1979 Stratocaster - Finish Peeling (Pics Added)

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I know there must be a million places on the internet to find info on a 1979 Strat, but I haven't had much luck in finding discussions related to the finish peeling off guitars from this era. The black one I just acquired is checked badly; you could sit there for an hour and just peel it all off. My overall question is...should I leave it alone and let it peel on its own, or get it stripped? There seems to be a finished clear coat underneath. I know it's more desirable to leave the original finish, but this is a bit of a mess. I believe I heard somewhere that Fender resprayed a lot of the natural guitars back in the late 70s, and this peeling was pretty common.

Any info or leads would be appreciated, thanks.

Ken Lang · From: Simi Valley, Ca

I'd leave it. You can tell folks it's one of those Fender road worn guitars. Rolling Eyes

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Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Emphatically - if it's original, leave it alone. Unless you want to cut the value in half, that is. Like it or not, that is a vintage guitar now, and vintage guitar collectors are obsessive about insisting on the original finish, whatever condition that's in.

Hey, it's a several hundred dollar upcharge to get Fender to 'relic' their custom-shop vintage reissue guitars. The more relicing, the higher the cost. It may sound bizarre, but that's the truth.

I suppose it's possible that it's really a natural-finish oversprayed with black at the factory. If the finish really just peels off and that's what you're left with, you're in business - an original natural finish '79 Strat. Wink

A final point - I also suppose it's possible that it's an original natural-finish oversprayed with non-original black overspray. If - and only if - that is the situation, then it might be reasonable to just peel the black overspray off. I've seen overspray removed like this to leave a really nice original finish. I have an old Tele with overspray that's completely faded in places and would probably be pretty easy to remove on the rest of it - but it has a couple of real cool signatures on the overspray that I would hate to lose.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Dave, thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. On the underside of the flaking black finish there is a blonde colour. There is a chance the black finish is unoriginal, but it is a one-owner guitar left to a widow who said that the finish started checking soon after her husband bought the guitar in new in 1980. So it's likely a factory respray. You can see both the blonde and the wood grain in spots. Either way, I think you're right in suggesting I leave it alone and let it peel on its own, come what may. It is tempting, though, to just peel off the black finish to reveal the natural wood. It looks to be an overspray on already-finished natural wood. One thing's for sure: it sounds fabulous. It is heavier, however, than my Les Paul. Smile

I should be able to post pics later today.

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Leslie, there's a string of world-famous, talented musicians who would beg to differ with you, including Sting and The Edge, who both play '79 Strats. These wealthy musicians could have anything they wanted. I was "fortunate" years back to have a '57 Strat on permanent loan; it felt and sounded like junk to me. Who knows. I try to judge instruments on their own merit, not by year.

But I do appreciate you telling me that what I have is junk. Laughing

Doug Earnest · From: Branson, MO USA

Well they used to say those 70's tele's were junk too, but they bring pretty good prices these days. Go figure. Price does not equal quality. Yep Chris, if they sound and feel good to YOU that's the only criteria. Say hi to the wife and little fella!
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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

An excellent '79 Strat is worth about $1500 - on a good day. But if it's been refinished (as yours has), half that value is already gone. So I say do whatever you want to make it nice because it may be decades (or even never) before that guitar becomes a high-dollar collectible.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Leslie - for the most part, late 70s strats are probably my least favorites. The ash tends to be heavy as a boat anchor, the thick-skin polyester finish often looks cloudy and chips in a very annoying way - especially around the frets, the comfort contours tend to be practically non-existent, the necks tend to be loose in the neck pocket, all made worse by the 3-bolt neck plates.

With that said, I've had a few of these that were just killer. Nice wood, reasonable weight, good neck pocket fit, contours correct, you name it. They are all individual.

Either way - good or bad - these are 30-year old vintage guitars with a price to match. Myself, I'd probably sell one of these and get an older '60s US or MIJ reissue Strat. In fact, I have at various times.

Donny - if that black overspray was factory, it's not refinished. On the other hand, if it was oversprayed after the fact and can be peeled off to reveal a nice natural finish, the book on those is $1800-2200 in excellent condition. I know that the bad economy has strongly affected the high-end vintage guitar market, but I have seen price compression in this market. Lower-end vintage guitars have actually stayed the same or gone up, and the high-end has taken a real bath. In a market where people want to buy vintage but can't afford the stupid stuff, it seems to have given a demand push to the bottom and middle.

I'm not suggesting that something like this will ever be a super high-end collectible. In fact, I remember just mumbling back 15-20 years ago when the first 70s strats started going over the $1000 mark, saying "what is the world coming to?" But now the early 70s guitars are stupid money, and even these are already worth a lot more than a typical American standard strat.

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

This guitar is meant to be a player. I have no illusions about its vintage value. I'm a musician, not a collector or dealer. I buy to play, not to flip.

The re-spray is almost certainly factory, because the guitar was black when bought new by the original owner in 1980. Apparently it was common in '79 to get a black re-spray like this one.

The guitar is now with a professional tech, getting frets redressed and some wiring issues worked out. He will do what's necessary to make it a great player without fooling too much with its originality. We've decided to leave the finish alone; the checking actually looks pretty nice. It sort of shimmers under the lights.

Overall, I think these guitars are a good deal. I got this one for $750 US, and its all-original. So Donny, your estimation is about right, although I've seen similar examples go on Ebay for $1,200-$1,400. But as I said, I didn't buy this guitar for re-sale value. I want a Strat, and do not like most of what I try at music stores these days. I sold an '75 Strat a while back, and miss it quite a bit. So I thought I'd give another one a try.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Sometimes it's not about the Guitar but rather what it stands for and represents. History.

I have been told countless times by a certain forum individual that the Korean Guitars he owns and plays at a cost of maybe $300 are way better than any Telecaster I could ever dream of owning. Well, Pig Vomit to that.

When I stand on the bandstand and play my Strats or my Telecasters, I am wearing a badge. Playing an old Fender or an American made Fender is just as important to me as playing guitar, it's part of the package for me.

79 Strat,? Send it to me, I'll play it proudly. Finish or no finish ! And yes, I have owned some pretty miserable playing Fender guitars through the years no doubt, but sometimes you gotta look farther than the guitar.

When we gig and there are Fender nuts in the room, they don't ask my bandmate about his MIM Tele, but they do come to me and talk about the 52RI's or the Strats. It's a club, a connection. A bunch of Fender geeks talkin' goofy stuff. I'm one of them !

Oh, and yeh, the two Fenders I use play really really well for my taste.

Long live the 79 Strat ! Don't refinish it yet, even if you do, who cares !

tp

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Tony, there is without a doubt that element of it all as well. I brought the guitar into the shop yesterday and all the vintage buffs started milling about, running their hands over the checked finish, etc. There is a always a story of where you found it, how much of a deal you got, who owned it before you, the different aspects of play wear and how the original owner treated it, mods, and on and on. A new guitar on the rack does not have this mojo. They are conversation pieces for sure, and do provide comraderie with others who share a fondness for older gear. And, in many ways, the stuff was just made better. Even in the 70s, there seemed to be less shortcuts than there are now in the manufacturing process. (I'm talking about regular production guitars, not custom shop). So yes, it is a lot of fun owning an older instrument for those purposes as well. It plays a part for sure. Nice point.

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

It may very well be lame, but who defines lame ?

Image ? Nahh, not an image thing, a love of Fender Guitars thing.

Me, I have always been connected to Fender Guitars and amps. I grew up 45 miles from NYC and we spent many weekends going to 48th street decades before anyone in there normal sanity would have ever imagined a MIM or CIK Fender.

Now , keep in mind, I never said the CIK or MIM were not good guitars, I think they are, I own a few but they are not the guitars I gig with. And I never said that I didn't take the time to make ruff "Fenders" good players, I do and have.

I prefer to play American Fender guitars, vintage or whatever, and seeing that I'm paying , it doesn't effect me at all if you guys think I'm lame. I've been called much worse and survived !

My Tele cap says Fender on it, not Gringo ! Laughing

PS, If someone likes there $400 MIM Telecaster, great, I don't consider that lame, it's just not for me. But to say that it plays as well as any other Telecaster out there is not quite accurate, unless you've played everyone out there !

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I think it's perfectly valid to have an excitement about guitars that goes past their value as a tool of the trade, and it's also cool to just have them as implements. I see both schools of thought all the time among my musician friends - but we don't judge each other as lame, or whatever, or we wouldn't be friends very long. It's called tolerance, upon which the better aspects of humanity are based.

Sorry to get heavy there for a minute, but it would be nice to have a civil conversation without the mud-slinging. A thread that originates with questions about a guitar's finish has no rational reason to veer off into the lameness of liking vintage guitars or the crappy quality of 70s Fenders.

I like vintage, and have some older Fender amps and guitars which sound and play great. They also have a vibe that's hard to describe. It's a mixture of sound and looks, I guess. Such aesthetic admiration separates us from the monkey, in my opinion. I also have a newer MIM Classic 60s Tele with Nocaster Custom Shop pickups, and it plays amazing. Very well-built guitar. This is a gigging axe that I throw around and don't worry about.

IT'S ALL GOOD!! Smile

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Here is the guitar, just back from the shop and set up for gigging:

I was hoping that exposing it to the outdoors wouldn't damage the finish too much. Wink

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Hey man, that's an alligator finish! Never saw that before. Farm out! Very Happy

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Nathan Golub · From: Durham, NC

That thing sure looks cool. Y'know, people pay good money to have other people make their brand new guitars look like that-

http://www.relicguitars.com/

http://www.chicagofretworks.com/relic-service/

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

It's funny you mention alligator finish, because one of the guys at the music store had another worker convinced that this was a real fender "alligator" finish. It was a good laugh.

I looked at some of those relics. It's weird that they put wear in places that a guitar wouldn't normally have it. I see most real wear coming from pick scratches above the pick guard, as well as buckle rash and some elbow wear sometimes. But many of those guitars have smooth, even wear all along the edges. Looks very fake to me.

Nathan Golub · From: Durham, NC

Here's a fun game: do an eBay search for "relic guitar" and see how many belt-sander disasters you can find.

Fender's doing a pretty good job with convincing looking relics-

http://themusiczoo.com/fendercustom.htm

Personally, I'd feel kinda goofy playing a guitar that looks really old, only to have to tell people it's brand new when they ask what year it is. That being said, the Fender relics I've played have been very well-built, great sounding guitars. I can totally understand the visual appeal of a worn in instrument, regardless of how said wearing in occurs.

Anyway, nice score on the cool Strat.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Thanks, Nathan. It's set up nicely now, and plays great. I'm in the process of throwing up a few youtube clips for a laugh.

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

In 1979 my grandparents bought me a brand new black strat just like that one as a combined birthday and xmas present. It was my first real guitar. I still own it and cherish it. I dont think i could get much money for it tho. In 1983 I put a floyd rose on it. the next year swapped the bridge pickup and tossed the orginal. Ive put it thru a drop ceiling, and its been in a flooded basement up the the middle pickup. It has scars everywhere, bent tuning pegs, lost the original pickguard, yadda yadda. Mine is checked badly but nothing like yours Chris, not even close, even after the flood incident. Underneath some chipped areas I too see a cream color before it hits wood, im guessing this to be their primer maybe rather than a respray? Yours could very well be a respray tho with that crinkle finsih, wow. My guitar is a beast. Its unweildly, weighs a ton, I can knock the three bolt neck out of tune easily, you have to fight it a little, its not like my gibsons, it makes me do all the work...and I love it, somehow all that extra effort results in a crisper attcack and wonderful tone. i understand others think these guuitars are junk. Thats fine. I love mine tho.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

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