The 481 (forgot to note the year--oops!) is of course a rare "slant fret" model which she bought in an eBay auction a couple of years ago, and which she wants to make right, so she can play it and get inspired by it. When it arrived, it looked a bit rundown and dreary, so I can imagine what a lot of new sparkle will do to it. It also will get the full treatment, finishing up with a custom color and some new hardware.
Early last week, I began disassembling the 330, pulling frets, radiusing the fretboard, and then stripping the Fireglo finish.
You can see the fretwear the speaks of the place the guitar has in Melissa's heart:
It had a lot of old surface checking, no doubt from the severe climate in her neck of the North Woods.
Into each minute gap in the finish, moisture had seeped and mildew had taken hold, so that even after a good stripping and thorough sanding, the wood still seeped a bit of discoloration each night, which would show in the morning.
I let it do this for a few nights and then got out the wood bleach. One application, neutralization and sanding took care of the staining without changing the wood's grain or color.
You can see the stripes of mildew, which were bleached out, in this shot of the neck:
Here are some photos of the guitar after the sanding, pulling frets, resurfacing the fretboard, etc., were completed:
Next comes a refret, then sealer and the custom color which I mixed from a sample that she sent me.
Melissa: I forgot to ask: You want gold guards with that special color paint?
