The Steel Guitar Forum

Well hey everybody!!! DW up here in Alaska again..I got my second Stringmaster! but it needs a little touchup. Does anyone know where I can get some of the Stringmaster Cream color paint???

I used acrylic art paint and mixed a perfect match.
Ron

Like Ron, I use the art paint. Some shade of yellow mixed with white. The white tints easy with just a little yellow, You may have to try different shades of yellow to get a decent match.
Hope this helps

BILL

Thanks for the input. I used to match colors for a living (about 10 years) and I thought maybe someone had a nailpolish bottle full of the right color but I guess not.

Would anyone be interested in buying one if I made some up?
(remember back in the 50's they did not have computers to match up the colors, it was all by eye. your steel color may be slightly different than the next batch.)

What would be the right kind of coating to use (paint)?
I might have a lead on some laquere. or acrylic.

Let me know
-Don

DON, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN GETTING SOME, i bought a sho-bud pro three, natural color, down by the key heads some fool left some pretty bad cigarett burns and im afraid to fool with them ,not knowing the proper way to do it. any advice? thanks, don.

The problem is they all vary in color depending on what it was exposed to like smoke or whatever.

Ron

Just the fading with age makes every one a little different. Matching would still be a good way.

Just my 2bits

Would a touch up like that detract from the guitars value? It seems like it would be very hard to do a perfect touch up.

I used to work on fiberglass boats before I moved up to Alaska. You're right about the time fading and surroundings..smoke mainly.
I had a cigarette burn on my Stringmaster and I was able to get most of it out with a damp piece of tee-shirt and some tooth paste (it is a very fine polishing compound by the way)
This will take down the finish very very slowly, just enough so you can lighten the butt burn. As far as matching other colors for other steel I'm not really set up for doing that kind of stuff. I was just testing the market for touch-up kits for guitars. Many states and the USPS do not like the idea of shipping paint.

Oh well. -Don

Of course the ideal way to touch-up would be an airbrush with a thinned paint to match. The overspray around the touch-up could be rubbed out . You could put on whatever amount it took to blend the tint to the faded original.

Just an idea

I have to second Mark's comment about decreasing an instruments value by applying touch up paint or refinishing. I'm learning about the vintage steel market but am very familiar with the vintage non-steel electric market.

Touching up or refinishing a vintage Strat, Tele, Les Paul or any thing else for that matter can decrease the value 25-75% (IMO). Collectors want the stuff original and that is that. If you ever plan on selling your instrument or it is handed down to a family member, this could be important. I think as collectable guitars get more rare and expensive. Many collectors will move to steels, many already have.

I would and have had a couple of guitars refinished that were just plain ruined by previous owners (painted, stripped, drilled, screwed into and routed) The purpose of this was to increase the value of the guitar and not be embaressed when playing it in public. I really like Candy Apple Red steel console guitars, to me that color just sets off a D8 or T8 Fender (I'm also a nut for red sparkle mid/late '60's Rogers drums). Unless I found one distroyed and in need of a good home. I don't think I could bring myself to refinish one.

If you do decide to work on your steels finish, try Stewart-MacDonald. www.stewmac.com, they have nitro laquer, tints, touch up kits and books on how to do it all. The catalog says they ship to all states by ground only on the paints. They also have a great tool department for the DIYs out there and will send a free catalog. They would be a good source of parts for the home steel builder as well.

Good luck either way.

Rich

I agree with the value concern. The reason the I would even consider doing this is that the ends of the guitar have large areas that are chipped very badly down to the wood and I'd like to at least protect it with something the same color. -Don

Man, that's a tough one. Good luck if you do it. How about before and after pics?

Best,

Rich

Check this out:
http://reranchstore.stores.yahoo.net/fencuscol.html
Jack

Rich is correct about Stewart McDonald's guitar supply. They have everything needed to work on guitars.
My idea of touching up the guitar is to do it without a trace. If it's not close to perfect, it may as well be let alone

I just started a re-finish project, a Fender dual pro which I traded a bakelite for, with another forum member.
It's quite beat up, and most metal needs re-chrome. But it will get the original finish and tint, and not a paint job.

I'm sure not a purist, but I want it to look as close to original as possible.

Would a touch up like that detract from the guitars value?

Yes, absolutely. I suggest leaving the finish as is.

"Touch ups" will certainly decrease the value. Buyers want Original finishes, dings and all. They do not want new paint. In a few years when stringmasters are selling for several thousand dollars, buyers will deduct about 20% for the "touch ups". And a "refinish", deduct 50%. This is standard procedure in the vintage guitar market. Don't do it... you'll be sorry!

So 'leave it alone' sounds like the best thing to do if I want to resell it someday.. but is there anything I can do to protect what's left and prevent further damage (aside from me being careful) and still have it look good? -Don


http://home.gci.net/~dwguitar/pics/GEAR ... 20Neck.jpg

The ends are pretty well dinged up... maybe 1/3 of the paint is gone... sorry no pics of it. -dw

I may be wrong, BUT, I don't think that shade of white is the "Olympic White", that was available when that guitar was made. I think it's a re-finish anyway.
Maybe..


The lacquer fender used was actually CAR manufacturers paint.
See this :-
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fenderc.html

Lake Placid Blue metallic Lucite 2876-L 60-73 58 Cadillac
Daphne Blue Duco 2804 60-65 58 Cadillac
Shoreline Gold metallic Lucite 2935-L 60-65 59-60 Pontiac
Olympic White Lucite 2818-L 60-80 58-62 Cadillac
Burgundy Mist metallic Lucite 2936-L 60-65 59 Oldsmobile
Inca Silver metallic Lucite 2436-L 60-65 57-59 Chevy Corvette
Fiesta Red Duco 2219-H 60-69 56 Ford Tbird
Dakota Red Duco 2590-H 60-69 58 Cadillac
Blue Ice metallic Lucite 4692L 65-69 65-66 Ford
Firemist Silver metallic Lucite 4576L 65-71 64 Cadillac
Firemist Gold metallic Lucite 4579L 65-71 64-65 Cadillac
Charcoal Frost metallic Lucite 4618L 65-69 65-66 Lincoln
Ocean Turquoise metallic Lucite 4607L 65-71 65 Mercury
Teal Green metallic Lucite 4297L 65-69 65-68 Lincoln
Black Duco 1711 60-84 all yrs all makes
Sonic Blue Duco 2295 60-72 56 Cadillac
Shell Pink Duco 2371 60-63 56 Desoto
Foam Green Duco 2253 60-69 56 Buick
Surf Green Duco 2461 60-65 57 Chevy
Sherwood Green metallic Duco 2526-H 60-65 57 Mercury
Candy Apple Red n/a none 63-73 n/a n/a

It looks like a refinish to me also. If that's the case, you may want to have it redone (?) I have a guitar like yours. It has 3 or 4 small burn spots on the players side in back that someone touched up. The touch up color is aging differently from the original. Another thing to consider....

Edited to say: It could just be that the camera flash has made it look whiter than it is. I'm not certain about it being a refinish.

My room has the new curly bulbs and to me the guitar looks more cream colored than the picture (with flash). I have a Fender Stratacoustic guitar that is just a little bit lighter but still that cream color. There is alot of small cracks in the finish. I'm sure because of it's age. I've seen it on many older instruments and I believe that it is the original finish color.
Thanks for the Paint Specs!! should I decide to go that route.
-dw

From your description it sounds original. Sorry, I didn't mean to try and alarm you.

http://home.gci.net/~dwguitar/pics/GEAR ... 0cream.jpg

Here's a 'little' better idea of what I see comparing the guitar to 'straight' white.

That is a very informative page on coatings by the way.

Yes, the first picture WAS a little misleading, this colour does seem more like the correct one for the age.

I've seen a lot worse wear on stringmasters. I'd say play it, love it, and leave it original. Just my opinion.

What Doug said.......