Im wanting to repaint my les paul

[Oudy]

I have a gibson LP studio and i wanted to repaint in into a white colour (randy rhoads look) the colour it is now is black.

my question is

what type of finish does gibson use, how hard will it be to do and if i wanted to ( i believe the finish i am thinking of is nitro) could i put a nitro finish on it after i sand everything off and repaint it without causing and damage to the guitar.


thanks in advance

[Ayrton]

Good place to start...

www.reranch.com

[Oudy]

Good place to start...

www.reranch.com

it just gives me a 404 error when i try to load the page

[Empty Pockets]

Man that is gonna be a lot of work. I'm just trying to refinish a Strat body right now and it's takin forever. Reranch is a really good place to start and it works for me so I dunno why you can't access it.

[Ayrton]

it just gives me a 404 error when i try to load the page

Yep, the site is down again...

Use this one for now

http://home.flash.net/~guitars/index.html

[MikeS]

I have a gibson LP studio and i wanted to repaint in into a white colour (randy rhoads look) the colour it is now is black.

my question is

what type of finish does gibson use, how hard will it be to do and if i wanted to ( i believe the finish i am thinking of is nitro) could i put a nitro finish on it after i sand everything off and repaint it without causing and damage to the guitar.


thanks in advance

If you sanded down to wood you can reshoot with any material you want.

Question is... do you really want to go to all that trouble to create something which already exists and destroy any chance at getting market value for the guitar should you ever try to sell it? There are plenty of white Studios on the market. If you sold your black studio and bought a white one you should come close to breaking even. If you have zero of the necessary supplies already on hand, expect to spend at least $100 to get everything you need...more if you go with ReRanch products.

[Pete Galati]

White Les Pauls do look cool, but I wouldn't repaint it unless the finish was completely trashed beyond repair.

I think Gibson still uses nitro lacquer though.

[WhoFan]

buy a white LP..... save the refinnishing work for a guitar that is in trouble and needs to be saved....

[Aceman]

Question is... do you really want to go to all that trouble to create something which already exists and destroy any chance at getting market value for the guitar should you ever try to sell it?

I always grit my teeth at statements like that. They sound as if you can't buy a guitar purely for the functional aspect of it. It's a generic studio. Brand new I'm not going over 8/9 for it! Assuming that I'm totally jonesing for a studio. Who is, really? No one. So the odds of coulor being an issue is moot.

If you got it as an investment - big mistake. If not, paint it. Or even if you did...paint it!

[WhoFan]

most first time guitar refinnishers mess up... i did... i'm sure there is a bunch on here that have as well... a Les Paul is not the axe to learn refinnishing work on... so you could have a piece of dung in the end.... for what.....? a change in colour...

i find with my hand made guitars the biggest draw back i have is not having a pro spray booth... which is why i have to shoot poly and water based finnishes in the summer in my back yard... the poly stuff stinks and nitro is just as bad!!!! I've sprayed a few bodies and left them to dry in the basement and 6 weeks later they stink to high heaven...

the tools to refinnish a guitar right are not cheap..... even with spray cans... the respirators alone to save your lungs from the spray finnish and the sanding particales can cost a fair bit... i have a larger compressor set up with a few guns and water filters for painting....

[Oudy]

Ok like. the guitar has chips in the paint below the pickguard so im sure the value is down by quiet a bit. and i didnt want to resell it since it was an 18th birthday present to me (A year and a half ago) from my younger brother and most of my family. so the guitar has a lot of sentimental value to me in a way.

and I was thinking of getting my friend to do it sinc he's been involved in woodworking for a long time.

also is nitro what i am thinking of, the kind nonexistant feel to it?

[jmh151]

I refinished my White Les Paul Custom only for one reason- I found a killer flame top underneath - and my other dream guitar was one of those original run PRS Artist Signatures.

If it wasn't for the flame top I never would've done it. You'll never get your money back. I'd rather strip it and oil it.

Gibson does use Nitro. Reranch is the place to get DIY paint if you still insist to do it. However, Gibsons are Alpine white with a clearcoat. i don't think reranch offers alpine white.

My suggestion- when it comes to dollars and cents- if you want a white les paul to be more randy rhoads-ish, go on ebay and get a used white epiphone Les Paul Custom. It'll look more authentic than a repainted studio. Then use your studio as the tone monster

[theodie]

most first time guitar refinnishers mess up... i did... i'm sure there is a bunch on here that have as well... a Les Paul is not the axe to learn refinnishing work on... so you could have a piece of dung in the end.... for what.....? a change in colour...

i find with my hand made guitars the biggest draw back i have is not having a pro spray booth... which is why i have to shoot poly and water based finnishes in the summer in my back yard... the poly stuff stinks and nitro is just as bad!!!! I've sprayed a few bodies and left them to dry in the basement and 6 weeks later they stink to high heaven...

the tools to refinnish a guitar right are not cheap..... even with spray cans... the respirators alone to save your lungs from the spray finnish and the sanding particales can cost a fair bit... i have a larger compressor set up with a few guns and water filters for painting....

+1, +1, and +1 again!

A LP is a horrible guitar for the novice person to do a re-fin on.

[GuitarGuy503]

IMO a color change would be to much trouble. As said, if you insist on having a white lp sell your lp and buy a white one and save yourself the hassle of repainting. No offense but don't you think you would kill some of sentimental value of your lp if you altered it by repainting it?... You will also take a loss if you ever decide to sell it because it isn't the original factory paintjob...

[MikeS]

Get someone to confirm Gibson finishes (preferably someone at Gibson, if they'll share the info). Could be rumor, but I've read on more than one occasion that Gibson shoots with a lacquer blend (not 100% nitro). Regardless, unless you can guarantee that a polish containing silicone has NEVER been used on the guitar you'll have to sand down a little to remove bonded contaminants.

I've got several finishes under my belt, but I'd still be very hesitant to do a set neck carved top guitar. What a pain in the ass that would be to strip and sand. If you've got a friend that you have confidence in, I would certainly suggest working out a deal with him if you have to refinish this guitar.

[Rand-O-Monium]

+ another for leaving it alone & saving up...

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