A HIDDEN SECRET LAYER IN JM MATCHING HEADSTOCKS !!

[TchikiSteph]

You dudes (and dudesses) might already know about that, but it appeared to me as a big surprise !
As I was sanding the headstock of my C.A.R. Jazzmaster (1995 MIJ), I discoverd that under the vernish, under the red paint, under the "silver-white" paint, there was a layer of brown vernish with the Jazzmaster logo printed on it (not a decal).



So I used a fine grit sandpaper to finish the work, and managed to save it all, almost.



If I had known before, I wouldn't have started with big grains, and there wouldn'nt be those awful white traces around.

So, here's what lies beneath the paint of a 1995 MIJ CAR Jazzmaster:

[chrisjedijane]

ha! nice one!

[mcjt]

what a find!
good save!

[eupat]

it's not a decal ?

[sewkid]

isn't that the logo that went with the Pat. Pend. models of 58 through 60s

[TchikiSteph]

it's not a decal ?

No ! It just seems "printed" on the very thin brown vernish layer !
I can't see any "edge" that would prove it's a decal.
I compared it to the natural headstock of my olympic white CIJ Jazzmaster, and it's obviously different, one is a decal (we see the edges) but the other is not.
I could know a bit more if I sanded a little further but hehe, no way !  ;)

[theworkoffire]

Surely it's just a decal under the lacquer, like any other non-matching neck. You won't see an edge because of all the sanding.  Either they needed more matching headstocks and didn't have any new ones ready, or that's how they dealt with seconds - if there was a fault in the decal/lacquer on a plain headstock they would have over-sprayed it and made it a colour one. Cheaper for them than completely stripping and re-spraying with clear. Similar, I guess, to the vintage sunbursts under oly white etc.

Interesting find, though.

[TchikiSteph]

Either they needed more matching headstocks and didn't have any new ones ready, or that's how they dealt with seconds - if there was a fault in the decal/lacquer on a plain headstock they would have over-sprayed it and made it a colour one

Yep, probably ! These are two coherent explanations.

Ok, I'm gonna take some sandpaper with me and get to every musiic shop I know, to check if it's the same on others matching headstocks. I'll post a report with statistics in a few days, if I'm still alive.
Science deserves self-sacrifices.

[Surfoverb]

That's crazy! I'm suprised nobody else has seen this before which probably means it's rare no?

I love the solution: Just make it matching and put another sticker on top. Exactly what Leo would have done.

[spacecadet]

That's crazy! I'm suprised nobody else has seen this before which probably means it's rare no?

It's probably not that rare.  I can never remember the url to that site about Fender custom colors, but I'm sure some of you know that site.  Based on what I've read there, I think there are a couple of possible explanations, neither of which is probably all that uncommon:

a) This neck is a second - probably originally put on a rejected body and then removed/resprayed to match another body

or

b) This neck was on a custom color guitar that originally had a natural headstock but was changed after finishing for whatever reason (either at customer request or because natural was a mistake).

Either way, Fender apparently rarely stripped off anything when they didn't need to, they just shot a new color over the old when they could, and that probably applies to headstocks as well as bodies.

[northern_dirt]

I picture an assembly line where all the necks are EXACTLY the same.. then once they get down close to the end, some are picked out (by a machine) and then the headstocks are painted for the various matching of bodies..

[RumorsOFsurF]

That's crazy! I'm suprised nobody else has seen this before which probably means it's rare no?

It's probably not that rare.  I can never remember the url to that site about Fender custom colors, but I'm sure some of you know that site.  Based on what I've read there, I think there are a couple of possible explanations, neither of which is probably all that uncommon:

a) This neck is a second - probably originally put on a rejected body and then removed/resprayed to match another body

or

b) This neck was on a custom color guitar that originally had a natural headstock but was changed after finishing for whatever reason (either at customer request or because natural was a mistake).

Either way, Fender apparently rarely stripped off anything when they didn't need to, they just shot a new color over the old when they could, and that probably applies to headstocks as well as bodies.

I would think the Japanese would be more efficient than that.

[mynameisjonas]

isn't that the logo that went with the Pat. Pend. models of 58 through 60s

yes, but it is also the one they use on all japanese jazzmasters.

[Ryan]

I think the first pic looks the best. Kind of like Ahhhnold . . .



I think if you continue sanding, WET sanding mind you, from 600-1500, I think that white mess will fade, and you could apply a tinted nitro overtop and make it virtually disappear.

[Surfoverb]

I love hearing about mistakes like this. I read that there are some Nocasters that have a gold Fender logo instead of the sliver one because when they were cutting the "broadcaster" off the stickers they accidently cut some "esquire" stickers too. Of course they still used them.