Stripping a 2009 MiM Fender Strat Poly Finish

Fuengi

I've got a 2009 Olympic White MiM Strat with maple board which is really nice to play and a great platform for modding - have changed the pickups and aded a S1 switch. I never gig so it's not ever going out the house.

Am thinking that some day I might have a go at stripping the Poly off, the idea of being able to feel the timber of a guitar rather than a thick plastic cover really appeals. Also if I just use it at home it is unlikely to get damaged.

Who's done this and is pleased / unhappy with the result?  

enjo

It will take longer and be more difficult than you think... You may also find that you do not like what is underneath (multiple glue joints etc. I'd suggest swapping the body (either sell yours or keep it to change back to in future) and buying an unfinished strat body from ebay. My Tele was from a guy called 'jamesguitarparts' and is great.
It isn't impossible but the reward for effort doesn't match up (as someone who has done it).

Fuengi

It's too good to ruin. I just have a feeling that the way it resonates there is a decent bit of timber under there...

I suppose I could aways respray it if things didn't go so well. .

DrBob

I got the thick Poly finish off of a Sunburst MIM Tele body armed with only a Hairdryer and a plastic paintscraper/polyfilla applicator kind of thing. You have to keep the heat moving to stop it damaging the wood but if you get it right the finish comes off in big strips.

punchesjudy

I stripped a 2006 mim Tele deluxe body armed with only a paintscraper thing. It just came off in huge chunks and was done in no time. 

victorludorum

Fuengi said:

It's too good to ruin. I just have a feeling that the way it resonates there is a decent bit of timber under there...

I suppose I could aways respray it if things didn't go so well. .

You're really rolling the dice here. If it's an ugly 3/4 piece body underneath, you'll more than likely want to respray it, which will cost a couple of quid if you want to do it properly. If money isn't a problem, just buy a new body with a nice grain and either keep the white one for the future in case you want to go back to it, or to sell it. The beauty of having a nice grained body is that you can simply oil it and Bob's you uncle. A lot of people don't seem too bothered about oiling bodies that have multiple, ugly joints, but it would be a problem for me. Maybe it wouldn't bother you...

impmann

Another thing to consider...

Strip the paint off and you ruin the value of the guitar. You may not be bothered about that *now* but should you ever want to sell it in the future, it will be worth a fraction of the price.

If you buy a replacement body from the likes of Guitarbuild or our own GSPBasses, you can muck about with oils etc to your heart's content, plus the original Fender parts should just bolt on. Swap all the bits over, stick the original body away (stick it inside an old T-shirt to keep the worst of the muck etc off it) and then should you change your mind in the future, its just a case of swapping some screws over.

Final point - the guitar sounds the way it does because of the way its painted etc. Change that, and it *will* change the sound. You might like the change, you might not but once its done you can't put it back the way it was... unless you swap the body. :-)

Fuengi

Where would you buy a replacement body from?

enjo

Got mine here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/jamesguitarparts?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2754

Fuengi

I'm not worried about resale value, I paid £220 for it about 4 years ago but wouldn't sell it for twice that. 

If I could strip it and it looked half decent I think I'd prefer it to poly. But as you say I could ruin it... 

How much would a respray cost if the wood isn't great? 

victorludorum

about 200 quid I would think, but that depends on if you oil it or put anything on the wood. There are a few painters on here, although they tend to do nitro. Calling @lamf68 @rexter @lonestar ...

Fuengi

If worst out is around £200 to end up with a nitro finish I'd say it's well worth a try. 

If I strip it, see what the wood is like underneath and if it won't finish up as I'd hoped get it resprayed in a nitro colour. 

Whatever happens id get rid of the poly and end up with a more tactile finish. 

victorludorum

You'll still have a poly neck though, and while your body ages in that nitro way, your neck won't. Again, that might not bother you...

randella

If you do decide to strip it, take care on the roundovers along the edge of the body. They're very easy to chip - if it's going to be refinished in a solid colour, then no problem, they can be made good with filler. If you're going to use a natural finish you want them perfect as is. 

Clashman

I did a Sunburst Fender Modern player Chinese tele that had so many chips and cracks in the finish
it looked sickly by using a heat gun ,you have to be careful not to scorch the wood and it takes an age.
When I finished I sanded the body down and dyed it using a mixture of brown stain and red dye bought
from the local Cheap book store that cost £2.00.
I ended up with a guitar like this but you can see the joins in the three piece pine body.
https://img.audiofanzine.com/images/u/product/normal/fender-modern-player-jaguar-127623.jpg

Clashman

And I painted my humbucker cover black so it all matches

Clashman

Just checking photo link etc.
https://imgur.com/Rq6fJbV

Clashman

https://imgur.com/Rq6fJbV

Clashman

<a href="https://imgur.com/KBKbIGG"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/KBKbIGG.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Clashman

[url=https://imgur.com/KBKbIGG][img]http://i.imgur.com/KBKbIGG.jpg[/img][/url]

Clashman

https://i.imgur.com/KBKbIGG.jpg