Frosted Duco Stratocaster 2

This is not a typical Stratocaster body. It is all aluminum. I paired it with an aluminum pickguard and backplate. The body was originally done for Fender’s “Mustang” Tribute Stratocaster series awhile back. It had definitely seen better days. Because of its prior life, it had some dents and dings. That was okay with me. Many of the old Duolians I have refinished are like that. It feels like home. The word Mustang was engraved on the front. I didn’t think the “frosted duco” would do well with the fine detail, so I filled it prior to applying a finish. The body was also copper-plated. That seemed like a good thing for paint adhesion issues. The aluminum body is hollow, not machined from a solid block. It has an internal frame for strength and rigidity, but it has a hollow acoustic sound.

I went for a straight gold color on this one. No burst. Just sparkle. As far as I can remember, the pickguard and backplate are the same finish, but they sure don’t look that way. I liked the way that they contrast and separate from the body. A pickguard on a Strat shouldn’t match the color of the body. It needs to separate. As with the green duco Strat, I sourced parts from ebay. This one got the all maple neck with a “50s” profile. The maple looks nice with the gold.

I like the way this guitar sounds acoustically. It has a bit of a metallic, hollow echo. Not unlike a resonator guitar. Probably a characteristic that might not be much appreciated but the typical Strat player. But interesting to me.