Painting Gibson Pegheads Black: Best Technique?

[slor]

I'm painting two Gibson pegheads black, one is a Melody Maker refinned in clear lacquer, the other is a Flying V with a pretty crappy peghead repair. Different situations, but essentially the same issue: How to best prep them?

-The peghead of the Flying V is stripped down to bare wood. I've never used epoxy as a grain filler before, but because the peghead is going to have a good bit of filling and sanding, it seems like a good time to try the "nuclear option" rather than the standard mahogany grain fill. Any advice?

-With the Melody Maker, can I level the existing finish (maybe using a coat or two of sanding sealer) and spray on that, or is there a reason to go down to bare wood and do the whole grain fill/sanding sealer/color/clearcoat bit?

Many thanks,

Seth