Re-finish

[laza616]

Hey guys
I have made a decision that one of my SGs is gonna get s new "jacket" for the rest of my days
At first i was quite 50-50 between TV yellow and Arctic white
Please note that the guitar has a thick polyurethane finish and its gonna get nitro
I was playing with the idea of satin finish, not gloss one
And i have seen this awesome pelham blue SG in Rick Beato video that got me all uncertain about what i actually want
Because i want all the three mentioned finishes - arctic white, tv yellow and pelham blue
The problem is that its costy for these days - 200€ and i only have one guitar that will get the new coat as the other SGs i have dont need , this one does
Pls help me decide because i really like the satin finish idea, but my Gibby standard with the glossy nitro is also damn fine
I am lost, like 33-33-33 and i need to add that 1% for one from these three finishes
Also i am not sure if these finishes will be ok satin or not so there i need advice!
And i want to avoid any further confusion of my taste, so i would be glad if you would not come up with other finishes because i tend to get liking anything lately and i would be just more uncertain
I only ruled out the cherry and the ebony black finishes
Yeah and dont worry about hardware colour or these details

 

[Col Mustard]

The quick answer to your question: Pelham Blue

Now the thoughts that your question raises... skip if uninterested.

First: if you're uncertain about what you want, do nothing
until you KNOW what you want. Only you can find that knowledge.

Second, remember our motto here:
PICTURES, OR IT NEVER HAPPENED

If you show us what colors you actually have
we might give suggestions about what would look good
with the other two.
We want to see your SG(s) anyway, of course...

Third: Remember that guitars built with ugly wood are usually
painted in opaque colors at the factory, because ugly wood sounds
just as good as lovely wood, but sells better when it's concealed
by paint.

Other members have begun a misbegotten refinish project only
to discover that their SG won't look very good with the planned
finish...

Fourth: Remember that all Gibson SGs are finished in lacquer.
Other lesser guitars are finished in polyurethane, which is one reason
they are cheaper. The finish makes no difference to tone. Polyurethane
is an excellent and very practical guitar finish... very tough and very protective
of the instrument.

You haven't told us if your guitar under consideration is s Gibson or
not. If you are considering refinishing an Epiphone, it's a bad idea.
It's cheaper to simply buy a Pelham Blue Epiphone G-400 than to
refinish one. and you get an extra guitar.

Finally: My suggestion is to simply play the hell out of the guitar in question...
(maybe it's fine the way it is.)
But first, removee the strings, clean the fretboard with windex, and scrape off
all the crud with an old credit card or a guitar pick. Oil the fretboard with fret doctor, then polish the frets with Gorgomyte. Wipe down the finish with the best guitar
polishing compound you can find or afford. Then install a new set of your favored
gauge and brand of strings. Then play the hell out of it, and listen carefully.
Maybe you don't need to do anything.

 

[living room rocker]

Number one choice here would be pelham blue in gloss. Gloss white would be second.

 

[Decadent Dan]

Here’s a pic of some finish damage on a PB Standard I had. Notice the clear is on top of the blue (that’s why they turn green and white turns yellow).
I don’t know what type of paint they use but nitro over poly is supposedly a no no.

 

[Col Mustard]

yep, it's a bad idea and more work and expense than its worth...

 

[laza616]

More details

Its an Epiphone, but not an ordinary one. This is more rarer than other Epiphone. Made in Czech republic, 2000 year. Gibson truss rod in the neck, long tenon, more heavier, more wood, meaty sound, awesome rounded profile neck. Its all set perfectly, cleaned and smooth as it should be. It has Gotoh hardware and Nubone graptech nut.

The issue is that few months ago the screw holding a strap button on neck/body joint broke and the part of the screw got stuck in the body. Drilling was needed and the finish wasn damaged around, it got sanded around and yeah it looks bad


Now, its a non important thing because it has absolutely no affect to the perfect tone of the guitar or anything. It just that the guitar is my favourite, i prefer this one over my Gibson Standard anytime. This SG is like a tank, its perfect. And the wood in the guitsr has no grain filler, looks completely white. So there is no point in keeping it this way as its cherry+black white wood = pinky colour, girly hahah-just kidding its the least important thing that its pinky
But all other aspects are perfect on this guitar, the only thing that can be brought to the perfection is a new and quality nitro finish
I have found a guitar maker luthier that will do the work - stripping off the old poly finish, refinish in whatever i decide in nitro - glossy or satin, as i wish.

I never had an opaque colour finished instrument and i love all the above mentioned finishes
But i dont know if the finishes mentioned above are good in satin versions, or its better glossy.

 

[smitty_p]

The quick answer to your question: Pelham Blue

Now the thoughts that your question raises... skip if uninterested.

First: if you're uncertain about what you want, do nothing
until you KNOW what you want. Only you can find that knowledge.

Second, remember our motto here:
PICTURES, OR IT NEVER HAPPENED

If you show us what colors you actually have
we might give suggestions about what would look good
with the other two.
We want to see your SG(s) anyway, of course...

Third: Remember that guitars built with ugly wood are usually
painted in opaque colors at the factory, because ugly wood sounds
just as good as lovely wood, but sells better when it's concealed
by paint.

Other members have begun a misbegotten refinish project only
to discover that their SG won't look very good with the planned
finish...

Fourth: Remember that all Gibson SGs are finished in lacquer.
Other lesser guitars are finished in polyurethane, which is one reason
they are cheaper. The finish makes no difference to tone. Polyurethane
is an excellent and very practical guitar finish... very tough and very protective
of the instrument.

You haven't told us if your guitar under consideration is s Gibson or
not. If you are considering refinishing an Epiphone, it's a bad idea.
It's cheaper to simply buy a Pelham Blue Epiphone G-400 than to
refinish one. and you get an extra guitar.

Finally: My suggestion is to simply play the hell out of the guitar in question...
(maybe it's fine the way it is.)
But first, removee the strings, clean the fretboard with windex, and scrape off
all the crud with an old credit card or a guitar pick. Oil the fretboard with fret doctor, then polish the frets with Gorgomyte. Wipe down the finish with the best guitar
polishing compound you can find or afford. Then install a new set of your favored
gauge and brand of strings. Then play the hell out of it, and listen carefully.
Maybe you don't need to do anything.

As always, wise words from the Colonel.

 

[DrBGood]

It would have been more appropriate to post this in the Epiphone section.

If you never done it before, poly is a PITA to strip from any guitar.

Nitro is not a friendly finish to use, nasty stuff right there.

Most simple solution that will get you at the exact same point if to sand the finish, so it becomes mat and ready to receive a new coat of paint that will adhere to the surface. Then find the exact color you want (I'm for Pelham Blue too) and have your local car paint supplier mix you a can of paint that has the clear already mixed in. That's what I use for booboos on my van, and it is miraculous.

If it was mine ... I know I know, no suggestions you might want to add to your internal debate, but still ... Once I'm at it, I would sand the bevel edges to make them crisp, sharp, before repaint. You might then need to prime those areas before the paint job.

 

[Decadent Dan]

More details
View attachment 49710
Its an Epiphone, but not an ordinary one. This is more rarer than other Epiphone. Made in Czech republic, 2000 year. Gibson truss rod in the neck, long tenon, more heavier, more wood, meaty sound, awesome rounded profile neck. Its all set perfectly, cleaned and smooth as it should be. It has Gotoh hardware and Nubone graptech nut.

The issue is that few months ago the screw holding a strap button on neck/body joint broke and the part of the screw got stuck in the body. Drilling was needed and the finish wasn damaged around, it got sanded around and yeah it looks bad
View attachment 49711

Now, its a non important thing because it has absolutely no affect to the perfect tone of the guitar or anything. It just that the guitar is my favourite, i prefer this one over my Gibson Standard anytime. This SG is like a tank, its perfect. And the wood in the guitsr has no grain filler, looks completely white. So there is no point in keeping it this way as its cherry+black white wood = pinky colour, girly hahah-just kidding its the least important thing that its pinky
But all other aspects are perfect on this guitar, the only thing that can be brought to the perfection is a new and quality nitro finish
I have found a guitar maker luthier that will do the work - stripping off the old poly finish, refinish in whatever i decide in nitro - glossy or satin, as i wish.

I never had an opaque colour finished instrument and i love all the above mentioned finishes
But i dont know if the finishes mentioned above are good in satin versions, or its better glossy.

Is the sanded area in this photo what you are talking about? It’s not that bad, imo. Certainly not bad enough to refinish the whole thing. You could buff it out to get rid of the scratches and let it go. It’s on the back anyway

 

[Go Nigel Go]

Personally I would agree with the above, that looks like something I could easily live with on a guitar I like and play regularly.

If you just want to refinish to make the guitar your own and match an image you have in your mind for what you want the guitar to look like, then go for it. Step one however is to decide for yourself what it should look like, and I can't really answer that one.

I do know that as others have stated above, a full refinish is quite an involved affair involving a fair investment of time, effort, and money. That said if you wind up with the guitar of your dreams afterwards it may be worth it. A proper refinish can be every bit as beautiful as new, but I have seen a more than a few attempts where I would prefer a well worn relic when it's all said and done.

 

[MR D]

Hey guys
I have made a decision that one of my SGs is gonna get s new "jacket" for the rest of my days
At first i was quite 50-50 between TV yellow and Arctic white
Please note that the guitar has a thick polyurethane finish and its gonna get nitro
I was playing with the idea of satin finish, not gloss one
And i have seen this awesome pelham blue SG in Rick Beato video that got me all uncertain about what i actually want
Because i want all the three mentioned finishes - arctic white, tv yellow and pelham blue
The problem is that its costy for these days - 200€ and i only have one guitar that will get the new coat as the other SGs i have dont need , this one does
Pls help me decide because i really like the satin finish idea, but my Gibby standard with the glossy nitro is also damn fine
I am lost, like 33-33-33 and i need to add that 1% for one from these three finishes
Also i am not sure if these finishes will be ok satin or not so there i need advice!
And i want to avoid any further confusion of my taste, so i would be glad if you would not come up with other finishes because i tend to get liking anything lately and i would be just more uncertain
I only ruled out the cherry and the ebony black finishes
Yeah and dont worry about hardware colour or these details

Well, I always say 'PAINT IT BLACK !', BUT this one time........just this one time........ I'm goin w/Arctic White !

(w/Gold Hardware ? ...if its done right ? Holy $#!T !..... it should be BAD-A$$)

 

[laza616]

Its not gonna be done by me, guitar luthier maker will do all of it - get rid of the old finish and apply the new one
I will just pay for it and wait for it, i was told its gonna be around 200€ which is acceptable for me for a "custom" refinish in nitro
Pelham blue is leading as i see it, the question is - satin or gloss pelham blue?

 

[Decadent Dan]

 

[laza616]

Dan - I dont want a new guitar.
I mean, guys, the guitar i want refinished is perfect when it comes to playing, tone, its like an extended part of me.
Of course the easiest way would be the new guitar. But only in case i just wanted new guitar or a different finish.
Since i mentioned above in my posts that this guitar is by far the best i have (i already told my wife if anything happened to me, and you needed money sell every guitar, even my Gibson but not this one) and its perfect in every aspect except for screwed up finish, which the guitar doesnt deserve. So i am absolutely fine spending money and getting a nitro finish. We are talking about replacing thick poly finish that is screwed up by nice nitro coat with s different colour this time (as i have 6 SGs currently and 5 are cherry red).

 

[Westernrider]

There has to be one recommendation from another point of view, unwanted and forlorn.

If I were the guitarist in a grim and frostbit band such as Immortal, yeah, I'd have arctic white guitars.

When winter denies the dawn
When the sun is held captive
There is no place where you can run
Out here you'll die alone

Blood upon stone
The hunt is on

Now you will see
Now you will embrace your end

When light wins the struggle
When rays burn through the fog

Blood upon stone
The hunt is on
From the Cult of Luna

Arctic white has a problem. If this color gets chipped and bruised, it looks worse than the first dent you just put in your father's car. Yeah, remember those days! As time goes on, it just doesn't show any character.

So, one might consider selecting Antique White over Arctic White.

 

[laza616]

Pictures of my dilemma

Or

Or

 

[Decadent Dan]

Dan - I dont want a new guitar.
I mean, guys, the guitar i want refinished is perfect when it comes to playing, tone, its like an extended part of me.
Of course the easiest way would be the new guitar. But only in case i just wanted new guitar or a different finish.
Since i mentioned above in my posts that this guitar is by far the best i have (i already told my wife if anything happened to me, and you needed money sell every guitar, even my Gibson but not this one) and its perfect in every aspect except for screwed up finish, which the guitar doesnt deserve. So i am absolutely fine spending money and getting a nitro finish. We are talking about replacing thick poly finish that is screwed up by nice nitro coat with s different colour this time (as i have 6 SGs currently and 5 are cherry red).

That was a vote for blue. Good luck.

 

[DrBGood]

Pictures of my dilemma
View attachment 49715
Or
View attachment 49716
Or
View attachment 49717

If you want the TV Yellow, your guy is going to charge you double than a solid color, an it might never look as this one you're showing.

 

[Decadent Dan]

If you want the TV Yellow, your guy is going to charge you double than a solid color, an it might never look as this one you're showing.

He’s jumping off the bridge. Should he do a flip, cannonball or belly flop? We both know what’s going to happen.

 

[laza616]

I dont know guys, i am more about Pelham
But i have no idea if its good enough satin or should it be glossy?