'59 Jazzmaster body THIN

[tonewoods]

My only problem is that the body is SUPER THIN.

So-ooo, how thin??

[Connor]

My only problem is that the body is SUPER THIN.

So-ooo, how thin??

Just a hair over 4cm.

[OffYourFace]

My only problem is that the body is SUPER THIN.

So-ooo, how thin??

Just a hair over 4cm.

my 1960 JM body measures the same. JMs (and jags) are thinner than strats & teles... even the earlier, slightly thicker 58 & 59 jazzmasters.

[tonewoods]

My only problem is that the body is SUPER THIN.

So-ooo, how thin??

Just a hair over 4cm.

Yep, my '62 is 41 mm....
So-ooo, that's "normal"?

[PorkyPrimeCut]

My '59's 4cm.

[saandir]

59 gold guard refin 42mm
62 slab board original finish 41mm
63 original finish 40.5mm

[tonewoods]

59 gold guard refin 42mm
62 slab board original finish 41mm
63 original finish 40.5mm

After watching this video, I'm surprised those JM bodies are even that close to one another...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nswcAPvH0P8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Connor]

Well, the pencil mark in the bridge pup cavity says 7/59 so I guess the bridge thimbles were replaced at some point! Finished stripping with circa 1850 stripper and I admit it looks a little rough. There are a few obvious repairs on the front and back where someone has inlaid two diamond shaped pieces of alder presumably to cover up some heavy gouges. They fit well but have shrunk slightly making filling necessary. As for the refin colour, the yellow dye is still apparent in the pup cavities but the only layer of paint I found in the cavities that didn't exist under the black "sunburst" band (sprayed over turquoise and generous application of opaque poo brown) was white so I'm thinking this was the original colour. Anyhow, the repairs will need too much filling to go for a burst finish and much of the black paint has sunk into the wood. So my concern now is to bleach or not to bleach? Is this even necessary on an opaque finish?

[tonewoods]

So my concern now is to bleach or not to bleach? Is this even necessary on an opaque finish?

This looks very familiar, as I was at the stage you are at now a couple days ago....

I'm refinning a '62 as we speak, and my JM body looked exactly like yours does, with the dark edges...

I'm going with an antiqued Sonic Blue finish, and did quite a bit of reading to try and get it "right"...
This page is very helpful:

http://home.provide.net/~cfh/fenderc.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The bottom line is that custom colors were commonly painted over sunbursts, so if you are antiquing (are you?), the dark paint sticking through on the body sides would still be within the realm of possibilities...

I struggled whether to go with primer or not.
I love the look of white primer sticking up under the SB, but I went with a primerless undercoat...
This guitar (Fender Custom Shop) at the NAMM show is kind of my template--no primer, and kind of a thin coat of SB that antiques very nicely:



I did use an undercoat of clear lacquer, mostly because the expensive SB paint was sinking into the wood, and I wanted to seal the wood so that the paint sat on top of it better...
That article above states that Leo did the same thing, for the same reasons...

So-ooo, here's the look I'm going for, right down to the yellowing over the SB:

http://route66classicguitars.com/jazzmaster.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll post pics when the work is done (it'll be months--need the lacquer to cure), but so far things look good....

...and--to try and answer your question--you can go with your opaque finish without bleaching your wood.
It covers that black very quickly, and completely....
Do you know what colour you're going with??

[Connor]

This looks very familiar, as I was at the stage you are at now a couple days ago....

I'm refinning a '62 as we speak, and my JM body looked exactly like yours does, with the dark edges...

Glad to hear I'm not alone! Yeah, the black paint gooped off in a really weird way and stained anything it touched. I felt like Egon taking samples of ectoplasm in the library scene of Ghostbusters. I think it was of the outdoor oil based variety used for lawn furniture. Yech.

So-ooo, here's the look I'm going for, right down to the yellowing over the SB:

http://route66classicguitars.com/jazzmaster.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You sir have impeccable taste. There's something dignified about the colour of the yellowing on the SB and the tastefully light relic job.

Do you know what colour you're going with??

That's what I'm debating now. A burst finish will be pretty much impossible due the "repairs" on the top of the guitar. I'm tempted to go Oly since I think that was the original finish and because it was issued in '59 with a tort pickguard which I have. I am tempted to go with Shoreline Gold but since it wouldn't be vintage correct with the PG I'm not so sure. Maybe I get too hung up on these things though... Oh, and then of course there's black.

[ndrsklg]

ill take it if you dont want it!!!

[tonewoods]

Maybe I get too hung up on these things though...

Nah...
Out of respect for the instrument--I think you should try to make it line up with what was historically done...
Folks should have a hard time figuring out whether it's a refin or not, without having to lift the 'guard...

If you do go with Oly, mist it with that yellowed lacquer that ReRanch sells, and then rub it back in the wear areas to expose the Oly again...
It's a fabulous look...

Here's the body I'm working on....

http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 41&t=55344

[Connor]

Just a quick update: I decided to go with Oly, using Mohawk gloss white lacquer and gloss clear respectively. I applied them fairly thin over nitro sanding sealer after filling with Timbermate. After three weeks it seems to be drying nicely with no noticeable grain sink. Can't wait to buff this thing out but I'll wait until the new neck arrives from Musikraft before I start...

[letson]

i got a great tele neck from usa custom.

might be expensive ish but they'll do it any way you like.

[Connor]

The Musikraft neck arrived two days ago and I'm pretty pumped. I ordered the V to C profile and really like the way it fits in my hand- kind of reminds me of the subtle V on my Duo Jet. After three attempts at tinting it I think I have it right- seems a little dark to me but from what I can tell the shade of fender necks from the late 50's to early 60's varies a bit. I'm sure the fact that the colour is difficult to photograph and different aging conditions contribute to this as well. Here it is after a dusting of Mohawk "Light Golden Oak" (I can't get Behlen's here in Ottawa) and two or three coats of clear. Iphone quality photos aside, I think these images capture the shade pretty well. Does it seem too dark for a '59? My OCD is kicking in...