How to Apply a Headstock Decal - Tutorial
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2013
- Adding a decal to your custom build can give you a more complete look if you're making a tribute guitar, as well as being great for adding your own custom signature to your latest guitar build. With a custom decal you can emblazon your pride and joy with your own name, or the name of your guitar company.
In this handy video Kev shows you how to apply your own headstock decal, step by step.
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Be nice to this guy, he sells excellent quality necks and other stuff in the UK, his prices are good, and he's super helpful.
Having just this week received a Jazz Bass Neck from Northwest Guitars I can say that your comment is still 100% correct.
Yeah, these replies are kinda sht. He's being super helpful here.
Good video guys. I read down on the comments, I see no shame in applying a Fender decal if your not selling it as a Fender neck. Thanks for taking the time to show your process! There is no specific way to do things, I always find it interesting to see how others do them! Nice vid
I understand about not making the video too long but dang! I invested all that time watching and didn’t see the end product.
I knew a guy way back in the mid 80s who would take a $50 Strat copy and turn it into a Fender with a simple decal and paint job. They would end up in the local pawn shops and even music stores selling for $300-$500. Good to see the practice is alive and well.
Thanks for making this video showing the entire process. Most of the decal videos I found just show you how to apply the decal and then vaguely talk about lacquering and sanding without showing the process. I was a bit sidetracked because I had to research what “washing up liquid” is, but I found out it is what we call dish soap in my part of the world. After that, it was smooth sailing and my decal looks great! Thanks again
Your level of craftsmanship is both amazing and inspiring. It’s always that attention to detail that separates the mediocre from the great.
good to hear from someone appreciative of the quality purveyed here , as opposed to the blithering of low-life trolls
Your tutorial really helped me out with my project. I used a cue-tip to help smooth out the water bubbles after applying.
Thanks for taking the time to make this very helpful video, I'm planning to add a custom decal to a guitar I built and this gives me the info I need to handle the job. Much more comprehensive than the instructions that came with the waterslide paper itself. This video gives a realistic idea of the time and effort to get a high quality result.
Great video. For anyone wondering, this is what worked best for me. I sanded the headstock to bare wood, applied one layer of satin clear finish, and then applied the decal after an hour. I then applied around four layers on top of the headstock with the decal with an hour in between. I then sanded down the headstock, and applied another layer. Repeat around 3 times.
That's the way many are done today. I actually prefer the look of the original Fenders (the Leo years) in which decal was last and no type of clear was applied over the decal But only if the clear webbing shapes and fonts look good to me. There are great pics of the original Fender decals (link below) from each year that show the variations throughout the years. Great to use as a template to cut out your shape if your decal is not made that way already.
original Fender decals:
www.pinrepair.com/vgi/fendinfo/dstrat.jpg
I used this video to fix a new logo to my old Tokai.
It actually looks better than the originals on my other two!!
Thanks for the video, it helped a novice doing it for the first time.
👍
Thanks ! It’s really helpful! I have two fenders one deluxe and an ultra, but my first guitar was an squier, it’s old and almost lost the logo, recently made an full upgrade hardware and change the logo, this video helps a lot
This was a really useful video - very informative, thank you! Have used your lacquer in the past as well and it's great, I'd recommend it!
Excellent description! Thank you for the knowledge...My guitar turned out beautiful!
Thanks for the tutorial, good information.
Thanks for your time.
Just doing this process on my bass. Very helpful video. Cheers guys.
Glad it was of some help!
Great stuff. Probably the best tutorial I've seen yet.
This was very helpful. Thank you.
You do it the right way. I use almost the exact steps to apply them. Great work and looks fantastic.
Thank you for such a great easy watch and learning curve with your video - you explained it so well cant thank you enough - Malc the Fly
OMG! What a process!
Dude busted out the Swiss Army knife out... like a boss..
Great video...
This process takes time and patience..
Thanks for this video. I had no idea how work intensive this was.
Great video... thank you. Mine turned out great.
This is the only video I've seen so far that goes into how to finish and sand out the edges.
Okay... I followed your instructions in detail and I got excellent results, only I used a polyurethane lacquer and I made up my own waterslide decal with my own logo and printed it on special inkjet waterslide decal paper with clear medium ( hard to find...)
I got a very fine looking result thanks to your video.
Polyurethane IS NOT LACQUER!! Two different animals entirely. Lacquer was formulated in 1923 and polyurethane was invented in 1974. None of the chemical components are the same in either of these two finishes.
Very informative video thanks!
Thanks for the video. It is helpful
this guy is a millioner. thanks man
Awesome, thanks!
Awesome tutorial !
Thanks I tried this method and it works. Nitro lacquer 3 passes x 6, leave overnight - day 2 wet sand and re-apply the same as Day 1 - Day 3 sand down and re-apply 3 passes x 2 job done can't see any lines at all thanks North West guitars.
Thanks for the video. Results are what I am finding - you can put a lot of work in and hope that you will lose the "flash" of the decal, but you never do... You can make slight improvements, but it will always look like a waterslide with 1 turn of the headstock, and it will never disappear into the finish. I wish there was a screen print option available...
Nice one, I have one of your P Bass necks. My decal separated from the backing in about 30 seconds, which nearly ended in disaster! The video was a big help, cheers.
Glad it was of some help to you :)
I just bought a tele neck from northwest ..excellent
Looks good to me. I just finished applying a proper Fender decal on a late 60's Tele and also repairing and restoring a Squier neck that someone had butchered with the guitar with spray paint and other stuff. I do everything this guy does but I have a buffing wheel that I use to bring the final finish to a perfect gloss.
Great video! Thanks
Excellent camera work showing the sheen, and details.
There are a few brands the plastic model guys use micro sol and micro set that will make them dissapear on a flat glossy surface. Give that a try after one coat and then coat over it twice. Good video.
Day 24,
"As you can see there is still an outline. That's fine, I'm happy with that. We need to sand it 2 or 3 thousand times more until the outline slowly dissapears"
no kidding
Bobby Bob o
Best not tell him that a real '54 has the decal on top of the lacquer...
@@chriscolabella880 where do you think hes putting it genius ?
@Colonel Carlton gee hyuk gee hyuk = iq of 15 ?
A lot of guys do this. There's no harm in doing it. Thumbs up
excellent video.
Excellent demonstration, thanks for the tip as I am doing this project over the weekend. I would assume a good poly aerosol would be fine to use oppose to the Nitro. I don't like Nitro as destroys my sinuses as it is quite toxic, Thx !!
Fender will be happy you're doing this
I heard something about vinegar lightly applied to edges to make the outline disappear. You're lucky to get nitro. Not easy in Canada however. Regular lacquer is garbage as it never hardens. Machine heads eventually sink into the laquer, even after a year of drying first. My suggestion for anyone who can't get nitro is to use Maxx 2k. It's dangerous too so wear proper ppe. It works amazing and the notion it affects tone is crazy. I like this video thanks!
thanXss bro.. inspiration
Agree with Eric and Adam, would of liked to see the finishing process through to the end. Contemplating buying two spray tins of varnish from you off e-bay, one vintage amber gloss and one clear gloss including discounted postage is just under £30.00 so i would of like to see a top quality finish.... Go on finish the process!
Nice work...I had finally realized that - like snow falling on a piece of wood in the garden - That it made no sense to keep putting wet coats over a decal, else I would end up laying on 25 coats of nitro. I will say that your method is correct, and the best method to make the decal edges disappear without spraying for a month.
Good tutorial friend, I watched your video is very interesting, I'am going to apply the same method in my guitar, I have the sandpaper grade 1500 to buffing with turtle wax
In the mid-1980s, When I was a young child, my Dad (an electrical engineer) bought a black American Standard Fender Stratocaster. The finish started checking almost immediately, so, I remember being in my dad’s office at the house we lived in at the time, and he was on speaker phone with a man (who *NOW* would be referred to as a _Fender Master Builder)_ & my dad asked him “My 1969 Strat didn’t do this, what’s the deal?” And the guy from Fender said “well, in 1969 we were allowed to spray Nitrocellulose Lacquer into the finish & Nitrocellulose can expand and contract with changing wood” & at that time, Something my dad used *A LOT* was Freon Electronic Contact Cleaner (that got outlawed because of how bad for the environment it was & is) so being a toddler at the time, I always connected the two & lived under the assumption that Nitrocellulose was outlawed the same way & you couldn’t get it for love nor money _(like Freon electronic spray)_ fast-forward to my early 30s, I’d just become separated from the mother of my kids, I had two guitar bodies that looked like shit, so, I figure “f••k it, I’ll paint them myself” so, I’d always loved the 1996 Bonnie Raitt signature Stratocaster which is like Royal Blue-to-Navy Blue Burst & it’s an opaque burst color, so I decided to paint one that color, and one like Dimebag Darrell’s _DimeSlime_ color…so I was in Marlborough, Massachusetts after an appointment, and they have this Benjamin Moore store, and I go inside & I’m asking the guy questions about lacquer and he was a guitar player, and he mentioned Nitrocellulose & I was like “wait, I heard a guy from Fender say they weren’t allowed to use that anymore” and he said to me “Fender is in California” and I was like “yeah…” and he said “All Lacquer’s illegal in the state of California”, and he went in the back room, grabbed an aerosol can, brought it back out & showed my _Nitrocellulose Lacquor_ so I bought a can… and brought it to my dad & he was like “Where did you get this?!?” And I explained the whole thing to him…
I’ve never used nitro cellulose lacquer so I’m unfamiliar with the process. However, I use regular lacquer and I do six coats , ten minutes apart and let it sit for four days. Then I start with 1000 grit paper dipped in water ( I never add soap, that seems to be asking for trouble), then up to 1500 grit, ending with 2000. After that I use 4x steel wool. Then I let it sit overnight because it’s still a little soft after the sanding. Then I use scratch removal wax, buffing it out. After that it looks pretty good.
This video was very good, thank you for posting.
Thanks great instructional vid ....So if nitro can be sprayed over poly, as you have done to the headstock ....could you actually spray clear nitro over a poly finished body ....without problems? .....maybe with a light sand ?
Thanks :)
Hi. Thanks for the great video. Question: Before polishing, is the last step to apply a final coat of Nitro - or is the final step to give the headstock one last wet sand? Thanks in advance.
Great video! Thank you very much!
The decal itself also looks fantastic! Very accurate. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?
Hi, thanks for the video! I decided to completely refinish my neck and right now have raw, unfinished headstock. Will it be fine if I apply polyurethane over polyurethane instead of nitrocellulose? Thanks!
I love the spaghetti logo. I have that one stock on my 2017 MIM FSR. Nice aesthetic...
Thanks for the Great Video!
Did you sand all the decal area? Or Do you recommend concentrating on the edges only?
Just thought I'd post a tip based on experience in case it's helpful to anyone: I sanded through the decal when keying the mist coat after applying the decal. It was just a couple of tiny scratches, so I decided to just live with it. But to my surprise, when adding another coat of nitro, the scratches actually filled in and miraculously fixed themselves! I can only think the scratch released some of the pigment from the decal, and the solvent in the nitro then mixed it and filled in the gaps. So if you do go through the decal, might be worth applying a coat of varnish before aborting and sanding off the whole thing to start again.
I recommend having a printout of a fender headstock to compare positioning of the decal
You could use tracing paper because you can see everything but the space between the Capital "F" & "en" from the word, Fender, the bottom String Tree would be located there because Fender wouldn't cover up any of the letters with the String Tree. It's really simple. All you do is look at where the String Tree "Screw Hole" is & then you would know right where the Decal should go. Also remember that when you are going to apply the Decal, you put some water on the HeadStock so you can slide the Decal around if it's not right where you need it to be. One last thing, the word "Fender" & the "Patent Numbers" + "Stratocaster" should be parallel with the bottom edge of the HeadStock. Or just look at a picture of a Strat HeadStock. [Same would go with a Telecaster]. Just the Lefty HeadStock's are a little tricky when lining up the Decal....
I agree because I think he missed the mark on placement and angles
The process is correct. Final polish can be done with a luthier polishing wheel or wet sand with a 1500 and then use a high grade (Mcquires) glaze hand polish.
Nice work! Is nitro laquer necessary for success of dissapearing the edges? Will minwax polyurethane clear satin work?
I did that method on 4 necks and it works. 3 times spraying and sanding and it looks perfect!
How many coats of laquer did you spray each time before sanding?
At first I spray 4 thin coats with 15 min. in between and let it dry over night. The next day I sand it very carefully with 1000 grid WET just a little bit and spray 3 new more heavier coats and let it dry over night. Next day sanding again a bit more but not to much, be carefull and concentrate on the edges of the decal. Spray the last 3 heavier coats and let it dry over night. Now it's time for the final sanding. same procedure and always carefully with not to much pressure. It takes a while but it works!! My luthier said my deacals are looking much better than some original Fender :-) I'm working on a neck and can show you the result next week.
Thanks for the reply, I did my first try with a Jazz Bass build and I sprayed 3 coats and let it dry for 24 hours.
I then used 2000 grit with soap and water and prceeded to ruin the decal because instead of 2000 I used 400...
Anyway, removed the decal and laquer and starting all over again lol.
try and error......like the whole life :-) use 1000 WET and you can't destroy the decal except you push to hard. As I said it takes some time and always sanding with "love", I promise it'll looks perfect
Don't worry I believe you, it's just that I'm an idiot lol
Hi, thanks for tuttorial. Do you use water when sanding?
Does the sanding take some of the actual top layers off the decal (since the image is printed onto the bottom, where you adhere it to the wood), or does sanding just smooth the surface of the clearcoat sprayed on top of it?
I understand that we are also building up clearcoat around the border of the decal, to raise it to an equal level
But what causes the decal itself to go from opaque to clear?
Thanks for helping me understand. This might answer if we can overlap decals (I am thinking about a custom design printed myself on waterslide paper, and then a purchased gold Martin & Co decal overlapping some of it (which I can't print because my printer can't get that true shiny gold color). This would make it double as thick/raised in some areas... so do I need to do this whole process twice? One time to level out the wood with my custom design, then another time to level it to the logo I slap on top?
Thank you! This instruction was very helpful to me. I was able to apply my spaghetti logo just as you have shown here.
So all the people claiming this is dishonest or deceitful I would suggest you know very little of guitars. There are many many reasons to replace a guitar neck. The stratocaster is actually specifically designed with an easily removable and replaceable neck as this is the piece which receives the most wear. There are also aesthetic reasons. Fender only now make one vintage maple tint neck and it has the 7.25 radius. I have a USA standard and will be ordering one of these necks and doing this exact decal mod myself soon. As Leo intended!
Leo never intended for you to commit piracy with an aftermarket neck to fool people! He did the modular design so that if the neck got fucked up or needed repair or refret that it could be done in short order.
@@solarismoon3046 Leo's been dead for over 30 years so I'm guessing he doesn't give a sh*t.
Cheers for this video, very helpful!
I see a lot of people basically accusing you of counterfeit here, but I can say for myself that I'm a poor bugger who can't afford a real Fender but I'm also vain enough to want it on my guitar's headstock!
As long as you're not selling the guitar on and passing it off as a genuine Fender (which I'm certain you're not) there's no issue whatsoever in my opinion. Fender just looks better than Squier I think!
Jackass! That's no reason to commit piracy! If you want a Fender - BUY A FENDER!
Solaris Moon so dramatic... Calm down
@@solarismoon3046 how's it piracy? He's not selling it as a fender. Plus what if it's a licensed by Fender neck?
@@benasslick67 The intent is the same - to fool others into thinking that it's something that it's clearly not! A licensed product isn't a license to steal. It's so that you can make a copy LEGALLY of an already known design that is owned by the original maker. It's obvious that this isn't a Fender neck no matter what anyone says - it's not Fender no matter what the logo on it is or says. This jackass is clearly committing fraud to make people think that he has a real Fender Stratocaster when it's clearly not. If you want a real Fender guitar - BUY ONE! It's that simple - don't you think?
@@solarismoon3046 maybe it's not that simple for him bro maybe he has insufficient funds? Whatever the case is at the end of the day who cares it's his shit not yours. Stop getting mad.
Regardless of putting on a decal, what is the process of applying nitro lacquer onto a one piece maple fretboard and headstock? Like do i mask off every individual fret, or do i just do a few coats over the entire neck? Thanks
I wasn't sure about this guy at first, but when he pulled out the Swiss Army Knife for scissors, I knew we were kindred spirits.
I have a question and hopefully someone can help me, at the minute 14:25 the next day 4 passes of lacquer are applied again or only what was sanded is allowed to dry and the headstock continues to be sanded
Hello Northwest Guitars UK, excuse my english but i have a deubt, to remove the "borders" of the new decal, for eliminate the relief, i have to sand the borders right? not over the new decal? Please excuse my english
Too all those concerned: Headstock Decal's can be found on E-Bay, but you got to go to the purchase part to describe what kind of decal you want. As far as the clearcoat that's a matter of choice, Me I like (Minwax Clear Aerosol Lacquer). And Gregg it's spelled Meguiar's. I find Meguiar's Swirl remover does work kinda nice, but any fine cut cleaner work's wonder's then using (Johnson's Paste Wax) for the final step in polishing with a handdrill,after changing the pad's from fine cut cleaner pad to paste wax pad! P.S. Never bear down the drill while using fine cut cleaner or the wax, (Lightly). 10 inch flat pad's for the face and the back of the headstock as well as the body, and Meguiar's polishing ball for all the Arches.
Hi! What stain did you use to get that amber color on that maple neck?
Did you apply first or you mixed it with the lacquer? Cheers!
Hello , is it ok to do the same with a matching headstock ? like metallic colour
It don't stick to raw wood what type of clear should be used for the headstock to apply the decal ?
Do you have a video on how to install a walnut truss rod plug on a non-Fender neck?
but good video thanks!🤩
I want to try this with a nitro finished neck with an honey tint, will it be the same than a polyurethane?
Hi from Argentina, the water you use to sand with a grid paper is only water? or with another stuff in it???, for the colour white I mean, thanks Mario
Please SOMEONE tell me how you tinted the neck that color !! love it . All help is greatly appreciated .
Wood stain, or tented gloss
Great Tutorial!! Do you have any Tips to remove the old Decal?
Graf Ensteiner sand it
Do you have a recommended decal paper? I'd like to put my strat's name on my new Warmoth neck
I don't mind the outline, but the decal is much more shiny than the neck's finish. Is there a way to help dull the shine on the decal?
Attn: NW-UK... Will the decal work for me if I don't use the Nitrocellulose overcoat and use my Polyurethane instead...? Should I thin it down much...? It's the same stuff I used to finish the whole new and unused neck and headstock with in the first place. I have made my own TM logo and printed it out with a laser printer on special, hard to find waterslide clear 8-1/2 x 11 inch laser paper made by Avery. I want this to look good.
Will the decal stick if you don't use lacquer or polyurethane?
I know it's an old video but for "opaque" you need to substitue "translucent" - pedantic moi? Anyway, received a new Korean made Precision neck from Northwest Guitars a couple of days ago, not had chance to fit and set up yet but first impressions; very nice, excellent fret job and finish. Lets hope it plays as good as it looks. No I don't intend to fit a Fender decal..... Might design and fit my own custom decal though.
Great tutorial. Thank you. There is one question: my neck isn't laquered. Is it possible to apply a decal to raw wood? Thank you very much.
no ! why would you even want to try ?
Could I put more polyurethane overtop? And if I can is the process of coating it the same?
hi there did u apply the decal to the bear timber of the headstock ???
I did a flawless one using this method, thank you so much mate! Worth mentioning, make such the neck has finish on it first! Don't start on bare wood.
were you able to completely eliminate the decal outlines and initial opacity?
@@gershomtam1096 yes but took lots of clear. After a good build up, I would wetsand back with 1200 grit after every four or five coats. You just keep going.
@@lenduckworth99 well as long as I know I'll get there... thanks!
I'm currently planning on a design i'm putting together myself on waterslide paper.. plus a gold Martin&Co logo overlapping some of it. Wonder how many layers that's gonna take haha. I'd incorporate the logo into the design but I can't print such shiny gold color on my inkjet at home
and I don't wanna buy the sparkly gold ink with the pen for just one project... unless I start doing more projects! with it! hahaha
Hi , after the decal.. clear gloss nitrocellulose lacquer , am i reading right ?
I saw your video, and I've looked everywhere online for printable fender strat logos.
Will you send me your file?
Thx
Do I need to let the foundation layer of lawyer dry overnight before applying decal? Or can it be applied just an hour after spraying headstock
Can I ask for advice? I read somewhere that it's good to give a decal light layer of lacquer before soaking it in water. Should I do it, or you don't recommend it?
When I put one of these on, I start by sanding the face of the head stock with some 320 wet sandpaper so when I spray the Lacquer it has a rough surface to adhere too. Do you do anything like that?
yeah I do that too
There's a reason (most) guys don't wear make-up. We'd be there for 2 days getting it right.
Great job Northwest mate. Thanks for this top vid.Edit: I have ask.. do all guitar manufactures go to all this trouble?
I have a cheapo generic Strat with a perfect decal on it. How do they afford the labour costs of that?
what do you do if the neck is flat oak ( not glossy)? is there a non glossy topcoat?
does it better to cut the decal in the shape of the letters? just to be clean looking?