Gibson Les Paul Studio paint quality. Average?

[Freddyb]

I was just wondering if I could get some feedback out there from other Les Paul Studio owners, who have had a Studio for quite a while.
I bought my black Les Paul 15 years ago and have used it fairly consistently over the years. It sounds great but the paint job has faded quite heavily on the neck and parts of the body, displaying some white paint (which I suspect is the undercoat). There are parts of the neck where you can actually scratch the paint with your fingernails. I have taken the guitar to several shops where the only answer have had has been rather disappointing: "Mmmh, that's odd!" Several people actually said that it looks like the guitar was previously painted white and has been repainted. I doubt that very much, however, I'm keen to get some feedback from someone in cyberspace. I sent an email to Gibson and did get a reply which stated that all Gibson guitars are handmade and therefore vary in the quality of the finish... What do you think?? I'm flaggergasted to say the least. Is my studio a piece of excrement?
Cheers for your help.

[Freddyb]

Just re-reading my post... The paint hasn't faded. It looks like it's been scratched off (it hasn't - I've been the sole owner of the guitar). It's just been used a lot...
Please help!

[lp59aholicDon]

Freddy, without pics as a reference , its really hard to say whats is going on with that, alot of things can happen that can alter a guitars paint/ finish including very acidic sweat , if you can find a way to get pics up we might be able to help you better, with several world class luthiers and alot of guys with tons of experience, I am sure you can get a decent answer
Well the guitar is 15 years old, I'd say its a pretty good Studio with maybe just some finish isssues, I think some of those earlier Studios were and have higher quality than many rolling out of Gibson today

[Freddyb]

Cheers Don. That was a quick reply, much appreciated. I will try and get some pics on there, possibly tomorrow. I bought the guitar when I didn't know a hell of a lot about guitars (I had been playing for a couple of years). It's only later that I realised the finish wasn't exactly up to my expectations (joint between fretboard and neck is pretty obvious and the paint's gone there too, clumsy finish with the inlays on the fretboard... Other than that I wouldn't sell it. It performs well. It's more cosmetic than anything but I'm not sure what to make about this white undercoat showing through.
Perhaps the pics will help you help me! Thanks again for your prompt reply.
Freddy

[lp59aholicDon]

No Problem Freddy , and Welcome to MLP as well, We alll try to help each other as best we can, Cosmetics can be an issue, I mean I have two nice Les Pauls I paid some decent money for , but beat up guitars can also get and have a character of their own , look at Strats owned by SRV, Bonnie Raitt, Rory Gallagher among others
White undercoat does sound strage I recently saw an all black Studio from 90 in a local second hand shop somewhat beat but a sweet player and tone guitar, had I had the cash I would have negotiated it down a lil more and taken it I saw chips and nicks to bare wood but no white

[Freddyb]

Haven't figured out how to upload images on this thing yet...!

[Freddyb]

Mine has a couple of chips too... That's what happens when you take it on the road and around the world I guess...
When I bought the studio I actually had my eyes on a Standard, but being a teenager, my dad reckoned it was a ridiculous amount of money for a guitar.
So I chose the black Les Paul Studio with chrome hardware and ebony fretboard. It sounds pretty cool, really heavy if you want it, plenty of sustain but can also handle a soft jazzy sound. I play heavy so it's a good guitar for me. Plus it looks awesome... Apart from the paint that's going. Although, I've decided that it gives it character and it looks like it's been well used. Don't we all love that vintage look? As you said SRV's strats all beaten up and dinged looked pretty cool.

[masx]

dont worry..i ve a 1999 red wine studio,i can scratch the finish of the back of my neck with my nails easily.i ll post pic.it doesnt bother me at all because mine is good ,fret pickup everything perfect.it is a workhorse not a display item

[masx]

Originally Posted by Freddyb

Haven't figured out how to upload images on this thing yet...!

easy.register to flickr.download your pics there.copy the url.on this post,go to insert images,then paste the url.preview first then submit.

[Freddyb]

Thanks for that masx, much appreciated. Will put some pics soon.
I'm not overly worried. I'm just wondering if it's normal or if I bought a lemon.
The guitar sounds great, everything's good on it. Except of the paint. It's that white undercoat thing that bothers me. I don't know what it is, if it's normal (the guitar is 15 years old after all). As I said earlier, a couple of guys in two different music stores said that it didn't look 'normal' and that it's as if the guitar had been painted white first then repainted black for some reason. I doubt that very much, but who knows?

[coldsteal2]

My paint is thick, shiny and purdy so i would have to
say at least mine is perfect

[masx]

you are welcome,freddyb!.i am also newbie here.all the brothers here are willing to assist us.thank guys

[geetarshredder]

correct me if i'm wrong but all gibson guitars have nitro finishes
nitro is easily scratched and the finish wears out over the years.

most guitar companies use poly finishes which are thick and not easily scratched.

[lp59aholicDon]

Originally Posted by geetarshredder

correct me if i'm wrong but all gibson guitars have nitro finishes
nitro is easily scratched and the finish wears out over the years.

most guitar companies use poly finishes which are thick and not easily scratched.

with the exception of the VOS , re issues most all Gibsons as well as most other guitars are shot with Poly finish's Thanks to the EPA and environmental nuts you cant even use Nitro in many parts of the US, Tennesee, and Montana have NOT taken the matters to the State level

[loneguitar]

Freddie, my '95 studio is almost showroom, no problems at all, and I gig every weekend, but take extra time to wipe her down completely, and once a week, give her a complete cleaning and polish, perhaps it was originally to be a white one and they decided to change to ebony but a LP said w/o pics we're only guessing

[Freddyb]

Hey LoneGuitar, I don't wipe or clean mine very often and I play every day. It's a 93 model and this paint issue started probably about six years ago. It only got worse in the last three years. I emailed Gibson and they were kind enough to reply to me, saying that all Gibson guitars are hand made and therefore finishes can vary from one instrument to the next. Look out for some pics. I've taken them, just trying to resize them cause they're huge. Cheers for your feedback.

[Satch0922]

Originally Posted by masx

dont worry..i ve a 1999 red wine studio,i can scratch the finish of the back of my neck with my nails easily.i ll post pic.it doesnt bother me at all because mine is good ,fret pickup everything perfect.it is a workhorse not a display item

Same here. My 1993 Wine Red has a very soft finish...almost gooey. The clear can be gouged just from a finger nail. The finish is gone on the bottom of the body and back of the neck where it has sat in guitar stands over the years.

[Inside Guy]

Originally Posted by lp59aholicDon

with the exception of the VOS , re issues most all Gibsons as well as most other guitars are shot with Poly finish's Thanks to the EPA and environmental nuts you cant even use Nitro in many parts of the US, Tennesee, and Montana have NOT taken the matters to the State level

This is not accurate. All USA made Gibson guitars are sprayed with Nitro cellulose lacquer, and we have to file with the EPA every year for the licenses, and pay large fees. You can double check with the EPA and OSHA.

Freddyb,

A lot can happen to the finish on a guitar in 15 years. With out knowing what is has been exposed to, there is no way to tell what is going on with your finish. What I can tell you is that it's highly unlikely that your guitar is an Alpine White Studio underneath your Ebony paint.

[Freddyb]

Thanks InsideGuy. It did sound far fetched, but a few guys from different stores said the same thing. The guitar hasn't been exposed to anything drastic other than heavy solos and riffs. It has travelled with me around the world in its case, so maybe temperature variations in and out of the planes, but I'm not sure this would affect the paint. It's not in direct sunlight and it was in its case for many years before being on a stand for the last four. My hands don't get sweaty, but as I said earlier I don't take the time to wipe it after use. I've never seen a guitar with the same sort of wear and the white does look strange. Thanks for your feedback.

[Freddyb]

LesPaulStudioneck on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Freddyb]

I finally put a couple of close up pics up on Flickr. Anyone who'd like to have a look is welcome to click on the link above. I'm eagerly awaiting your feedback.
Cheers
Freddy

[Inside Guy]

The "White" you see on the body is likely the Maple top wood, but the neck area....that could be a lacquer reaction to something. It looks like fish-eye, in one area, but looking at the entire area....I think it may be a chemical reaction.


Have you ever used "OFF" the insect repellant? That stuff will cause all sorts of problems with lacquer.

[Freddyb]

Hey InsideGuy

Nope, I haven't used "OFF". The white is the same everywhere... On the body and the neck. Up close, it doesn't really look like a reaction. There's no bubbling of the lacquer/varnish or anything like that. It's plainly the paint coming off in the area that's getting the most rubbing. If you look at the pic of the neck, you'll see a white line... That's almost on the entire length of the neck, on both sides, but slightly more pronounced on the top.
I don't use any chemical stuff to clean the guitar by the way. I just put it in the shower and hose it down. Just kidding...

[masx]

.as long as it doesnt look like the virus in will smith's i am legend,its fine with me


my 1999 les paul studio

[Freddyb]

Still no clue as to why my guitar is shedding its skin, maybe it's mutating into another, more expensive model... It still says Studio on the headstock though...

[Satch0922]

Originally Posted by Freddyb

Still no clue as to why my guitar is shedding its skin, maybe it's mutating into another, more expensive model... It still says Studio on the headstock though...

Merely a newe truss rod cover away...lol

[rastus]

I agree with Inside Guy on this one. I worked at the plant back shortly before your guitar was made, 88-91. I remember that all the departments were struggling to get quality up to levels that were consistently good. I remeber that we would commonly "wash" off flawed finishes in a tub of Acetone unless the guitar was bound. If it was bound we would use a heat lamp and peel the finish off. I recall that we did have some problems at times with Alpine White, Classic White, and Ferrari red adhering to the neck joint area. This would become apparent only when the guitars had reachd the buffing stage. We discovered that with these 3 finishes in particular that the best approach was to scuff the guitar all over, using the former paint as a makeshift primer. The new paint generally adhered very well in this manner. I'm not saying this is the case for most guitars, but I know that this was a way we dealt with getting the finish on right. I have seen this on very few guitars, but it is out there. I used to have a White Firebird that had Cardinal red under the white. Also there have been times where color coats were changed before being clearcoated due to order fullfillment.

[coldsteal2]

wow, i guess that explains it

[Freddyb]

Hey Rastus
Thanks for the info. I can't believe this! So are you saying...? What are you saying exactly? My guitar was white prior to being black? Is that the reason? Can I sue Gibson for a million bucks for emotional damage and distress?
This is unbelievable... My guitar has an identity crisis...