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Just got this pre-CBS Jaguar photo without the strings since I unscrewed it in front of the seller. The neck dates to February, body to March and pots to the 9th week of 1963.

I am bringing the guitar to the local luthier for a refret tomorrow.
However, he is doing only French polyshing at the moment.
I wonder if I should try to do it or leave the guitar as it is?
For the moment, I do not feel like sending it far away for several months to get it refinished in nitro with correct pre-CBS colors.
On the other hand, I do like natural finishes usually and the examples of French polyshing found on the web look rather appealing. I would say somewhat better than it looks right now.

What puzzles me the most: if I do it now and then in the future decide to refinish in nitro, will it cause any complications? Or since FP is easy to get removed just with alcohol - it will be just a 15-minute work extra?

Welcome to OSG

Welcome to OSG and congratulations on the guitar

If you're set on having it refinished then I would do that rather than going down the French polishing route, personally. The wood grain isn't the most attractive - not hideous by any means, but it's not the lovely figured wood that comes up wonderfully with a good French polish. Also, the join of two pieces of wood just to the left of the vibrato in your photo will show up a lot more with french polishing.

I would play it as-is until you can find somebody good local to you to refinish it, or if that isn't possible then send it off to somebody reputable to complete the work. You want to refinish it once and correctly, so might as well bite the bullet.

GreenKnee wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 25, 2023 9:45 am

Welcome to OSG and congratulations on the guitar

If you're set on having it refinished then I would do that rather than going down the French polishing route, personally. The wood grain isn't the most attractive - not hideous by any means, but it's not the lovely figured wood that comes up wonderfully with a good French polish. Also, the join of two pieces of wood just to the left of the vibrato in your photo will show up a lot more with french polishing.

I would play it as-is until you can find somebody good local to you to refinish it, or if that isn't possible then send it off to somebody reputable to complete the work. You want to refinish it once and correctly, so might as well bite the bullet.

+1... I agree with GreenKnee.

Welcome and congrats! I've got a pro refin'd in Oly White '63 Jaguar with the neck stamp also Feb '63. (see my avatar)



Neck plate SN# is 99945. I wonder if your SN # is close?

Mine is 98000

I think it'd look great with a French Polish. You can always do the full refin later.

I think the french polish would be great too. Gorgeous guitar, congrats!

As someone else mentioned, that line where the 2 pieces are joined kinda sticks out. As much as a French polish would look great my vote would go for a nitrocellulose blonde body-only refin. It's a slightly translucent finish so you'll still get some of the grain showing through but it'll disguise the eyesore behind the tailpiece.

SashaB wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 25, 2023 10:16 am

Mine is 98000

Relatively close!

PorkyPrimeCut wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:34 am

As someone else mentioned, that line where the 2 pieces are joined kinda sticks out. As much as a French polish would look great my vote would go for a nitrocellulose blonde body-only refin. It's a slightly translucent finish so you'll still get some of the grain showing through but it'll disguise the eyesore behind the tailpiece.

I guess you dislike my Jazzmaster.


Nelvis With Mastery Bridge And Vibrato, May 06, 2015 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

It's not the most egregious join in the body, and the darkening effect of French polishing might well make it less visible.

I love the blonde finish suggested, but I think it needs the grain of an ash body to really pop. Presumably there's evidence of the original finish in the cavities (sunburst)? If it were me, I'd probably choose a solid colour I really liked and have it refinished in that.

Yes, it is yellow under the bridge (below the pencil writing) and black in the neck pocket - so I assume it was sunburst.
But then it has been refinished with something like Dakota red that is still all under the pickguard

Maggieo wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 25, 2023 2:18 pm

PorkyPrimeCut wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:34 am

As someone else mentioned, that line where the 2 pieces are joined kinda sticks out. As much as a French polish would look great my vote would go for a nitrocellulose blonde body-only refin. It's a slightly translucent finish so you'll still get some of the grain showing through but it'll disguise the eyesore behind the tailpiece.

I guess you dislike my Jazzmaster.


Nelvis With Mastery Bridge And Vibrato, May 06, 2015 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

Firewood!

....Good point about blonde guitars generally being ash too. I'd forgotten about that. In which case, BLACK!!

or aged white, that tort deserves to shine!

If it were mine I'd refinish it with an aged sunburst that's appropriate for 1963. Think that would look beautiful with those wonderfully aged parts and the neck

Edit---- french polish is shellac right? Shellac is a common sealer under nitro, so if you wanted a solid colour refin later down the line it could be lightly abraded and the nitro shot straight over. I still vote for cleaning up the body (amazing how gentle sanding sorts that kind of dirty look out while preserving contours) and a correct sunburst though