PariahDog Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 (edited) I guess you never forget your first crush. 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. It's back to nearly original condition, after I sadly decided to paint it... twice. 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. 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. Edited May 27, 2019 by PariahDog 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-0-0-1-0-0-1 Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PariahDog Posted May 27, 2019 Author Share Posted May 27, 2019 >>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! I was in a Metallica phase (And Justice For All) and painting it black seemed like such a great idea. :eyeroll: lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-0-0-1-0-0-1 Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 >>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! 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbine Freight Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 I guess you never forget your first crush. 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. It's back to nearly original condition, after I sadly decided to paint it... twice. 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. 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. Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singh99 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Nice! My back is getting sore just looking at it. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PariahDog Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 Thank you, both! And, yes, this is no lightweight Strat. About 8.8 pounds, I think. So if I was still gigging, this definitely wouldn't be my first choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue J Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 I don’t own or play any electric, only acoustic...but I have to say, man, that is a beautiful guitar. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveyt Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 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: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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