Renovation of a Fender Stratocaster US

Overview of this Fender Stratocaster US

Major work at the Esprit Guitare violin workshop for this beautiful US Fender Stratocaster: it arrives with several things to do. First, the frets are rinsed. But really! So to re-fret. Then, the owner wants to replace the electronics to install microphones Lace Sensor and the pickguard because this one is in poor condition. Finally, he also wants to replace the saddles to find “modern” type Fender saddles with their original color. And so all of this will require going through the “deep adjustment” box!

Work completed

We start by dismantling everything. The neck on one side, the electronics, the body and the bridge. And we clean it all up. We need it.

Then, we move on to re-fretting: dismantling the old frets without damaging the fingerboard, cleaning the fingerboard and checking the radius, checking and preparing slots that had to be widened a little. Then prepare the new frets: we bend them to a radius slightly smaller than that of the neck, then we cut them. And finally, we can put them down.
Next step, we check the radius of the placed frets again, we correct the stubborn ones, we place the glue dots, we cut them flush with the neck and we can move on to the next step: sanding. First the edge of the neck then the edge of the fret. I like a 30 degree inclination for my part. We finish with rounding the edges, so that the passage of the hand along the frets is as gentle as possible.
Finally, we check the fret leveling and make any corrections.
Obviously, we finish the operation with an adjustment of the head nut which is a little low compared to the brand new frets.
Phew! That’s done!

It’s not finished! We move on to electronics: mounting the microphone kit on the new pickguard. A few welds, a few tests. It’s OK.
The body of this Strat looks a bit like Swiss cheese, under the pickguard. So I take a moment to clean up the holes. Refill those that will not be used and restore those that are too large. Same for the screw holes on the back plate.
Finally, we can move on to reassembly: the neck, first, with its brand new frets, then the brand new pickguard with its brand new Lace Sensor microphone kit and the bridge, finally, with its brand new metal saddles.

A final check of the geometry and we can install the ropes.
There, the long adjustment operation begins. Since the entire geometry has been modified (new frets, new saddles and raised nut), this is an operation that takes time. The curvature of the handle has also been slightly corrected (the adjustment before work was not extraordinary).

And there you have it! A brand new (or almost) Stratocaster! 😉

Conclusion

A lot of work on this beautiful Strat, but it was worth it. In the end, we have a guitar that is almost new, apart from the paint and varnish. With modern electronics and a hyper “Strat” sound. The Lace Sensor microphones are super responsive. The passive electronics that accompany them respond perfectly well. It’s crystal clear and warm at the same time. On the bridge pickup, we regain aggression and increase the slam. Perfect for a rock or metal sound. I adore !

Photos

The Esprit Guitare workshop

The Esprit Guitare lutherie workshop welcomes you by appointment for maintenance, repair, setup or customization of guitars, bass, ukulele and more 😉
Feel free to contact us or book an appointment.

Esprit Guitare – a passion for instruments in Martinique.

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