Telecaster Ding Question

[johnt]

Not sure where to put this - there are some really knowledgeable people on here and I was looking for some advice on how to make a repair or just stop the ding on my tele getting worse. Its right at the top of the body where your arm goes, and I'm catching my clothes etc on it all the time.
Hopefully someone can offer me some advice! Thanks

[jingle_jangle]

This is a pretty nasty trauma--I can see the cracks radiating out from the chip, indicating that the finish is lifting from the wood in a pretty large area, which extends to the ends of those cracks.

Looks like a thick polyester finish; is this a MIM or Indonesian Tele?

A temporary fix can be effected using a set of high gloss (Pactra or Testor's) hobby enamels. Mix from white, with a tiny bit of yellow, red and black to achieve the antique white/ivory shade of the guitar. Fill in only the area that's missing paint. With luck, the first coat or two will seep under the cracked area and held to fill the void underneath. Build up several coats, allowing each to dry fully (overnight) before applying the next coat. When it's over-filled and quite hard, you can sand it down flush with the surrounding surface using #1000 grit wet or dry, lubricated with some Windex or soapy water solutiin. Ruc back to gloss with rubbing compound and wax with Zymol.

Bob's your uncle, hey?

[scott_s]

My 1994-ish MIM Tele has the same sort of dings (and thick-*** finish). I've contemplated refinishing it with a thin layer of something that wouldn't break off in chunks, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I paid a grand total of $212 for it, so I don't worry about it too much.

- Scott

[jingle_jangle]

Scott, good luck (I mean that kindly...) on getting the old finish off...chemical strippers do NOT work; the only thing that can be done is careful sanding and hours of it at that. I'm fortunate to have an 18" wide abrasive belt thickness sander which will strip both faces of a Tele in about 45 minutes with repeated passes. This still leaves the edges, but saves a lot of time and effort.

You may ask, is it worth it? Only you can answer that for yourself!

[johnt]

Yes this is a Mexican Telecaster, dates from 96/97. Thanks for the good advice there. I'll post some pics should my repair project get off the ground. Although working on fixing the tele would take up valuable Rickenbacker playing time at the moment!

[scott_s]

Yep, since my Tele is basically a block of plastic with a piece of soft wood inside, motivation has not been high. Considering the time and expense to refinish this guy, it would almost make more sense to buy a new body!

- Scott