Sunburst Strat Project (part 1)

I have never set up any of my guitars in case I damaged them. I have an old 1973 Antoria Les Paul which had developed a bowed neck but I was too scared to adjust the truss rod in case I broke the guitar. However, it seemed pretty daft just to leave it unplayable like that and as I had nothing to lose I stuck an Allen key in and was amazed that after just one quarter turn the neck was spot on!

I decided that I should learn how to adjust all my guitars with confidence, so I decided to buy a guitar to practice on. Not wishing to spend too much money, I bought a Fender Squier Affinity Stratocaster.

Although it felt much lighter than my Fender, the Squier actually played OK straight out of the box. There were a few minor niggles. The action was a wee bit highish, the intonation was out and some of the frets were a bit sharp at the edges, nicking my hand as I played. I didn't like the feel of the satin finish on the neck. Although the light maple blended in nicely with my floor, I prefer a gloss finish and so decided I would also strip the neck and lacquer it. It was at this point I decided to go the whole hog and try and make a 60's relic.