1996 Fender American Standard Stratocaster: Part Two

Related Posts
Part One | Part Two | Part Three

In Part One of this series, we saw just how badly this Strat needed help. Now, in this post; join me in a sloppy adventure of scrubbing, filing, oil-soaked rags, and solder.

We'll take a look at the bridge first, then. After dismantling everything, the saddles and related screws went through six multi-lube oil changes and scrubbing. Yes, much of the crud had come off by the last soaking, I'm happy to say. However, there remained a couple saddle-height screws that just refused to budge. 

And so out came my trusty mini butane blowtorch. Alternately heating the screws until they were red hot and then plunging them in cold water finally broke them stubborn rust bonds. Eventually, I was able to get all the screws moving and reassemble the bridge.

And what of that rusted-out trem claw? Did I have to junk it and fit a new one? Nope. As you can see from the pics, lots of grinding, filing, sanding, steel-wooling; and polishing finally exposed clean metal. For added measure, the whole claw was coated with clear lacquer to delay rusting for as long as possible. 

We were taught that way back during one of our Form One metalwork classes. I believe it was when we had to make a small metal hammer from scratch. Oh yes, we learned quite a lot about woodwork, metalwork, electricity and power mechanics while at Sultan Abdul Hamid College in the '70s.

On to the electronics, then. The pickup covers and polepieces were cleaned and polished gently but thoroughly; and then reinstalled into the much cleaner pickguard with new rubber tubing. Three spanking-new CTS 450G 250K pots, a CRL switch and Switchcraft #11 jack were subsequently wired in using Gavitt cloth push-back wire. You know, the kind Fender used to use in the old days. 

Clean, scrub, polish. Repeat ad nauseam. I won't bore you with the details but that's basically that's what it took to get this Strat back into shape. Oh, yes, that pesky sticking-out skunk stripe end was also taken care of. Lots of careful paring with chisels and sanding through successively finer grits got the job done. Finally topped it off with a coat of Tru-Oil so it would blend in with the existing finish.

Finally, this 1996 Fender American Standard Stratocaster was set up with Ernie Ball Super Slinkys and I called it a day. I guess all that's left is to have a photoshoot and share the pictures with you good people. But that will have to wait until the next post on this American beauty. See you soon :)

Further Reading
Fender Guitar Catalog 1988 Vintage and Signature Series
American Standard Stratocaster - First Series

 

1996 Fender American Standard Stratocaster: Part One

Related Posts  
Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Enche' Nodi is one lucky guy, I tell you. Not only did he recently score a fine MIJ Squier Silver Series Stratocaster; but he's also bagged a black 1996 Fender American Standard Stratocaster. What makes this Strat extra special is that it's a 50th Anniversary model; no less. It's just too bad that it was poorly maintained by the previous owner; as evidenced by the prevalence of crud, grime, rust, corrosion and a host of other icky stuff.

My instructions were to preserve as much of the original hardware and electronics as possible; as it wasn't "just any guitar." Let's start off with the bridge, then. The saddle height screws were frozen in place. The sintered steel saddles, intonation screws and springs, however; were in much better shape. Meanwhile, the neck plate (underside), trem claw, and springs were in a sorry state. 

This was the first time I'd ever seen a trem claw completely rusted through. Perhaps there still was some metal underneath all the ferrous oxide. I remained optimistic, bearing in mind Enche' Nodi's request to have as much of the original appointments preserved.

The maple neck, fretboard and frets were in fairly good condition, but the walnut skunk stripe was another story. It had faded into a very light shade on the back of the neck and the headstock end (truss rod access hole) was actually sticking out quite a bit. I believe these could only have been caused by prolonged exposure to the elements. What a shame! Thankfully, the Bi-Flex truss rod was still working as it should.

Oh, yes, the electronics. The three single coil pickups (middle pickup RWRP) featured white pickup covers and flat polepieces. They were still in working condition, and would look much better after a thorough degriming, cleaning and polishing. Oh yes, those crud-afflicted polepieces were definitely in for a huge dose of Autosol!

Under the pickguard were a CTS 250K master volume pot, CTS 250K neck pickup tone pot, TBX tone pot (middle and bridge pickups); and rusty CRL five-way switch. While the tone pots appeared to be stock, the volume pot was clearly a fairly recent addition. 

Sadly, all three pots and CRL switch showed signs of water damage; with the switch most badly affected. The output jack, well... it most certainly wasn't a Switchcraft. In fact, it was one of those five ringgit radio shop jacks.

Well, that's about it for this post. In an upcoming post, we'll take a look at what was done to get this Strat up to snuff. Till we meet again, stay home, stay safe; and God bless.

Further Reading
Fender Guitar Catalog 1988 Vintage and Signature Series
American Standard Stratocaster - First Series