Refinishing a American Deluxe

[Jerry J]

Two quick questions regarding my '99 White Blond Am Deluxe.

Should I worry about refinishing a modern Am Deluxe? I don't think I need to worry about it becoming a collectors item.

Also, it is ash and I'm considering two refinishing options. 1) I'm considering possibly sanding down original finish, repair a few dings, then painting it with Reranch products - either Sherwood Green, Lake Placid Blue, Gold Top, or possibly Sea Foam Green. This would probably be the easiest option. 2) My other option would be stripping the body to bare wood and dying it blue. This option, while really pretty, would be more time consuming. If I go with option 1), is it as simple as sanding the original finish down to the base coat? Will the new finish adhere permanently to it?

TIA!

[Kevin]

Nitro will not form a chemical bond with the poly -- one of the things that's nice about a nitro finish is that succeeding coats of lacquer "melt into" previous coats -- but it will form a mechanical bond.

The way to achieve this is to sand the body down with 220 grit dry paper (I'd recommend 3-M Sandblaster). Use this as the base coat for your finish. You can then fill any dings with sanding sealer, and spray the primer over this. You should be okay.

You can strip poly down to bare wood, but it ain't easy. I've had good luck with "Superstrip" but most people use Aircraft Remover.

[Jerry J]

Isn't it nitro over poly? I thought that was one of the knocks against the 52 RI finish. Also, the finish is too thick.

Back to Am Deluxe. If I understand you correctly, the nitro may not properly adhere to the original poly finish but should work okay if I spray a primer coat over the sanded poly finish. Correct?

I guess this means I will paint the guitar verses staining/dying it due to the hassle of stripping it to bare wood. Actually, I like the 60's metallic colors very much. They look so cool plus I have a lot of different options.

Anyway, back to the Reranch website.

Thx,

JJ

ps - after this project is done, I'll start my parts Telecaster. That should make a nice Chrismas gift to myself.

[Jerry J]

After reviewing Reranch's website, I will repaint my Am Deluxe instead of stripping it. That's what Kevin and Reranch both recommend. Besides, I like the metallic colors. Still need to decide between Lake Placid Blue, Sherwood Green, or possibly Gold Top Gold. I was never crazy about the white blond finish (it was a good price), so I'm actually looking forward to starting this project.

I have a question about the headstock, the Am Deluxe comes with a chrome logo decal. If I paint the headstock the matching color, can I get it from Fender?

TIA