Want to re-stain my Les Paul but...

[RickBlacker]

Hey all, I have an Epiphone Les Paul it's blue and in great shape, but when they stained it, it would appear as though they went skimpy on the stain and it's not a nice dark rich blue, rather a pale blue.

Thought about sanding it down and re-staining it HOWEVER... My biggest concern is the white/beige bindings around the body. It would seem as though if I sand the guitar, the bindings will then have very small micro groves in them, thus when I apply any stain, the stain would then get into the bindings and tint those as well.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I could darken the wood without affecting the binding around the body???

Thanks all.

[verhoevenc]

Sand to 320 before refinish. You'll be fine.

Also, given it's an Epi it's likely top top is a veneer. So try and sand minimally. I'd suggest chemical stripping, not sanding the finish off. Try citri-strip. Non-toxic, works on most finishes.

Chris