Guitar Mill Nitro Refinish - Fender American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster Body - Ash - Black

Fender American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster Body - Guitar Mill Nitro Refinish - Ash - Black - Very Good Condition

*Please read description*

*Pictures of blonde body are for reference only*

. Body:
- Ash/3 Piece
. Weight:
- 5lbs 5oz

*This IS NOT the special edition of the AVII Black Telecaster*

I am the original owner of this guitar. The butterscotch blonde color on the guitar was not my favorite. I wanted to see this thing painted black. I proceeded to strip the paint and undercoat before shipping the body off to Guitar Mill for a nitro refinish. 

4 months later - The body on this guitar has been professionally refinished by Guitar Mill with nitrocellulose lacquer and sealer. The original finish was thick and sticky. It felt like the paint never fully hardened.

Underneath the top layer of paint was a 1mm thick poly undercoat sealer (see picture). Almost like an epoxy. 

This new finish is very thin and the body weighs 7 ounces less than before (it’s still fairly heavy). The refinish does not have the sticky feel like the original. On a separate tangent - I was able to play on a Fender Custom Shop body (also for sale) while the AVII body was being refinished.

It appears Guitar Mill uses a similar, if not the exact same nitrocellulose finish and sealer as Fender’s Custom Shop. They feel and even smell the exact same. I have no idea what Fender is using for their production line AVII models, but it is not the same as the Custom Shop/Guitar Mill finishes. Not even close. Does any of this matter?

I wanted to clarify these details because many people are under the impression they are getting a “true vintage nitro finish” with the AVII line. It is not so. It is a shot of nitro on top of a thick poly sealer. Essentially, no different than all other Fender models aside from the top coat. Meaning, these finishes will not age/wear much at all. Even if the paint does age and wear down, the entire body is sealed in a thick plastic shell underneath.

If the guitar finish doesn’t matter to you, then disregard everything written above. But to those who care, it is good to know that this body has been refinished at the same standard as a Custom Shop guitar. It is truly unique and feels like the real deal. This gives you the Custom Shop/Vintage flavor without the $4500+ price tag. 

A few things to note:

Listed in Very Good condition only because of the finish. A little bit of paint has chipped off around the Low E string ferrule and almost all screw holes. There are A LOT of buffing scratches visible throughout as the color is black. Smudges, dust, imperfections will all show on black. Also, there are two scratches on the back of the body, one near the neck plate, one near the string ferrules. One slight scuff on the front. The area around the control plate cavity has some indentations from where the plate was installed.

Please take a look at each picture to see various scuffs and scratches. 

This finish is going to age/relic fairly quickly. It is not the most durable finish, but that is part of the nitro charm. Guitar Mill did an absolutely beautiful job with this one. I am selling because I no longer need a Telecaster.

Included:
. COA + Fender zip case
. Genuine Fender neck plate + 4 genuine Fender slot head neck screws

*Please ask any questions, I will not accept returns*