the other thread about 'being a little too good', what is the consensus of putting a Fender logo on a Squire headstock? I realize Fender makes Squire, but seems to be a rather gray area...

 

[deytookerjaabs]

Had an 80's E-series Tele which had this little bump by the neck pocket, wasn't until later I read that's the "routers hump" and was just there because the guitars were cut from templates traced off the originals. MIJ Fender/Squier, Fernandes, Greco, & Tokai I've all had great experiences with from that era, the actual imported to USA stuff from that era with changed headstocks you can still find for a few hundred bucks.

 

[Wilko]

oh yeah - keep it coming!

I finally got around to ordering some fiesta red from ReRanch. Just got it today and shot a couple of coats. Here it is outside, and inside with the tinted "parchment" factory guard that is a good match to my original 1960 guard:

Outside:

Inside showing top contour:

 

[Xpensive Wino]

Very nice. Was it hard to apply that paint?

 

[Wilko]

Very nice. Was it hard to apply that paint?

It comes in rattle cans so it's very easy to apply. SPray, wait. SPray Wait. Wet sand. Spray. Wait. Spray, ad nauseum.

Here it is with the Lashing celluloid guard:

 

[Ship]

Looks great! I'm a sucker for Fiesta Red.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

Lookin' good!


If you've been around guitars long enough and really know what you like there's just something about hacking away at a project knowing the whole time that at the end you'll be a very satisfied camper. The whole experience is satisfying. Besides a couple beaters I've had since I was a teen my longest keeper is a partscaster build finished on the back porch, every part & spec intentionally sourced, it sounds just like I hoped it would.

 

[The Shifter]

I love these threads.

How long did you wait between coats?

 

[Wilko]

If you've been around guitars long enough and really know what you like there's just something about hacking away at a project knowing the whole time that at the end you'll be a very satisfied camper...

Exactly!

So with this one, I liked the weight and sound of the body. The neck for this one came with the guitar originally and has a lot of tight flame. I like the look and have never had a fender like that. The expensive custom shop has 'em,but you pay a lot for those. Some of the details in the headstock shaping and transition area from neck to head is very close to my original. I did a little rounding at the fret board end to more closely match a '60. (I did a '62 2 pat number decal just because those are very rare)
The body has had the top contour changed to be much more like a '60 as well. Other details are a plate with the serial number on the bottom and set of vintage style PAT PEND saddles.

 

[Wilko]

I love these threads.

How long did you wait between coats?

Thanks for the kind words guys.

I primed it in white lacquer back when this thread started. Then yesterday I shot it and waited an hour or so between coats. Wet sanded after 4 hours then show another coat last night. Wet sanded this morning and did another color coat. Will probably shout a light tinted lacquer coat tonight that will give it a darker and almost orange tint. After a week or so I'll age it a bit at the typical wear places and where there are imperfections:hmm

 

[Wilko]

While I'm waiting I'm going to work on getting the lashing guard to look right. I'll round over the edges like my '60 and buff it real good after wetting it with lacquer thinner. The thinner will soften the guard and allow me to put authentic wear marks on the surface texture.

 

[Kris Ford]

I just scored a Fender E series..I LOVE it..very impressed!
My neck is a lil flamey too... slightly slender up at the nut..but feels great.

Lake Placid Blue!!

But ONLY in pics! In real life it has a greenish glow, so looks more Ocean Turquoise.

Was thinking of doing a full on '65 style makeover..with '65 AVRI guard, pickups and accessories...but I really love it as is! Even stock pickups..ceramic yes..but sound very rockin'.