Warm Danish on your body? Help/Suggestions welcomed!

[oldguy]

That old red strat copy (I believe Cranium identified it as a Madeira?) had laid around too long. The bright red finish and botched peghead work done by the previous owner was getting on my nerves. Plus, I've been intrigued by tung oiled necks and wondering what a Danish oil finish would be like. So... I took it completely apart (kinda scary, never did it before), stripped it, and refinished it. It's different, that's for sure. The Danish went on the body smooth and soaked in quick, not a look everyone might like, if you're into shiny, glassy finishes, but I dig it. Sorta relic/old furniture-like (if that makes any sense). I can't wait to get it put back together to see if the sound changed, it had like a quarter-inch of plastic-paint crap layered on it when I started. I'd think that would be like taking that goop you dip pliers handles in to insulate them, coating a tuning fork in it, and then smack it on something and wondering why it wouldn't "ring out". Am I thinking along the right lines here? Opinions? Please? I keep buffing the tung oil on the neck w/ a soft cotton cloth, it's getting nice and slippery, the Danish oil on the body is getting a satiny sheen to it, but needs more buffing still. I know some of you brother fretters have done really good refinishes, but I'm definitely not a spray-gun artist, so I went w/ what I thought would be the easiest for a begginer. I also notice the end grain of the body soaked up more oil and turned darker, sort of a natural oil-sunburst kinda thing. Any suggestions on a new pickguard color, or should I just slap the black pearloid one back on it?

[Nelskie]

Sorry I can't help you on the finishing end of things, but as far as a pickguard & hardware, I think a tortoise shell w/ creme knobs & p'up covers would really enhance the antique wood feel of the body. Or, a nice black 3-ply, with creme knobs & covers. A black moto like DVM has on his Strat might look cool, too.

I'd also have to believe that there'll be some immediate tonal benefits with the new finish. I'd posted a link on FN awhile back about a guy who stripped his Strat, and then finished it with nitro-cellulose lacquer. He raved about the difference in the sound. Here's the thread link:

http://www.thefret.net/showpost.php?p=10806&postcount=1

Keep us posted on your project, oldguy. I'm interested in hearing how things sound when all is complete. BTW - what kind of p'ups are you running in that guitar? Any changes planned in that dept.?

[oldguy]

Thanks for the link, Nels. The pickups are whatever came in it originally. They sound pretty good to my ear. They copied them off the old, old strat P.U.'s that had the flat polepieces (before they "staggered them", if you remember those). I've had the chance to play the real thing, and they weren't a real hot P.U., but they were clear and defined. This copy actually has a pretty close approximation of the original, the P.U.'s are probably it's best feature, but the guitar never "rang", at least not to my ears. I may think about something else if it doesn't kick when I get it back together. Any ideas for pickups? I like the strat sound, of course, but something a little hotter w/ some grind would be nice. BTW, here's what this project will look like (sorta) w/ the original parts. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
Glenn

[oldguy]

Well, I got it back together this afternoon, restrung it w/ Elixers 10-46, tuned up, and it's a different guitar, tonally! The wood has the ring I'd hoped for. The sustain is better, a warm, ringing tone it never had before, and if there's any downside, I'd say the warmer, darker tone needs a little more treble through the Valve Jr. I still may check out some hotter pickups, but they will need a little more mids and highs for the Valve Jr., otherwise this thing plays and sounds great. I thought it had a good strat sound before, but I didn't know it could get this much better! Definitely a more "open, airy" sound. If I wasn't afraid I'd screw it up, I'd get a really decent swamp ash body and a good neck w/ jumbo frets and do it all over again! Amazing that such a cheaply made guitar (the body is a 3 piece solid wood , but I have no idea what, it almost looks like pine, maybe alder?) can sound like it does. It sounds as good as my Tele, just in a different (strat) way.
Note: I did pull two small (and I mean SMALL) wires loose from their solder points, and had to go buy a soldering iron kit from Radio Shack to repair it. This thing has the flimsiest wiring I've ever seen in it. Just from lifting the pickguard assy. up as I was putting it back together, after putting the jackplate and claw assy in it. BE CAREFUL if you're new to this, one small tug and it's off to the shop to fix your "oops!"
Honestly, I could have bought an SX strat for what I've got tied up in this, but it was a learning experience. And it really does sound great. Whether it will stand the test of time as a "beater axe" or not is a moot point. I played it 2 hrs. today, and it's always good to have new motivation.
I also traced around a child-proof lid from an aspirin bottle on the peghead and sawed it off w/ a hacksaw, then started sanding until it was a little "rounder", which I thought looked better.
Before and after pics.

[Cranium]

Hey oldguy, very cool, it looks even sweeter now although shiny is also good...oh I just wanted to say, if you want I found a video of Jason Becker playing a Moridira strat, it has the exact same headstock so thats why I thought yours was the same make anyway here is the link http://youtube.com/watch?v=_jK978921Yw .

[oldguy]

Very cool link! Thanks, Cranium. I'll never play like Jason did, but it was nice to see him in action again. I hope they can find a cure for him before it's too late, he was a master in action, for sure. Keep pickin', bro.
Glenn

[Spudman***]

Wow. That made that guitar look comfortable. Like a well worn in piece of furniture. Yummy.

That is cool about the tone too after stripping the finish. I had an old Strat (of course) that was ash with a clear finish, one winter it got real cold in the vehicle and when it was brought into the hot steamy bar I was playing in the finish cracked all over. From that point on the guitar sounded so much better than before. It sort of opened up.

I hope we haven't started the desire for everyone to start stripping their guitars now.

[SuperSwede]

Spud, is ash more prone to expand/shrink under temperature changes than other woods? I have seen a few cracked guitars, and iirc they were ash bodies.

[oldguy]

An old timer once told me if the wood is from a female tree, it will always "think it's ash looks big" .
Seriously, any wood will expand or contract enough for the finish to crack if the temperature/humidity fluctuation is radical enough (I had a Les Paul Goldtop do it once, maple top/ mahogany body). Lacquer finishes are more prone to it, hence the polyurethane (re."plastic") finishes so popular nowadays. Poly is said to be more environmentally kind than nitrocellulose lacquer as well. Nitro lets the wood "breathe", poly don't, hence the Danish oil treatment I decided on for Maddie. Yeah, that's her new name, Maddie Brown.

[Johnny Z]

An old timer once told me if the wood is from a female tree, it will always "think it's ash looks big" .
Seriously, any wood will expand or contract enough for the finish to crack if the temperature/humidity fluctuation is radical enough (I had a Les Paul Goldtop do it once, maple top/ mahogany body). Lacquer finishes are more prone to it, hence the polyurethane (re."plastic") finishes so popular nowadays. Poly is said to be more environmentally kind than nitrocellulose lacquer as well. Nitro lets the wood "breathe", poly don't, hence the Danish oil treatment I decided on for Maddie. Yeah, that's her new name, Maddie Brown.

Q. So how do you know a boy tree from a girl tree?

A. By the size if it's root.

The truth is most trees are asexual.

[Mark]

I like it! Good job there young feller !!