Fender Showmaster - Modern overhaul!

[lewis]

So as per my Showmaster NGD in the Standard guitar sub forum.

This will be where i document my mods for this beast. Got alot to do to it before its done so lets kick this journey off.

First things first.
Planned mods:

- Ebonize the fretboard
- install blue luminlay side dots
- change the top to a matte finish by scotchbrite/matte clear coat
- Hipshot open gear lockers
- Hipshot contour bridge
- White tusq nut
- chrome string trees and strap pins
- Remove pickup rings and fill holes (will be done before changing the finish)
- Bareknuckle pickups with either nickel radiator or tyger covers depending on what pickups i opt for
- Sand back headstock to bare wood, stain and apply new decal and matte clear coat
- Tape off and sand back of neck

Done abit of the neck today

In July im going to acquire plenty of stuff to progress this including scotchbrite, sand paper and the matte clear coat.
At that point i will tape up and go deeper on the back of the neck using the scotchbrite. Not that enamoured by the steel wool 0000 buff. But its defo faster than before.

 

[JimF]

Oooh I like this! What colour are you planning for the refinish? If you're painting the neck then this step could have been done later, but if not then thats cool!

 

[lewis]

Oooh I like this! What colour are you planning for the refinish? If you're painting the neck then this step could have been done later, but if not then thats cool!

The guitar is staying black, i just want to make the top satin instead.

Front of headstock is getting sanded back to wood and staying natural looking.

 

[lewis]

Some updates.
Sand paper and scotchbrite turned up so:

And now taped up, sanded, drilled out the side dots and started staining the fretboard

2nd coat

Need to now lightly stain the headstock a light red/brown colour. Add a new Fender Decal and satin clear coat over it.

Im waiting for the luminlays to arrive.

 

[lewis]

Got the tiniest bit of bleed around the truss rod access. Sanded it pretty strong with 400 grit and it wouldnt lift it.

Anyone got any idea on how to get the bleed out? (See last pic)
Or will a light brown stain hide that anyway?

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Got the tiniest bit of bleed around the truss rod access. Sanded it pretty strong with 400 grit and it wouldnt lift it.

Anyone got any idea on how to get the bleed out? (See last pic)
Or will a light brown stain hide that anyway?

Do a test stain over that area and see if it blends/hides that. otherwise try denatured alcohol or paint thinner.

 

[lewis]

Do a test stain over that area and see if it blends/hides that. otherwise try denatured alcohol or paint thinner.

Ooh ok thanks. Ive got plenty of white spirit (thinner right?) In the house already.
Will get rubbing next time i do more on this project.

 

[lewis]

Applied some lemon oil this morning and rubbed it in. The board has come out great.
Once its totally dry i can apply some polyx oil and seal the fretboard. Got to get those luminlays in and smooth first though.

 

[Ivars V]

Dude, you're one of the reasons I keep revisiting this forum! Mods for days - keep it up!

 

[lewis]

Dude, you're one of the reasons I keep revisiting this forum! Mods for days - keep it up!

Haha thanks man!
I really appreciate it. I love doing it and since I started playing guitar to now, Ive never kept a guitar standard haha.

The difference is the last 2 years Ive really cranked up the work in an attempt to learn everything I hadnt tried yet.

This Fender already looks incredible compared to when we started haha. Long way to go but going to be worth it.

Sidenote, the luminlay order Im waiting for includes enough to finish my purple headless neck too so that should also get some updates as soon as this order from Japan turns up.

 

[lewis]

Made a start installing the Luminlays. And sanding down everything on the side of the neck.
Waiting for the soft wood filler wax stick to turn up so I can hide the pickup ring holes. At that point all the hardware will come off and I will scotchbrite over the entire face of the body to make it Matte.(including over the filled holes to get a smooth finish) .

Need to slightly bleach the headstock of some blemishes before i stain that too. A few little ebonize touch ups afterwards and then I can buy some matte clear coat and give the face of the body, the fretboard, the headstock and the back of the neck a 1 coat of clear protection.

At that point I might get a new white tusq nut and use it for a bit with the EMGs and stock hardware until I can afford to buy a new Hipshot bridge replacement.

Bareknuckles will be the last thing I do just because of how expensive a set is.

 

[lewis]

Update:
Wood filler wax stick came in so lets try and hide those holes.

This is where im at with the luminlays. Still got a few left to install, sand, then get the side to be black like the rest. (Thinking trying to cover these in vaseline to help not absorb the stain)

No amount of sanding seems to want to lift this bleed so im going to try bleaching it out before staining it.

Now for the matte. This is a couple of rub downs with the red scotchbrite pad. Ready for the light sanding of the touch ups and the clear coat now when everything else is done.

Just waiting for the touch ups to dry then im going to lightly buff with 000 wool.

Pretty decent tbh haha.

 

[lewis]

 

[lewis]

 

[lewis]

Decided i want to do 1 thin coat of matte black on the body before doing matt clear coat, just to get a more consistent finish.

Also, going to get black hipshot open gear tuners but use these chrome UMP

 

[Constructivist]

This gonna be good!

 

[Albake21]

Damn this is turning out great! The neck turned out great. What's the full process you use to remove the gloss? With the amount of guitars I pass up because of gloss necks is too much lol.

 

[lewis]

Damn this is turning out great! The neck turned out great. What's the full process you use to remove the gloss? With the amount of guitars I pass up because of gloss necks is too much lol.

yeah same as me buddy. 100% why i wanted to start doing this to my own necks.
This one was super sticky too.

Basically tape up top and bottom where you want the matt part of the neck to be. Top part I just done in line with the nut. Bottom was abit more tricky because of the neck through carve. Just try and follow that shape.

Then its just a simple matter of going over it quite thoroughly with a red scotchbrite pad. Wipe it down and check it for micro scratches. If some are abit to obvious and it needs more. Go over it again etc. Rinse and repeat until you are happy with the amount of gloss removed and that there is so many micro scratches you then cant really see them.

remove the tape and job done. Super simple.
I was planning on sealing it still with a matt clear coat. Not sure if that will actually keep it feeling as it is now, or whether that will do undo the work Ive already done though haha.

 

[Albake21]

yeah same as me buddy. 100% why i wanted to start doing this to my own necks.
This one was super sticky too.

Basically tape up top and bottom where you want the matt part of the neck to be. Top part I just done in line with the nut. Bottom was abit more tricky because of the neck through carve. Just try and follow that shape.

Then its just a simple matter of going over it quite thoroughly with a red scotchbrite pad. Wipe it down and check it for micro scratches. If some are abit to obvious and it needs more. Go over it again etc. Rinse and repeat until you are happy with the amount of gloss removed and that there is so many micro scratches you then cant really see them.

remove the tape and job done. Super simple.
I was planning on sealing it still with a matt clear coat. Not sure if that will actually keep it feeling as it is now, or whether that will do undo the work Ive already done though haha.

Interesting.... what size grit did you use?

 

[lewis]

Interesting.... what size grit did you use?

i believe red scotch brite is only available in the one size dude so you shouldnt go wrong