1978 Les Paul Custom White - Paint Question

[kkottman]

Hello-
I just bought a 1978 Les Paul Custom in white. I have several other LPs but none of that vintage and none that are white. My question is this: The paint on this baby is a bit rough - its definitely yellowed significantly. But I am wondering if there was a repaint at any point and if there is an easy way to tell. here are some observations:

• the overspray in the cavities is consistent with the color of the body - shouldnt it be bright white? There is more overspray in the pickup routes than I recall in my other (younger) LP's
• the binding is intact and shows signs of routine wear and yellowing as does the split diamond on headstock
• the area between the front binding and back binding (the side or width of guitar) is consistently a lighter color of yellow than the front or back of the body
• when p/u rings, pickguard, bridge and control knobs are removed they show a shadow of a lighter shade of yellow - consistent with an aged guitar
• in the bridge pickup route is a stamp that shows "09" in black with overspray over the top and next to it one that shows "10" with no overspray.
• someone at some point sanded the back of the neck clean down to wood. The areas where the sanding tapers back into paint shows a bright white undercoat - could be a base coat?
• on the front/top of guitar body - as you run your finger from binding onto the top - there is a slight - yet consistent ridge where the body surface is slightly higher all the way around. There is some cracking and checking in the binding but very little spans both the binding and the body paint.

Any of this sound fishy? I can post some pics as needed

Kevin

 

[Boleskinehouse]

Sounds fine to me. Where are the pics?

 

[Toogy]

I think we will definitely have to see some photos!

 

[dbf909]

The clear lacquer top coats turn yellow with age. This would be consistent with what you see on the neck. The white base coat would be brighter than the white covered by the yellowed clear.

The ridge between the binding and the top is left when they scrape the base coat (white) off the binding before applying the clear. They don't mask the binding...

Probably not a re-finish. If so, they did a good job hiding it.

Pics would definitely help though.

 

[kkottman]

Ok - many thanks guys - here are 3 quick attachments - the first one shows the neck pickup route - its hard to make out but stamped in the bottom of the route covered by paint looks to be the word "TOBACCO"

Next is a picture showing the binding where the pickguard attached.

And the last is what I was talking about the center (between front and back binding) is a lighter shade of yellow than the front and back of guitar which are more consistent with the color of the binding itself.

 

[Satch0922]

I am thinking that is a refinish job

 

[kkottman]

thanks - what makes you think so. My concern is that its a decent refinish but one thats older - the finish itself clearly has some age to it - but the finish all over is just plain bad. it looks like steel wool everywhere that was not covered. In picture #1 you can see the difference where the pickguard was.

 

[Satch0922]

I could be wrong but the paint in the pickup cavity is what makes me say that.

 

[duane v]

Completely normal....

My 1980 has just the same amount if not more over-spray in the pup cavities, the same random blotchiness, and the same type of shadowing under the PG, (just not as pronounced). Only difference is my binding hasn't ambered as much as yours..... Mine was stored in a case for 19 years, so it didn't receive much exposure to UV lighting, but it still manage to amber a bit even while in a case.

I recently had my guitar completly rebuffed and that help uniform the color a bit.

IMO your blondie is in pretty darn good shape

 

[kkottman]

thanks duane - this guitar, judging by frets, fingerboard, and playwear was played heavily - I also believe whoever was playing this extensively must have sweat a lot or had liquids thrown on him/her (or both) as there is some light rust but lots of gnarl on the body when I took off bridge, pickups, etc...much more than on any of my other guitars. This could also have contributed to the finish wierdness. In some places it almost seems like a layer of the top coat is missing not by color but by sight. Does this sound right? So who exactly do you see about a guitar's finish and potential rebuff? Oh - and does the word "TOBACCO" oversprayed in the neck pickup mean anything? I was thinking it was the finish thus indicative of a color change - but I know I have seen other guitars whose finish does not match the stamp there.

 

[duane v]

Despite it being played a a lot, it appears that whomever owned it for the better part of its life, made the effort in trying to take care of it.


Anywhoo, my Luthier used a buffing wheel with this red jewelers rouge, and some other component to remove the etched blue stains from the guitar case lining. Man did it look utterly fantastic from head to toe when it left the shop. But after a few weeks it went back to its slightly cloudy finish....

An image one day after pulling the guitar out of the shop. (all shiny)

About a month later, kinda cloudy, a bit dull, and the blotchiness returning

 

[kkottman]

wow - sweet axe, Duane - what year is that - the finish on mine is considerably more deteriorated - yours looks brand spankin new.

 

[duane v]

wow - sweet axe, Duane - what year is that - the finish on mine is considerably more deteriorated - yours looks brand spankin new.

Thanks

It's a 1980 and I'm the only owner.... Purchased it at the GC of Hollywood in Feb of 1981... (I was 16 years old)..... But I found out later I just couldn't get used to the low/wide flat frets.... And just a year after acquiring the ol' girl, it became the guitar version of King Tut.

She does photo well like most blonde LPC's, but in person you can see the minor flaws, and it's starting to check where the neck meets the body. But I must say after having the taller frets installed and the slight scalloping, she is hard to put down, and hasn't seen the guitar case in three months

 

[rideski]

Wow...that is beautiful! Curious about the scalloping though? I assume its the upper frets? Do you have any pics of those?

 

[marantz1300]

Mines a 90 and thats turning yellow too.The back of the neck and under the pickguard are whiter though.

 

[duane v]

Wow...that is beautiful! Curious about the scalloping though? I assume its the upper frets? Do you have any pics of those?

See image below....

My Luthier did damage two of the inlays, (he eventually confessed to the other), but he was able to find the chipped piece of inlay and glue it back in. But the other inlay has a little chip missing But I understood the draw backs of having this done to a LPC. He called it a pocket scalloping and performed it from the 5th to the 19th fret board area I believe.

My Luthier wasnt too happy about doing the frets or the scallop, and tried his best to talk me out of it because he felt the stock frets were in perfect condition.

I have no regrets, because it plays bitchen, and I'm able to get that Jimi Hendrix vibrato feel.

 

[rideski]

Wow..never seen that before on an LP. Nice axe man!