Being a big fan of Mastodon, my guitars are basically what Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher play. This 1983 "The SG" Silverburst that Brent Hinds says his main, is wicked looking, But "The SG" Silverburst is so rare in the market, so I decided to make a copy of it. Today, I bought a 70's Tribute, and I will refinish it to look like Brent's Silverburst. Of course, the two guitars are not identical, 70's Tribute has those trapezoid inlays while the Silverburst has dots, and rosewood for the 70's Tribute while the Silverburst has ebony board. This is what I am considering to do: 1. Refinish the front of body to Silverburst. 2. Dye rosewood fingerboard to look like it's ebony. 3. Add pickguard. Here are my questions: 1. This Tribute looks like it has very thin layer of lacquer, pores of mahogany are not completely covered whereas the Silverburst looks glossy with layer of nitro lacquer. Would you recommend to add layer of lacquer to the entire guitar including neck and headstock? Or should I keep the front of body with thin layer of lacquer just like the rest of the guitar? 2. Any recommended material for dying the rosewood? Thank you guys! Don
Cool idea. But if I was you, I would use a SG Firebrand. It's almost the same guitar optically but much cheaper.
Here's one that would be a candidate for a re-fin, and would look pretty good when done... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-1980-Natural-SG-Firebrand-Body-Ebony-Neck-/351589623003
I think thebastarddon is onto something. Btw. I've always dug on his silverburst sg and I hear the early 80's models have a super thin and narrow neck. The one he posted would be so much easier to convert and would be way more authentic. My white 2013 standard looks just like one of his main rigs.....coincidence, I think not! In an interview he said it was by far one of his favorite guitars. Eventually I'll have a silverburst in my arsenal too. Good luck and happy modding! Keep us informed with progress picks!
Wow, this Firebrand really has an ugly body wood combination - perfect for refinishing. :-) If I only lived in the states ... such a nice body for such a cool price.
Sorry, I had no idea where you were located. I've purchased two body husks from that seller over the last few years. They both arrived well packed, and exactly as pictured. They both turned out well beyond my expectations. Perhaps there is something similar in your area. The 70s tribute that the OP(oops) pictured above looks to be an excellent guitar though!
If those 70's tributes have the same finish as a faded, you'll probably need to pore-fill and seal the body before spraying lacquer or other finish coats. The open grain of the mahogany will pull the finish coats right in, and it will be a nightmare trying to get it smooth and shiny after getting through all the orange peel.
Note the difference in the burst between the original and the 70's tribute. The original has a teardrop shaped burst while the tribute's burst follows the outside shape of the body. Also, the tribute uses no grain filler so if you want a mirror flat finish, you will have to apply MANY coats of lacquer to it and wet sand it flat (that or strip it, fill it and respray the burst, then apply the lacquer ). There is also the obvious differences between the two guitars in the fingerboard woods, neck inlays and position of the toggle switch. I'm willing to bet the original silverburst has a 3 piece laminated neck as well.
Thank you for the great idea! I wasn't aware of the Firebrand. True, the Firebrand would be much similar to Brent's Silverburst compared to my 70's Tribute, but there are not so many of them in my country, South Korea. Thank you anyways.
I agree the Firebrand would be much more authentic and close to the original, but they would cost me more than buying this 70's Tribute in year-end clearance in Korea where I live. Thanks, Mastodon Fan!
Appreciate your great insights! I am speaking with one repair shop, and they suggest the same thing, sand out the original finish head to toe and have the entire guitar refinished with gloss lacquer. I will have the back of the guitar refinished like Les Paul Custom Silverburst. I do not know if the actual "The SG" Silverburst has the same silver burst in the back, but hell, who cares? It's already not an accurate replica of '83 "The SG" Silverburst, different fretboard wood, inlays, number of frets and many more more differences. Refinishing with nitro lacquer takes at least 6 weeks, and I will keep you guys posted as I get updates from this repair shop.
There's a change of plan. The new 70's Tribute SG was delivered, but it had truss rod issue, so I retuned it, now thanks to you guys advice, I am getting '82 Firebrand "The SG", almost the same spec as Brent's '83 The SG Silverburst.
Thanks, SuperDuty62, but I would prefer the tear drop burst in the back of the guitar just like the front of '83 "The SG" Silverburst.
Here are some pics of the '82 Firebrand "The SG" Deluxe, almost same spec as Brent's Silverburst: ebony board, dot inlay, no crown on the headstock, output jack on the side of the body, etc. Interesting, the seller says it has Ace Frehley's signature in the back of the body. Too bad to refinish it...
That's one sweet looking guitar!(aside from the unsightly autograph-those are meant for paper products, and paintings) I would love one just like that in my collection.
The Firebrand "The SG" Deluxe has arrived, getting ready for refin now. I noticed the ebony neck is a bit wide. Will update with pics as refinishing progresses.
