Project Open Telecaster

[RestorationAD]

So the awesome part is when you sand through and it is antique white underneath (much brighter but still old). I wanted to use Olympic white but the wood store was out... I decided since this was a beater relic I would just deal with the antique white.

I am trying to do some of the tricks I learned from Gil (aka preeb) over at tdpri. He is a master.

After laying the white on and leveling I did a sloppy first coat with some old lacquer I had on the shelf from last year... not as vintage as it could have been but still not clear.

I sanded it a bit after and started on the regular clear... then mixed up a bit of vintage amber clear. Not straight Transtint vintage amber mind you as it is too yellow. I through a drop of this and that in until it looks more like old lacquer. I shot the neck with a few coats then proceed to lay the coats on the body unevenly... working from the edges toward the pickguard. The best thing to do is cut a pickguard out of paper and mask off the area so it doesn't get any vintage color... but I was too lazy for that,

Anyway the idea is that vintage bodies do not turn amber evenly... that is why it is darker in places were it might have gotten more sun.

I was going to relic it but I think I will let it relic on its own (by not being careful with it at all).

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At some point I loaded up the air brush with this vintage concoction and started darkening the areas that darken on vintage necks.

Funny enough I have 2 late 80s strat necks at the house and they still haven't yellowed much. But they have the signs of well played necks.

First thing is to spray the fret at an angle with the airbrush facing the end of the neck. Then come back and spray the frets at an angle facing the headstock. This creates the darkening around the frets. You don't want to spray straight down as the fret might cause shadows... And do not overdue it. A really small amount of color is all you need.

After that we do the volute and the area on the headstock closest the neck. Next up hit all the edges of the headstock and the neck.

Next step is to sand some color off where your thumb might hit the most. Use 600 grit and a little water. You are just trying to lighten the color not do any harm.

Form a G chord and sand where your thumb sits and sand a little bit there. Do the same with some of your favorite chords.

Since this is supposed to be a vintage neck it needs to look like it has had a few nuts. Take the 600 and sand on each side of the nut taking all the color away. Then use the airbrush to put the color back.

Next hit the whole neck with a few coats of very light amber to make the work not look like it was done today...

[RestorationAD]

[RestorationAD]

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