need help: cracks in finish on tele

[joshcamp]

I recently bought a 62 reissue tele body in sunburst that has numerous cracks on the finish. what is the best approach to minimize or repair this ?
should i use a very fine grit sandpaper to buff it out ?

[joshcamp]

here is a pic that show some cracking in the finish tho i can't seem to capture the extent of the cracking without proper lighting (ie - there's more than the pic shows)

[K-Line]

Looks more like someone started to razor check it. I think that these were nitro over poly so cracks like this is suspicious.

[joshcamp]

not sure... got it this way. the back has more of these cracks. can't imagine why someone would intentionally make these cracks...

[mellecaster]

Does it say TL-62 in the Neck Pocket ?...May be a Japan Body...finished in Poly...that's what the cracks look like from your pics ?

[joshcamp]

it reads: C 62B/1 (hard to really make it out but that's what i can gather) from the neck pocket.

[joshcamp]

i'm thinking i could use sandpaper to sand off the clear top coat (?) without damaging the sunburst undercoat, until the cracks disappear. then i could refinish with a clear topcoat of poly or nitro. does this make any sense ? or, am i going about it all wrong ? i don't want to completely refin the guitar -i.e., down to the wood. i like the sunburst !

[Old Cane]

"i'm thinking i could use sandpaper to sand off the clear top coat (?) without damaging the sunburst undercoat"


I'd think the same thing until I tried it once. Now I don't think so. You won't know where the clear stops and the sunburst starts unless you have some of those x-ray glasses they sold in magazines.