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I had a light bulb moment watching you do this fret job. How about buying one of those wooden radiused fret blocks from China and sawing off a sliver about the size of your new tool from Germany and put a groove in it like your German tool. The genius part comes next! Take your newly made sanding wedge and attach it to either a palm sander bottom or to oscillator tool. That should really speed up the fret job and also cut down on hand fatigue.
Its not garbage, its just a casualty of modern efficiency and productivity. I once knew a lady who started working there in the early 60s, when Leo was still in charge, and Forrest White was the plant manager. She said that quality was the priority in those days, and everybody loved both of those guys. She said that when CBS came in, they had these guys they called "efficiency experts" out on the floor who walked up and down the line with clipboards and stopwatches, monitoring how many seconds it took for each operation. Anybody who couldn't complete a task in the alotted time was out the door. They didnt allow anybody to make sure things were right or correct small problems. This lady also said that morale was very low in those years, and it was also the time when people were sneaking off to get stoned and drink during lunch and breaks. It was your typical corporate top down style of management and quality suffered tremendously. She said most of the stuff that came out of there in those days that didnt have quality problems was put together by the really experienced old timers who knew what they were doing and didn't drink or smoke weed during working hours. That was the cause of the inconsistent quality. That, and a general attitude of "don't give a shit". ........and everybody wonders why the Japanese kicked our butts so hard in the 80s.
Who knew that smoking weed during lunch break didn't make you a better guitar builder. I thought I'd heard that it's the wonder drug for everything. (Locate the sarcasm yourself) 😢
I gave a stratocaster just like that one to my daughters boyfriend several years ago. Of course they are no longer together but he went on to be a really good guitar player. He plays at his church. I’ve given alot of guitars to alot of people and alot of them went on to be good players. This kid went on to be one of the best players i know. I love to see that ya know. The more people that play the better in my opinion.
@@OnlineLawyerUK thank you. I never regretted giving it to him. I knew they wouldn’t stay together from the get go. They were kids. But if i can do anything to help someone play guitar im willing to do it. When i was young i wish someone would have helped me. I cut grass and saved money to buy my first good guitar. It was a strat. Im a les paul guy for the most part but strats are just great player guitars so i swear by them.
I read a comment on another video about a guy that got a guitar from "a girlfriends father". I remember it because i contemplated a reply asking how he knew the guys daughter was a girlfriend. 😂
@PadraigFloyd I’m the opposite. When those black pickguards came out, I didn’t like them at all combined with many of Fender’s finishes although I think the natural finish with the black guard is very attractive and would opt for it over the white. The only other black guard and finish combination I liked was the 3 color sunburst. I bought an Olympic white with white pickguard in 1973.
5 месяцев назад
@@scotthutchens1556 Yes, it's the black with natural bodis I particularly like.
@ Yep! Having said that, I built pickguards out of boredom. 😆 Built a bright red one with bright chrome colored plastic hardware plus a blue one with black plastic hardware-put them on black bodies. 😀😉
🎸 Epic Work, Brad! 🎸 Caught your latest guitar restoration and we're absolutely floored! It was incredible seeing our FRTLZR Fretshaper, Polishing Kit, and Fretbanger in action. Your skill and our tools are a great match! Big thanks again. Your knack for bringing guitars back to life is inspiring. Can't wait to see what you tackle next!
Thought Fender was still Sliding Frets in until the 80’s ? Last 70s I worked on, had to Tap them out Sideways after heating. Re fined the fretboard as well.
Yeah, the 'tear out' removing the frets was precisely for this reason. The tangs on the original frets sit below 'solid' wood and not where the tang was banged in from the top. You need to notch the fret and tap it out sideways with a centre punch or similar. There should be virtually no tear out and no need for copious amounts of superglue and clean up after. Fender used a machine which pushed in all the frets from the side in the name of efficiency. I have a battered 1974 Strat which was refretted. 😀
At 45:00, it's not a bad idea to sand the higher frets a bit more and create some fall away above the 15th fret. Less chance of string buzz with low action.
I love the looks of the jumbo headstocks . Great job B-RAD . I passed up a late 70's hardtail about 10 years ago and regret still . I was a tri- burst with a rosewood neck .
Hey I dig your videos... The comment at not quite 16 minutes in about using chisels safely brought back memories... I am a physical therapist and "slipped" with a chisel 6 years ago doing light carpentry, giving myself a low budget carpal tunnel release - woulda been free except I had to get stitches and do my own therapy. I missed my median nerve by less than a mm, and thankfully did only very minor damage to my ulnar nerve, so rather than risking bleeding out, I nearly ended my career as a PT because I specialize in manual therapy. I did, however, take up guitar to help restrengthen my hand, so now not only is my career on the line, but also my main hobby of playing guitar... Suffice it to say I don't look at sharp tools the same way now, and I think your advice is well stated. Take care and keep up the cool equipment nerd videos!
Had a Bicentennial Firebird that I traded for, get this, an Antigua strat. Ouch. That Firebird was the best sounding guitar I ever heard. Just neck heavy. 7:36
Full admiration for the practical no nonsense method and work ethic involved in this episode brad, loved every second! my 79 strat has a pathetic rosewood veneer on maple neck, you can imagine ! i would just get a spare neck rather than attempt ANY improvement ,and just keep it for originality, great work brad 😊👍👍👍
Several decades ago, my 3M rep suggested soaking wet/dry sandpaper at least 15 minutes, up to overnight in a small bucket of water with several drops of dish soap. It keeps the paper from clogging and sharp edges from digging in. Granted, this was for much bigger jobs, but hey, whatever works!
@@stiffrichard2816a bandmate of my brother knew a guy who worked at the Fullerton factory around this time. the word he heard was that most the workers were on meth.
@@daw162 Here's my trick. I mix a cup of saw dust and wood glue, shove it up into the 4 holes (or 2 on a 3-bolt) and run the screws (lightly coated with WD40) up through the heel and clean off the excess paste that they push out with a wet rag or PT, let the glue dry a bit and do that a few times until there's no excess coming up. Then when it's mostly dry but still soft I put the neck on and string it up quickly, tweak it, always with more space between the high E and fret edge than the low E, and leave it overnight. The screws are stable, that neck joint will not shift. You don't even need shims on the sides but good to have anyway.
You need a leveling beam! And make the tops with marker to see your progress as you sand. AND..use thin glue with whip tips and do the glue after the frets are in place. Much neater .
The 3-bolt and neck-tilt feature in '72 was mainly so you could easily pitch the neck for a floating trem or flush/flat. The big third bolt added a lot of sustain but also made the joint less stable if the pocket wasn't cut perfectly, and a lot of them were not.
mr guitologist, when it comes to amp work and other electronics you are a master and a great musician and would be interested in any future originals you may hopefully write and record. i've learned a lot of things from this channel over the years and look forward to each video that gets posted and will continue to watch and enjoy your videos for hopefully years to come. but when ever i see you do guitar work it scares me to death😵
Hey buddy. You have a great chance to completely flatten and re-radius that neck, but that means a new finish. I did a Warmoth strat neck with gloss lacquer all over and it came out so nice. It's a lot of work, but it's beautiful.
I did briefly consider that, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to stop the sanding at the back of the headstock, for one thing, and didn't want one more thing to explain when it came time to sell this one. Don't know yet if I'll keep it.
Wow, that workbench threw up on itself! 🤢🤮🤣 (I’ve totally been there, only my “workbench” is the dining table where I “eat,” lol!) Thanks to the sponsors! Keep supporting these great channels.
if you have never seen it check out fenders old fretting machine, it pushes the frets in from the side which is why they chip out so bad. thats just normal on old fenders of that era.
Thank you, Brad. This is exactly the kind of video I've been needing. I've got a few Strats and one is a pawn shop Squire SE that I call my test mule. I learn to tweak and mode on it so I don't risk screwing up my others, and I've been wanting try a refret. This will help a bunch!
It depends on what you mean by "waste"... For instance, I just spent an hour sticking my earbuds in my nose and seeing if I could get any sound out of my mouth. So... I've got no idea. Peace.
I know the CBS guitars have such a bad reputation and many ways deservedly so, but I kind of have a sweet spot for them and their oversized headstocks. Too bad you cant get them for cheap anymore.
I had a '73 in 1980. It was off white with maple board and white plastic. The basic Yngwie color scheme, but without the scallops. Being a dumb kid, I didn't appreciate it and eventually used it as a bargaining chip for trading up to a Les Paul. I wish I had paid more attention to just how good that thing was. I would have kept it.
I've been looking for a fender from the year I was born....I have not been able to find a 1976.....thanks for uploading this and bringing a 48 year old guitar back to life.
@@TheGuitologist Brad, I'd love to buy it....but as I sit here looking at all the projects, including ANOTHER partscaster (this will be #3) with a Floyd Rose...I'm just not sure it's in the budget now. If I could get rid of some of this crap (I have pedals galore up on reverb) I might have the money you're going to ask for that.
I bought one of those same German Schallar five ways switches years ago for an HSH guitar and I ran into the same problem you did, here it is 15 years later and I still have the switch in my parts box lol
That's hallarious. I just made a comment asking if you had used those brass saddles yet, as I've had tremendous results with them, no sooner did I continue the video and they were laying there in a bag. Right on! Nice work!
Nice to see you work on a guitar Brad. You don’t use elaborate tools making the process easier for most to tackle the project with some confidence. Thank you!
The 3 bolt neck was actually championed by Leo himself. Post cbs he was still a consultant. Hence the reason the first run of G&L used it as well. I’ve got a ‘72 reissue with the three bolt, I see no issues with it.
What a cool strat, and you turned it from a closet queen, to a guitar that's probably better in every way than how it left the factory 😊... I'm ordering one of those fret tools too, man those look great! Nice job brother!
My father is the original owner of the same 1976 natural finish strat with a black pick guard. The only difference is that his has a rosewood fingerboard. This was the guitar that I learned on, and grew up playing. He still ownes this guitar, and it needs work as well, so this video should be useful, as it gives me a nice glimpse of what I'm in for when it comes to repairs. Your content is appreciated sir. Thanks, and keep up the good work.
I can't wait to watch this one when I get home from work. My dad gave me his 1976 strat in 1995 when I was 11, and I played that thing all day for years. I haven't played it (or anything) much since 2006 because it's got intonation problems on account of the ultra-worn frets. I would love to refret it, but it has a maple fretboard with the poly finish.
It can be easily refretted. I love that maple with poly finish as it is durable and feels good. They can be refretted without losing any of the finish and no worry of spray over as well. You just have to be more articulate/ specific as you remove the frets.
Back when FENDER made one Stratocaster and one Telecaster. You got what they put out and that was by year and the end game. Every year at Christmas I made just enough money to not be able to afford a new Stratocaster, so Tele is was for me lol…
@@foofghtrI had a 1973 Olympic white I bought new. Missed buying one in the late 60’s because when the guy brought it to my house my Dad noticed the neck was really warped. Have to thank my Dad for that. Went to see one in my area in about ‘71 of a friend of our band that was so beat up, especially the fingerboard/neck, finish, I didn’t want it. Then missed one that was like new that a kid was selling for a Gretsch?! Lol 😆 Because my Dad and the kids Dad would not budge on price which my Dad wanted at $25-$50 lower. Was a 1972 3 color sunburst. Was so disappointed. When I got my new one in 1973 I saved for a good two months or more making MW at about $1.60 an hour. 😆Boy did I ever appreciate it when I finally got the Strat. Like many people I was into Hendrix, Blackmore, and other Strat players from the 60’s/70’s that year except the Strat of was giving way to the Les Paul that everyone had to have at that time.
Really enjoyed the detailed restore and explanations - especially the safety warnings for working on things that require a balance of force and patience!
Inspired naming for that fretlevel - Fretbanger! This video makes me understand why a fret replacement job is expensive. This is very labour intensive.
I used t think they went to 3 neck screws to save a nickel too. I recently heard on another channel that the tilt adjust supposedly worked better with 3 screws. Thats why they changed it
I just recrowned a reverse 70's maple strat board, and the poly was so thick on the fret sides that it was almost impossible to get off.I used a ton of new blades, an etching tool, and a few other miscellaneous things, but- ridiculous,- which I'm sure is why the shop auctioned it and I got it at a reasonable price.I ended up blading the whole fingerboard, and soon enough will have to refret it altogether, but that's fine, - I need the practice.Just not sure if I want to go vintage or jumbo, as I like both for different reasons.Most seem to jump for the fat jumbo, but I think the only thing they offer is longer wear.I usually do the leveling drop off below the 12th fret to provide a little more breathing room, especially on Jazzmasters and Jaguars. I appreciate Brad's typical no BS approach, given some of the other instructionals out there.
I bought a 78 Strat way back in the 80s, and it was an absolute pig. I got the neck shaved and re-radiused, put EMGs in it, put a Floyd on it, replaced the tuners, and I even changed the 3 bolt neck plate to a 4 bolt. It weighs 11 lbs, and it was my main guitar for years before I got tired of the weight
That's crazy ! I have a 70's strat too, weighs at least 11 pounds ! It was a moose 🫎 but after breaking the original neck and replaced it with a squier jazz master neck it's the best sounding strat I've ever had. Some one before me routed out all the wood under the pick guard to make it lighter and it's still super heavy but sounds so Good and plays ok so it's my favorite vintage strat 😂
@auntjenifer7774 that's mad about the different neck making such a difference. I bought a Squier Strat for about €350 about 5 years ago, and it absolutely slays the Fender. It's a far better guitar. My main guitar nowadays is a PRS 513, but I reckon if I put new pickups into the Squier, it'd hold its own against the PRS, and at 1/10th the price. I traded a 1980 Les Paul Custom against the PRS, and that weighed more than the Fender, something like 12 1/2 lbs.
@rubievale Some Squires are better than Mexican strats now. Indonesian made ones, like the Classic Vibe line and some of the weird stuff that's Squire only. I have a Chinese 50th Anniversary Squire from 1996 that's missing a lot of finish so it's got the vibe of a roadworn battleaxe. It's been played a ton. Had it for nearly 20 years. Back in 2014 I ripped out all the original hardware and electronics and put new stuff in it, including Luce Sensors and a bunch of other stuff. Gave it a refret. It's a nice guitar.
I have a '73 with those same fret problems. I Razor bladed the finish off of my fingerboard. I almost said, "When you get the frets done, order some Raw Vintage springs ... you will really like 'em." Hah! Then I remember it's a hard tail! My first 9.5 " radius was experienced on one of the very early Claptons ... WHAT an improvement for me! Much agreed on that fret out thing with 7.25. Fender CANNOT get that right these days.
I had a 1972 Bullet Stratocaster with the same ash body, cracking finish, that I bought at pawn shop in Columbus, Ohio in the early 80's for 350 bucks or so. I also swapped out the three way switch for a five way, (and kept the three-way; still have it) and sold it when I lived in Philly in the early 90's for $500. I have told everybody who cares to listen that modern Stratocasters and many other brands are much better built than any of the old bullet crap. The only old Strat I own now is the Am Std 1995 LTD Edition w/Matching headstock, all original including the pups in Candy Apple Red with Rosewood Fingerboard and needs a fret replacement but otherwise sounds and plays fantastic!
Wasting your time? Bro. Let me show you two big wastes of time. Some years ago I flew r/c airplanes a lot. I had just picked up a new P-51 mustang, and was out hotdogging around the skies. I was really impressed with it’s top speed, dang this thing could move! So I flew it up to about 800ft, and then pointed the nose straight down and cracked the throttle wide open... “Wwhhaaaaahhhhoooohhhhhmmmm”. Wow what a noise! Like a Tie-fighter from Star Wars... just like it! So I had to do that again. And again. And again. You probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that something eventually broke loose on one of the high speed dives, and it went down like a bomb. Fortunately I realized that the elevator was the part that broke, and I was able to pitch the plane on it’s side and used the rudder to slow down the impact. A little anyways. It really hit the ground like a bomb. Sounded like a small explosion, dug a hole in the ground, and exploded the plane into hundreds of fragments of balsa and mechanical parts. Everything was broken. Literally. But I payed about $280 for it, and in those days that was A LOT of money for me. I was a little upset. So I got out a garbage bag and picked up every single piece or scrap I could find, and brought it home. I laid out the pieces like a forensic investigator, and traced the failure to the link-rod attachment at the elevator. I should have expected that the pressures on this part at full speed in a dive would just pull it out of the balsa. Oops. Well, the next thing to do was rebuild it. So I put it back together like a jigsaw puzzle, and used about 50ml of cyanoacrilate to do it. I replaced anything that was too damaged to just be glued back together, and added a little extra bracing for the larger engine that I picked for it. Went from a Thunder Tiger 80 (really great engine!) to an OS 140 4 stroke. Massive power. Could take off straight up with no runway and go vertical until you couldn’t see it anymore after that. Woooyah! Alright! So that was a big waste of time for both of us. It’s like two birds and one stone or something... which is actually more efficient, therefore not a waste of time at all! Wow. That was weird. Ok so no, it’s not a waste of time because hobby is life. “Never let a silly thing like work get in the way of your hobbies” - Arthur “Lobby” Lobsinger. He was right.
I crashed an R/C plane into a transformer and took out three city blocks of electricity because I couldn't find the metal rod that went between the two wing halves and used a wooden dowel instead. I learned that day that while I was quite proficient at flying R/C planes, I wasn't very good at building them. Fortunately at the time I worked for the electric company so I ran inside and put on my uniform and got in my work truck and went to collect the wreckage. People started coming out of their homes to see what had happened (yes I was a moron and was flying where I shouldn't), and an older guy came up to me and complemented me on being so quick to respond. I just told him I was around the corner and just happened to watch some idiot crash his R/C airplane into the transformer and that we'd have it fixed right away.
Great work 😎 had a luthier refret a 70s Tele deluxe for me (3 bolt) replacing similar worn out frets. Really brought the guitar back to life, although it needed quite a bit more re-fin lacquer on the board than yours - super glue did the trick for you there! Cheers😎
@@TheGuitologist The pickups aren’t original but everything else is. It’s the only vintage guitar I own and was at the right place at the right time to acquire it.
The chipout around the fret ends is most certainly due to fret sprout when at some point the neck shrunk due to humidity changes, I have a maple neck P-base with the exact same spots with missing finish.
I have some tricks for stabilizing bolt-on neck joints, and pitching/rotating the tenon in the pocket to get killer action with a 7 1/4" radius with no choking. It's easier to do with 4-bolters than 3. When done right I could swing a bolt-on guitar around by the neck and it'll stay in tune.
Good job, sounds great! Incidentally, I ended up using the same brass saddles on my hardtail Strat when I needed to raise the action for playing slide… I don’t have anything like your skills, though!
I almost bought a 74 that was identical to that, but heavier. Had the hardtail bridge, 3 bolt neck, and bullet truss rod too. I've always had a soft spot for those large headstocks, and like the way the pickups sound. Just a bit different from the vintage 50s to early 60s stuff or the modern stuff.
More than twenty years ago I bought a muli-pack of bone guitar nuts at MAE. It came with flat and and some with pre-radius style nuts . At checkout the kid running the drawer said have fun playing with your nuts. Thank you Brad for the tips and sound advice as well.
I remember when I was a kid I found one of my dads chisels and started playing with it. I learned that day just how sharp they are. It takes nothing to cut yourself.
I bought a 1971 sunburst Strat in 1983 or so that was taken all apart, replace the bridge pup because of an internal short. Refretted with Jumbo size. Adjusted the neck with the Fender Micro-Tilt until I like it. Took it apart, put some of that green hard art clay in the back of the pocket and put it back on. Took the neck off and drew a fine line around the top edge of the clay on the pocket wall. Pulled the clay out, measured the heighth around in it every 2-3 mm and pain-in-the-assedly sand a shim. Better wood to wood contact in the pocket equals better sustain. Then years later StewMac made them! Those Micro-Tilt allen screws would walk their way out without a way to lock them in. The tip of that screw would wear a dent into the washer on the neck over time. The end of the neck at the body end could wobble over the screws point. Two screws to either side of the third bolt as the Micro-Tilt might have worked, but then keepingit even would bite the big blood sausage.
I have a 1979 natural Ash finish 3 bolt neck that looks like yours. It's held up well. The neck is kinda fat but the action is very low and fast playing.
Did Fender push the frets in from the side in those maple fretboard 70's necks. Yeah sharp chisels and case cutters can really do serious damage..been there done that....I think I would have used a heat gun a bit to try and see if it would soften that old poly finish...but since it's poly maybe wouldn't have helped . Great info on the switch types..kudos!
love watching your videos. You're a real pro when it comes to repairing amps, and your guitar playing is first class, no offence intended but leave the refrets to the guitar repair guys.
Realizing the bench literally said thank you once you cleaned it off was priceless lol. I would hang on to that one... for its originality if nothing else. I myself havent seen very many hardtail Strats.
Aloha Brad! You’re a pretty smart guy so you may already know this but just in case… do you have a drill press? I’ve seen it where in place of a fret press, it will work almost as good if not equal to press frets in. Mahalo nui loa for sharing your time!
I have allways loved these big headstock and 3bolt microtilt guitars long before i played a 1976, today i still have a 2011 reissue ,flat pickups sound great bullet trussrods necks are excellent they will only get more collectable .
Three bolt is not less stable because of one less bolt. The whole problem was that the neck pockets were sloppy. As a result there were a lot of guitars that needed shims and it was becoming too costly to do the shimming during the QC and final setup of the guitars. The micro tilt was used to streamline that process so that they didn't have to take the necks back off and shim them. I have personally setup multiple three bolt Strats from the 70s and they are in no way unstable, in fact they have been some of the best playing and sounding guitars I have ever touched.
5 месяцев назад
I've always preferred the natural finish on a guitar. Cousin Frank has a 1962 Partscaster that after striping the body of multiple different layers of paint. The three piece body looked like one piece of ash. He left it natural and sprayed clear coat and it looks just amazing.
I have the same exact problem’s with my 79 - natural… worn frets, a dirty Jack and pots. I haven’t played it over the years to prolong what’s left of its playable life. Really frightened with the thought of needing a fret job… lol. I love your amp work and your closeted guitar collection is similar to mine. I love it when I go through and find a guitar that I’v forgotten about… 😂 Also like your thrift store finds and I listen to what you have to say about guitars and amps. I just stay out of the politics and in the past have thought you were a little hard on people over certain products but can’t think of any particular beef you had with anyone. I really do Appreciate the free knowledge service you’re providing and do try to absorb all that I can. I unfortunately am not in a position to offer your channel with any monetary support but I know it would be worth every Penny without a doubt. Thank’s again… God bless and take care!!! 👍 Sincerely, Shawn Owen. Fremont, California USA
If a brand new Fender Stratocaster cost around $600-$700 in 1976, adjusting for inflation, the cost in today’s money would be approximately $3,270-$3,815. This calculation is based on an average inflation rate of 3.60% per year between 1976 and 2024. back in 1976 that was a lot of money.....
The Indiana Guitar show is coming up this weekend Brad! You stopped by last year and did a nice video. I was the guy with all the new guitar necks for sale along with the bodies , parts and new guitar building kits. Stop buy if you get a chance. Open to the public this Saturday the 13th and Sunday the14th. Friday is set up day for dealers only. I will have 3 tables of items and guitars for sale. Cochran Guitars. I enjoy all your videos too.
I was terrified watching , helps to loosen truss rod when removing frets more convex the better a little heat on the frets ,tuff job with thick old brittle poly coat any thing can happen,sounds great back in service
Got a fret bender from ali for a couple of bucks. Works perfectly. Better on long wire, of course. Temu probably has them too. Also got a radius block but don't recommend it. Radius is good but wood feels pretty soft.
@@joeydurant6267 Some are, some not so much. That's the gist of my post. I only have experience with aliexpress, not temu. Don't take big risks with either of those shops, I have had 99% good to great experience but some orders I got something totally different. And some stuff you can't even get in Europe for any price but are available from ali for a song.
