JonnyC Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 (edited) I'm just searching for a bit more information on this matter as i can't seem to find the answers to my questions. One of my Les Paul's Clicky is currently in the spray shop. I've always wondered about the headstock on them. The guitar in the pick above was in pretty bad shape, there are several chips to the finish on the headstock. This reveals that there seems to be some sort of cover (about 2mm thick) that goes ontop of the head which has the Gibson, and Les Paul Model logos on. For this guitar its not a problem as it will just be refinished, but for some of my other guitars that are in a bad way, are these Clicky sort of things the same material Gibson themselves use? Or maybe even Clicky Does anyone have any thoughts towards restoration on LP heads? Many thanks Edited May 28, 2006 by JonnyC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalien21 Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 woah. so les pauls' headstocks are not straight up wood with paint over it with inlays? they have some sort of thing glued on? wow. whoda thunk it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matttheguy Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 (edited) Les Paul headstocks are covered with veneers, like in the second Ebay link you have there. I'm not sure how they apply the 'Les Paul Model' logo on the guitars that carry that, but I'm willing to bet it's on the veneer itself. LMI also sells ebonized veneers for just the same purpose, but without the Gibson logo, of course. Edited May 28, 2006 by matttheguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 yeah its a veneer on the ones with inlay on the headstock, the jusk glue it on top then do the binding around it to hide the seam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 This seller seems to have a never-ending supplying of these overlays --don't know if it's straight up or not, but he's been selling (or trying to sell) them for a while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 I don't know which year they switched over, but "vintage" Gibson headstock overlays were made of holly. The inlay was set in black epoxy, then the whole thing was dyed black and glued on. Later overlays were made of a fiberboard type of material, already black. That's what those eBay headstocks use. From time to time the same guy also sells plain overlays for the LP standard. But they won't (for example) fit the narrower 50s style headstock like you see on most LP Studios. Depending on the damage, you might be better off having your luthier fill the divots with black epoxy, level and clear-coat again (rather than replace the entire overlay and decal). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matttheguy Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 They're quite expensive, also. I've noticed them on Ebay for awhile now, and even if they aren't from the Gibson factory, they look quite nice and would probably restore a guitar beautifully. But, it seems like he has a supply from someone who can get those from Gibson. Who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 There are quite a few sellers on Ebay Germany who seem to specialize in 'helping' people 'restore' their vintage instruments. This guy's stuff looks to be of better quality, but that's judging from the pictures. At the price he's asking, I'm not likely to find out. Obviously he's selling these for people looking to dress up their Epiphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rokeros Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Here: http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/plant_tour/pt16.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyC Posted May 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Thats great Rokeros. Very informative, thankyou! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian d Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 There was some talk on MIMF recently that Gibson inlayed a block of MOP into the headstock veneer, masked out the logo and then sprayed the whole thing black. Take off the masking and it looks like a perfectly fit inlay. It seems like a much easier process than inlaying the actual logo. The downside seemed to be that after a while you start to see the outline of the block. Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewu22 Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Here: http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/plant_tour/pt16.html Not to get to far away from the original post but, why are the people in the Gibson factory spraying finish without a mask? I don't care what kind of finish it is, spraying all day with no mask is gonna lead to trouble. Thinking out loud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 There was some talk on MIMF recently that Gibson inlayed a block of MOP into the headstock veneer, masked out the logo and then sprayed the whole thing black. Take off the masking and it looks like a perfectly fit inlay. It seems like a much easier process than inlaying the actual logo. The downside seemed to be that after a while you start to see the outline of the block. I have two 80s style headstock veneers for a LP Standard, and they are not done this way. These won't be going on any Epi...I have a 1980 LP Deluxe that will be undergoing a complete overhaul. Working on the restoration skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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