Strat Affinity Refirb (picture heavy)

hyperfish

I got the idea some time ago that I wanted to do a refirb. I've never actually done a refirb other than a strip and clean of my Pbass but this is a different league. I have done loads of research and this is not particularly difficult, just a challenge

I got at cheap guitar from ebay for £56, Its a 1997 Squier Strat Affinity made in China. It came in a decent hard case probably worth as much as the guitar that I will sell on to help pay for the job.

Armed with a torch and truss rod wrench I picked it up in person from a friendly bloke locally. There are several dings, the neck was bowed, dodgy electrics and years of grime but apart from that.

After playing it for a week I am quite impressed and I really enjoy playing it. It has a nice playable neck since I adjusted the truss rod, and it has a good general feeling about it. Sounds good too on the occasion that it actually worked.

My aim is to finish the guitar body in a solid colour. Daphne Blue, Surf Green or Hank Red are on the list ATM. Other than a clean and polish of the frets, fingerboard and tuners, little needs doing to the neck.

As for the electrics, everything is cheap. The mini pots are shot as is the switch and the wiring is flimsy. These along with the thin single ply scratch plate will be replaced. I am also going to change the volume pot for a push/pull and wire up for the 7 way mod, which gives the Tele-like neck/bridge combination. For now at least I will keep the standard pickups.

A rather flattering picture of the guitar.

                                                                       

hyperfish

Sample shots of the problems.
Dings.
                                                                                 

Grime.
                                                                                 

So today I made a start. First job was to remove the strings and neck. the neck and neck pocket had date stamps confirming early 1997.
                                                                               

Next, the trem, jack socket and the loaded scratch plate.
                                                                                 
                                                                                  
                                                                       

hyperfish

The next part involved a heat gun a scraper and a bucket of water to extinguish the lawn fire.
It had a top coat lacquer layer, colour layer, undercoat and base layer. I was hoping all these would strip nicely with heat. Not quite. The lacquer came of easily, the colour a bit more stubborn on the rest downright awkward.
                                                                               

A transitional Stevie Ray mockup.
                                                                               

OMG what have I done phase.
                                                                       

hyperfish

The sander was no use at all. After breaking papers in rapid succession I had to resort to elbow grease, about 7 hours worth.
The front is a bit charred where I applied heat to remove all the layers.
The charring will cover up under the priming coats. The cavities just need the lacquer coat removing, but I've had enough for today.
                                                                               

I stopped at the yellowy primer undercoat on the back and blended everything in at the side.
                                                                               

If anyone is thinking about having a go at this, use heat to remove the lacquer only then invest in a cheap palm sander for the other layers.

KelvinS1965

I've been there and don that too, though I just used sand paper to get mine down to bare wood. Look forward to seeing how this pans out, it's similar to the (two tone) sunburst mine should come back in, so you're doing the reverse of mine.

I have an Affinity Telecaster and I think it plays really well (maybe 12 years of playing has helped wear the neck in a bit). Like you I've upgraded the electrics (4 way switch in this case, new pots and a TBX tone control, plus Fender OV pick ups), so for a total of £200 outlay I've got a great playing and sounding guitar. The 7 way switching sounds interesting for the Strat...of course you can only combine neck/middle or middle/bridge with a 5 way switch. The upgraded 4 way on the Tele certainly adds a useful extra tone choice.

Good luck with the project (oh and Fiesta Red would be my choice ).

Christian 71

I went in reverse started with a hand sander and moved up to a heavy duty. Eventually I realised I was been too cautious, 180 grit soon shifted the paint and the mess it makes is easily sanded out by hand.

I was too nervous to use a heat gun but I would next time around. I did find out I could use regular sand paper if I cut it into strips, saved a load of money in the end. Same with hand sanders as you can buy Velcro strips of ebay.

hyperfish

Continuing today I went to Halfords and bought a few pieces for the job. Filler, sanding sheets, sanding block and primer.
                                                                               

I filled all the dings then sanded them down after an hour or so.
                                                                               

I didn't want to mess with the neck pocket when it comes to refitting the neck so this was masked off.
                                                                               

On to the improvised spray booth. I shifted the cars, donned a mask and got the primer done in about 5 minutes.
                                                                               

I have read up so I knew it was coming-the disappointing part. It doesn't show in the picture but after priming every flaw stands out like a beacon. I thought I had it like silk after the sanding yesterday, but not so. There are still scuffs and dings all over.
My plan now is to leave it for a week.
                                                                       

Christian 71

I found this was the most important part as the primer is pretty good at showing where you need to put a bit more effort. The colour is so thin it makes any imperfections stand out twice as bad so better to sort them now.

The nitro will hide some of the imperfections, but if you want that mirror like finish the bumps dimples really need sorting at the primer level. Flat sand the whole thing by hand and do a final sand with water as this helps spot bumps in the finish. Last thing you want to do is sand through the paint later.

KungFuPro

Nice job with the heat gun, it I tried that it wouldn't just be the lawn on fire. I've always been a bit wary of using one after seeing a lovely Schecter on ebay that the owner had cremated. Looked liked it had been bbq'd for a few hours, think it started life as basswood and ended up as ash.

Yeah, I've often rushed on ahead with a less than perfect surface thinking a thick clear finish will fill in any divots but I ended up going through the colour coat or back to wood trying to flatten out the clear coat (especially on curved areas). Best to keep sanding back the primer coats and laying down new ones until you have a decent base layer.

Christian 71

A few pics on my photobucket site of the two guitars I refinished in various stages if anyone's interested. It's a fun thing to try out, but I respect anyone who does it as it takes a bit of effort to do.

SantanaChris's Library | Photobucket