Please don't expect this page to move to quickly. Between work and trying to find the correct parts that I want, I am giving myself between 9 and 12 months to finish this project. That's right.......a whole YEAR!!!!!!

Besides the reasons listed above, I have never built a guitar before, let alone try to build one that will be a relic. This being said, I am expecting to ruin many pieces as I attempt to artificially age them and am allowing myself time for these setbacks. But, with this being said, I will also document any and all failures here so we can all learn what not to do.

I will also be purchasing a number parts while I am trying to find the right "donor" stratocaster for this (ie. right color, correct type of neck, etc), and of course, the right price range. Since its my first time doing this, I don't have the guts just yet to reduce a $900.00 strat to a piece of worthless junk. As I purchase items for this project I will list them on the "Component List" page.

13 Feb 2004

Went to a few music stores today to check on the availability of some aged hardware from Fender. Unfortunately, it seems Fender doesn't sell aged hardware and the only suggestions were to contact the Fender Custom Shop directly. I was told that this could be pretty expensive though. Looks like I will have to experiment on some stuff and try and do this myself.

16 Feb 2004

I received some tips from a couple of people at a forum for a website called Guitar ReRanch about artificially aging the metal hardware. I will post the address on my Links page. There is alot of information here and I have found it very useful already.

Anyway's, I ordered a set of Kluson tuners and am going to try and age them when they arrive. I will post the results with some photos when I get this done.

19 Feb 2004

26 Feb 2004

Recieved the pickguard today. Since it came off of a previously owned Strat, it already shows some playing wear which will make my job a bit easier. All I plan to do here is snap the lower point off, apply the SRV decals and dremel a small gouge for access to the truss rod. I will post photos when this is done.

Also recieved an email stating my "test" tuners are being shipped, so I should have those in a few days. I will then try this Etchant Solution to artifically age the metal and I will post the results.....good or bad.

01 Mar 2004

Recieved the "test" Kluson tuners today. Hopefully over the weekend I will get a chance to try some of the ideas for aging this stuff. I will post the procedure and some pictures when I have this done so you guys can see the results. Hopefully you will get some "to do's and not to do's" out of it.

18 Dec 2004

I dis-assembled my guitar today. I then aged some plastic parts....the pick-up covers, knobs, selector tip and whammy bar tip. For my first time doing this, I am pretty pleased with the results.

I started out with a new Fender Aged White Plastic kit I bought on eBay. Although this kit comes colored aged white (sort of a cream color), it still looks shiny and new, and this is not what I wanted. Therefore, I lightly sanded these pieces with some fine sandpaper to take away the shine. I then used a little black drawing charcoal to "soil" the pieces a little. I did this by putting a small bit on the piece and then smudging it in with my finger. I then soaked the parts in some very strong coffee for about an hour and then let the parts dry.

04 Jan 2005

Happy New Year all!!!! Hope you all had a good vacation.

Tonight I completed the pickguard. I took the pickguard I bought from eBay and snapped off the lower point with some pliers and then used a Dremel tool to cut out the gouge to access the truss rod adjustment nut. I then added the "SRV" decals. I think it looks pretty good so far. Just gotta wait for the new electronics to arrive, (I ordered a set of Fender Custom Shop Texas Special pickups, pots, sheild, etc) then I can wire it up.

14 Jan 2005

I completed the neck today. Again, with this being my first attempt, I am pleased with the results.

I started by removing all the hardware, then lightly sanding the entire neck to give it a dull finish. I then used a coarser grit sandpaper to remove the finish at the back of the neck. I also removed the finish along most of the edges. The amount of finish you remove (ie sand down to the bare wood) is a personal preference, but of course the neck should be "worn" more at certain areas then at others. I then went over the neck with a fine grit sand paper to smooth it out.

Next, I used some very strong coffee to stain the bare wood. I then used some black drawing charcoal dust on some tissue paper to add some more staining, paying a little extra attention to the areas where the neck was "worn" most. I then used a cigarette to burn the head near the nut (see photo). Just light the cirarette and place it on the head with the flame touching the area where you want the burn. Remember to watch the cigarette closely to ensure it doesn't cause a fire.

The next step is the hardware. I used some fine grit sandpaper to remove some of the gold finish from the tuner pegs, thumb screws and the back of the tuner housing....basically the more exposed areas. I did the same for the string tree. Finally, it was just a matter of putting it all back together.

24 Feb 2005

I finished wiring the new pick-ups and electronics into the pickguard. As mentioned earlier, I used all new Fender USA pots and 5-way switch along with three USA Custom Shop Texas Special pick-ups. I also used vintage style cloth covered black & white wire to wire it all up. I used a full size aluminum shield to reduce noise (its aluminum sheet, not the cheap foil type shield). It looks really good with the aged pick-up covers and knobs. The only problem I ran into is the blade on the switch is too wide for the plastic tip to fit, so I will need to file this down for it to fit.