Starting to Shine
After spending some time wet-sanding the J-bass and then discovering that my micro-mesh sheets gave me a better result I didn’t touch the Classic Vibe (a.k.a. Crazy Vibe) Strat with any sandpaper. I flattened the “orange peel” texture of the cured, clear lacquer entirely with micro-mesh sheets working from 1500 grit to 12000 in about 6 steps.
It probably wasn’t necessary to go through so many small increments in grade, but I wanted to see how they performed in case I do this again and can speed up the process.
Because I’m no professional refinisher, it’s still not perfect, but to my eye, it’s pretty damn good! The 1500 grit was the most important one. The first rubbing down was the crucial one to even out the tiny bumps in the lacquer. I found out that rubbing in straight “to and fro” strokes worked better than circular ones and then, once I’d finished working through the micro mesh grades I applied scratch remover in a circular motion with very little pressure. The micro mesh did most of the work.
The reason why this refinish isn’t perfect is mainly because the body itself has already been subject to a lot of abuse already and having only an oil finish for the last 2 years meant that it had a lot of small dents and scratches that I decided were not worth the time to try and fill before refinishing.
I also applied clear lacquer to the rear of the neck today. I’ll apply it to the front of the headstock when my new headstock decal arrives.
I am now awaiting the parts to finish the guitar, namely: Pickup covers, pick guard, nut and decal. Once I have the budget I’m thinking I might get a snazzy new bridge assembly to replace the stock Squier one. I will also try out my Tonerider Alnico II Blues pickups in the Crazy Vibe again, which means the Duncan Designed SC101s will be put back in the Vintage Modified Strat again.
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