Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

T

Taymar

New member
Hello all,

I'm doing a color change, upgraded hardware and SSS conversion on a squier contemporary strat.

I've just found that the poplar body has a thin veneer (possibly alder) on the front and back. The guitar is getting a solid finish (transparent red lacquer over metallic silver), so I don't care about the look of the grain - but is this veneer likely to cause me any other issues when refinishing?

My options are to keep going with the squier body (I'm happy with the weight, feel, and neck fit) or buy a warmoth/uscg unfinished alder body in the $150 range and finish that instead.

Any guidance would be much appreciated - I've never refinished a veneered body before so not sure what to expect.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

The veneer isn't going to cause any problems but the existing finish might. There may be nothing wrong with the body except the color, in which case you may want to just refinish it. I've done that with several guitars. But to do a good job you need to totally strip off the existing "paint". A lot of work, but it will save you $150 and give you fine results in the end. For me, it would be much easier to start with the bare-wood body though.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

Thank you,

I have an identical 'spare' body with damage which I'm using as a test bed. So far I've found that a heat gun and scraper causes the veneer to de-laminate from the body in places. Would you recommend I sand it instead? I've seen some people talk about chemical strippers though I'm not sure if getting the body that 'wet' would cause issues with the veneer glue?

appreciate the advice, thanks again!
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

Could always give the chem strippers a test run on your test body, if the veneer starts to raise then go with sanding. Get a palm sander if you dont have one. Ive used chemical strippers on a guitar one and that still took some work.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

Start with Citri-Strip. It works pretty well, and doesn't smell bad.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

I haven't seen a stripper that loosens a veneer.

Don't use it on the other body, use it on this one that you want to refinish. No matter what the stripper does, you've got to sand it anyway so go for it.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

I used a chemical stripper on my project
Followed by some light sanding

If the veneer comes off is not the end of the world
Its very thin material
Only about a one sixteenth of an inch
Or one millimeter

Wont affect tone or weight at all

When you get everything off you may want some filler to cover any dings and stuff
Don't use super glue to fill
It wont take paint
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

What are you refinishing it with? If the original finish is one of the high-tech polyester or similar, they can often act as a good basis for new paint. If the body is already level and smooth, and you're painting it an opaque color, it might be the best and easiest route.

Larry
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

Why not just use sanding mouse? Quick and easy, just be careful and use fine paper.

I would never use chem strippers on wood.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

They are made for wood

I think you should just ruff it up and spray it

Should relic out nicely later on
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

The veneer won't affect your refinish.

I wouldn't bother stripping the guitar first. Not worth the effort, and the stock finish will actually make an excellent sealer coat for whatever solid color you want to put over it. Just sand it up first so the overcoats can make good mechanical adhesion to it.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

Look, it all depends on what YOU want to end up with and you have one of three choices:
1. If you want the best, longest lasting finish with the least amount of work use the Warmoth unfinished body,
2. If you want to save money (but invest a lot of time and effort) and end up with a great long lasting finish strip and sand the Squire down to bare wood then finish it,
3. If you want so save money AND save time and work and don't care about the finish easily chipping off, OR if you want to end up with a relic finish, just lightly sand the Squire and paint over top of the existing finish.

You see, no matter what anyone has said, NO finishing material (lacquer, polyester urethane, enamel) will stick very well to the existing finish on the Squire.

Your choice.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

GuitarDoc said:
Look, it all depends on what YOU want to end up with and you have one of three choices:
1. If you want the best, longest lasting finish with the least amount of work use the Warmoth unfinished body,
2. If you want to save money (but invest a lot of time and effort) and end up with a great long lasting finish strip and sand the Squire down to bare wood then finish it,
3. If you want so save money AND save time and work and don't care about the finish easily chipping off, OR if you want to end up with a relic finish, just lightly sand the Squire and paint over top of the existing finish.

You see, no matter what anyone has said, NO finishing material (lacquer, polyester urethane, enamel) will stick very well to the existing finish on the Squire.

Your choice.
Click to expand...

Acryl will.
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

Lots of things will mechanically adhere to poly undercoating just fine. For one, Fender has been doing it ("it" being poly sealer) since the early '80s with their lacquer finished instruments. And before that, they used Fullerplast back to 1963, which is a thick, plasticky, catalyzed material that served as a combo grain filler and sealer. Additionally, six years ago, I did a Surf Green lacquer refin of my bandmate's Epi Wilshire (set neck) leaving the stock matte black poly intact. It has been kept in a gig bag (i.e. abrasive to the edges of the instrument) and gigged regularly. One small chip so far, on the tip of the headstock, and the impact would have chipped any finish.

A Squier body is not worth the labor of stripping, and not only that, but the stock finish is an excellent sealer, so you don't need to grain fill or seal. You're talking a HUGE labor savings for a result that is near indistinguishable from stripping first. Sand the stock finish evenly, first with steel wool, then with 320 or 400 dry paper. Use a primer next – one that is designed to go with your selected color coats.

And finally, even if you do lose some of your new finish over the years, that won't necessarily look bad. Some of the most coveted examples of real-life Fender relics are the ones on which one color has worn down to reveal another. In the '70s, Fender from time to time would spray black lacquer over a completed (but flawed) sunburst body (i.e. poly). These are incredibly sought after, and not always worn through.

In an ideal situation, of course you strip first. But it's just a Squier. Save yourself several days of work, and have a perfectly acceptable result, by just using what's there as your perfectly smooth and level filler/sealer.
 
Last edited:
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

ItsaBass said:
Lots of things will mechanically adhere to poly undercoating just fine. For one, Fender has been doing it ("it" being poly sealer) since the early '80s with their lacquer finished instruments. And before that, they used Fullerplast back to 1963, which is a thick, plasticky, catalyzed material that served as a combo grain filler and sealer. Additionally, six years ago, I did a Surf Green lacquer refin of my bandmate's Epi Wilshire (set neck) leaving the stock matte black poly intact. It has been kept in a gig bag (i.e. abrasive to the edges of the instrument) and gigged regularly. One small chip so far, on the tip of the headstock, and the impact would have chipped any finish.

A Squier body is not worth the labor of stripping, and not only that, but the stock finish is an excellent sealer, so you don't need to grain fill or seal. You're talking a HUGE labor savings for a result that is near indistinguishable from stripping first. Sand the stock finish evenly, first with steel wool, then with 320 or 400 dry paper. Use a primer next – one that is designed to go with your selected color coats.

And finally, even if you do lose some of your new finish over the years, that won't necessarily look bad. Some of the most coveted examples of real-life Fender relics are the ones on which one color has worn down to reveal another. In the '70s, Fender from time to time would spray black lacquer over a completed (but flawed) sunburst body (i.e. poly). These are incredibly sought after, and not always worn through.
Click to expand...

Why steel wool? Wouldn't just rougher paper be much cleaner and do the same job?
 
Re: Refinish a veneer squire, or replace the body?

DON'T USE STEEL WOOL. Use Scotchbrite. It's not magnetic, it doesn't break into tiny crumbs that get into every crevice, and it won't hurt your fingers. The best - it won't rust.
 
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