ShortScale.org

This is the controversial CIC Squier Duo project of mine... which I knocked out in a day and was waiting on the threaded saddles and solid-shaft pots for the CTS pots. I tinted the neck with yellowed nitro, also added a bit of wear to the guard and aged all the hardware with muriatic acid. Of course I also put the 50s Fender logo on there which caused a bit of a stir.

Anyway, here it is with the saddles, knobs and wear:





I really like it! I've been wanting a 24" scale first-gen Duo for years, but didnt want to pay the exorbitant fleabay prices for the parts. This really fits the bill...

BTW - Not being defensive, but just a note on my views regarding clones:

1. I never lie about them

2. Its fun!

3. Someone who knows vintage guitars will know its not real... and someone who doesn't won't care.



p.s. My other Squiers have the original logos on them... haha

Edited: Link to original thread which turned into a project thread in the wrong section. Everytime I open something up, it doesn't go back the same way...

Here!

looks cool apart from the wear spot on the pickguard.

haha... yeah.

I wasnt sure whether to do it or not. I was looking at some photos of originals and then went ahead and it was too late to look back. The funny thing is that the hardware is aged, but theres not a spot or ding anywhere on the body. I have to draw the line at banging up a brand new guitar...

I just really dont like the look of new guitars. This is the first brand new one I've had since 1997 when my wife surprised me with a a FR California Series Strat for my birthday, God bless her.

I like it. I wouldn't trust myself with a new one. I have owned a few for a number of weeks and they made me nervous. I need beaters. This recently acquired Epi acoustic is tremendous, but it STANKS!

Looks nice! How well did the muriatic acid work for aging the parts? I work at a pool and have tons of muriatic acid in our pump room so I'm considering trying it out with a pickup cover.

Billy3000 wrote:Looks nice! How well did the muriatic acid work for aging the parts? I work at a pool and have tons of muriatic acid in our pump room so I'm considering trying it out with a pickup cover.

Those pickup covers on the Duo were pre-aged, molded in yellow (nice touch).

Well, the acid works only on metal... any metal but especially nickel plating. I put some acid in a butter tub and use my wife's strainer (don't tell her) as a basket to put the parts in, and set the strainer on top of the tub. It doesnt take long at all to take the shine off and dull the metal. The longer you leave it on, the more fake "aging" occurs. Cheap hardware will turn black if left too long. But reasonable quality stainless and nickel works well. Tuners will actually rust a bit after the plating comes off.

Here's a '54 Strat clone I built and aged the hardware:













You can see what I mean by lesser quality parts turning black. Those saddles are PAT PEND repros from Germany, which are basically low quality import stuff that they stamp over and charge big bucks for (live and learn).

Wow, pretty convincing pickup covers on the strat. It really does look like a real 50's one, moreso than a Fender Custom Shop relic even.

paul_ wrote:Wow, pretty convincing pickup covers on the strat. It really does look like a real 50's one, moreso than a Fender Custom Shop relic even.

Thanks!

Those were just regular covers that I took the gloss off of and rounded the edges with a fingernail file. I also made tiny cracks in them with a sharp knife. They look like real bakelite ones, I even made the typical split in the neck pickup cover.

The body was from GuitarMill and the neck is AllParts '57 V-shape in nitro because I dont have the skilz to make the parts from scratch. I was going to post a pic of the guts, but it has the fake phonebook cap that has caused a minor flap around here...

I think it looks better than the Custom Shop as well, all humbleness aside... Not too fond of the CS, especially for the price they get! The guy I sold this too thought it's better than his CS '56 relic as well...

How'd you do the crazing?

post gut shots of the strat. i'll never be able to say a bad word about hardtail strats.
one of these days i'll have enough money to finish mine.

Beautiful grain on the back.

It was a custom cut one piece swamp ash body that weighed 3.8 lbs... very nice.

I did the checking by putting the body in a freezer overnight. That made the long longitudinal cracks. Then I blasted it with electronics cleaner (compressed air) to make the spider webs. I overdid those a little. The headstock looked great though with the cleaner.. but the cracks were hard to capture with the camera.

Guts:



Other self-absorbed gratuitous back-patting shots:

I'd love to own a hardtail strat one day. Great job. Looks just like a well cared for '54.

cooterfinger wrote:I'd love to own a hardtail strat one day. Great job. Looks just like a well cared for '54.

ha... yeah. I can't stand those KWS belt-sander relics...

The laquer cracking is great. I'm not really a fan of the stuff no one will ever see or no about (fake paper covered caps, filling the allparts logo) but I can see why you'd want to do it. Some of your 'exterior' relicing is great though.

Thanks James!

... to each his/her own.. right?