Andyjr1515 Posted June 29, 2016 Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 Hi All I've recently kicked off a refinish mini-project for Chris P, the m/c of an open mic night that tolerates me and our old-gits-band's bassist, Pete. At these events I, who am not the band's vocalist, sing and Pete, who is not the band's guitarist, plays lead. I think the pub treats it as 'care in the community'.... Anyway, Chris P has been going on a while to me to have a go at refinishing his Gibson LPJ. He likes playing it and its sound but is a bit underwhelmed by its utilitarian look: I gave all the normal 'why not sell it and get a fancier one.....you never know what the paint might be hiding....you want it binding? That can be tricky with a set neck and could go wrong..." advice, but he wants me to have ago, whatever the result. First thing I did was look at the wood as best as I could while the paint was still on: There was one mark visible on the top - you can see it just above the neck volume in the above photo. The back was clearly multi-section and with quite marked colour variation: ...but the figuring on the maple top looked interesting: So - nothing for it but to strip everything off it and then see what is under the finish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 29, 2016 Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 I'm coming along for the ride! Does he have a new finish in mind or will that decision be made after you've raised the hood and peeked inside? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 3 minutes ago, ScottR said: I'm coming along for the ride! Does he have a new finish in mind or will that decision be made after you've raised the hood and peeked inside? SR Something like this (without the flame): Or like this: As you can see, no pressure then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 I hadn't had a close look at the LPJ's before - I had always assumed the finish was like a satin-finish Studio - and was quite surprised JUST how thin this finish appeared to be: Now I've been tricked before...where you take off the easy and flaky top coat off only to find a clear and impenetrable primer coat underneath. Having stripped out all the hardware, I got the sanding block out: Could that be WOOD? ALREADY???? It was Pretty nice grain pattern too. The dark patch is definitely a colour variation in the wood and not a burn or dirty mark, but given the intended 'old' finish wasn't going to be a particularly bad feature. The back is - as also suspected - quite variable in colour for the three sections. However, again, with staining this is not likely to be a huge issue: Next to tackle - the binding... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 29, 2016 Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 Yeah that finish shouldn't be too tough with what you've got to work with. I'm looking forward to seeing you tackle the binding. I have absolute faith in your abilities. Sr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMpleONe89 Posted June 29, 2016 Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 What about faux binding? You can trick him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 51 minutes ago, SIMpleONe89 said: What about faux binding? You can trick him... Ah....but you're talking to someone who's seen what @ScottR was able to do on a mandolin.... ....after that, faux seems so....well...faux 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 So, inspired by @ScottR and looking at the kind of thing owner Chris was after, I decided that it MUST be possible to make a half-decent job of binding. The plan was to use the Stewmac Dremel guide for the bulk, and then chisels for the two areas near the neck that the guide would not be able to reach. The Stewmac guide is....how can I put this kindly...better than nothing : I've used it before and, while it WILL do the job where a conventional precision base won't, it does have to be used with care - mainly that of trying to keep the Dremel perfectly upright at all times. This was the rout: The chiselling at the upper neck join was straightforward: The chiselling at the other side was a bit more tricky: The binding has to actually go into the neck to end up flush The guide follows the top surface and, at the lower horn, this rises then drops again. As such, you have to level off a small hillock on the bottom shelf of the rout I then spent a lot of time with some scrap binding ensuring that all of the routs were level and square. Any lack of squareness leads to twists and if, for example, that happens where the binding curves back on itself, this would lead to gaps. All done, I got a tube of UHU hart glue and stuck it : ...and that brings the project pretty much up to date other than to confirm that the stick has indeed stuck and initial scraping bodes well: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 30, 2016 Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 24 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said: The Stewmac guide is....how can I put this kindly...better than nothing : Yup. You've made a good looking job of it in spite of that little tool. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 2 hours ago, ScottR said: Yup. You've made a good looking job of it in spite of that little tool. SR As one of my former bosses once said to me, "Well, Andy, we've made very good progress, in spite of your help." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 You're a brave chap Andy - I'll give you that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 Brave but knowing what might happen is very different to brave and eyes-closed, ears-plugged! The top should look more like the first LP Andy. They were rarely bookmatched back in the day. Slip matched, randomly put together from different stock. That's part of the thing though. I almost asked if the Maple might be a veneer, however Gibson...."yeah". "Let's put AA Maple under that goldtop". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 Even though the example looked bookmatched.....you know what I meant....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 I had the first bash with some stains. Got the colour reasonably well but - to me - it looked a bit boring so I've sanded it off again to try a few other things. From a colour point of view, I was aiming for this one: ...and got to this first time round: The main issue is that one of the 'wood dyes' I was using turned out to be NOT what it said on the tin. It wasn't a soak-into-the-wood dye, it was a sit-like-paint-on-top-of-the-wood stain in reality. As such, it all but completely hid the wood grain. So I've stripped it all off and am trying some alternatives. By the way, the finished article will, of course, have cream pickup rings, etc.. I popped the original ones on because I am hopeless at envisaging the overall look of a finish without at least some token hardware in place 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 OK - this is starting to get to what I was after... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 Nearly there, just need a subtle burst. You're making this look easy, you know. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMpleONe89 Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 How hard would binding the fretboard be? Not too hard for you I'm sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 5 minutes ago, SIMpleONe89 said: How hard would binding the fretboard be? Not too hard for you I'm sure! For this particular job it would certainly be a binding too far 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 I've added the first sealer coats and am now getting much happier with the results. In real life the maple grain catches the light quite dramatically for a 'plain' figure and brings out the yellow tints rather than the red and orange ones. I'm now starting to thing a bit of a gloss coat might enhance - originally I was going to go satin. I'll ponder on that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 3, 2016 Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 I'm not 100% on that myself. It doesn't get that close to the examples posted Andy. I think it looks like the dye went on a little blotchily? Not sure whether that can be remedied or simply if it's fine as it is. It looks like some areas have pulled out a deep tangerine and the others a bright orange rather than the more brown-related tones of the bursts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 25 minutes ago, Prostheta said: I'm not 100% on that myself. It doesn't get that close to the examples posted Andy. I think it looks like the dye went on a little blotchily? Not sure whether that can be remedied or simply if it's fine as it is. It looks like some areas have pulled out a deep tangerine and the others a bright orange rather than the more brown-related tones of the bursts. I know exactly what you mean, Carl - but it doesn't actually look like this Each time I look at the photos and I think "....nah, that's not right", and then I go to redo it, go to the workshop, see it in the flesh and think, "hang on, that IS right." Part of the problem is that my camera has real issues with reds, oranges and ambers. In real life, this is yellows to ambers to browns and not at all tango that it looks in the photos. This is maybe a better shot - no direct light and a tweak on the white balance - although it still shows through as overly orange: Does that make it look a bit better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2016 In fact, this is much closer (I've tweaked the colour balance with the guitar in front of me to try to get close). Even so, the patch of red in the middle of the lower bout isn't red at all - it's brown! Just looked again...yup, this is pretty close to what it actually looks like, for better or for worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Is that "dirty" colour a real thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 20 minutes ago, Prostheta said: Is that "dirty" colour a real thing? Not really. In tweaking the colour for the lighter bits, it has turned the outer areas greenish, which it isn't. The outer bits are closer to the pre-tweaked shot, the lighter bits are closer to the post-tweaked version. If I get chance, I'll layer the two in Photoshop and merge to get closer. If I hold the guitar up to the screen with the very first example shot in the thread (which is what the owner sent me) the colours are pretty close....assuming that photo is also representative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Orange and red have always been problematic for many people. I need to start using a grey card for the same purpose. The Hipshot bridge review I did last week was a nightmare for lighting with the white balance from a half-overcast half-sunny day changing minute to minute. Each photo had a totally different lighting fix even in RAW.... Maybe I should build a DIY softbox for product photography.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.