Fender headstock decals and stuff...

[ORCRiST]

Hi all,

I bought a Fender headstock decal for my Dave Murray strat project from BigDeal.com. My Warmoth neck is finished in clear satin nitro. The website has installation intructions here: http://www.bigdecal.com/installation.htm

I was wondering what installation method I should do...? The 'vintage' installation seems easier (and fits the 'look' I'm trying to go for, which would be a '57 Fender strat neck) however, ultimately I want the decal to be properly protected so as not to come off over the years, or have it damaged in some way by accident after installtion.

Have any of you tried this on your projects and can you offer any advice? Also, IF I wanted to try the first method, can anyone recommend a quality rattle-can lacquer or what you've used on your own projects?

Thanks in advance!

ORCRiST

 

[JaySwear]

haven't tried it yet, but i'm about to i think. i've had my telecaster deluxe with a naked headstock for long enough! i didn't like the warmoth logo that came with the neck, and ordered from that website to try. i was thinking the same thing for my telecaster; easiest application possible. but i didn't want it to flake off in a year or two. but the way i see it is that the flaking look (if that happens) is kind of cool, and it'll age with my neck (which is bright white maple). plus i got 2 logos from them, so if one just plain falls off i have another. if it looks bad i can sand the first one down and apply the second one

i did a little research and found a bunch of people stating that their original fender strats and teles had the decal placed over the finish and it's still there all these 40 or 50 years later. if taken care of it should take a whole lot to wear it off. hope that helps. his decals are definitely quality items. i'm just not sure if i want to claim my warmoth to be a fender. i think i will though, since obviously the fender tele deluxe was my inspiration for the thing

 

[ORCRiST]

Right on, thanks for the response and let me know how it turns out!

I'm not trying to pass off my project as a Fender either (IMO thats an insult to Warmoth who's quality blows OEM Fender stuff out of the water any day) - I'm just trying to get every little detail of the guitar I'm trying to replicate as true as I can, while being better in every category over the 'real' thing as I can.  :rock-on: Besides, its not like I'm ever going to sell it (unless someone offers me a ridiculous amount of money for it, in which case I would proudly state its all Warmoth and not craptastic Fender!).

ORC

P.S. love your avatar pic!

 

[JaySwear]

i'm just not sure if i want to claim my warmoth to be a fender. i think i will though, since obviously the fender tele deluxe was my inspiration for the thing

i sort of misspoke here, not trying to pass mine off as a fender, just saying that i think i will put the logo on. as you said, i would take a warmoth over a fender any day! no question. and for your project; a replica, i think the decal is definitely important!

haha and thanks. i love my avatar. if i could make it a little bigger i'd have my guitar in it, but for now i'm pretty happy with "surprised kitty"  :icon_biggrin:

 

[ORCRiST]

Yeah, I don't think this would have the same effect shrunk down to avatar-size...

:icon_biggrin:

ORC

 

[JaySwear]

looks like my cat after he knocks all the pictures off the dressers and then gets caught standing on top of the fridge!

 

[-CB-]

Have any of you tried this on your projects and can you offer any advice? Also, IF I wanted to try the first method, can anyone recommend a quality rattle-can lacquer or what you've used on your own projects?

You have two issues, each must be addressed in their own way.

These are:  Lacquer sticking to the poly finish (not a huge problem to overcome) and lacquer ruining the decal.

You'll need to strip the neck, then carefully go over the headstock with some wet 600 grit paper to get all the gloss off.  Yes, the decal will be only in one area... but the finish should look uniform, so go ahead and create a dull surface on the whole headstock.  Dry it well.  Clean it well, dry it again.  Now mask everything but the headstock face.  I suggest leaving about 1/32 inch "gap" on the edge.  IOW, let the new finish go over the edge a little, and we can blend it later.  Once you have it all masked, give it a shot of Zinsser Bullseye clear shellac.  This will provide a good adhesion layer, and a base for the decal.  You might want to give two or three really light coats, but make sure its all covered.  Don't go nuts with the shellac, just cover the top and thats it.  Let the shellac dry overnight at least.  Then apply the decal, blot out all air and water.  Let the decal dry overnight.  Its important that the decal dry.  It might SEEM dry, but trust me... any trapped moisture in the gel and it will show BIG TIME in the clearcoat.  Once the decal is dry, spray the headstock face again two or three times with clear shellac.  This is to do two things - the alcohol in the shellac will pull any remnants of water out of the decal, and, the shellac will seal the decal and provide a barrier against the lacquer.  Now you can lacquer the face.  Use Deft (Walmart) or Cabot (Lowe's).  I've used both, and like both for different things.  Cabot is the better full gloss, while Deft's semi-gloss can do either a soft flat finish, or can be buffed to an aged looking gloss.  After one or two very light coats, apply one medium wet coat and let it sit for 2 hours.  Another medium wet coat, wait 2 hours.  One more, then wait again.  One last one, let it dry a day.  Now sand - ever so lightly, the face of the decal.  Sand it down a bit to knock the finish down.  Just "dull it up" some.  Use 400 grit paper wet.  Just the face of the decal.  Let it all dry again, then apply two more medium wet coats.  Now level sand with 600 paper and buff it out.  Those edges that have a little "line" on them can be carefully sanded to blend into the original finish, then buff that out too.  Done.  Reassemble and rock it baby!~

 

[mullyman]

That instruction page specifically requests that you don't post their site to any public forums.
MULLY

 

[JaySwear]

That instruction page specifically requests that you don't post their site to any public forums.
MULLY

:laughing7: i've seen that on his site, which is funny since he's easily the most well known and popular source for aftermarket fender decals. it's not illegal to put a fender decal on your aftermarket neck, only illegal to claim it is a true fender. but i don't know the legal facts on actually making decals. i feel like fender would have put him out in an instant if they really wanted.

 

[mullyman]

That instruction page specifically requests that you don't post their site to any public forums.
MULLY

:laughing7: i've seen that on his site, which is funny since he's easily the most well known and popular source for aftermarket fender decals. it's not illegal to put a fender decal on your aftermarket neck, only illegal to claim it is a true fender. but i don't know the legal facts on actually making decals. i feel like fender would have put him out in an instant if they really wanted.

Fender probably turns a blind eye to it since they aren't selling them and probably don't want to be hassled with it.
MULLY

 

[jay4321]

I don't know anything about that particular site, but if you can come up with hi-res logo files the guy Tonar and I use for decals does a great job. They're crazy thin and there are no visible lines after they've been finished over (and are nitro safe). Name escapes me but Tonar started a thread on it a while back if you want to look.