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1960 Les Paul TV Special DC - refinished

RiverCityVintage

New member
Joined
Jul 23, 2019
Messages
27
I picked this up recently and am really liking it. No repairs anywhere, great headstock, great neck, great heel, no holes, but it has had Grovers put on it at some point, I am unsure whether or not the minis have to have a little reaming done to the headstock to fit. Newer tailpiece and I believe the knobs have been replaced at some point. The rest is original. I am having a hard time trying to decide whether or not to refinish it in the original TV finish, several respectable folks have responded to me and are willing to do the job, but it's got some decent flame in that slab of mahogany. A PRS worker did the refinish which is very nice, but I am trying to track him down so I can figure out what the serial number was and whether he did it in lacquer or poly. Lacquer would make the refin job very difficult...

Fun trivia - The Gruhn/Carter book calls this an SG special. Anyone care to clarify?!

F5DA7734-BAEB-405C-B00E-84D97104FA00.jpg2426BA8E-E9C2-4972-AA30-4339C26343A2.jpgB34217A1-2233-49DF-9BE1-3311C10309BA.jpg
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
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Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
Fun trivia - The Gruhn/Carter book calls this an SG special. Anyone care to clarify?!

Gibson changed the name of the Les Paul Special to SG Special in 1959 [I had a 1959 "SG" Special once]. I don't think anyone knows for certain why this happened.
My guess is that the silkscreen got damaged. :hmm
 

RiverCityVintage

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Jul 23, 2019
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Gibson changed the name of the Les Paul Special to SG Special in 1959 [I had a 1959 "SG" Special once]. I don't think anyone knows for certain why this happened.
My guess is that the silkscreen got damaged. :hmm

I just want to know, if most of the vintage enthusiasts and Gibson enthusiasts are so PC about Gibson history, why no one calls it an SG Special still.
 

JJ Jones

Active member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Messages
1,260
I just want to know, if most of the vintage enthusiasts and Gibson enthusiasts are so PC about Gibson history, why no one calls it an SG Special still.

I own a cherry red Special. Mine is a 1960 so no silk screen.
The correct name is SG-R for the red one and SG TV for the yellow one.

Another funny thing is why the Junior was called a Les Paul up to 1963.
 

springhead

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
262
There's plenty of 1960 LP Specials around - i.e. with the Les Paul Logo. Mine's late in the year and still has the logo. Who knows why.
 

Wally

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,535
Nice guitar, imho. It is easily identifiable by the patterns in the wood. If a refin is done, it would be transparent red for me. I say play it as is. Ommv.
 

mooser

New member
Joined
Jul 12, 2015
Messages
15
I am trying to track him down so I can figure out what the serial number was and whether he did it in lacquer or poly. Lacquer would make the refin job very difficult...

Quite the reverse, stripping lacquer is a piece of cake compared to poly.
 

RiverCityVintage

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Jul 23, 2019
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Quite the reverse, stripping lacquer is a piece of cake compared to poly.

it’s not really the stripping part that’s hard, but when it’s been finished in nitro, that means they likely used epoxy to even the surface, and definitely used pore filler. Those things are hard to get out of the wood if you’re trying to do a TV finish, you end up sanding way too much off the guitar. If they had done it in a urethane, it’s a lot less likely they did all that.
 

mooser

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Joined
Jul 12, 2015
Messages
15
it’s not really the stripping part that’s hard, but when it’s been finished in nitro, that means they likely used epoxy to even the surface, and definitely used pore filler. Those things are hard to get out of the wood if you’re trying to do a TV finish, you end up sanding way too much off the guitar. If they had done it in a urethane, it’s a lot less likely they did all that.

I see. I take your word for it that the pore filler is a pain. But urethane is really tedious to strip in my experience.
 
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