RESTORING AN ORIGINAL
JoHN BRo WN
Getting Lazy with Susan and a ’ 59 Fender Telecaster
Just as there are an infinite number of unique
guitar finishes, both vintage and new, there are
as many odd tools and secretive methods and
recipes used to make them unique, whether it’s
something special in the formulation of the paint
mix or a special tool used to apply the final coat.
Along the way, painting sticks and various other
spraying tools can prove very useful, freeing up
the hands so you can focus on achieving the
highest quality results. And just when you think
you’ve seen all the painting gadgets available to
mankind, along comes one more goodie—the
new Freehand Holder from Stew Mac.
To show off this handy new tool, I decided to
attempt a refinish on an original ’ 59 Fender
Telecaster. I also decided to resurrect a painting table I built that was influenced by a similar
design used by Fender in the 1950s called the
“Lazy Susan.” Before we start, though, I need to
point out a few dos and don’ts. When it comes
to a ’ 59 Fender Telecaster, paying attention to
simple yet very important details is a must!
Body Inspection
Fortunately, the pencil date [“ 59”] was still in
the bridge pickup pocket route. At the bottom
surface of the control pocket route was the
original impression of the 1/2" router bit. On
the inner side of the body, where the lower
cutaway meets the flat surface of the neck
pocket cut, there is a “convex surface,” which
is prevalent on ’ 59 Teles. By inspecting the
top of the stripped body, I could see holes for
the four 1/16" nails initially hammered in by
Fender at the factory.
Before spraying the body with black nitrocellulose lacquer, I preserved the penciled date in the
bridge pickup pocket route by putting tape over
it. I also hammered nails into the four nail holes
under the pickguard and bridge area, which will
later be removed once the finish is applied. This
will keep the nail holes clean and free of any
paint, which is exactly how they were when they
left the Fender factory in ’ 59.
Lazy Susan
The original “Lazy Susan” is a spray carousel,
or turntable, that Fender used for spraying its
guitar bodies until about 1962. This type of
60 PREMIER GUITAR DECEMBER 2009
spraying apparatus is still commonly used in
the furniture industry today. Fender’s version
consisted of a circular piece of plywood with
three caster-like wheels attached to it, which
would then be pinned down through its center to a bigger work surface, or table. Fender
finishers would then spray the top of the guitar body while rotating the carousel for even
coverage. Once the top was done and flash
dried, the body would be flipped over and
made to stand on the nails that were previously hammered into the body. They would
then finish spraying the back and sides for
complete coverage. Fender used this method
until the end of 1962, when it switched to
using 1" electrical conduit pipes flattened
on one end for use as “paint sticks.” These
sticks were attached to the bass side of the
neck pocket using two neck screws threaded
to the neck mount body holes. The difference is that the neck pocket in this ’ 59 Tele
will have complete spray coverage, whereas
the neck pockets of Teles made after the end
of 1962 would have an area on the bass side
void of any paint.
Brown Guitar Factory’s “Lazy Susan”
For my “Lazy Susan,” I used materials I had laying
around the shop. For the flat work surface I used
a cut down tabletop. To make my carousel, I used
an old shop stool that had a swivel seat. I cut off
the lower portion of the stool then attached the
stool seat bracket to the underside of the carousel work table—quick and easy with no wheels
or center pin needed. My “Lazy Susan” also
attaches to my new shop stand that supports the
new Freehand Holder from Stew Mac.
The New Freehand Holder From Stew Mac
I just have to tell you about the new Freehand
Holder (Stew Mac 6130). This tool really makes
spraying guitars very easy, and definitely gives
you another option if you don’t have your own
Lazy Susan. The Freehand holder eliminates having to use ceiling hooks or fastening the body to
a stick and holding it up until your arm cramps
up. It comes with two attachments (# 6131 and
6132), one for acoustic and the other for a traditional four-screw application. In the picture you
can see a 1963 Fender Jaguar body attached
to the Freehand Holder waiting to be sprayed.
This particular body required a special two-hole
attachment that we fabricated out of 1" electrical conduit and steel bushing, in order to achieve
the correct area void of any paint on the bass
side of the neck pocket—just the way it looked
when it left the Fender factory in 1963.
John Brown
John Brown, of Brown's Guitar Factory, is the inventor of the
Fretted/Less bass. He owns and operates a full guitar manu-
facturing and repair/restoration facility, which is staffed by
a team of talented luthiers. He is also the designer of guitar
making/repair tools and accessories that are used today by
instrument builders throughout the world.
brownsguitarfactory.com
info@brownsguitarfactory.com
www.premierguitar.com
