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My 1979 Stratocaster


PariahDog
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I guess you never forget your first crush. :blush: This is my first real guitar, a 1979 Stratocaster that I got in about 1985. It was a reward from my dad for learning to play pretty well on a horrible thrift store Vox electric guitar. :cool: It's back to nearly original condition, after I sadly decided to paint it... twice. :facepalm: I say "nearly" because this is actually a '76 body that I bought several years ago. I still want to refinish my '79 body back to this polyurethane clear coat. But it was fun putting this "hybrid" 70s Strat back together. :cool: And this '76 body actually has a tighter fit in the neck pocket than my '79.

 

The electronics are original except for a Seymour Duncan blade (or hot rails?) humbucker in the bridge. (I still have the original Fender pickup.) I've got the setup very close to where I want it. But it does fret out on the D string around the 14th fret, so I'll probably have it professionally set up.

 

 

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Love natural wood Strats. Have any pics of the original body before you painted it, just for comparison?

 

I have a '90 Strat that I bought new, and it still has the original frets. After years of regular playing it frets out a little on the upper frets, and the lower frets (first position) are also noticeably worn, so it's time for new frets. Yours is even older -- are those still the original frets?

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>>Have any pics of the original body before you painted it, just for comparison?

 

I wish!!! I may have pics of the black and translucent blueburst paint jobs, but none of the original. The original body is currently down to the bare wood, so I can take some pics of that. My recollection is that the grain was even nicer than this '76 body.

 

>>Yours is even older -- are those still the original frets?

 

The frets are very flat and may well be original, so that may indeed be the problem. Probably due for a re-fret, and I've been wondering if that will affect the value? Of course, much of the value was probably lost when I refinished the original finish. D'oh! :facepalm: I was in a Metallica phase (And Justice For All) and painting it black seemed like such a great idea. :eyeroll: lol

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>>Have any pics of the original body before you painted it, just for comparison?

 

I wish!!! I may have pics of the black and translucent blueburst paint jobs, but none of the original. The original body is currently down to the bare wood, so I can take some pics of that. My recollection is that the grain was even nicer than this '76 body.

 

>>Yours is even older -- are those still the original frets?

 

The frets are very flat and may well be original, so that may indeed be the problem. Probably due for a re-fret, and I've been wondering if that will affect the value? Of course, much of the value was probably lost when I refinished the original finish. D'oh! :facepalm: I was in a Metallica phase (And Justice For All) and painting it black seemed like such a great idea. :eyeroll: lol

 

I'm not an expert on what devalues an older instrument, but a guitar that is played regularly will eventually need a re-fret, so I doubt new frets would drop the value much -- probably not at all. A re-fret is expected at some point, and part of the deal for a guitar that you want to continue to play.

 

A proper re-fret done by a professional (meaning, not the kid who changes strings and does intonations at your local Guitar Center) would run you some money, but if the guitar means a lot to you and it gets a lot of playing time, it's worth it. My late-'40s Gibson L-48 acoustic needed frets and a fretboard leveling, and the local guitar builder did it for $300 (about 10 years ago), and now the guitar plays as good as my electrics. Your Strat probably wouldn't need the fretboard leveled unless it's seen a ton of abuse -- these days a re-fret done by someone who really knows what they're doing would probably cost you $250-$350.

 

Frets that are only slightly worn can be re-dressed for a fraction of the cost (again, done by a real pro), but it sounds like yours are pretty flattened out.

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I guess you never forget your first crush. :blush: This is my first real guitar, a 1979 Stratocaster that I got in about 1985. It was a reward from my dad for learning to play pretty well on a horrible thrift store Vox electric guitar. :cool: It's back to nearly original condition, after I sadly decided to paint it... twice. :facepalm: I say "nearly" because this is actually a '76 body that I bought several years ago. I still want to refinish my '79 body back to this polyurethane clear coat. But it was fun putting this "hybrid" 70s Strat back together. :cool: And this '76 body actually has a tighter fit in the neck pocket than my '79.

 

The electronics are original except for a Seymour Duncan blade (or hot rails?) humbucker in the bridge. (I still have the original Fender pickup.) I've got the setup very close to where I want it. But it does fret out on the D string around the 14th fret, so I'll probably have it professionally set up.

 

 

61087530_2409941309050439_2237516822632988672_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent.fphx1-1.fna&oh=519c3f48a41a9cdd8317c9ad58971a0c&oe=5D5897DB

 

 

60817380_2409941242383779_3346799475237584896_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_ht=scontent.fphx1-2.fna&oh=be1f7db976ab627c3cbadb03a990b193&oe=5D573E57

 

61289986_2409941322383771_3282459331840180224_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_ht=scontent.fphx1-1.fna&oh=6e8940b0e6f8f0f3b5fdef9a918cb60c&oe=5D9DF24D

 

Sweet!

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A proper re-fret done by a professional (meaning, not the kid who changes strings and does intonations at your local Guitar Center

 

thanks for the heads-up i almost handed my Gibson '60 VOS LP Special to a new hire :laughing yellow guy:

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