I usually screw the guard to a piece of scrap wood and heat it with my blow dryer as I bend it, to warp it just a bit. But if it doesn't crack on it's own, I'll cut it with a razor blade. I try to over-tighten the pickguard screws on the thin parts of the guard, hoping I can break it. I adjust the intonation, and I let the screwdriver handle dig into the finish a little as I turn it. there are specific points on the body that will take the impact first every time. I do this on a smooth concrete floor, then again on my work bench, then again on a hardwood floor, then again in the dirt. Next I set the guitar on the strap button at the butt, leaned up against "the amp" or "the stage" and I let it lean in each direction until it falls. On one of my guitars that has aged naturally in the 10 years I've owned it, this part has sustained the most wear (somehow. I've also sat and played, with a 1200 grit sandpaper "gasket" between the guitar and my leg, so I can wear the top coat through where it rests on my leg. Sometimes I'll speed that process with a 320 grit sanding sponge. I've also used a pick made from a penny, hammered flat, during this part, so I can see where the pick abuses the guitar most, and then I'll actually use various picks to repeatedly scratch that area. I've seen Fender CS relics with scratch marks and swirl marks from their relic jobs- so fake. Using heavier paper is an instant give-away. I patiently sand these areas thin with the 1000 or 1200 grit paper. This shows me where the paint would wear thin on the body, and leaves paint or polish where my thumb and palm rest most on the guitar neck. Next I tape a piece of 1000 or 1200 grit paper around my forearm like a sleeve, and put a little paint or shoe polish on my left hand, and I rock out on the guitar for a bit. These checks are hard to see at first, but after the last step, they show up better. I have gotten my best results using the canned air then waiting for the body to warm on it's own before spraying it again. Joe) can cause bubbling on the edges of the checks. I've read to alternate between heating and cooling the guitar to make these checks, but I learned that even using a blow dryer for the heat (granted, my blow dryer is top-of-the-line and could melt a G.I. When I finish a neck I usually REALLY layer up the lacquer on the headstock, to hide the decal's edge, and I find that the checks are bigger, and occur more easily. I also found that the thicker your finish is, the bigger and more pronounced your checks will look. But if you are using a lacquer (I use Deft lacquer sanding sealer from Lowe's, Duplicolor paint from Autozone, and Deft wood finish, which is nitrocellulose, also from Lowes) it works very well, and very quickly. First, it doesn't do much on a poly finish. after the guitar is totally assembled, I spray it with the liquid from an upside-down can of keyboard duster, to check the finish.
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