I feel that belt sanders are more suited to decking projects and would I probably not use one on a delicate project like this guitar body. I would and have used a router on a sled to skim the surface and flatten it. Filler is obviously going to be used in some areas that have been over reliced. I shall follow this project through as it is very interesting. Cheers.
I think my concern with a router sled would be that even if you positioned the body perfectly evenly in relation to the sled, too much material would need to be removed to remove all the paint and get it perfectly flat because these bodies aren’t perfectly flat. The belt sander with a dull belt sort of acted like a localised drum sander of sorts, and allowed me to vary how much attention each area received to ensure that the bare minimum material was removed. Cheers for watching!
It looks like there's a 4-piece body on this one. A few years ago I expected a Made in USA (Non-CS) Fender to have at most a 3-piece body. The MiM guitars would have the 4+ piece bodies. I've seen as many as 7 pieces on a MiM, but as few as three. It's like the Ensenada were fed the smaller wood scraps picked up off the floor.
Yeah you’re absolutely right. My 2006 American Series is 2 piece. That being said it’s sunburst so harder to hide the wood! Does it make a difference? Not in my experience. Would I prefer fewer pieces? Yep…
I've owned a Gibson V from 1985, and when I stripped that one, no less than 5 mismatched pieces of mahogany showed up on the body alone... "Made in 'Murica" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@TeleCaster66 Yeah, right there. It is to cover up the flaws. Sometimes I can't believe how thick the paint is. Never buy a solid colour Fender as they are always the 2nd or 3rd class timber used. Not that there is anything wrong with multi piece bodies - generally they are less susceptible to temp and humidity changes, but they are always covered up with a very thick coat of top paint.
Maybe but it was very gouged so either they were using a beaver to strip it (the animal variant…) or it was a bad relic - only the previous owner knows the true answer!
Using a belt sander is far to heavy and you have no control over it.Get the mass off with a quality paint stripper. I know poly is basically impossible to strip. But it will remove some of the lacquer. Then a good palm sander using Mirka gold pro sand paper
I understand your position here but if you look at how the paint was removed using the sealer as a guide it was actually very controlled, losing minimal depth. This was helped with the intentional use of a dull belt. In my experience, using aggressive grits on orbital sanders tends to dig the grain out, resulting in an uneven surface. Maybe a different story with a Mirka or Festool sander though - future purchase plans!
Festool are amazing. Have you tried Paramose paint stripper? With grade 4 steel wool? The stripper takes a while to penetrate. Look forward to part 2 👍
I've played guitar for over 30 years and still don't understand the whole relic thing. I still have some guitars that I have played regularly for 20 years and other than the frets being completely past it the guitars still essentially look the same as when they were new. Sure there are some dings here and there but even the nitro finishes don't wear in real life like they did in the 50's and 60's so the whole thing makes no sense. My uncle has a Les Paul Deluxe that he has played for nearly 50 years and it doesn't look any different than my Les Paul that is only 12 years old.
I've played for over 40 years, and it makes sense to me. The finishes used on guitars in the 50s and 60s are nothing like the finishes used today. Even nitro finishes use plasticizers so they do not wear down after playing them continuously for many years. After playing a bunch of old guitars, playing a shiny new guitar that's finished like a football helmet is a put off....🤷♂️ This is not something a amatuer should undertake. There arexa number of builders that have played ton of vintage guitars and understand how this is supposed to look and feel. Botched jobs like this are the ones that send the stolen valor guys into a tailspin...
I think my only real concern with it is that it seems to be guitar manufacturers’ only points of differentiation now - how much flamed maple have you used, and how much you have relic’d the finish. Be nice to see a little more innovation. I’m working on it, but am not there yet!!
It's like buying distress jeans. Whether your jeans are washed, stone washed, torn, ripped or have some damage to it when buying new. If you want no relic then it's a pair of raw denim and you do the wear marks yourself. You don't have to accept it or like it. Buy whatever you think it's worth to you.
@@BeardsworthGuitars It's a guitar, not the space shuttle. I think we've reached the limit with the electric guitar. I suppose we could have the guitar equivalent of Autotune that makes you sound like you can really play, but who would want that?
Loved this! When’s part 2 out?!
Soon, I promise!!
Great Project !
Thank you! Cheers!
I feel that belt sanders are more suited to decking projects and would I probably not use one on a delicate project like this guitar body. I would and have used a router on a sled to skim the surface and flatten it. Filler is obviously going to be used in some areas that have been over reliced. I shall follow this project through as it is very interesting. Cheers.
I think my concern with a router sled would be that even if you positioned the body perfectly evenly in relation to the sled, too much material would need to be removed to remove all the paint and get it perfectly flat because these bodies aren’t perfectly flat. The belt sander with a dull belt sort of acted like a localised drum sander of sorts, and allowed me to vary how much attention each area received to ensure that the bare minimum material was removed. Cheers for watching!
You got it in a good way
Thanks very much for your support :)
It looks like there's a 4-piece body on this one. A few years ago I expected a Made in USA (Non-CS) Fender to have at most a 3-piece body. The MiM guitars would have the 4+ piece bodies. I've seen as many as 7 pieces on a MiM, but as few as three. It's like the Ensenada were fed the smaller wood scraps picked up off the floor.
Yeah you’re absolutely right. My 2006 American Series is 2 piece. That being said it’s sunburst so harder to hide the wood! Does it make a difference? Not in my experience. Would I prefer fewer pieces? Yep…
I've owned a Gibson V from 1985, and when I stripped that one, no less than 5 mismatched pieces of mahogany showed up on the body alone...
"Made in 'Murica" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Haha in their defence, those bodies are bloody massive!
One reason I won't buy a Fender guitar, plus the fact that they basically dipped in plastic.
@@TeleCaster66 Yeah, right there. It is to cover up the flaws. Sometimes I can't believe how thick the paint is. Never buy a solid colour Fender as they are always the 2nd or 3rd class timber used. Not that there is anything wrong with multi piece bodies - generally they are less susceptible to temp and humidity changes, but they are always covered up with a very thick coat of top paint.
This isn't the first time I've seen this!
And won’t be the last! I actually also have an Ibanez JS100 in the backlog that appears to have had similar treatment or fallen off a motorbike 🤔
"let's do meth and relic this guitar" - previous owner, probably.
37 sleepless hours of bashing and sanding later, aaaaannnnnd done! Nailed it.
Every year, The IQs get closer and closer to the shoe sizes......and feet are not getting bigger.
Perfect😉
Why would anyone want to do that??
I like "sproing" as a verb
Haha me too
Holy Hell!!! For real!
It looks like they were actually trying to strip it and just gave up rather than relic-ing it.
Maybe but it was very gouged so either they were using a beaver to strip it (the animal variant…) or it was a bad relic - only the previous owner knows the true answer!
@@BeardsworthGuitars yes, a hatchet job for sure!
Using a belt sander is far to heavy and you have no control over it.Get the mass off with a quality paint stripper. I know poly is basically impossible to strip. But it will remove some of the lacquer. Then a good palm sander using Mirka gold pro sand paper
I understand your position here but if you look at how the paint was removed using the sealer as a guide it was actually very controlled, losing minimal depth. This was helped with the intentional use of a dull belt. In my experience, using aggressive grits on orbital sanders tends to dig the grain out, resulting in an uneven surface. Maybe a different story with a Mirka or Festool sander though - future purchase plans!
Festool are amazing. Have you tried Paramose paint stripper? With grade 4 steel wool? The stripper takes a while to penetrate. Look forward to part 2 👍
I can’t say I have. We’re quite limited as to what’s available in Australia but I’ll take a look. Cheers for the recommendation!
I've played guitar for over 30 years and still don't understand the whole relic thing. I still have some guitars that I have played regularly for 20 years and other than the frets being completely past it the guitars still essentially look the same as when they were new. Sure there are some dings here and there but even the nitro finishes don't wear in real life like they did in the 50's and 60's so the whole thing makes no sense. My uncle has a Les Paul Deluxe that he has played for nearly 50 years and it doesn't look any different than my Les Paul that is only 12 years old.
I've played for over 40 years, and it makes sense to me. The finishes used on guitars in the 50s and 60s are nothing like the finishes used today. Even nitro finishes use plasticizers so they do not wear down after playing them continuously for many years. After playing a bunch of old guitars, playing a shiny new guitar that's finished like a football helmet is a put off....🤷♂️
This is not something a amatuer should undertake. There arexa number of builders that have played ton of vintage guitars and understand how this is supposed to look and feel. Botched jobs like this are the ones that send the stolen valor guys into a tailspin...
I think my only real concern with it is that it seems to be guitar manufacturers’ only points of differentiation now - how much flamed maple have you used, and how much you have relic’d the finish. Be nice to see a little more innovation. I’m working on it, but am not there yet!!
It's like buying distress jeans. Whether your jeans are washed, stone washed, torn, ripped or have some damage to it when buying new. If you want no relic then it's a pair of raw denim and you do the wear marks yourself. You don't have to accept it or like it. Buy whatever you think it's worth to you.
Can of worms
@@BeardsworthGuitars It's a guitar, not the space shuttle. I think we've reached the limit with the electric guitar. I suppose we could have the guitar equivalent of Autotune that makes you sound like you can really play, but who would want that?
fake wear on guitars for fake players...if you actually played your guitar , well never mind we know you can't play
Let’s not forget that John Mayer’s Black One was heavily relic’d and he can play a thing or two! It’s not my thing though.
Good drugs
The natural finish looks awful, its made up of two pieces... not a good look, just cover it with paint.
It’s actually 4… and fear not - all will be revealed in part 2 coming soon!