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Here is the 72 LP refin project (baby steps)

Joe Desperado

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Jun 8, 2004
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1,871
I saw an ad for a Les Paul on a recording forum for $600. Everyone must have figured it was a studio. I asked for some pics...and got a SHOCK! The guy I got it from was real cool. A Louisville Cardnals fan. He said it was a refin when he got it. So no harm no foul. He sanded it down and painted it black with a paint brush. Notice the binding was painted red too. It came with a Protector case and a 80's reissue case. It had dimarzio pickups in it. I sold the pickups and one case.

It might be worth a little more these days than what I paid. It would be hard to get my labor out of it.
 

kharrison

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May 18, 2006
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4,225
Great job:applaude If I need some paint work on one of my guitars can I call you:) Enjoy the guitar.
 

RickN

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Feb 12, 2002
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Very nicely done. Thanks for sharing that with us. :applaude
 

cherrick

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Jul 1, 2002
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5,730
Great work, Joe... so much better than I expected, and I expected a lot.

Good on you, mate.
 

Joe Desperado

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Jun 8, 2004
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Thanks everyone. I think a close in hand inspection would show it has some very minor flaws. Nothing that a few more gigs won't cover up!

The Gold is not very forgiving. As the finish continues to shrink (the finish is already 45 days old), some minor little specs are appearing. There was one really tiny scratch in the primer coat on the top that I filled with lacquer before spraying the gold. It was gone before the gold went on. The gold has now sunk into that scratch. Again these are very very small and you have to be a few inches away to see, but they are there none the less.

The binding had been painted RED by the previous offender. There were some nicks in the binding that I could not sand out without ruining the binding. After many attemps to get all the imperfections out of the binding, I ended up just leaving some in. This saved the overall shape of the binding. The result is that even though the finish on the binding is clean, you see some evidence of use underneath it. Again a few more gigs, and you'll never know.

I guess for me, the fact that it is a 35 year old guitar with a shiny new finish makes it seem strange. I guess now I get why people relic thier refins. This one will not get any relicing, but I at least understand it.

This thing does sound amazing. I always shyed away from NORLIN era guitars, but I am not sure why. This one can compete with any of the other 7 LP's I own. I am not saying it competes with a 50's lester...but it's very resonant! (I no longer own any 50's Gibson's, so I unfortunately can't do a real comparison)

JD
 

chasenblues

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Jul 3, 2006
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1,228
:wow :applaude :salude :3zone..... such a big change for the better.....nice job!
 

radioscooter

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Apr 5, 2006
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698
Hey Joe, did you use one of those big polishing/buffing wheels like they use on cars and at the Gibson factory? That shine on the back looks great!

-S
 

Joe Desperado

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Jun 8, 2004
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No, I wet sanded to 2000, then used fine rubbing compound by hand. Lastly, I used a auto glaze for removing swirls left from a buffer...even though I did not use a buffer. All done by hand.

JD
 

cherrick

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Jul 1, 2002
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Joe, did you stain the back? What are the details on that.
 

Joe Desperado

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Jun 8, 2004
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Cherrick,

Yes, I did stain the back. Normally you would sand the guitar then apply grain filler. This plugs up the pores. Then a coat of sand and sealer. After that you use dye to darken up the finish to the desired color. It is sprayed right over the work you have done previous. That allows it to have an even color.

To get the wood/grain to POP, you need to work the color before putting all those coats on. I used Minwax stain/sealer that you get from Home Depot. After final sanding, I masked off the binding and wiped 2-3 coats of the Minwax on. (This could have been done after the grain filler...but I did not use any). Once it had the color I wanted, I then did sand/sealer (clear) and then my lacquer. It's hard to tell in the pics, the you can actually see the wavy grain and all its characteristics. When a normal dark back is done, the grain is much harder to see.

JD
 

scundo

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Joined
Jun 6, 2002
Messages
54
Outstanding :applaude I think it's time to start sniffing around EBay for a new project guitar. That just inspired me. Excellent work. You should be very proud.:salude
 

marika

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Nov 8, 2004
Messages
186
joe
did you notice any variance in the back vs the side edge wood uptake of the dye? i have had a problem on a recent project keeping the flat back & sides the same color. Seems the side edges absorb the dye more than the flat back therefore the sides are darker than the back.
 

Joe Desperado

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Jun 8, 2004
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1,871
Yes, the sides (end grain) will take more stain than the surface of the back. Even the tail end of the guitar sides verses the top or bottom part of the sides and back. Meaning that the stain absorbs darker by the strap buttons where the gain is on end, verses in the neck of the body where there is a lot of side grain.

To combat this, I only stained the sides once and applied stain several times to the back. If you add dye to the lacquer this is not an issue. It is only when dying or staining the raw wood.

JD
 
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