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How to polish an old Les Paul SG

Adrian

New member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
10
I got an old Les Paul SG 1961, that I purchased in 1978 already. Back then it was reddish and shiny, but for an instrument with nitro laquere that is almost 60 years old, it’s not shiny anymore. Otherwize it’s a perfect instrument. Some years ago I tried to polish it with some oil for mahagony, but the guitar then got some tiger stripes: the oil got under the laquere because of the cracks in the finish. The stripes disappeared after some months, and for years now I’ve just polished it with a cloth dipped in some water. However, now I want to polish it again, so I ask; what do you use to get an old instrument shiny again, if it has some cracks in the nitro?
 

Phatfrank

Active member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
309
Thanks guys. Exactly what I wanted.

Just my 2 cents, but I never polish my old guitars - I only wipe them carefully with a soft cloth from time to time. To me they are waaaay more beautiful with proper patina, and if you're planning on selling it anytime soon I'd think twice about polishing it.
 

fernieite

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 3, 2010
Messages
609
Same here. Actually, I never use polish on any of my guitars, just clean them.
 

Adrian

New member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
10
I’m very careful with my guitars, so they all look like new. But my old les Paul Sg 1961... I purchased it in 1978 and it had really been out on the roads. And I’ve myself played it every day since 1978, so it’s 365x42 years, over 15 000 days! Well... it needs some cleaning, it’s 60 years old next year. I will use some of what has been suggested here, but very very careful.
 

garywright

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
15,583
So I polished the old guitar with Gibson’s pump polish and used a chrome polish on the metal parts. No, it does not look like it’s new, the cracks in the nitro can be seen all over the top. But... it looks good enough for the coming 10 years.
Pic from Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php? Det fbid=3291638094215288&id=100001073900509&set=a.512646745447784&source=48

please don’t take this the wrong way, and this is just my own personal opinion ..I don’t dig it ..weatherchecking combined with a highly glossed buffed finish just looks wrong ...play it often and let that natural aged patina return :salude

or ignore me ..cool guitar though :dude:
 

rockabilly69

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
2,872
please don’t take this the wrong way, and this is just my own personal opinion ..I don’t dig it ..weatherchecking combined with a highly glossed buffed finish just looks wrong ...play it often and let that natural aged patina return :salude

or ignore me ..cool guitar though :dude:
No gig deal that Gibson pump polish doesn't hold on too long:) That patina will be back in no time, but it will be cleaner than it was before.
 

Adrian

New member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
10
No gig deal that Gibson pump polish doesn't hold on too long:) That patina will be back in no time, but it will be cleaner than it was before.

I have always been careful with this guitar and sometimes wiped it with a damp cloth, so it was a surprise how much dirt there was after almost 60 years of playing - I have played it myself for 42 years! Dirt between the pickups, behind the bridge and between the volume and tone knobs.
 
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