Ok Fender heads

[RICH]

This is probably one of the ONLY fender questions I'll ever ask.

I have to refin my father's 58 jazzmaster, he sanded it down probably 25 years ago (good job), and it's been apart ever since. It was a 3 tone sunburst. It was yellow, into a slight red, into a UPS looking brown. Does anybody know WHERE to get the colors that were the closest thing to the original colors? I would like to get it done for his birthday (2 months), so I have to haul ass.

[Dave Paetow]

RICH,
Talk to Dave Rogers, he's real good at Fender finishes, maybe he can tell you what paint he uses on them.

[Phil Jacoby]

Try Bill Lester's Guitar Reranch (www.reranch.com). To get an exact color, you may want to get some nitro (I get the 1 qt size Behlens from StewMac, I prefer McFadden's but the minimum quantity is too high for my uses) and get some aniline dyes from Bill and fire up the old airbrush for bursting.

StewMac also has a really good book on finishing, Guitar Finishing Step by Step.

Good luck, sounds like fun!

[John Catto]

I don't think Rich needs much in the way of advice about doing Nitro spray jobs! Actually Rich have a look at this site

http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fenderc.html

And also Jim Shines comments in this thread http://www.thefenderforum.com/forum/...=&threadid=328

Actually, to achieve that bright yellow color,Fender bleached the alder, neutralized it with vinegar, stained yellow, then sealed with Fullerplast. Often times dried up pools of bleach in the routes are confused as being buffing compound (although there was some compound there as well). The bleach was used to even out the color between the different pieces of alder used in the body. The bleach was used from the start of alder bodies around late '56 and lasted until 1964. At that time the factory began spraying the bodies with a yellow finish that was semi-opaque like blonde to hide seams and mineral stains. These created the "target" burst look.

might be worth talking to the guy who does the prove.net site
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/feature.html

Good luck with doing up your dad's Jazzmaster.

[Phil Jacoby]

John,
Cool links. I don't do a whole lot of finish work, I'm pretty much a fret and wood guy. But that's what I like about using an airbrush: it offers very precise control and I can use material in very small quantities, perfect for repair work. SO playing with the pigments can yeild great results.

It surprises me that I don't see airbrushes mentioned more often. They are small, affordable etc. Makes life much easier for small yet precise things. Too small for a complete refin.

Thanks for the great info. That's what I like about these forums. I would post more but I am chief cook and bottle washer (one man shop) and usually someone else offers the information I would before I get there.

[RICH]

Wow, great info guys. The only thing is that I STILL don't know where to get the 3 miserable colors I need. I just want to be pointed in the direction of supplier "X", and ask for the 3 colors I need. There was cool story on the 58 jazzmaster in one of those links, that was cool, it showed the original sunburst pattern. This was the guitar I learned on when I was a kid, but it's been apart so damn long I couldn't remember what it looked like. The upside is that because it has been apart so long, it has no wear on the anodized pickgaurd, and the neck is mint including the frets, dad only screwed with the body, and he didn't touch any of the electrics, so they are still attached to the pickgaurd with those little pieces of tape holding the wires in place. I still see 10/58 penciled in the bottom of the pickup route under the original clear lacquer. In the end I just need to know where to get the 3 colors that will be the closest OR what powders would be needed to mix them IF thats what is needed. I could talk to dave Rodgers, but I would hate to bother him unless I have to. My father has pretty much forgot about this guitar, I'm going to remind him in an intense way!!! thanks guys!

[changeling]

holy shit,rich..
never expected to see you in twangland. seriously,reranch are about the most comprehensive dudes i've seen out there. between them and jim shine(who really knows his shit to be so young),you should be cool. also, i know you don't wanna bug your friend dave rogers but if you told him it was your dad's jazzmaster,i'll bet he understands.
good luck,
ron
btw,that's a really nice thing to do for your dad

[frey]

Hey Rich email me tone@ev1.net

[Jim Shine]

John, sorry I didn't follow up on the other thread.

Yes, I am the guy who spoke about the "blonde burst" finishes. It was a form of blonde paint job Fender did on two piece body and one piece flawed body blonde finishes from 1954-1959. The heavier pigmented blonde band hid the seams and in the case of the particular 1/59 body I was talking about where you saw this, it had mineral stains on the very edge. The band varies a bit from about 1/2" wide to the size of the black band of a sunburst body.

I saw the following as I stripped the original finish:
Clear top coat
translucent white layer
amber shader (it was the same color as the pre-'57 center of a sunburst and was under all the parts, so it wasn't age, it was watered down a little so it wasn't as strong as the burst color)
Lacquer sealer
whitish grain filler

There is a magazine called "Vintage Guitar Classics" that had a spread on blonde 50's Strats. You can see just about every variation of the "burst band" in that issue.

[changeling]

told ya.