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Okay, so I've a few questions about the Squier 51 I bought , which is en route to my house:

I want a black pickguard instead of the white one that comes on it stock. Couldn't I just paint the existing one? What type of paint would you recommend? Would spray paint work? I've looked into trying to order a black replacement, but I think it would be cheaper to paint the existing one. Plus the replacement would be coming from overseas, as I couldn't find one here in the states.

I'd like to replace the bridge with a vintage tele-style bridge with the 3 brass saddles. Would the GFS one fit, do you think?

Say I hypothetically bought the vintage blonde one (these questions are regarding the reissued ones, btw): the traditional Fender blonde finishes show a good bit of the wood grain, while the Squiers do not. How would I make it so the Squier blonde model had some visible grainage? Would I take the lacquer off, then keep sanding until the finish was reduced to a thin enough coat to where the grain peeped through? And should I leave it unfinished, yet sanded smoothly enough to give it an aged, satin-y kind of look?

I'm an idiot, HALP!

Sure.
enamel.
maybe, measure from the saddle to the guard and one us can tell you if it will fit w'o modd'n
not many bucker bridges for teles with the free saddle arrangement though…

the finish is how it is I don't know if you can make it less opaque by sanding, maybe… as for going to wood.. sure.. do what you want!

Mudfuzz wrote:Sure.
enamel.
maybe, measure from the saddle to the guard and one us can tell you if it will fit w'o modd'n
not many bucker bridges for teles with the free saddle arrangement though…

the finish is how it is I don't know if you can make it less opaque by sanding, maybe… as for going to wood.. sure.. do what you want!

yisssssssssss! Thank you, my friend Idk if I'll actually get the blondie. But I'll have the 2ts looking sharp as fuck before all's said and done (upgrading the pups too, though the stock ones ain't half bad). If the stuff in my spam thread moves, then I might just nab that blonde one. But I just dropped mucho coin on gear and, well... I've just always wanted a white-blonde satin 51, with some nice, visible grain. Probably have to strip it completely, and then start anew to achieve it.

But just in case, what's the best sort of sandpaper to use on guitars (the body is basswood, if that makes a difference)?

blooghost wrote:But just in case, what's the best sort of sandpaper to use on guitars (the body is basswood, if that makes a difference)?

I'm big on as little sanding as possible. To me using a finnish remover is better [but it is MESSY] because you don't have to sand as much or worry about over sanding and messing with the shape of the thing and you can start with lighter grits then if you were to sand it all off… and no matter what sanding the cutaways sucks… but as for paper type… everything works but I usually sand to 220 then start to apply the finnish.

Word.

blooghost, just to forewarn you, I don't think basswood is the grainiest of guitar woods.

There's usually not as much figure as other body woods. So, you might be disappointed after all that work.

Chankgeez wrote:blooghost, just to forewarn you, I don't think basswood is the grainiest of guitar woods.

There's usually not as much figure as other body woods. So, you might be disappointed after all that work.

You're right. It's typically not gorgeous. But if a few little lines were to shine through, I'd be okay with it. A few years ago, Squier made a strat that was a trans-satin basswood body. They had a white-blonde one that didn't look half bad. I probably won't get one any time too soon. But you never know

if you get down to wood, use a thin, light stain of black, Transtint diluted with alcohol work well for this, and then sand it back a bit. it will make the grain that is there pop a bit more.

AxAxSxS wrote:if you get down to wood, use a thin, light stain of black, Transtint diluted with alcohol work well for this, and then sand it back a bit. it will make the grain that is there pop a bit more.

Thanks for the tip! I might just try that...

If you are going to paint the pick guard, Krylon and other typical rattle can paint will flake and scratch like hell. If you can, go to an automotive paint store and get a two part epoxy paint. Be sure to clean and sand the pick guard before painting it.

Hows it coming along man?

Thoughts on pickguard- Wood, sanded to perfection and then soaked with CA glue, becomes very hard and resilient. Metal! I've recently had some cool results with cut up cymbals and am on the hunt for other scrap sources of interesting metal. decorative plates, old washing machines or sheet metal from cars. Just getting started on this but it looks cool and shields stuff if you ground it.

AxAxSxS wrote:Hows it coming along man?

Thoughts on pickguard- Wood, sanded to perfection and then soaked with CA glue, becomes very hard and resilient. Metal! I've recently had some cool results with cut up cymbals and am on the hunt for other scrap sources of interesting metal. decorative plates, old washing machines or sheet metal from cars. Just getting started on this but it looks cool and shields stuff if you ground it.

I just bought a 3-ply B/W/B Pickguard for my 2TS 51. All those ideas sound pretty awesome, though! Cymbals....I like the thought of cymbals as pickguard or hardware. I like the pickups, so no swap needed. As for the bridge I was gonna put on it, Muddy brought to my attention something that I foolishly didn't consider; that the ashtray-style tele-bridge is fitted for a traditional tele layout with a single coil at the bridge. This bridge, tuners, everything else feels pretty solid with the guitar, so I'm keeping it as is.

As for the blondie, I'll have to let you know when it lands. From reviews I've read, the finish is transparent (which you can't tell really from the photos I've seen). I think that sanding off the lacquer and then buffing it until nice and smooth might look cool and give it a nice worn look. I ordered it last night, so should be here soon. Until then, I suppose I could throw up a pic of the 2TS with the new 'guard. It looks pretty classy. If I thought my wife wouldn't kill me for buying yet ANOTHER piece of gear, I'd get a third, strip it, and do vintage trans-amber with blackguard. Thinking on the blondie, I'm gonna go either W/B/W, creme, or the 3-ply B/W/B for the guard. The stock 51 pickguards, while cool in shape, are shit in every other regard. I wonder if the creme would be overkill with the finish...I was thinking that a W/B/W or Creme guard would look neat with the black pup-covers on the blonde model.

here's the pic of my sunburst one with the b/w/b pickguard on it.

Update: the vintage blonde landed. Well, you can see a hint of where some sort of grain filler was used. Just barely. I'm thinking go with the 220 paper Mudfuzz mentioned, take the lacquer off, and continue to sand until finish hue remains, but to where it is a noticeably wooden thing. After all that, I'll just buff until smooth. Might make the body feel as good as the neck. Gonna throw a stock white 51 p.guard, as it looks much more at home on the blonde than it did the sunburst. Pics to come upon completion
EDIT: Essentially, what I'm shooting for is to "lightly distress" it?? Idk, I'll let you know when I get there

Read this good sir! Some inspiration for you!

http://gretschpages.com/forum/other-gui ... 384/page1/