The '64 that wasn't.... AKA: the Mess-Stang

[JSett]

Wow, that looks amazing.

Thank you! It's very hard to age something convincingly but I find as long as you actually just do things that would normally happen (fall off stand, bang butt against a door frame, etc) then it stands more chance of looking correct. People who take damn sandpaper to a finish are missing the point

[Amon 7.L]

You've done a phenomenal work with the ageing. Very tasteful and convincing.
Hats off to your skills.

[Embenny]

Wow, that looks amazing.

Thank you! It's very hard to age something convincingly but I find as long as you actually just do things that would normally happen (fall off stand, bang butt against a door frame, etc) then it stands more chance of looking correct. People who take damn sandpaper to a finish are missing the point

I think you pulled it off. It looks more appropriate to the instrument than my MJT body I bought a few years ago to match a vintage neck I had.

I'd probably leave it in the trunk of my car in January and then open the case in my warm house to get some checking going too - I find that's the key to "proper" checking (knife marks look fake af, and the computer duster trick applies the cold in too small an area, so the checking ends up in too random and localized a pattern).

Or you can just leave it and let it check naturally, it's great as-is. Can't wait to see the final assembly!

[JSett]

Wow, that looks amazing.

Thank you! It's very hard to age something convincingly but I find as long as you actually just do things that would normally happen (fall off stand, bang butt against a door frame, etc) then it stands more chance of looking correct. People who take damn sandpaper to a finish are missing the point

I think you pulled it off. It looks more appropriate to the instrument than my MJT body I bought a few years ago to match a vintage neck I had.

I'd probably leave it in the trunk of my car in January and then open the case in my warm house to get some checking going too - I find that's the key to "proper" checking (knife marks look fake af, and the computer duster trick applies the cold in too small an area, so the checking ends up in too random and localized a pattern).

Or you can just leave it and let it check naturally, it's great as-is. Can't wait to see the final assembly!

Indeed. the wintertime will be key as it will have cured extremely well by then and we do have great swings of temperatures within the space of a day here during the darker months. Hopefully it will act much like a vintage paint job. I made sure to study the thickness of the finish on my '73 Mustang, and look at many many pictures of 60's ones and, no surprise, the paint was very thin. To be expected from Fender and for a student model it appears they only seemed to give them the bare minimum of a couple of coats of primer, couple of colour and a few clear. Quick and cheap.

Hopefully this should be all together soon. I've got a set of interim pickups on the way while I wait the 8-12 weeks for the Creamery ones just so I can get along with it all. Everything is ordered.

[Embenny]

Nice.

Might be worth repairing and/or rewinding the originals. With the secondary baseplates removed, all you're missing is the small piece on either side to complete the adjustment screw holes. Depending on resistance measurements, you may or may not need to even rewind one or both, and you could easily remove the leads and reattach them after feeding them through the central hole.

Even if you don't want to use them, they'd have value on the secondhand market for restoring a 60's and 70's Mustang (one each), so you could recup some of the original cost there.

[JSett]

Nice.

Might be worth repairing and/or rewinding the originals. With the secondary baseplates removed, all you're missing is the small piece on either side to complete the adjustment screw holes. Depending on resistance measurements, you may or may not need to even rewind one or both, and you could easily remove the leads and reattach them after feeding them through the central hole.

Even if you don't want to use them, they'd have value on the secondhand market for restoring a 60's and 70's Mustang (one each), so you could recup some of the original cost there.

I was actually going to offer them out for free on here, I just hadn't got around to it yet.

[Embenny]

I was actually going to offer them out for free on here, I just hadn't got around to it yet.

Wow, that'll be some seriously good karma there if you do. I don't have the time or inclination to take on the repair job, but lots of people here have the skillset and I'd bet they might have a vintage body or parts guitar in need of pickups.

Between the refin/mods and that, this is going to end up being much more of a feel-good story than it started as!

[JSett]

I was actually going to offer them out for free on here, I just hadn't got around to it yet.

Wow, that'll be some seriously good karma there if you do. I don't have the time or inclination to take on the repair job, but lots of people here have the skillset and I'd bet they might have a vintage body or parts guitar in need of pickups.

Between the refin/mods and that, this is going to end up being much more of a feel-good story than it started as!

I dont have the time, inclination or more importantly the skills or knowledge hahaha

I'm a big believer in paying things forward. I dont really need the extra money in my pocket and the knowledge that they might get reused in a cool guitar rather than languishing in my parts bin is payment enough for me

[BTL]

I think that looks great, especially knowing that both the body and neck are original. After stripping and refinishing, is it safe to say that both are from 1964? If so, a hot-rodded vintage player with a cool backstory is all many folks ever really want.

[Embenny]

I think that looks great, especially knowing that both the body and neck are original. After stripping and refinishing, is it safe to say that both are from 1964? If so, a hot-rodded vintage player with a cool backstory is all many folks ever really want.

It's safe to say that the neck is '64 and the body is plausibly its original mate, but could technically be from anywhere between '64-'68, and I agree, the end result here is a great backstory and nicely refinished vintage Mustang.

[JSett]

I think that looks great, especially knowing that both the body and neck are original. After stripping and refinishing, is it safe to say that both are from 1964? If so, a hot-rodded vintage player with a cool backstory is all many folks ever really want.

I'm letting it reside in my head that the neck, body, control plate and vibrato unit are likely original and it's just the electronics/tuners/bridge that got fucked with so much - normally the first things to get changed on a guitar.

I'm also not going to stress it either. If someone asks I'll just say its a modified '64 partscaster

[BTL]

A modified '64 partscaster is a beautiful thing.

[JSett]

Here's some better photos from this morning's light. It still needs another couple of buffing sessions in a few more days

[windmill]

Yep,looks good.

☺

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Really nice work with the ageing! It looks great!!