Rob1299

Agreed. But there is fret buzz. And you can see the two cracks in the finish. Do you still think I could get $250 for it?

Soooooo.... I took out all of the hardware and electronics, including the tuners, and then I realized.... The '96 Squire Strat gets a bad rap for being made of "plywood." I just sold one of those for $125 after I copper shielded the electronics cavity. It is nowhere near as junky as this Epiphone Les Paul. Looking through the holes where the pots had been revealed that if I scraped off the finish, the entire electronics cavity would be exposed from the front. In other words, it looks like the routed the electronics and switch cavity all the way through and then laid the top on as a solid, 1/16" veneer piece. It also appears that the "wood" is actually pressboard, molded around a plastic internal frame. In other words, the inside of the pickup cavity feels like plastic - like they molded a plastic frame and then glued a molded pressboard frame on to it glued a pre-made plastic top on top. There also does not appear to be a neck joint - suggesting that the neck is a part of that "mold." I am shocked. I'm putting it back together and selling it for $200 to a beginner. The switch and pots are all good.

I don't think it's in mint condition. The tuners slip really badly. The reason I was thinking about a refret is I'm not very good, and I have brain injuries that are probably limiting my ceiling. I'm not sure, but I wonder if frets being too low might make it harder for me to fret bar chords. Th chip on the side... I'm guessing I can just fill that in. If I scrape the paint near the binding, how do I keep from damaging the binding? I was thinking I could run a razor blade between the front finish and the binding before I scrape.

Hi Everyone, I'm obviously new here. Need some help. I bought an Epiphone Les Paul (see attached photo) for $50 with a case. Surprisingly, the pots and switch are good, but the finish is hideous, and the frets need to be at least leveled and dressed (buzzing). I've never done bodywork of any kind on any guitar. But I don't want to pay for work on this guitar. I just bought a brand new American Performer Jazzmaster from Sweetwater, and my wife said I'm not allowed spend any more money on guitars unless I do the work myself. I really want to re-finish it. I can sneak out and pay someone to level/dress the frets for $100. But I need to do the stripping and refinishing (and replace the tuners) myself. My son is an amazing artist, and I'm going to let him design something crazy on it once it's stripped. I saw this article: https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/online-resources/learn-about-instrument-finishing-and-finish-repair/how-to-strip-a-modern-poly-guitar-finish.html But it has binding on the edges. Am I going to have problems? I'm afraid the heat gun will cause the binding to come off, and I'm afraid I'll regret it. Also, will the binding cause problems when I'm refinishing it? And how likely is it that I can re-fret it if I pay someone to level and dress the new frets?