sepultura999 Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 Hey there. I had an idea for a guitar. Since I don't have about 1200 bucks to spend on a Gibson Voodoo LP (or SG dont know which one I want yet!) I was thinking of taking an epiphone goth and changing the look to a gibson voodoo. Before I invest I gotta find out if this is possible lol. I was thinking of taking the gibson goth body, stripping the paint down to wood and then adding the juju finish. You may want to copy the questions, paste it in a reply and add the answers under so it's easy for me and you. What I need to know is: Can you just go to the store and ask for a juju finish lol? What kind of finish is the juju finish (oil, water based?) Can I get parts that look like the gibson voodoo, red/black knobs for example? (note: i am not replacing the pickups, i'll just use http://www.universaljems.com/cart/bobbin.htm) Can I get a swamp ash LP rounded veneer top that I could just glue on? Is that red acrylic poster paint that gibson used on the voodoo? If I decide to paint the skull on how would I go about doing that since the epiphone ebony fretboard probably has a finish on it? If I have anymore questions that come to mind I'll post them. Here's a pic of what I was thinking of. Vugoth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 I believe the JuJu finish is a black stain or matte finish with red grain filler. I've heard it's not a very durable finish. If you wanted to convert a Goth to a Voodoo, you'd have to plane or saw the top off and re-top it with Swamp Ash to get the same effect. Can you just go to the store and ask for a juju finish lol? No lol. Unless you enjoy having store staff staring at you like you're some kind of moron. (which i'm not saying you are... but that's the kind of look you'll get) What kind of finish is the juju finish (oil, water based?) It's probably polyurethane-based, like most finishes used these days. Can I get parts that look like the gibson voodoo, red/black knobs for example? You could try emailing or phoning Gibson to see where they sourced them from, or if they custom-made (or custom-modified) parts in-house, and if they have replacements available. Can I get a swamp ash LP rounded veneer top that I could just glue on? Unlikely. Veneering is next to impossible on compound-curved surfaces. Is that red acrylic poster paint that gibson used on the voodoo? Huh? If I decide to paint the skull on how would I go about doing that since the epiphone ebony fretboard probably has a finish on it? Ebony fretboards are generally not finished. If you paint something on the fretboard, be prepared to have it wear off pretty quickly. If you want a skull on there, you could get a vinyl decal laser-cut, but again, not a permanent solution. The best way to go is to have it inlaid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sepultura999 Posted October 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 (edited) Unlikely. Veneering is next to impossible on compound-curved surfaces. I don't quite understand what you mean. Are you saying a rounded swamp ash veneer cannot be done? The LP Goth btw is flat surfaced. How do they go about rounding the top of the solid body LP anyway? -Jamie Edited October 8, 2004 by sepultura999 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 The top on a regular LP is carved so that it is arched. What they do is glue a maple cap on a mahogany base and then carve the maple top. You could probably find a swamp ash veneer but it'd have to be paper thin and purely cosmetic to fit the existing carve in the top. It would add nothing to the tone. The black base/red grain filler finish is very cool, though. I've been wanting to purchase a swamp-ash tele body for a long time now and do the same thing. I'd probably wind up putting several coats of clear on it just to keep it from wearing, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sepultura999 Posted October 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 That's fine if it doesn't add to the tone, I just love the look of the voodoo and the sound of the epiphone (hence why i'd keep the goth pickups). Plus I have a yamaha RGX121S in satin black finish so if I could give the Goth the Voodoo look it would be way better than having two black satin finished guitars. Warmoth makes carved tops so maybe I could give them a shout, if it's out of my league I'll just buy a swamp ash flat veneer top. -Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 Every Epiphone Goth LP i've seen has an arched/carved top. If you have a flat-topped Goth LP, i'd love to see photos of it. Flat-top Les Pauls are always have Junior/Special/Melody Maker in their names. I don't recall the Gibson or Epiphone Goth models falling into this category. Maybe you're not using the term "veneer" correctly. Veneer is paper-thin. Take a piece of paper and try to glue it to conform to the arched top of a Les Paul, and you'll see that it only wants to bend one way. You can't get it to fit a compound-curved surface without cutting, folding, wrinkling, or severely deforming it in some way. Veneer will usually split and tear if you try and stress it too much. With a lot of steam and a vacuum table, you may be able to get a veneer to conform to a compound curve, but i don't think it's been very successfully done. If you're talking about a carved top, that's another story. A top has significant thickness where you can carve contours into it to achieve an arched shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushy the shroom Posted October 9, 2004 Report Share Posted October 9, 2004 I'd use magic markers. No, seriously, unless you have a swamp ash les paul, and a lot of sandpaper, it would be hard. The voodoo finish would look a lot different on maple or mahogany. Good luck, if you're going to try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted October 9, 2004 Report Share Posted October 9, 2004 http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...=9865&hl=voodoo http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...=8032&hl=voodoo http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...=5431&hl=voodoo http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...=3614&hl=voodoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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