I DIY my fender jap strat. Reason being i traded my epi LP for it, and wanted to change the pup from HH to SSS. I also hated the metallic blue, and dig the vintage cream colour. So i tot, since the guitar didnt mean much to me, it wont hurt to DIY.
So i spend a total of say $70(Lots of coats and compounds cost expensive) and lots of time!!!
Im happy i did it, but oh man the sanding was TIRING!!! One mistake is the i used clearcoats that took TOO long to harden. I tot it was dry, and put it on rough surface, nextday i found the shine gone and the surface rough. So had to resand it. Danger is that i sand through the cream coat.
My dad dropped it as well, so i improvised with a relic which i dig as well.
Put in a new pickguard fitted with kent armstrong tweedtone (Great afforeable PUPs) and did a Dan armstrong strat mod. However, i fitted the pickguard out of place slightly, and the pup pole pieces are not under the low E string... so its not perfect in a sense, but what the hack (a lesson learn)
Now i love my strat a hell lot.
Not the best strat in the mkt, but for what i did with it, and how it turned out, im proud to use it.
Sounds v gd with the kent armstrong pup and dan armstrong mod... My fren tried it as said it was fierce... But not sure how it measures up to the US made strats.
But DIY is alot of work, esp if you use sprays that take too long to harden (It may be dry, but it need to be hard), but the satisfaction is gd, so is the frustration.
I put up a pic when i get a digicam.
Hope i didnt sound like i was bragging... Just wanted to share the DIY experience, just in case anyone is considering it
