Glossing a VOS R9 with Virtuoso [Pics]

[jimmyq]

Gents,

I thought I would post some pics of my experience in glossing up a VOS finish. I know that this sort of thing has been posted here before, so my contribution is to add some pics of the process to try to show people what they can expect.

My new R9 has a VOS finish. Now, I have nothing against the VOS aged patina, in fact, I rather like it. But, having said that, I prefer my guitars shiny. So, I set to work gloss'ing up a VOS finish.


What you will need;

1. Virtuoso Cleaner
2. A pair of Cotton Socks (Clean)
3. Virtuoso Polish
4. Another pair of Cotton Socks
5. Yet Another pair of Cotton Socks
6. Sellotape (for the third pair of cotton socks)
7. Elbow grease
8. Just a little patience (not much)
9. Physical Grafitti and Toys in the Attic

So, first off, I removed all of the hardware from the guitar, including the pickguard (don't worry, I'll put this back on later. Or maybe not). I unscrewed the pickups and wrapped them in cotton socks, and secured the socks with Sellotape (see point 6, above).

After that, it's pretty simple. Firstly I applied the Virtuoso cleaner, gently, in small sections, rubbed in with a balled up pair of cotton socks (see point 2, above). Then, after each section, I removed the excess cleaner with a clean cloth, let the surface dry and buffed with a clean polish cloth.

Then, I applied the Virtuoso polish, again, gently, in small sections, with a balled up pair of cotton socks (see pont 4, above), left it to dry and buffed with a clean cloth. Here are the results. The white dots indicate the line between the original VOS finish and the newly glossed area;







Apologies for the low quality photos. It is difficult to catch the difference between the two sides clearly in a photo. In real life, the difference is very noticabable. The VOS gunk comes off very cleanly, and the difference between the polished and non-polished sides is significant, both in feel and appearance. Here is the finished result;







So, how long did it take? All of 'Physical Grafitti' and about halfway through 'Toys in the Attic'. What did it take? A little elbow grease, some patience and a little bit of polish.

Was it worth it? For me, yes. Like I say, I like my guitars shiny and the difference after polishing is not subtle, it is very pronouced.

The big question, does polishing a VOS give the same finish as a factory gloss finish? Ok, here is the whole reason for this thread. The guitar which I have just described was an R9 '07 VOS in tobacco. I also have an R9 '07 factory high gloss in tobacco. And, right now, I have the two guitars sat next to each other. The Virtuoso polished VOS and the factory gloss...

Can I tell the difference?

No.

In my opinion, polishing the VOS finish results in the same finish as a factory high gloss finish, based on the two guitars which I have in front of me right now.

So, I hope you guys enjoy the pics and the process. After polishing out the VOS, the mineral streaks, which were very subtle before the polish, now really stand out. The flame, which was substantial with the VOS finish, is now even more enhanced.

When it was VOS, the 3D flame was quite stunning. After a going over with some Virtuoso polish and some elbow grease, the 3D flame is spectacular.

I hope you guys find this useful. This is simply my experience, based on these two guitars. YMMV.

Best wishes
Jim

[MrWrong]

Looks great!

I GLOSSed my Darkburst VOS G0 with Virtuoso with similar results:

[vladmaximus]

cool....

[Hamtone]

Cool!! Great job!!

I bet if you were to use a red foam pad on a random orbit polisher (setting low) it would come around faster and brighter.

I would have to look and see how foam reacts with nitro, but foam polishing is used for gel coat (and cars but originally for gel coat) which is very sensitive to swirls. Foam is great for low temp buffing, and red (depending on brand but for the most part) is concourse quality polishing.

[eldiablo]

Your R9 looks great! I am not a fan of the VOS gunk myself.
It really dulls the guitar. I used Gibson's polish on my VOS R8 and it looks amazing.
Just like a gloss model now.

[Brian LP]

So what does Gibson do, or not do, to the VOS that makes them appear aged versus the gloss finish?

[ledlover01]

nice i glossed mine a few weeks ago

[fjminor]

Nice job jimmyq.

All my guitars get the Virtuoso Cleaner/Polish treatment, and look incredible after the application. And I must say your choice of music is excellent ...

I believe MLP member Pinefd stated in one thread he uses Viva paper towels for cleaning, and since then I have been using Viva when applying and cleaning my guitars with Virtuoso with excellent results

Here is one pic that shows the cleaner/polisher applied to one half, and you can see the gloss and the other side the haziness that is indicative of VOS.

The second pic shows the complete cleaning, and IMO, brings out every nuance of wood grain possible.

[jimmyq]

Originally Posted by Brian LP

So what does Gibson do, or not do, to the VOS that makes them appear aged versus the gloss finish?

As I understand it, the VOS finish involves rubbing on a layer of VOS gunk, and omitting the final buffing stage of the finishing process.

[Last]

Great post!

The VOS gunk wears off anyway & eventually begins to shine at the usual places from playing the guitar.

Nice job!

[Brian LP]

Does Gibson apply the VOS "gunk" over the entire guitar, or just the maple top?

I'm thinking of buying a VOS and may have to go through this process...

Also it seems that there are alot more VOS models for sale on ebay and gbase than there are "gloss" models....

[RobertF]

Excellent work to two beautiful guitars guys! I did the Virtuoso thing to my '07 LPC VOS when I first got her. Really made a difference.

[fretboarder]

good results..i was thinking of doing this with my tabacco r8,would i get the same results with the gibson pump polish??

[Hawk]

All the 'after' pics look great.

[BEDLAM_1]

nice job mate, looks stunning!
So much nicer glossed up, i had a quick read about the virtuoso protucts today.
Where is it sold in the uk, i couldnt find anywhere.

[jimmyq]

Originally Posted by BEDLAM_1

nice job mate, looks stunning!
So much nicer glossed up, i had a quick read about the virtuoso protucts today.
Where is it sold in the uk, i couldnt find anywhere.

I've not found a UK supplier, but you can purchase it direct from the US supplier and ship it over. I have just purchased another set of polish and cleaner today (as I'm running low) from here;

Virtuoso Premium Polish and Cleaner - Home

The total cost was about USD33 (GBP20), including shipping.

Jim

[Brian LP]

So is the VOS gunk over the entire guitar, or just the maple top?

[John the Revelator]

I'm keeping the VOS look of my two R8's. Why? Because they're work horses, and I don't have the time nor strength to keep them shiny. I'd rather use my little little time to play those babies... =)

[jimmyq]

Originally Posted by Brian LP

So is the VOS gunk over the entire guitar, or just the maple top?

On mine, the body of the guitar was VOS'd (front and back), but the neck wasn't . I'm not sure if the neck comes VOS'd from the factory and the gunk on mine has simply worn off through playing, or whether the neck is left glossy on VOS models.

[NXC1978]

I've had my R8 VOS for a little over a year and I am getting tired of the VOS gunk on the back of the neck!

[Dave1968]

I used Gibson's polish on my VOS R8 and it looks amazing.
Just like a gloss model now.

Me too! +1

I've had my R8 VOS for a little over a year and I am getting tired of the VOS gunk on the back of the neck!

+1

[PunkerJon]

I just play mine and the VOS finish has worn off in most places. Then there is the small chunk of binding missing from when it fell out of the unlocked case and the buckle rash on the back, and the scratch on the front...

[NXC1978]

Originally Posted by PunkerJon

Then there is the small chunk of binding missing from when it fell out of the unlocked case...

You're lucky it didn't do more damage than that! Glad to hear the neck didn't snap or something!

[PunkerJon]

Well I had barely lifted the case, it was more of a roll out than a fall.

[dave999z]

do you guys polish the hardware too? if not, does it look kind of strange to have a gloss guitar with aged hardware?

[Nils]

[/QUOTE]

OMG, that is one awesome top!

[jimmyq]

Originally Posted by dave999z

do you guys polish the hardware too? if not, does it look kind of strange to have a gloss guitar with aged hardware?

On mine, the pickups were only slightly dulled and the bridge / tailpiece was not aged at all. So, it all looks good.

I've seen some VOS aged guitars where the hardware is actually rusty. Even on those, I think the gloss finish would work really well, IMO.

[eldiablo]

Originally Posted by dave999z

do you guys polish the hardware too? if not, does it look kind of strange to have a gloss guitar with aged hardware?

Yup. polished up the hardware too, The Gibson Polish is safe on hardware, I don't know about Virtuoso, sure someone can answer that.

It still has a dull look to it, just without the gunk on it now.

[NXC1978]

After reading this tread, I decided to do mine this weekend. I am really glad I did. No more gunk! Now it can age naturally without all the sticky crap. Best of all the back of the neck is smooth as silk now.

As far as hardware.. The only thing really noticably aged looking on mine are the pickup covers. I don't think it looks strange at all with the glossy finish.

[Tim Plains]

Great thread!
I used Virtuoso on my R8 & R9. It was definitely the icing on the cake!
I wasn't too fond of that milky white haze.
I thought about doing it to the gold top but what's the point? It's gold.