Planning a refinish....maybe tobacco sunburst!

[megatron]

I was never a fan of the color of my Epi Standard Birdseye maple(wine red). I've always been in love with tobacco and cherry sunbursts. I am seriously considering a refinish. Where would I go to get the stain/varnish what have you? Is this something I need to order somewhere? What kinds of tools do you recommend for taking off the original color? ie sandpaper grit? What kinds of worries do I need to have about the binding? This would be a complete refinish....not just the top. If I do a cherry burst, the back and neck can stay, but not for a tobacco. Basically just kind of brief me on the types of prep and stuff I need to do. I'm a novice at this type of work.

[dave-m]

Pretty much any type of stripper that will put a dent in the poly will also ruin the binding. Your pretty much limited to sanding. Next problem is the figured top of your guitar is a very thin veneer. If the color was applied to the veneer you may end up sanding right through it to get to veneer's natural color. If it's clear, color then more clear then it's possible to save the veneer, but if you are inexperienced you will likely end up going through the veneer at some point. Under the veneer you may find a decent plain top to work with or a hideous mess of many pieces glued together.

[megatron]

Originally Posted by dave-m

Pretty much any type of stripper that will put a dent in the poly will also ruin the binding. Your pretty much limited to sanding. Next problem is the figured top of your guitar is a very thin veneer. If the color was applied to the veneer you may end up sanding right through it to get to veneer's natural color. If it's clear, color then more clear then it's possible to save the veneer, but if you are inexperienced you will likely end up going through the veneer at some point. Under the veneer you may find a decent plain top to work with or a hideous mess of many pieces glued together.

I really like the flame maple tops too. I know you can buy a flame maple veneer....any places to go or ideas how much an unfinished veneer will cost? This might be a good option if the original veneer cannot be saved.

[ptate]

Just trade it for another......Believe me you can screw it up big time unless you are careful.

Some of the Epi's were veneered backs too, so you can bugger that side as well and unless you know what you're doing spraying a burst, you can make it look awful. As an example, I have heard of a guy using flat red colour in his....!!!!

Stripper is chemical and can react with a lot of things. Sanding is hard work and takes a long time if you do it carefully. The paint on the top will likely have bled into the veneer anyway when it was applied.

Once you've refinned it, it will lose a lot of value on the market and will only retain some if the finsh is left amost perfect.

In terms of the finish, it will be a thick, hard poly which means you will have to sand the wood and binding too, unless you plan on repainting it with the same (not really a home technique). If you just plan to do the top, have you thought about how the edges will react/look when it's sprayed? When it's covered in a nice orange peel effect, do you know how to sand it back, buff and polish? And so on......

Back to point 1; either live with it or sell and buy another.......

Peace.

[megatron]

Originally Posted by ptate

Just trade it for another......Believe me you can screw it up big time unless you are careful.

Some of the Epi's were veneered backs too, so you can bugger that side as well and unless you know what you're doing spraying a burst, you can make it look awful. As an example, I have heard of a guy using flat red colour in his....!!!!

Stripper is chemical and can react with a lot of things. Sanding is hard work and takes a long time if you do it carefully. The paint on the top will likely have bled into the veneer anyway when it was applied.

Once you've refinned it, it will lose a lot of value on the market and will only retain some if the finsh is left amost perfect.

In terms of the finish, it will be a thick, hard poly which means you will have to sand the wood and binding too, unless you plan on repainting it with the same (not really a home technique). If you just plan to do the top, have you thought about how the edges will react/look when it's sprayed? When it's covered in a nice orange peel effect, do you know how to sand it back, buff and polish? And so on......

Back to point 1; either live with it or sell and buy another.......

Peace.

I have done a fair amount of woodworking before, but not on a guitar. I just didn't know if it would be worth all the hassle refinning it. I really like the bursts, and actually have my Epi out on the market right now. Hoping to snag a cherry sunburst or tabacco sunburst custom. It was my first idea, then someone suggested refinning it. I'll probably just sell.

[Phildog]

Originally Posted by ptate

Just trade it for another......Believe me you can screw it up big time unless you are careful.

Some of the Epi's were veneered backs too, so you can bugger that side as well and unless you know what you're doing spraying a burst, you can make it look awful. As an example, I have heard of a guy using flat red colour in his....!!!!

Stripper is chemical and can react with a lot of things. Sanding is hard work and takes a long time if you do it carefully. The paint on the top will likely have bled into the veneer anyway when it was applied.

Once you've refinned it, it will lose a lot of value on the market and will only retain some if the finsh is left amost perfect.

In terms of the finish, it will be a thick, hard poly which means you will have to sand the wood and binding too, unless you plan on repainting it with the same (not really a home technique). If you just plan to do the top, have you thought about how the edges will react/look when it's sprayed? When it's covered in a nice orange peel effect, do you know how to sand it back, buff and polish? And so on......

Back to point 1; either live with it or sell and buy another.......

Peace.

+1

I refinished my Ebony. The plain top underneath was a very thin veneer. Mine came out pretty good, but I'd never try it again as I probably wouldn't be as lucky. That's a pretty LP, so there's probably some good trades out there for you. Or, you can sell it outright and get the one you really want.